Hi there,

Basically I’m looking at getting one of these two bikes for a winter of racing cross as training for MTB racing and mixing up local rides with some bridleway bashing + the option of possibly a little bit of touring action.

The CDF is a bit slacker and shorter than the Vapour so I think this will agree with me more as a mountain biker first. The weight thing irks me a bit as well but i’m struggling to find a definitive number for them both(they have 90% the same spec bar the frame (!) SAs i’ve never ownded a cross bike before reckon I’d really notice the weight?

Anyone got any thoughts / know a definitive weight diff?

i saw, with my own eyes, a cdf on the scales in evans.
26.5lb in a 56cm.
a non disc vapour will be under 21lb excluding pedals.
i dont reckon weight is a huge issue though, i have a charge filter hi, complete with guards lights spd pedals etc it must be close to 30lb, but i never struggle to stay with my mate on his caad8 which must be close to 21lb.
my m8 and i are pretty evenly matched btw, no matter what bikes we ride.
i think the biggest problem is neither of them is a bad bike.

If you’re thinking or racing then I’d say look at the Boardman range, as weight is key in cross, and as nice as those bikes are, they do weigh a fair amount.

*cough* Cotic X *cough*

http://www.18bikes.co.uk just reported that the Genesis Vapour Disc is getting a new frame, 44mm headube and tapered fork for 2013.
And it’s in Apple Green (which hopefully isn’t quite as pearly as it looks in the image).

IIRC it’s about a kilo, I can check tomorrow. Ride quality different too of course.

CdeF is more of a crossover bike for MTBers rather than a cross bike I think. If you’re going to race it, I’d get the real thing. Either will be fine for bridleway bashing. Last year the Vapour came with a regular compact chainset which is a bit lazy in my book.

kinesis crosslight pro6?

I have a CDF from a few years back and it’s definitely not light. To be honest I sometimes think my Cotic Soul is lighter. I got it for commuting on a mix of on road and off and it was great for that.

Bear in mind for touring on it is that you’ll need to get a rack that was designed to go round discs.

I did a few cross races on it and it was fine as long as there wasn’t any carrying. As soon as you have to lift it up then you really notice the weight. I’d also say that the mud clearance on it isn’t all that great.

I’ve got a Vapour. Couldn’t tell you the weight but I’d guess around 23lb. For a year round commuter/training bike it’s very good, like the mech BB7 a lot.

Having seen proper CX guys race I’d say get a lighter bike with rim brakes if you want to compete.

You’d have to be mad to buy a Croix De Fer to race on. Too heavy.

Thanks to those of you that read my question.

Cheers for the feedback, I reckon I’ll be racing or zipping about bridleways more often than touring or similar so I’m leaning towards a lighter bike.

selling my C de F 54cm, its 25lb bang on with cages and pedals FWIW 😆

Very nice do everything bike but i’d say a bit heavy for racing CX

I test rode a Croix – it felt proper dead. People describe it as comfy, but for me it lacked everything I was looking for in a cross bike.
There was no point in me getting a bike that felt deader and heavier than my mountain bike with slicks on!

I haven’t managed to find a Vapour to try, but I tested a Boardman and it was much more like it (although pretty long). Still not superlight, but stiff and quick. Felt great off road. Different beast entirely to the Croix.

I looked at both the cdf and the vapour,but ended up with the Boardman, Didn’t test any of them tho, so can’t compare. Boardman is my first cross bike and I love it. Seems reasonably light, good both on and off road. I know some people seem to struggle with the sizing but my M fits me fine.

Bloody Stiles. by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

I have a Croix de Fer and love it for commuting and mixing on/off road. Specifically chose it for putting racks/guards on. Not raced cx so cant really comment. It is on the heavy side but I dont really notice as its such a good ride. Tried a Boardman and also found it too long.

I’ve been using a Vapour for commuting on for the last couple of years and have also raced it, whilst it is reasonably light the biggest downside for me is that it is quite stiff and riding it for more than an hour and a half can be quite uncomfortable. Of course this is fine for an hours race but if your going to be doing longer rides then it may be worth trying a few others out.

Yes the Vapour is a very stiff frame, I have slicks on for the commute, ride them 40-50 psi for a bit of comfort.

AS already stated, the choice is between a CDF and a Vapour as I have access to a Madison account – so anything else is out.

I think I’m going to have to try ’em both.

We reviewed the Vapour up against the Cotic ‘X’ in issue 74 is you want the Singletrack view.

ooooh! cheers for that, I will acquire myself a copy….