New Bike Quandries
Discussion
Been mulling these over, not to race but rather to use as a commuter and for weekend day trips, so want mudguards, a pannier rack and larger tyres to tackle light off-road. Anyone any experience or failing that opinions.
http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Ridley/Crossbow,_...
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de...
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Many thanks
http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Ridley/Crossbow,_...
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de...
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Many thanks
Gnarlybluesurf said:
Been mulling these over, not to race but rather to use as a commuter and for weekend day trips, so want mudguards, a pannier rack and larger tyres to tackle light off-road. Anyone any experience or failing that opinions.
http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Ridley/Crossbow,_...
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de...
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Many thanks
to be honest there isnt much in it. they are all very well respected cx bikes, the boardman and the ridley have been praised recently in a fair few magazines. i dont know much about the genesis and cant reacall having seen any reviews but then again, i havent heard anything bad about them.http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Ridley/Crossbow,_...
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de...
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Many thanks
the boardman has a good spec, especially with the mavic rims which are a good asset on a bike you intend on showing a bit of a hard time. the ridley is just lovely though and has all the proper cx heritage that comes from being belgian. the fulcrum racing 7 rims are a really nice touch on the ridley too, its a nod towards an excellent entry level bike and the geometry might not suit a more relaxed pace over a longer duration. on that basis i would go for the boardman but then i am slightly bias towards boardmans. the carbon fork really helps take the whack out of igger knocks too. dont get hung up about groupset spec on any of them, tiagra is functional and reliable and one or two had a 105 rear mech for those who value such things.
Although it's a little more expensive I would go for the Boardman.
The Genesis is more a 'cross style' bike - like the sub £1k Tri Cross - great for commuting and touring but you won't find one at the sharp end of a cross race whereas the other two are light enough for full on competitive cyclocross. Although I like it very much (I think it's on par with the Scott CX bikes which I also like), I'm not sure if the Ridley has mudguard eyes or provision for fitting a rack (picture is too small to tell) but the Boardman seems to - as well as already having the wider tyres that you want.
I prefer SRAM to Shimano personally (the Rival groupset is more akin to Ultegra level), it has full carbon fork and I'd find the 1.5" lower headtube reasuring off road.
The Genesis is more a 'cross style' bike - like the sub £1k Tri Cross - great for commuting and touring but you won't find one at the sharp end of a cross race whereas the other two are light enough for full on competitive cyclocross. Although I like it very much (I think it's on par with the Scott CX bikes which I also like), I'm not sure if the Ridley has mudguard eyes or provision for fitting a rack (picture is too small to tell) but the Boardman seems to - as well as already having the wider tyres that you want.
I prefer SRAM to Shimano personally (the Rival groupset is more akin to Ultegra level), it has full carbon fork and I'd find the 1.5" lower headtube reasuring off road.
Thanks guys, can always rely on you two for good advice.
I tend to agree about the boardman, just wish it wasn't white, last two bikes have been white and fancy a change. They standout to theives and look dirty after a winter ride. That said with a sensible head on just can't fault it on spec.
The ridley will take a rack and mudguards and I agree the Fulcrum 7's are a really nice touch. Has to be the best looking of the bikes too I think and AW cycles also offer a full custom fitting service with bike jig for £100 that they will knock off the cost of a bike if you buy one.
The Genesis is the realy quandry though, it's Reynolds 725 which should last forever (although will be heavier) and lends itself to being modernised in the future with extra bits welded on. It also has disk brakes which should be better in the wet and prolong the life of the rims. Against is it suggests using 700x28 with 'fenders' and 700x35 without which would be less suited to off road. Also for a bike called 'Crois de Fer' (Iron Cross) why is it white... surely it should be bare metal silver/grey??
Only other point is I have not used modern cantilever brakes and am used to disc brakes, is there a noticeable difference between them and disk brakes on the road? Again is it a big difference off road?
Many thanks again the other half just rolls her eyes when i try to explain these life changing quandries
I tend to agree about the boardman, just wish it wasn't white, last two bikes have been white and fancy a change. They standout to theives and look dirty after a winter ride. That said with a sensible head on just can't fault it on spec.
