I’m looking at going down to 1 mtb, and doing more road riding for fitness, just because of the hassle factor with the mtb.

But, the roads around my way are bad, like really bad, and I’d like to spend a fair bit of time on the back lanes, and keep clear of the smoother main roads a bit, mainly for safety.

In addition, I hope to maybe do some charity rides/events and lengthen my own rides, maybe up to 80-100 miles, absolute tops.

So, will a CX bike be too compromised if I don’t intend to really use it off road (though the back lanes around me are very pot holed and gravelly)? Would I be better off with a road bike that would take a 28c tyre for example?

I don’t intend on racing, or joining a club, doing it competitively.

Any help appreciated!

I have a Whyte Suffolk for pretty much the sort of thing you describe. It will fit a pretty huge tyre, but with skinny ones on it does have the feel of a “proper” road bike, which is rather splendid.

FWIW, I reckon any tyre above 28mm starts to make you feel like you’re not riding a very quick bike – which isn’t ideal if you’re looking for fast miles for fitness.

Depends I guess, an out and out CX bike won’t be very comfortable for 100 miles but most bikes marketed as CX seem to be good for what you’re after. Alternatively just get a road bike, they’re pretty tough and don’t have to be ridden on smooth tarmac.

Edit: That Whyte looks good.

You should probably look at some of the more “gravel” type of bikes that are coming out. They’ll take bigger tyres than most road bikes, but will ride better on tarmac than CX bikes due to most having lower bottom brackets. Also, just because big tyres feel slower, doesn’t mean they are!

I would go for something like the Suffolk. Whyte seemed to have been a little bit ahead of the curve releasing the Suffolk/Dorset etc last year, as there will be a deluge over the next few months of decent gravel/road bikes with discs and the ability to run slightly bigger tyres.

Thing is, I run my 2010 Defy 2 over all manner of craptacular country lanes, and I think I broke a spoke in 2 years.

Thanks for the replies, the Suffolk does look interesting, as do the Sussex & Dorset in the Whyte range LINK

My LBS has the Marin Lombard in stock, which seems reasonable, not many reviews about for it though: Marin Lombard

I guess the new ‘gravel’ bikes (road cycling’s enduro????) are more like what you’d have called an audax bike a few years ago? More of a halfway house between road and cx?

Sorry for another question – am I underestimating how robust road bikes actually are here? How much abuse will they really stick?

A lot of the type of bikes mentioned above, when you look into them and read reviews etc, seem to be a bit heavy and used mainly as commuter type bikes.

bargain of the year from my LBS.

I’ve never had a road bike, bought a secondhand cross bike (kinesis cross light) and did some near 100 mile rides without any problems. Was using 25c slicks.

A road bike won’t break from being ridden fast over cobbles.

I may be wrong, but I doubt your local roads are as rough as a cobbled road.

🙂

I would say it depends on what you like riding.
I really enjoy riding some of the less exciting offroad trails around me on my cross bike – it makes them exciting again 🙂
Plus, being able to link up lanes with paths and so on, all makes the route more varied and enjoyable for me.
I use a bike-specific sat-nav (Bike Hub) to route me through places I don’t know and I’ve found loads of good snickets and trails.

So, for me, a cross bike was definitely the way to go. I tend to get bored on road-only rides.

I can’s see why my Boardman CX would be any problem at all for long pure road rides, although the longest I’ve personally managed is about 60k.

snickets

That’s my favourite word of the day sorted.

Ask me again in a week, but I’ve just ordered a giant cx bike for exactly the same. Can’t think if a reason why it won’t do 100m rides with a pair if slicks fitted, and looking forward to diving off through the woods when I feel bored on a training ride.
I’ll even be towing a tag along and putting a baby seat on mine as well!

That’s my favourite word of the day sorted.

yay! Thankfully when I moved from Yorkshire to the Peak District, Snickets remained intact, unlike the bap/barm/butty fiasco

when I moved from Yorkshire to the Peak District, Snickets remained intact

I must be old, I still call them Marathons.

I must be old, I still call them Marathons.

I sold my Carbon blade 🙄 because despite having 2 road bikes and a CX bike I use my CX bike more than any other. Saying that one of my Road bikes Alu with carbon fork has done plenty of “tracks” and rough road riding with no sign of problems on 23c tyres. The main difference IMO is how big a tyre you want to fit. Try something like Kinesis Racelight as it will fit up to a 28c and mudguards while still looking cool. CX bikes will take up to 38c before you start getting close to the frame. Whyte or Kinesis FTW.

