Thinking of switching my newly built up Croix De Fer for something with a bit more mud clearance and a bit less heft. So an ally framed CX bike with a carbon fork….like a TCX SLR 2 (again) or a CAAAAAAADX 105 disc.

Now, I love the Croix De Fer, but the mud round my way is clay type, so even a hint of mud and everything is bunged up due to the tight clearances.. Also, living in a part of the world inhabited by farmers and livestock, there is more lifting over styles and whatnot than I remembered, so something lighter wouldn’t be amiss.

I did consider just swapping the frame for a Cotic Escapade or Surly Straggler, but this seemed a bit of a sideways move. As clearance would be sorted, but bike would be just as heavy, if not heavier.

So the plan is buy Bike X, swap whatever wheels are on it to the CDF, and then sell it as a complete bike, with the following spec for erm…I’m not sure:

170miles on everything. Apart from the wheels/tyres/cassette/rotors which will be new.

Some scuffing on the chainset…business as usual with a black one, and the the frame is in good condition with some paint rubbed off inside the stays, but touched up.

2014 Croix De Fer Frame 52cm
M:Part Elite Headset
Giant S-X2 wheels. Tubeless ready.
Schwalbe Swans
Full Shimano 105 (34/50) …apart from Tiagra Cassette (12-30)
TRP Spyres
3T ARX 90 mm Stem
Thomson Elite Post
Thomson Collar.
FSA Omega 42cm Bars
Full Jagwire compressionless cables
Madison Prime saddle

…pedals/pump/cages not included.

Someone tell me this is a good idea, and I am not just thinking the grass is greener or need the MudTFU.

For the record, this is my one and only bike. 60/40 road/off.

I was just about to tell you it was good idea then I read this

this is my one and only bike

You let yourself down and the whole forum
Go and sit in the corner and think about what you have done

I know nothing about CX bikes so cannot help

what tyres are they?
kinesis pro6?
you’re only going to save a pound or so, but ‘may’ solve your clearance issues, you’ll have to check.

What Del said. Why not just swap the frame for a Pro6.

Honestly? Less faff. Plus I worked it out that it would probably cost, or lose me, roughly the same amount doing a wholesale change, as a frame swap.

I would be hoping to lose about 1kg swapping from the CDF to a decent alloy/carbon frame. Is this nonsense?

what tyres are they?

35mm Smart Sams.

Pro6 off the peg build then?

1kg?????

Just take less bananas with you. 🙄

Just take less fewer bananas with you

edlong – Member
Just take less fewer bananas with you

Ohhh, look at me with my O Level in English. 😉

I shall sit in the corner wearing the dunce’s hat. 😳

You let yourself down and the whole forum
Go and sit in the corner and think about what you have done

This.

You’ll have bligblackshed for company, though.

Just take less fewer bananas with you have a poo before you leave® copyright stw 1999

So in summary.

Have a poo in bigblackshed’s hat. Got it.

Cheers, fellas.

Once you’ve had a poo why not a crosslight pro6 build for £1399 then?

What about this bargain?

Edinburgh Cross

My 2p – if it’s worth it to you then get on with it.

I’d be tempted to get a *nice* disk brake frame and forks and transfer stuff across but that might not be for you.

Once you’ve had a poo why not a crosslight pro6 build for £1399 then?

If I got the Pro6, I would…

get a *nice* disk brake frame and forks and transfer stuff across.

…rather than going for an off the peg. Will have a look…..but it’ll have to be a green one.

having had another look at your pics i wouldn’t have said the clearances are that tight TBH. you could go for a pompetamine or straggler fork and keep the tyre up front, and just size down a bit at the back?

straggler fork

Y’know, I did think about that, but wasn’t sure if the Straggler fork would be suitable as direct replacement. As in, will it alter the front end too much.

I did email Genesis a few times asking about measurements, and whether either the Straggler or Kinesis DC37 fork would be a suitable replacement, but they never got back to me.

I built up an Uncle John with Kinesis DC37 fork as a cx/winter roadie, with discs.

Bloody lovely. Plenty of clearance etc.

If I didn’t have a carbon roadie already, I wouldn’t bother with one, its that nice to ride.

Actually heard back from Genesis, and turns out I need to get a A-C fork around 390mm. Which are surprisingly scarce on the ground.

As an aside, I weighed the Croix De Fer and it it’s just over 11kg with pedals and a bit of mud on it.