The ridley will take a rack and mudguards and I agree the Fulcrum 7's are a really nice touch. Has to be the best looking of the bikes too I think and AW cycles also offer a full custom fitting service with bike jig for £100 that they will knock off the cost of a bike if you buy one.
The Genesis is the realy quandry though, it's Reynolds 725 which should last forever (although will be heavier) and lends itself to being modernised in the future with extra bits welded on. It also has disk brakes which should be better in the wet and prolong the life of the rims. Against is it suggests using 700x28 with 'fenders' and 700x35 without which would be less suited to off road. Also for a bike called 'Crois de Fer' (Iron Cross) why is it white... surely it should be bare metal silver/grey??
Only other point is I have not used modern cantilever brakes and am used to disc brakes, is there a noticeable difference between them and disk brakes on the road? Again is it a big difference off road?
Many thanks again the other half just rolls her eyes when i try to explain these life changing quandries
Gnarlybluesurf said:
Thanks guys, can always rely on you two for good advice.
I tend to agree about the boardman, just wish it wasn't white, last two bikes have been white and fancy a change. They standout to theives and look dirty after a winter ride. That said with a sensible head on just can't fault it on spec.
The ridley will take a rack and mudguards and I agree the Fulcrum 7's are a really nice touch. Has to be the best looking of the bikes too I think and AW cycles also offer a full custom fitting service with bike jig for £100 that they will knock off the cost of a bike if you buy one.
The Genesis is the realy quandry though, it's Reynolds 725 which should last forever (although will be heavier) and lends itself to being modernised in the future with extra bits welded on. It also has disk brakes which should be better in the wet and prolong the life of the rims. Against is it suggests using 700x28 with 'fenders' and 700x35 without which would be less suited to off road. Also for a bike called 'Crois de Fer' (Iron Cross) why is it white... surely it should be bare metal silver/grey??
Only other point is I have not used modern cantilever brakes and am used to disc brakes, is there a noticeable difference between them and disk brakes on the road? Again is it a big difference off road?
Many thanks again the other half just rolls her eyes when i try to explain these life changing quandries
I've never worn out a frame - regardless of material and I've never needed to replace a rim through wear on the braking surface either. I tend to agree about the boardman, just wish it wasn't white, last two bikes have been white and fancy a change. They standout to theives and look dirty after a winter ride. That said with a sensible head on just can't fault it on spec.
The ridley will take a rack and mudguards and I agree the Fulcrum 7's are a really nice touch. Has to be the best looking of the bikes too I think and AW cycles also offer a full custom fitting service with bike jig for £100 that they will knock off the cost of a bike if you buy one.
The Genesis is the realy quandry though, it's Reynolds 725 which should last forever (although will be heavier) and lends itself to being modernised in the future with extra bits welded on. It also has disk brakes which should be better in the wet and prolong the life of the rims. Against is it suggests using 700x28 with 'fenders' and 700x35 without which would be less suited to off road. Also for a bike called 'Crois de Fer' (Iron Cross) why is it white... surely it should be bare metal silver/grey??
Only other point is I have not used modern cantilever brakes and am used to disc brakes, is there a noticeable difference between them and disk brakes on the road? Again is it a big difference off road?
Many thanks again the other half just rolls her eyes when i try to explain these life changing quandries
I do wonder if hydraulic discs could overpower the grip of a front 28-32c tyre on some slippery surfaces but be better at other times (how often do you need to brake from high speeds or down steep hills in very wet muddy conditions is what you need to ask yourself).
I wouldn't be surprised if the UCI decide to allow disc brakes in cross racing at some stage in future. Not to lower lap times (I don't know if they would) but rather due to pressure from manufacturers (sponsoring teams) who want us all to junk our wheels and brakes so they can sell us new ones with disc brakes (cynical, moi?).
These mudguards seem to becoming popular as a low profile option:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/394392/...
I think cantis are fine for the road TBH, the road pros manage with just sidepull brakes racing between hairpins at 60mph+ on Alpine descents.
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