Need some STW recommendations….

Sat on a Cannondale Caad X Tiagra today and thought it was rather nice.
But really liking the look of the Cotic Escapade. Although appreciate it will likely cost a bit more than £1k to then build.

It’ll be more so for road work with the occasional jaunt onto something rougher

Anyone got any recommendations of other bikes / brands?

Thanks

Planet-X XLS with 105 groupset

Kinesis Pro6.

You can pick one up for about £1200 or you could do your own build for about the same price depending in what you’re wanting.

😉

A top spec Cyclo x bike in immaculate nick for well under a grand!

Merak – your ad doesn’t say where you live though! Think i’d be a 56cm sorry. Nice bike though

Do the CAADX disc thing. Bloody love mine.

Only word of warning – have trashed the stock wheels but I’m a ‘well- built’ chap and I do lots of miles on lanes and bridle path as well as roady miles.

Im in Glasgow. Im 6’0 feet tall thought Id be a 56 on a Spesh too but it was like a gate!

Pinnacle Arcosse 3 has a 105 groupset, BB7 discs and carbon forks.

Otherwise the Planet X Kaffenback looks good

Giant TCX SLR2. I’ve been really happy with mine so far
I did look at the On One carbon, but having to pay the fees for C2W up front, I decided to go for the Giant

Untitled by ritcheyp20, on Flickr

Will the Giant take front and rear mudguards and a rear rack?

I really like my bike too – Giant TCX SLR2. SO much better than the whyte kings cross it replaced.

Another vote here for the TCX SLR2. It has been a pleasure on and off road.

P20: yours looks awfully clean considering the shitty weather we’ve had until recently. My white has gone beige.

Genesis Vapour is worth a look. If it rides anything like my Genesis Fugio then it’ll be great fun.

Croix De Fer can be built up for around a ground, and is excellent on road. If road is going to be your main use, then the poor mud clearance, especially on the front fork, shouldn’t be an issue.

…although for me, it’s making me consider the fact I may have bought the wrong frame/fork, as I do seem to be going off road more at the mo.

That was its first ride out, mainly on old lines and road. It’s been muddy since, but cleaned up quite well

How about a pinnacle from evans? There’s a nice sparkly green one for about 800 quid.

Have a search on here, I did it to death last Nov and there was a post last week.

IMO the best deal by a mile, for kit, value and fun is the Pinnacle Arkose 3 from Evans.

That said I got a Croix de Fer as not doing on C2W. Fork mud clearance is fine on the off road stuff I use it for, which is fire road and not too muddy singletrack. I find that if its muddy enough to clog the fork crown then the tyres are all over the place and I’d be better on a mtb 🙂

Fork mud clearance is fine on the off road stuff I use it for

I am aware I am being nitpicky, but it would have been so much better if they had just machined the underside of the crown to make a nice smooth arch. Would have have looked neater, and given a bit more clearance.

…bit like this:

…or even used a similar fork to the Equilibrium, an out and out road bike, uses:

[img]http://i.imgur.com/5Zfu8Cs.jpg[/img]

…this is my only gripe with the Croix De Fer, well, apart from the rear disc cable routing being fouled by vestigial crud bosses. Great bike.

Jamie – I know what you mean, it is a bit annoying. Are those 32 or 35c tyres in the top pic ?

Pieface, the Giant won’t. It’s got mounts in the fork and the rear dropout, but no seat stay or chain stay bridges and no upper rack mounts on the seat stays. The front mounts will foul the disc brake

Jamie – I know what you mean, it is a bit annoying. Are those 32 or 35c tyres in the top pic ?

35c Smart Sams.

I might have to look for an aftermarket steel fork, but does seem a bit of a faff for an extra bit of clearance. Just weird why the Equilibrium, a road bike, has more room.

Weird.

Mudguards can be fitted to the TCX though I can’t remember how. Seen one with full SKS ones. Stays will need bending to get round front caliper.

There is an alternative seat post clamp bracket for mounting a rack / mudguards on the TCX. Comes with the bike.

There is an alternative seat post clamp bracket for mounting a rack / mudguards on the TCX. Comes with the bike

Indeed.

Deja vu with that link 🙂

Deja vu with that link

I think 50% of STW over the last 6 months has been your CX threads.

They’re bloody everywhere 😉

LOL 🙂 helpful in the decision process indeed though 😛

Intestesting too that I think we both rated the Arkose 3 top on paper and ended up with Croix de Fers !

For me, it was the fact I could buy the Croix De Fer as a frameset and build it exactly how I wanted.

Aye, nice build too 🙂 .For me the Pinnacle was very much an update on my 07 Jake The Snake (albeit a superb one) whereas the Genesis was something a bit different.