CX bike for commuting and road riding
Discussion
Hi, I'm tempted to buy a CX bike, for the following reasons -
It'd be a great improvement in speed on my Hardtail on the commute, and a much more rugged machine than my road bike to cope with the crappy roads of the Northwest.
Rim braking in the wet is terrifying, especially 30mph plus.
Disc braking is a lot safer and has saved my bacon many a time on the Hardtail
I'm now riding with a cycling club and we do a lot of hills - again, CX bike is well suited.
So now I'm trying to work out which is best for me. I'd like hydraulic discs, and a light bike, and really like the look of the kinesis cross light pro6 v2 with the hydro brakes and 105 group set, but have also seen another really tempting machine at Evans, the Norco Threshold Rival 1 2016 Cyclocross Bike, which has a carbon frame / fork, wicked paint job and SRAM groupset. Without pedals, it weighs 8.6kg, which is impressive
What I'm trying to ascertain is some basics, such as what experiences have commuters had with running a CX as a commuter / distance machine, opinions on the bikes mentioned plus pros / cons of a carbon CX frame. I'm slightly nervy about a carbon due to horror stories about broken carbon frames, but like most stories there's likely to be truth and fiction.
over to you guys, cheers!
It'd be a great improvement in speed on my Hardtail on the commute, and a much more rugged machine than my road bike to cope with the crappy roads of the Northwest.
Rim braking in the wet is terrifying, especially 30mph plus.
Disc braking is a lot safer and has saved my bacon many a time on the Hardtail
I'm now riding with a cycling club and we do a lot of hills - again, CX bike is well suited.
So now I'm trying to work out which is best for me. I'd like hydraulic discs, and a light bike, and really like the look of the kinesis cross light pro6 v2 with the hydro brakes and 105 group set, but have also seen another really tempting machine at Evans, the Norco Threshold Rival 1 2016 Cyclocross Bike, which has a carbon frame / fork, wicked paint job and SRAM groupset. Without pedals, it weighs 8.6kg, which is impressive
What I'm trying to ascertain is some basics, such as what experiences have commuters had with running a CX as a commuter / distance machine, opinions on the bikes mentioned plus pros / cons of a carbon CX frame. I'm slightly nervy about a carbon due to horror stories about broken carbon frames, but like most stories there's likely to be truth and fiction.
over to you guys, cheers!
Run my CX adventure bike as my main commuting/winter bike, Pinnacle Arkose 4 2015, race it in the local cross league too with different tyres! No complaints from me, slightly more upright, but when you convert to your posh summer road bike you'll be flying :P I know I have out here in Majorca!
I agree with the above. My Specialiazed Diverge has been better for a mix of on/off road and winter duties than the two cross bikes that I previously owned - Ridley X-Bow & Cube X-Race. I essence it rides like a slightly heavier Allez on road but with the added advantage of wider tyres, full guards, disc brakes etc.
i've been commuting for about 3 years on a kinesis tipster atr. it's essentially a road, cross, gravel bike. i use it all year round. in the summer i run 25mm slicks on it. in the winter i run 32mm with guards. there is clearance to run unto 40mm tyres which i do when i do some 'proper offroad' and i also fit a manual dropper post to it as well!!! i can confirm it is an excellent all rounder. it has a relaxed geometry so is extremely comfortable for long distances. when going for 'fast rides' there is no problem, it is not a slow machine. when offroading, being titanium it is light and springy. i'm in the process of upgrading to hydraulic brakes although the cable pulled discs system is perfectly good, it just needs adjusting every now and again which can be a pain. it currently has a 46 / 36 upfront which is a cx standard, and 11-25 rear although i'm changing to 11-32 to manage more offered climbs. i cycled just under 6k miles last year, so i feel i am in a position to offer an opinion on the matter! i also sold all my other road bikes shortly after i bought this as i saw no point to them (one being a specialised venge)
if i was in the market for what you require i would without doubt buy one of these again.
if i was in the market for what you require i would without doubt buy one of these again.
