Apart from tyres – what are the major differences? Is the geo different?

Essentially i may be getting c2w and want a road bike but also something to pull a kiddie trailer round ladybower etc so want fatter wheels. If i bought a cx bike would slapping road tyres on it make it the same (albeit heavier) as a road bike?

Get a cx bike Rob, will do fine on't tarmac.

they are a bit shorter as well, which you will probably find more comfortable coming from a mountain bike

Typically, the cx bike is slightly higher and shorter at the front and has a longer wheelbase. Plus canti brakes.

Fit road tyres though and set the stem low and there's very little difference in speed (though my proper road bike feels a lot faster, the numbers suggest that's perception more than reality).

in laymans terms, a road bike is faster, designed for going fast for a long time. So geometry is geared towards being in the drops, weight is kept to a minimum and gears are big (40 odd tooth big ring etc). CX bikes are designed for going round muddy grass circuits for about an hour as fast as possible, gearing is smaller (about 36 big ring) Geometry is a bit more mountain bike like (lower top tube etc).

A dedicated "real" CX bike will not have braze ons for water bottles, mud guards, panniers etc, though with a £1k limit most bikes will accommodate this (or use clips).

I use a CX bike (kona jake the snake) for commuting every day and occasional racing as well as big road rides/racing. To me, its the perfect road bike for a mountain biker, I can go off road if I fancy it, i can carry big loads on the pannier, its got a granny ring so I can spin up hills and brakes that make sense to me (ish, its canti's).

road tyres on a CX bike makes it basically the same as a road bike as much as the amateur rider will ever need IMO. I can tell the difference when I ride a "proper" road bike, but I think thats the gearing as much as anything? I'd go for a CX bike for the job required, you could always change the rings if you feel under geared?

So begs the question – best CX bike for under £1k?

The Boardman looks good.

Another vote for a Jake the Snake I've fallen right in love with mine and was a strictly no skinny tyres for me guy.

Ah errr you'll be lucky to get one for much less than a £1k.

Definitely the choice for you.

I use mine (sadly defunct On One ti cross) for winter road training with guards, touring and recreational cross riding. Would be happy doing sportive type rides with it if I had nothing else but probably not road racing. Makes a great bike to ride when off road with a wife who is a bit more nervous as what she find technical with a MTB, I find fun and challenging with the CX bike. I road mine on day 2 of my mtb guide course which I have to say made demoing I could do little drop offs kind of interesting!

I have two sets of wheels so I don't have to faff around too much switching tyres around and also one set is 36H for rough off road and touring and the other much lighter & 32H for a more road bike feel. Also 2 stems – short for touring and off road and longer for winter road training.

The only thing I find, and this might just be my forks, is that the fork on the cx bike eliminates less road buzz than a normal road fork. I put this down to the fork being beefier to live with the rough and tumble of off road but as I say that might be that my fork is rubbish (carbon PX/On One fork).

Lots of very nice bikes in my shed, but this would be the one I'd rescue from a fire despite being worth much less than my best mtb or road machine.

Planet X do one, you can also get a Kinesis Crosslight 5T as a bike.

I have a Crosslight 5T and use it for Cross, road riding and commuting – Did London to Paris on it a couple of years ago. I think If I had to have only 1 bike it would be a cross bikes as they can do most things.

If you are getting a cross bike to do more than cross, just check it has bottle braze on's (most of the cheaper ones do)

My vote is the Ridley Crossbow.

Decent spec and a lovely bike to ride. Full capacity for bottle cages, racks & guards, quickly removed for the race scene if you end up giving that a whirl.

Very comfortable & certainly not slow even on tarmac with the CX tyres – gearing not far off a compact road bike.

Generally the handling is a little more stable and the frame/forks a little more robust with considerably greater clearances with a cross bike. I have toured, trained, done sportives and chain gangs on my cross bikes, as I have also done on my road bikes. With the right wheels the cross bike is almost as fast as a dedicated road bike, with the versatility to go off road as well.

I can't stress highly enough how much love I have for my 2010 Jake the Snake. I use it for long XC routes, mixed road and off road, trail centre, road time trials and this weekend I'll be doing the Tour of Pembrokeshire on it. It's just so versatile and fits me like a glove.

Most of the front end height was in the stem and stackers when I got mine. With a bit of adjustment I managed to drop it to road-bike levels and like others, I keep a second wheelset for road only duties.