I was going to suggest a Salsa chro-moto fork 26″ version.
The axle to crown is 420mm from memory but loads of clearance and fits 700c wheels.
Not sure how much it would effect your geometry though, had one fitted on my project CX bike which looked like this

How much do you want to spend? My Van Nicholas Amazon has tons of tyre clearance (e.g. it’ll take 1.75″ Marathons no bother at all) and will be a lot lighter than a Croix de Fer. Mate it with a Kinesis fork (I have the older DC19 but the DC37 would be great) and you’re sorted.

Thing is I really like the ride on my Crux Dufor and with DC37 forks (work fine on mine and seem to have enough mud clearance) and a few light bits (carbon seatpost, light wheels) it rides really well. Enough that my Giant Defy has been retired to the loft with the if its not used in 6 months I’ll sell it leave it up there and remember in about 3 years time rule

Oh and the original plan was that if it ticked all the road/”gravel” boxes with a spare set of wheels with tinsy road tyres I’d swap it for a Van Nic or Shand frame, but I am a way off that point yet

Keep the bike and move somewhere that the mud is less claggy 🙂

Mine is great in west of Scotland mud !

Whats the clearance on the back like? If its good enough maybe a new pair of forks and a nicer set of wheels. I’d say (without weighing what you have) that these would lose more lbs than a frame swap. FWIW I have an alloy Cube X race, loads of clearance (I’ve fitted 45c smart sams at one point) but I wish I had have chosen a steel bike, its just missing that je ne sais quoi.

and a nicer set of wheels.

Current wheels are Kinesis CXdisc wheels, the ones listed above were just if I sold the bike. As want to keep the Kinesis.

How much do you want to spend?

Not a lot.

Thing is I really like the ride on my Crux Dufor and with DC37 forks

Did using the DC37s make any difference to the ride? Just that Genesis said anything over 390mm would, and I think the DC37s are 400mm A-C.

Keep the bike and move somewhere that the mud is less claggy

As it was nice and sunny today, the claggyness factor was low as most areas were dry. The weight was a bit of a pain when I went the wrong way and had to lift over some fences, but the heft was also welcome when barreling down rutted tracks with all the finesse of a pissed rhino.

Probably just going to put a cork in this idea till something comes along and punches me in the face with its awesomeness.

…or fit a DC37.

Cheers all.

Jamie, someone posted on one of my many CDF threads, talking about tyre clearance, and was suggesting some much smaller volume 35c ones. Can’t remember what they were though…

I must admit I am a little surprised by this thread, surely someone as yourself who is such a prolific poster must know the rules by now…

It is n+1 when it comes to bikes.

It is n+1 when it comes to bikes.

What can I say. I’m a non-conformist.

Jamie, someone posted on one of my many CDF threads

Any idea which of the 4,675,876 CDF threads it was in? 8)

Jamie – cheeky riding then eh? 🙂

Jamie – cheeky riding then eh?

In my neck of the woods, there has to be some. It’s not like the Peak or nowt, tho, as don’t ever see any walkers/horses etc.

Any idea which of the 4,675,876 CDF threads it was in?

Round about the middle I think 🙂

wwaswas – Member
You let yourself down and the whole forum
Go and sit in the corner and think about what you have done

This.

You’ll have bligblackshed for company, though.

And wwaswas playing gooseberry.

1kg lighter sounds feasible.

That niner cx bike looks awesome – and all the cool kids ride them

Started with the DC37s from the get go so not sure about more comfort but certainly lighter. Plus odd you are talking of swapping from a steel frame to aluminium and are worried about comfort. I moved away from steel frames after years of religion and the Crux and El Mariachi have reminded me of the joys of returning to the steel path. I’m sure you can go over all the bits on your current bike and lighten it up a fair bit whilst still retaining the comfort and ride quality of the frame.

To be honest, I think most of my post was just navel gazing on a Friday afternoon. The crux of it was would mud clearance be enough of a reason to go through the faff of changing frames, to something like a Cotic Escapade or Surly Straggler. Probably not, so then I got to thinking about changing frame to get better mud clearance and drop a kilo or so. Which would be worth it, so entertained the idea of an ally/carbon CX bike. IMHO I have ridden some very comfy ally frames in the past, so I don’t think it’s not that odd.

Anyway, if the weather stays a bit less monsoon than usual, then I will probably just stick with the current setup. Maybe picking up a DC37 if one came up in the sale, just to see how it worked.

So lighten it up Princes and keep riding it 😉

So lighten it up Princes and keep riding it

😀