Antony Moxey said:
O/T but what's the difference between a CX bike and a gravel bike? Isn't it just marketing nonsense and they're the same thing under a different name or is there more to it than that?
Sometimes there is a big crossover and a blur between the two.A pure CX bike will have no bottle cage bosses, rack or mudguard mounts and will be setup for racing flat out for an hour.
Geometry wise they are a bit different. CX bikes have a touch slacker head angle, longer forks, shorter top tube and a higher BB.
Subtle differences, but they do add up and if you have both styles of bike in a range then you may as well pick the one that is best for you're riding.
Edited by matt-ITR on Wednesday 24th February 08:50
matt-ITR said:
Antony Moxey said:
O/T but what's the difference between a CX bike and a gravel bike? Isn't it just marketing nonsense and they're the same thing under a different name or is there more to it than that?
Sometimes there is a big crossover and a blur between the two.A pure CX bike will have no bottle cage bosses, rack or mudguard mounts and will be setup for racing flat out for an hour.
Geometry wise they are a bit different. CX bikes have a touch slacker head angle, longer forks, shorter top tube and a higher BB.
Subtle differences, but they do add up and if you have both styles of bike in a range then you may as well pick the one that is best for you're riding.
I use it as an all weather, load carrying commuter though, and it's superb for that. The biggest difference to my mind is what tyres you put on the thing.
Having said that, I bought it in the short window between the UCI legalising disc brakes in cross races and disc brakes making it onto road bikes, so at the time, the only bikes to meet my core criteria - discs, rack mounts and mudguard mounts - were all CX bikes.
What Matt-ITR says. You could race 'cross on a gravel bike and you could go all-day bridleway slaying on a CX bike, but neither would be the optimal tool for the job. Just as you could road race on an endurance bike, or do double century on a race bike.
Edited by SixPotBelly on Wednesday 24th February 09:47
The differences between individual models of 'CX bike' or 'gravel bike' can be just as great as the difference between either genre so I wouldn't get hung up on choosing one over the another.
Also a lot of CX bikes have slightly lower BBs these days and many CX bikes from UK brands also have plenty of clearance and some have guard and even rack mounts too.
Planet X offer a wide range of either as well as the titanium Pickenflick and the London Road which is a similar 'do-it all bike' to the Boardman CX & Pinnacle Arkose.
I'd narrow down what you want in terms of frame material, gear range, brake type and whether you want rack or guard mounts and if you prefer a 'traditional/racing' or more 'sportive' (upright) riding position and then take it from there.
Well worth budgeting £250 for pair of Kinesis Crosslight wheels - a great upgrade for most bikes (Kinesis, Moda and high end BMC's often come with good wheels as standard).
Also a lot of CX bikes have slightly lower BBs these days and many CX bikes from UK brands also have plenty of clearance and some have guard and even rack mounts too.
Planet X offer a wide range of either as well as the titanium Pickenflick and the London Road which is a similar 'do-it all bike' to the Boardman CX & Pinnacle Arkose.
I'd narrow down what you want in terms of frame material, gear range, brake type and whether you want rack or guard mounts and if you prefer a 'traditional/racing' or more 'sportive' (upright) riding position and then take it from there.
Well worth budgeting £250 for pair of Kinesis Crosslight wheels - a great upgrade for most bikes (Kinesis, Moda and high end BMC's often come with good wheels as standard).
I bought a Whyte Dorset in 2014 with the plan to use that as a commuter while I tidied up my CAAD9 for longer rides in better weather.
In the end I haven’t got round to sorting the CAAD out and have simply used the Whyte.
As Roman says, I added some Crosslight wheels as the OE ones were going through a spoke once a month. It has guards fitted and they only came off once last year for Ride London.