Before and After bar drop:

Out and about in Mid Wales:

RRP is 1025 at present (was 1000 before VAT increase). I'd buy another tomorrow.
Shimano 105 is bombproof and the Kona and FSA finishing kit is great. Mavic AksiumRace wheels are a bonus too.

Got to say I love my Focus..

You wanna borrow it Rob?? See how you get on??

gears are big (40 odd tooth big ring etc). CX bikes are designed for going round muddy grass circuits for about an hour as fast as possible, gearing is smaller (about 36 big ring)

What are you on about, do you mean inner ring? Depends what kind of chainset you're running anyway.

I've got a Kona jake the snake and a 'proper' road bike. Jake is great for commuting as it takes full guards but it is slower than the road bike even with similar tyres on.

Road to work on the jake yesterday cause it was wet and on the road bike today. Road bike is a lot faster/easier.

If I could only have one though it would be the cx, after all you couldn't really take the road bike off road but you can easily uase the cx bike on the road.

Oooh we posting pics now.

Ok go on then.

Here's my Jake the snake then, in off road mode

and winter road mode

Oh and see if you can get a the special 'chicken on a bottle cage' version too 😉

this weekend I'll be doing the Tour of Pembrokeshire on it

I last did it in 2008. Such a great ride and so well organised. As it is, I'll be in Ceredigion this weekend, but doubt I'll have the chance to get down and shout at people.

Have fun Surfr..!

Another vote for the Ridley Crossbow.

[Slight hijack] Ourmaninthenorth are we still on for MM? Your olde email address no worky. [/Slight hijack]

Gary M, yeah you're right, that doesn't make much sense, though to be fair I was about 15 hours into a 12 hour night shift! Ignore me!

but yeah, Jake the snake FTW (mines a 2008 and same spec as later ones, but blue with a white band)

just ordered a kinesis crosslight 5T from fatbirds, great price and great spec. Even compared to the Kona Jake and Focus bikes. And as I was told, it has excellent pedigree.
Just cant wait to get it next week!!!!!! I feel like a 5 yr old waiting for xmas day.

Nick – would love to have a razz for the weekend on your focus mate – when is good? have you still got my number?

re the Crosslight. cheaper groupset and wheelset for 30 quid less than the Jake (with the carbon fork like the jake has)

Be warned, if you need a large cx frame and use cantis then they can suffer from fork judder as the extra long brake cable stretches and contracts on braking and acts a bit like abs except it's not as helpful!
Not a problem with disk brakes though.

The cable doesn't stretch, it's to do with flex in the fork and brake toe in.

I've got the kinesis pro5, as my do anything road/commute/light off road
bike. It's light enough to keep up with mates on their road bikes and tough enough to stand up to year round abuse from a big, heavy, clumsy bloke. There's a good deal on them here. Only issue is a lack of bottle mounts, but you can buy strap-ons(!)

The cable doesn't stretch, it's to do with flex in the fork and brake toe in

That aswell. Some think it is to do with the forks bending under braking load thus stretching the cable between the cable stop and the cantis and so increasing braking momentarily leading to the fork pinging forward and releasing the cable stretch and the brakes. The more cable there is to stretch the more likely the forks will judder.

My crosslight at cwm rheadr.Only niggle is lack of bottle mounts.Ride it more than the mtb now (raced at the crc marathon the day before!).

Thinking of building a monstercross bike-cx but discs and slightly fatter tires…. and losing the gears.

If that was the case, why do you tend to only get judder on the front and virtually unheard of on the rear with much longer cables?

Got to confess cantis can be a pita if you have come from the discs on mtb or dual calipers on road generation of cyclists. It is certainly not impossible to set them up nicely, just another skill to learn.

I've put mini-vs on mine, never felt under-powered, or juddering. Problem I have is comfort on longer rides.

Been reading about the difference between audax and race geometry, race being designed for max comfort when peddling hard, aero, shorter wheel base for snappier power transfer? Not sure how rake effects things, cornering?

Audax designed for more upright position comfort at lower peddling intensity – presumably because your weight shifts differently.

Was OK on a road bike but now I'm getting behind knee pain after 30 road miles on the CX and recommended seat adjustments don't seem to help. Am left wondering if it is geometry and considering a road / audax frame instead.

At the moment my Ti on-one is mainly just being used for road duties.