EDIT – check this out
]STW’er bike you might like.

I used my CX bike loads – until I got a 29er HT, then it seemed a bit redundant because the 29er covers ground so well.

So maybe it depends what your MTB is.

I ride a relatively racey road bike with 25c tyres and have found no road surface it can’t handle yet. Massive improvement in puncture protection and comfort over 23c IME.

I enjoyed mine, it was a good laugh. But I had to choose between it and a rigid mtb to keep and it wasn’t really a choice tbh. I think I never really did “proper cyclocross”, I always just treated it like a hilariously shit mtb.

Glad I tried it, had enough fun out of it to be worthwhile, that’s for sure.

If you are never going to race, and the roughest surface you are anticiating are tarmaced back lanes (allbeit covered in mud, gravel and potholes) then I would go for an audax bike with 25c tyres. Spa cycles make some nice one.

If you think you might end up charging down newly discovered bridleways, just to see where they go, a cross bike might be a better option, mainly becasue you’ll be able to fit 35c knoblies.

or you could buy both 😉

Me and Sparkyrhino off here went out for a bimble on Monday, I ended up with about 43 miles in, (Strava knocked itself off at 38.8), mostly bridleways and towpaths, but some singletrack (which had me grinning) and lanes.
I was on my Arkose 3, he was on his “new” Yeti (for about 30 miles).
I can’t imagine many fit-ish cyclists having any great problems doing 100 miles on any of the CX/commuter bikes available, if a fat, old bloke like me can tackle 43 miles on/off road without collapsing.
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Odd couple. by Chip & Manda, on Flickr[/img]

Incidentally, my experience with “cross-over” CX and road bikes is that I can just about be bothered to change tyres, but changing tyres and fitting/removing mudguards is too much faff. I like a road bike with guards, I’m not bothered about a CX.

🙂

Incidentally, my experience with “cross-over” CX and road bikes is that I can just about be bothered to change tyres, but changing tyres and fitting/removing mudguards is too much faff. I like a road bike with guards, I’m not bothered about a CX.

When all you do all day is fix other peoples bikes, the last thing you want to do is faff about with your own… This is where N+1 comes in! 😉

In all seriousness though, I’ve had a CX bike for about 6 months now, it’s done maybe 150 miles. I find it slow and heavy on the road (it’s not that slow it just feels it and dulls the ride), and though it’s relatively capable offroad it’s obviously nowhere near as capable as a decent MTB. I’m not totally convinced by CX bikes unless it’s for CX racing, they are remarkably capable machines but they seem like just too much of a compromise most of the time for me personally…

Riding a road bike offroad on 25’s is bloody good fun mind (in the dry only!)… Contemplating a lightweight, stripped back to basics, 1×10 29er with proper fast light tyres and either rigid or very short travel fork fitted for local road/lanes/woods/canal bashes and riding to and from work (on a mix of aforementioned terrain)… Tough to justify it though, but if I concentrate on simplicity over and above everything else, I can see it working well for me.

stop trying to be cool and get an audax or fast touring bike, room to put fatter road tyres on, and mudguards and a rack should you wish

I think I am coming round to Chapaking’s way of thinking.

Sold my Genesis Croix De Fer in order to get a lighter CX bike. However, due to being an idiot, I have to wait till September for the new models to drop. To keep me going in the meantime, I bought a cheap rigid 29er. After riding it for the last month or so, I think I might just get a road bike/fast tourer/*ahem* gravel bike with discs to compliment the 29er.

…although I know I will be out on the road bike and see a bridleway, and wish I was on a CX bike. Conversely, I will also be grateful for not getting cut to ribbons on overgrown tracks while getting my shoulders shaken out of their sockets on rutted/horse shoed trails.

I find it slow and heavy on the road

Depends what you get.
My Rose CX bike was 8.75kg off the shelf, that’s lighter than some road bikes.

stop trying to be cool and get an audax or fast touring bike

Isn’t that what a lot of “CX” bikes are now. They’re not really intended for cyclocross races. It’s just a re-marketing of fast drop-bar tourers.

stop trying to be cool and get an audax or fast touring bike
Isn’t that what a lot of “CX” bikes are now. They’re not really intended for cyclocross races. It’s just a re-marketing of fast drop-bar tourers.

well, like you just can’t buy a ‘mountainbike’ now the CX market has splintered into all sorts of different styles of bike, be they Gravel Racers, All Road, Adventure Bikes or whatever the marketing man has decided to call his latest Thing
a touring or audax bike will be much the same, and better if you intend to do mostly road work, as it has been for the last 100 years or so, but won’t come with that marketing premium

stop trying to be cool and get an audax or fast touring bike, room to put fatter road tyres on, and mudguards and a rack should you wish

Cool? I’m a near 40yr old who actually wears lycra in public. How the hell am I ever going to be cool? Believe me, a CX bike really isn’t going to improve my cool status one iota!