Ignoring the brand for a second, that type of bike works well, for me at least, as something for daily 15 mile round trip to work and I’m happy with it on weekend rides that last as long as I’ve got time to do them. Yes it’s heavier than a pure road bike but on the flat it doesn’t cost you much and on hills they generally have a wider cassette.
If I was looking to replace it I’d be after something like this:
http://activesport.co/epages/80c85f8f-7a95-4b1c-9c...
It has the TRP HYRD brakes which I’m really happy with. Hydraulic power but swappable so you can upgrade or replace your shifters/groupset without worrying about braking compatibility.
For a bike used for regular commuting I’m happy with an alloy frame so I can just stick it in the racks or lock it up outside and not worry about it getting knocked over or whatever by the hamfisted tw4ts I share the facilities with.
In the end I haven’t got round to sorting the CAAD out and have simply used the Whyte.
As Roman says, I added some Crosslight wheels as the OE ones were going through a spoke once a month. It has guards fitted and they only came off once last year for Ride London.
Ignoring the brand for a second, that type of bike works well, for me at least, as something for daily 15 mile round trip to work and I’m happy with it on weekend rides that last as long as I’ve got time to do them. Yes it’s heavier than a pure road bike but on the flat it doesn’t cost you much and on hills they generally have a wider cassette.
If I was looking to replace it I’d be after something like this:
http://activesport.co/epages/80c85f8f-7a95-4b1c-9c...
It has the TRP HYRD brakes which I’m really happy with. Hydraulic power but swappable so you can upgrade or replace your shifters/groupset without worrying about braking compatibility.
For a bike used for regular commuting I’m happy with an alloy frame so I can just stick it in the racks or lock it up outside and not worry about it getting knocked over or whatever by the hamfisted tw4ts I share the facilities with.
Roman said:
Well worth budgeting £250 for pair of Kinesis Crosslight wheels - a great upgrade for most bikes (Kinesis, Moda and high end BMC's often come with good wheels as standard).
I'd second that. The original rims on my Boardman were made of extremely heavy cheese, and the back one split around a number of spoke holes as a result of heavy me plus heavy panniers riding it on rough surfaces. The Crosslights I put on to replace them have been flawless.I have used my CX bike for commuting now for 2 and half years. Its a Colnago World cup. Ive uprated the crappy BB5s to Trp Hyds, well worth it! I found the knobbles wernt too bad on the road so I kept them on as I was roading to work and canal pathing it back. I soon invested in another set of wheels and run knobblies on one and slicks on the other set. The knobblies wear out really quickly and are a drag on anything over 10 miles. I dont use my carbon roadbike anymore as I love the CX.
Fluffsri said:
I have used my CX bike for commuting now for 2 and half years. Its a Colnago World cup. Ive uprated the crappy BB5s to Trp Hyds, well worth it!
Also snap! That was my other upgrade, along with the Crosslight wheels. For those who don't know them, they're hydraulic disc brakes, but both the master and slave are in the caliper, and they're cable actuated from the brake levers to the caliper. A great solution for when hydraulic discs on dropped bar levers didn't exist or were ruinously expensive, and they work really well. They're not anything like as powerful as the fully hydraulic XT brakes on my hardtail, but they're more than powerful enough to lock up the tyres, and you still get that nice fit and forget operation, at least until the pads need replacing! I upgraded from BB7s rather than BB5s, but they were still superior in every way imaginable.
I used my Cannondale CAADX Tiagra for work and (last year) for winter/wet rides as it has proper mud guards. When I was less fit and new to cycling it made no real difference to me on the road. Now I can feel the big 33 tyres and rather hefty wheels so I've bought some Kinesis Crosslight wheels with 28mm Conti 4Seasons on for when I want to run it on the road. The gearing is a little unsuited for the road if you want to go fast downhill etc but otherwise it's quite nice to ride over longer distances.
