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1. oldgit - Member

   This will be the last season for my current CX frame, so I'm already pondering about the next one.

   Fancy the new Swiss Cross, but don't want to pay for aesthetics.
   So for £500'ish I could get;
   Singular Kite, steel.
   Dirty Disco, Carbon and disc.
   A N Other aluminium frame.

   Quite fancy the Kite as a race bike, but not sure about the weight even with a light build. Like the idea of a bit of steel comfort.
   The carbon would be light (I assume?) but it's ugly and I don't need discs.
   Aluminium, stick with what I'm used to though mines bloody harsh.
   ?

   Posted 6 months ago #
2. scratch - Member

   I'd love a Swiss cross, not sure I'd be keen turning up at a race on one though.

   I was looking around myself for next year but I think I'll stick with my Kinesis unless my numbers come up, I had it off here s/h. Absolutely love it on Sundays.

   Posted 6 months ago #
3. flip - Member

   Kinesis pro6 disc only, i just ordered the last 51 white

   http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/products/crosslight/prosix

   http://www.fatbirds.co.uk doing them for £449.

   Lovely

   Posted 6 months ago #
4. LS - Member

   Can't say that I've ever noticed a difference in harshness between steel, ally or titanium, at least not with fat tubs on.
   My only real criteria for a cross frame are
   1 - it needs to fit (easier said than done)
   2 - it needs to get to the end of the season without breaking (unfortunately, also easier said than done)
   3 - it needs to be cheap enough that I won't cry when I finally break it

   After that I worry about aesthetics, weight, and frame material.

   Posted 6 months ago #
5. hammerite - Member

   Lynskey

   Posted 6 months ago #
6. leggyblonde - Member

   I bought two specialized crux frames at the start of the season because they're they're the raciest frame for that price. Reasonably light, tapered head tube, fork mounted cable hanger, tight racing angles and short stays. If they're good enough for Ian Field, Jody Crawforth and Todd Wells, they're good enough for me, especially as they can be had for £500.
   They ride really nicely and have stood up to my abuse without a problem.

   Posted 6 months ago #
7. oldgit - Member

   Paul, get me one for £500 and I'll buy you a cuppa next weekend.

   Yeah the Ritchey seems a bit precious, plus I'd look a right ponce.

   Like the idea of a steel crosser, my svelte frame DON'T LAUGH gets a right hammering during our sun soaked cx season. I think I might be able to get a Singular as light as my current build with better parts?

   Posted 6 months ago #
8. oldgit - Member

   leggyblonde, short stays? my absolute favourite feature on a frame.

   The Singular 'looks' short in the stays. Googling the Crux now.

   Posted 6 months ago #
9. JoB - Member

   i'll second the CruX if you can get the frame and fork on the cheap, otherwise the Kinesis frames always ride well and are VFM, you'll always be battling the weight of a steel frame in comparison

   Posted 6 months ago #
10. oldgit - Member

    Hmmm HT 2 degrees slacker, ST 1 degree slacker and a 10mm shorter stay than what I have. Would I be right in thinking that the slacker angles might take the edge off the harshness?

    Posted 6 months ago #
11. JoB - Member

    i've done 4+hr rides on the CruX and not been totally beaten up if that's what you mean

    (the baggy stock wheels offering a good inch of suspension might have helped)

    Posted 6 months ago #
12. leggyblonde - Member

    (the baggy stock wheels offering a good inch of suspension might have helped)

    

    My crux frames don't feel harsh, but they are 58s and I'm a sucker for old school tub rims and dugasts...

    @JoB I was too dead climbing that hill 8 times to want to try the pro6 after Stanmer. I'll have to save the phat skidz for another time!

    Posted 6 months ago #
13. oldgit - Member

    JoB I was thinking back to racing an 853 geared Inbred and how it soaked up trail buzz so just let you get on with riding hard as. At the same time my Giant skipped and bucked on all the small stuff like grass tufts, dried fields etc.

