Been looking (again) at CX bikes and was wondering are CX bikes beefed up road bikes? I don’t need a road bike but can’t help thinking of the versatility of a CX bike from what i have read. Are they similar to road bikes in terms of usability? Do i need one in my life?

Skip all research and scroll down to the kinesis tripster thread.

Slacker angles, more tyre clearance and wider geqr range.

no

They are really hip at the mo

The concept is an old one. A bike with drop bars that’s strong enough to strong to use off road. They use to be called touring bikes

I think that bikes that are really designed for CX race aren’t quite right in the new role.

But lots of the new breed of CX bikes work well as an on off road bike

Although of course a light hard tail with thin tyres and a strong road bike blur it all into a continuum form Downhill to time trial..

I’ll get my coat

Already seem the tripster thread, that’s what got me thinking again 🙂

Been looking (again) at CX bikes and was wondering are CX bikes beefed up road bikes? I don’t need a road bike but can’t help thinking of the versatility of a CX bike from what i have read. Are they similar to road bikes in terms of usability? Do i need one in my life?

If you are not looking for a full on road bike then yes they are virtually the same. CX with slicks is good enough for the majority of sportives and cafe runs with the versatility to hit some off road should the mood take you.

They are different but not that different.

OK I get it now

the Tripster isn’t a cyclo cross bike.

I’m much more sold on the idea now…

Eyelet-less, bottle-cage-less tourers, aren’t they?

Modern ones have holes to bolt things to. Mission creep.

A proper CX race bike is a world apart from a touring bike or a road bike – though of course there are a continuum of possibilities which cover some or all of the above ground.