Funnily enough my “cheap” (£750) CX bike has made me realise I don’t really need a hardtail as a backup to my FS. It’s nice to have, but I’ve been out on a few rides on it with mountain bikers and not had any trouble.
Nice to have discs and suicide levers for that though.

to the OP – sounds like a tougher road bike/tourer/gravel thingy is what you’re after, rather than a ‘cyclocross’ bike. CX has become a bit of a misnomer IMO, with most of us, apart from the CX racers, using bikes like the Pinnacle Arkose, Croix De Fer etc for the type of riding you mention, plus touring, pootling with the kids. I find I use the Croix De Fer a lot, and it’s done some decent on road miles, both in winter and in summer touring mode, with panniers. On a nice summers day though it’s not a patch on the road compared to my carbon Defy. Similarly, it’s limited for proper off road use, understandably, but when riding easy trails with the kids, more fun than my Soul. Would I buy another, or a light rigid 29’er ? solely on the basis that I use it for touring and winter road riding, yes.

Conversely i’m a bit in love with the Transition Rapture, which i think is super cool

I have a rigid SS 29er, and a road bike, and i’m tempted to sell both to have a shiny new Transition SS/CX/Gravel gnarpoon…

I have a similar dilemma to the OP, and have decided that I’ll wait for Giant to announce the 2015 TCX range and if they look as good as the TCX SLR SS or new Defy range then I’m going to get one.

Conversely i’m a bit in love with the Transition Rapture, which i think is super cool

I believe that colour is called nduroz.

I would recommend a good Cross bike to anyone, very versatile and if ypou get the right one and set it up well … brilliant road bikes

This was my team cross bike, after I finished racing cross, and set it up for the road, lighter than a lot of road bikes , stable, fast and altogether splendid.

This was my spare bike for races a bit heavier, but no less a great bike. Used it as a tourer and then converted it to an xtracycle

I fancied trying one and I just built up a charge filter steel cx frame with bargain bin bits. Cost about £350 total. Weighs in at a fairly hefty 11 kg

It’s a really nice smooth ride on the local pitted lanes around here with 26c slicks on. It’s definitely slower than my 8kg caad8 but over my home 15 mile 1500 feet road ride but not by that much, less than 1 mph average. It’s going to be my winter road bike, discs do inspire braking confidence. I think for a long ride it would be super comfy – the ride position is more relaxed than my caad8 although maybe the weight would be evident eventually.

Off road on smooth tracks I’ve been really impressed with how quick it is, I’ve beaten some if my hard tail strava pb’s on it, BUT as soon as it gets more stones it is hard work and I can imagine a rigid 29er with big tyres being better totally off-road. Descending rough track is “interesting” too!

Overall it’s been fun for mix and match loops around here. Lots of my rides involve linking trails with road work and overall the cx bike is quicker. Don’t think I’d have it instead of a road bike without some weight saving.

Juliet Elliot has ridden hers up some Italian mountains so it must be ok

Audax, gravel, CX non-race, call it what you will – big tyres on drop bar bikes that do 25-50% dirt and the rest on lanes are great bikes.

25C feels quite narrow to me these days, go 32-38C and lower the pressure and I can float across the holes the 700×25 bike still has to weave around.

One thing to check tho is that trad CX bikes don’t have as much BB drop. Get a CX-ish bike on 32C road tyres with a road bike BB drop and the cornering feels nicer. With discs, big tyres and a low BB, country lanes become something quite different to the way they feel on my usual road bike and byways link it all up nicely.

good snickets and trails.

Must be a chilterns thing, the schnick is a local term for the wiggly cheeky stuff : )

Sorry for another question – am I underestimating how robust road bikes actually are here? How much abuse will they really stick?

Probably, my CAAD is 10 years old this year, and I’m not too good at avoiding potholes. And regularly head off down farm tracks and the like on it. For a while I even had a commute that involved a half mile downhill with big (~8-10″ x 4-5ft) speed humps which I used to jump and frequently land flat!

Total breakages:
1 rear spoke (snaped at the nipple)
Occasional pinch flat