Just wondering if there are any advantages of a CX bike over a good XC HT?

For what purpose? They’re as comparable as a BMX and a recumbent.

Depends what your doing doesnt it.

Obviously an XC HT would be better if your doing very bumpy technical trails but a x bike would be better if your riding less technical less bumpy terrain.

Too many variables though

ok lets say…what are CX bikes strengths over a XC HT.

Faster rolling tyres
Lighter (questionable)?
Riding position – more geared to speed?
Fully rigid – better power transfer?
easy maintenance?

sefton – that can all be applied to on an mtb too!

Apparently they’re better for doing the 3 Peaks Cyclocross race on.

Faster rolling tyres – Yes and lighter wheels
Lighter (questionable)? – See above, probably slighty
Riding position – more geared to speed? Yes more geared to speed, on east terrain, but more of a hinderance on technical terrain.
Fully rigid – better power transfer? Nope/well yes less squidgy tyre to eat the power but otherwise the same
easy maintenance? Easier, no suspension.

You’re allowed to enter events like the 3 Peaks CX?

Edit: Too slow 🙁

this is where I was getting stuck at, I’m struggling to think of any clear advantages.

Try doing a CX race (I mean a proper one, not the Three Peaks) on an XC HT. You’ll be back of the pack unless you’re VERY good (Pro-Elite standard). A proper CX race bike is set up to be as fast as possible over a 1hr circuit of the type seen in Belgium, Holland, etc, mostly fast, undulating, not-too-technical terrain. For the same reason CX bikes are banned at events like Mountain Mayhem where the terrain is very similar. A CX bike would be far faster. Proper CX racing is a niche within a niche, it’s VERY specialist and to do well you need the full set-up (2 bikes, several sets of wheels, a pit crew)

The type of CX bikes commonly sold to the general public now are much more all-round and versatile bikes, good for light touring, commuting, most off-road etc. On a proper off-road trail ride (pick any trail centre as a rough guide), they’d probably be slightly slower overall than an XC HT and not as much fun over the descents and jumps.

I agree with Crazy-Legs apart from this bit:

Proper CX racing is a niche within a niche, it’s VERY specialist and to do well you need the full set-up (2 bikes, several sets of wheels, a pit crew)

It’s actually a very open and inclusive sport and you don’t need 2 bikes etc to do well most of the time. Only when it’s very muddy will 2 bikes and a pitcrew with jetwash have an advantage.

CX bikes are way more niche-core than XC hardtails. Simples.

For a pro (i.e. very fit and technicaly adept) a CX would be faster round a field and the XC bike faster over technical terrain.

But as we all know the average STW’er is a member of the fat club and probably could do with some bigger cohones. So the difference between the two is academic, you might be faster than yourself on the CX but the fit guy in the group will still be quicker on his XC bike, and there’s always someone who will clean those drops flat out on a CX bike that you roll upto and bottle on your all mountian ‘rig’.

I tried CX but just felt like I could have pedaled harder on the XC bike even if I was going slower, whereas the CX bike kept feeling like it had less grip/manouverability, a bit like (although I’ve never tried it) riding a big motorbike against a small one? The big one should be faster but the small one feels faster and probably is through the twisty bits.

hey there not the rural answer to a fixie are they? 😆 😉

CX bikes are faster or more enjoyable if you do routes that mix in road and bridleways. The bridleways would be dull on a mtb but are great on a cx bike. Then you can string together good sections with road without feeling like you’re wading through treacle as you often do when riding an mtb on road. Works for me.

hey there not the rural answer to a fixie are they?

nail – head, but arguably the MTB is the slower, fashion victim, of the two.

I did the 100k at the 2nd Builth round of the CRC marathon series last year on my cx bike.The rolling grassy nature of the course suited it very well and I was pretty comfortable sat in the top 30……but the stretched riding position and ‘exciting’ handling takes a lot out of you over that sort of distance and gets very tiring after 4 hours…and a bit of heatstroke did’nt help,and I faded badly at the end.
That said they did’nt seem to hinder anyone too badly at HtN…I think there was a mtb in the top 20 😉

CX bikes are faster or more enjoyable if you do routes that mix in road and bridleways. The bridleways would be dull on a mtb but are great on a cx bike. Then you can string together good sections with road without feeling like you’re wading through treacle as you often do when riding an mtb on road. Works for me.

Top marks Mr Clubber!!!

Some sense being spoken around here AT LAST 😀

“CX bikes are faster or more enjoyable if you do routes that mix in road and bridleways. The bridleways would be dull on a mtb but are great on a cx bike. Then you can string together good sections with road without feeling like you’re wading through treacle as you often do when riding an mtb on road. Works for me.”

Yep when I lived in Sheffield I very nearly bought a CX bike as I think most Peaks riding is abit of BW linked by lots of road.

Now I live back in an area with lots of available off road riding an mtb is better.

Yup what Clubber said – probably cx bikes are advantageous where the bike spends a fair bit of time on tarmac and speed/efficiency is an issue.

cx HT leads when more time is spent on trails, although full suss gets ahead of it pretty quickly I reckon, certainly for grin factor.

Cross bikes are way faster until it gets really nasty/rocky and much, much prettier… 😛

Do need to be ridden properly though – you probably shouldn’t just expect to jump on one & go fast in the rough stuff, you really have to apply some finesse.