    Posted 6 months ago #
14. JoB - Member

    what hill?

    well the CruX is designed as a race frame so it's going to be 'direct' but it doesn't jackhammer you, i've been lucky enough to play on a carbon Ibis Hakkalügi and that was soft enough to soak up all the roots and bumps so you could keep pedalling, but you're paying for that

    Posted 6 months ago #
15. BIGMAN - Member

    The ibis Hakkalugi is awesome. Raced mine, ridden 6hr training rides. Even the odd club run on slick tyres!

    Doubly the cost of the crux tho.

    Posted 6 months ago #
16. cynic-al - Member

    The landscape will have changed in 12 months with neolithic manufacturers making disc ready frames and fanbois clamouring for them, so I'm sorry, but I see this thread as pointless.

    Posted 6 months ago #
17. flip - Member

    so I'm sorry, but I see this thread as pointless.

    So do i thats why i'm buying a disc frame

    Posted 6 months ago #
18. oldgit - Member

    So do i thats why i'm buying a disc frame

    flip, really not needed in the Central League CX.

    Alloy frame with disc set up same as steel with canti's weight wise?

    Posted 6 months ago #
19. cynic-al - Member

    "needed"...LOL when did that inform a bike purchase?

    Posted 6 months ago #
20. scratch - Member

    Second season racing, I'm yet to think 'wish I could stop faster' while on the way around, going faster yes...

    Posted 6 months ago #
21. paul78 - Member

    Oldgit, I think for racing you are really limited by budget to alu ... Crux is a great bike but for half the cost what about a Forme Hiver ?? can be had for £260 and build up to a decent weight.

    I really don't think you need discs in cross, raced them last year and would say they were never the difference between placing well or not ... back to canti's this year and have more than enough braking .. if I had a spare bike to change out mid race I would consider TRP mini v's but they collect too much mud.

    Posted 6 months ago #
22. hammerite - Member

    Missed the £500 bit, might struggle to get you one for that price!!

    Agree this season on the braking OG, the races have been fast but ground firm and braking easy. Last season I remember a couple of places where I could've done with better braking (MK Bowl was one, going down a steep bank with a 90 degree turn at the very bottom).

    Posted 6 months ago #
23. scratch - Member

    Pual Milnes?

    Posted 6 months ago #
24. Digger90 - Member

    I was tempted by the Singular Kite, as the team I used to race for was sponsored by Paul Sadoff at Rock Lobster so I've a passion for steel. I've also owned a Bontrager CX and a Salsa Cross before that.

    However, that was the 90's and having got back into CX last season I bought a cheap Kona Jake, which was a basic but nice enough frame until I tried a Jake the Snake (Easton Ultrawall) and was immediately impressed with the difference, so replaced the Jake with that. Then hankered after steel again so bought a Cotic, which as soon as I built and rode it I realised was not a CX bike but a mountain bike masquerading as a CX bike and had too many quirks for my taste, so sold all of that and was flip-flopping between the Singular Kite and a Specialized Crux.

    What sold me on the Crux was I went to watch the Rapha Supercross at Alexandra Palace - where last year's UK National CX Champion was on a Crux as were several of the top pros. I got talking to some of them and said "Hey, that's a pretty cheap frame, how does it ride?" Their responses were unanimous - very, very good. The frame is waaaay better than the components Specialized hang on it when sold as a complete bike and warrants much higher end kit. The frame is an Elite level race frame.

    So I bought a Cruz frameset and hung a mixture of SRAM Red/Force gruppo on it, with handbuilt clincher wheelset (Hope hubs/Velocity A23 rims) etc.

    I rode it for 4+ hours at last weekend's Salisbury CX Sportive which was it's maiden voyage and have done two 1-2hrs road rides since and love it. It fits well, is made well, is very, very light (frame approx 1,500g) whole bike is 18lbs without spending silly money and it's rippingly fast. Right now, I can think of no downsides.

    I'm sure in time I will cave in and also buy a Singular Kite or similar just so that I have a steel frame back in my armoury but for now I'm really liking the Crux.

    The fact that several national champions ride them (UK, USA, etc) speaks volumes too. It's not just that they're sponsored - when you see how fast they ride those things you realise that the frame itself certainly isn't a limiting factor for mere mortals like us.

    Posted 6 months ago #

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