Thanks to all of you for the advice, went to Evans today, and looked at a Norco Search, but in the end went for a Threshold. Only problem was that the hydraulic disc SRAM groupset model wasn't available anywhere in 58cm, so I put a deposit down on the cable disc with shimano 105's. I also ordered a set of 105 compatible hydraulic brakes, so in the end the price works out the same. I'm pleased with the outcome, as the 105 comes in a very fetching blue / black combo. Weight without pedals is about 8.7kg, so should make for rapid progress!
Roman said:
The differences between individual models of 'CX bike' or 'gravel bike' can be just as great as the difference between either genre so I wouldn't get hung up on choosing one over the another.
Also a lot of CX bikes have slightly lower BBs these days and many CX bikes from UK brands also have plenty of clearance and some have guard and even rack mounts too.
Planet X offer a wide range of either as well as the titanium Pickenflick and the London Road which is a similar 'do-it all bike' to the Boardman CX & Pinnacle Arkose.
I'd narrow down what you want in terms of frame material, gear range, brake type and whether you want rack or guard mounts and if you prefer a 'traditional/racing' or more 'sportive' (upright) riding position and then take it from there.
Well worth budgeting £250 for pair of Kinesis Crosslight wheels - a great upgrade for most bikes (Kinesis, Moda and high end BMC's often come with good wheels as standard).
I have the Planet X SLX (XLS?) CX bike and I originally bought it for commuting and maybe a bit of CX racing. Also a lot of CX bikes have slightly lower BBs these days and many CX bikes from UK brands also have plenty of clearance and some have guard and even rack mounts too.
Planet X offer a wide range of either as well as the titanium Pickenflick and the London Road which is a similar 'do-it all bike' to the Boardman CX & Pinnacle Arkose.
I'd narrow down what you want in terms of frame material, gear range, brake type and whether you want rack or guard mounts and if you prefer a 'traditional/racing' or more 'sportive' (upright) riding position and then take it from there.
Well worth budgeting £250 for pair of Kinesis Crosslight wheels - a great upgrade for most bikes (Kinesis, Moda and high end BMC's often come with good wheels as standard).
The 28mm tyres and disc brakes were good for commuting, but you couldn't mount proper guards to it at all apart from the seat post versions and a crud catcher on the front. Neither really worked that well. It does have bottle cage mounts, so the purists will consider that to mean it isn't a pukka CX race bike, but who really cares??
If the OP is going to buy a CX bike, I would take a very careful look at the bikes and check it will cover all of your needs. If I was buying again. I would go for something with proper mud guard mounts.
As for gravel bikes, I personally don't really understand where this niche has come from?? Is it just something invented by the manufacturers to make us buy another bike we will barely use?
bakerstreet said:
I have the Planet X SLX (XLS?) CX bike and I originally bought it for commuting and maybe a bit of CX racing.
The 28mm tyres and disc brakes were good for commuting, but you couldn't mount proper guards to it at all apart from the seat post versions and a crud catcher on the front. Neither really worked that well. It does have bottle cage mounts, so the purists will consider that to mean it isn't a pukka CX race bike, but who really cares??
If the OP is going to buy a CX bike, I would take a very careful look at the bikes and check it will cover all of your needs. If I was buying again. I would go for something with proper mud guard mounts.
As for gravel bikes, I personally don't really understand where this niche has come from?? Is it just something invented by the manufacturers to make us buy another bike we will barely use?
/\ /\ /\ Looks like the OP bought one on Saturday The 28mm tyres and disc brakes were good for commuting, but you couldn't mount proper guards to it at all apart from the seat post versions and a crud catcher on the front. Neither really worked that well. It does have bottle cage mounts, so the purists will consider that to mean it isn't a pukka CX race bike, but who really cares??
If the OP is going to buy a CX bike, I would take a very careful look at the bikes and check it will cover all of your needs. If I was buying again. I would go for something with proper mud guard mounts.
As for gravel bikes, I personally don't really understand where this niche has come from?? Is it just something invented by the manufacturers to make us buy another bike we will barely use?
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