As mentioned above, a lot of the ‘cross bikes on sale at the moment are basically tourers, search out something ‘proper’ (like a an old Alan or Vitus) and you’ll get one of the most pure experiences available on two wheels 8)

Totally recommend trying ‘cross racing too – on any bike – no friendlier sport out there, fantastic bunch of (slightly-odd-but-in-a-good-way) people in my experience 😆

my cx bike is a fair bit lighter than my mountain bike 9.7 kilo to 14.9 kilo
as others have said it comes into its own on bridleways /roads

it is quicker going up hills and dosent tire me out as much on longer rides

what i do miss is the thudbuster i have on my hard tail dosent seem right on the cross bike

If you had limited space, funds or both, you couls use a CX bike on road, off road (depending on your skill and fitness levels) and as a tourer. Not many bikes as versatile as that.

Arguably a nice light, V braked 26 wheel rigid hardtail is even more versatile (as spare wheels/parts are available everywhere in the world, not just Europe and the US), but you’d have to compromise on frame size/reach to accomodate both decent on road and off road ability.

Perhaps a 26 inch non disc XC bike would be the ultimate in versatility?

For versatility a cross bike is great- can cope with everything from road racing to off road mud blasts with a change of tyres. Just not perfect at any of these other than blasting round a cx course for an hour. When I started cx racing I did my first season on a rigid MTB with 1.5 tyres. Getting a proper cross bike instantly gave me at least 5 places in a race. It was so much faster over the grassy lumpy hilly bits that my MTB got bogged down in. I suspect a rigid 29er would perform the same function.

As mentioned above, a lot of the ‘cross bikes on sale at the moment are basically tourers, search out something ‘proper’ (like a an old Alan or Vitus) and you’ll get one of the most pure experiences available on two wheels

How so? I don’t see the point of losing rack mounts, bottle cage mounts etc…

what’s an average weight of a decent cx bike? (lets say £1000 worth)?

From recent HtN experiences…

2 hour race. Crossers won.
8 hour race. MTBs won. Not many crossers finished.

The 2 hour race was a 3.5 mile lap, 8 hours was 6 miles. Much of the course was common to both events.

How much of this can be attributed to the bike or the skill/experience of the rider over longer events I don’t know. Some of the crosser said that the course “beat them up” over the 8 hour duration despite them starting well.

can be under 20lb, so loads lighter than a £1k MTB

What sort of abuse would a CX bike stand up to? Would a smooth, light rider be ok to hammer one round a rocky trail centre such as The Northface Trail?

Also, sizing. Same size wise as a road bike or perhaps go slightly smaller? Or the same size but with a shorter stem?

How so? I don’t see the point of losing rack mounts, bottle cage mounts etc…

One of us, one of us, we accept him, we accept him………

May I direct you here? 🙂

what’s an average weight of a decent cx bike? (lets say £1000 worth)?

I sold my pair a few years ago – think for £450 in top condition and 19 & 21lbs with nothing fancy (really!) on them.

As mentioned above, a lot of the ‘cross bikes on sale at the moment are basically tourers, search out something ‘proper’ (like a an old Alan or Vitus) and you’ll get one of the most pure experiences available on two wheels

How so? I don’t see the point of losing rack mounts, bottle cage mounts etc…[/quote]

It’s more in having to beef them up to take the weight of racks etc, slow down the steering, add weight and lose the spring & rapid feel of a dedicated frame. Not saying those bikes are bad in any way, but it’s comparing a day-to-day machine with a pure racer, never going to be the same 8)

Harry the Spider’s comment is really interesting though! I really would’ve thought just the opposite over time 😕

And I’ve absolutely nothing but love for the CTC, wouldn’t wish to be mistaken in that respect! 😆

You’ll be more nichecore.

Also agree with clubber. A cross bike copes well for 95% of my riding, so I am at the point of ditching MTB altogether and getting a second more GP cross bike. Two things though, crossers aren’t very ‘bimble’ freindly, they’re at their best when being ridden. Also wear and tear is high when used year round.
When racings over mine becomes a winter trainer, RT bike and Spring sportive bike, I draw the line at using it for RR.

david, there are loads of threads on here showing that cross bikes (with the right rider) can take rocky red runs, reasonable sized jumps etc.

“a rocky trail centre such as The Northface Trail?”

Your having a laugh? As in the Grizedale Northface Trail.. I didnt even think it was rocky!

To be honest I think people get far too hung up these days with marketing cack which suggests you need a particular bike to ride a particular type of terrain.

A standard road bike would get round the NFT at Grizedal without any problems, the difference being that you would need to take more care on some of the rougher sections, it doesnt mean you couldnt ride it there though as some marketing folk would want you to beleive.

I guess its an element of whether you ride with a bit of sympathy for the bike your riding.. or is that skill?

whats a “proper” cx bike then?
& whats just badged as a cx bike

Harrys comments are no surprise to me. A long off road ride takes it out of you. It’s like I said, cross bikes beg to be ridden hard which fits in with Harrys comments.

That’s true oldgit – they do beg for a sound thrashing! 😆

And NFT may be enjoyable, but it isn’t exactly brutal – always makes me crazy when you hear the ‘can I ride that on this?’ bullsh1t. I’ll stop there before I get going and head OT! Dunc covered it anyway 😉

Perhaps a 26 inch non disc XC bike would be the ultimate in versatility?

Just what I have concluded after a quick test ride on a Spec cx last week.
A nice mtb frame with skinny tyres would suit me fine since I have no intentions of ever racing(of any kind)
davidtaylforth – Member

Also, sizing. Same size wise as a road bike or perhaps go slightly smaller? Or the same size but with a shorter stem?

POSTED 9 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

As above. I tried a 58cm Spesh Tricross(only size shop had. On sale btw)and at 6ft felt it was too big, 56 would possibly be best for me. Long in the reach(top tube & stem)and the bulging top tube started to irritate me as my knees/shorts clipped it whilst pedalling. Bike also felt sluggish, brakes were awesome for a v.