Are cyclo cross bikes priced over the odds? i'm looking at getting one for commuting and may be evntually touring so the criteria list is as follows

potentiaL for panniers front and back
separate mud guard mounts

Do i need cable disc brakes are they worth it on canal paths and rough tarmac?

Looking at the Marin touscana, looks nice but heavy and the Genesis vapour, no discs but looks nice, or the croix de fer comes with discs. I've ruled out the spesh tricross!!

The Marin has deore hubs on a £1K bike. for £1K you get a decent hardtail!! Why are they so expensive.

The Planet X is also on the list but slipping down as I can't test ride it before ordering and i'm nowhere near the factory!!

Can these bikes cope with going on and off kerbs and jumping speed bumps?

Thanks

Matt

which part of cross did you not understand ?

The technology and cost of a front suspension fork must be more than whats required to design, test and build a cross bike.

CX bikes are still a bit of a niche so perhaps are priced a little accordingly. A CX bike should normally be able to take hopping kerbs and speed bumps but a road frame is a *lot* more difficult to hop than an MTB frame (bloody impossible once you have anything on the rack) and take care about casing a kerb as that will kill a road wheel dead.

I had similar requirements to you (plus wanted to run a hubgear) and ended up getting a Cotic RoadRat. Not the lightest but tbh once loaded with panniers an extra half kilo in the frame isn't noticable. Was pretty cheap too and after 5,000km on it in the last year I'm still happy with it.

Another (gorgeous looking) choice is the Singular Perregrine, which I may have gone for if I'd known about it before ordering the Cotic

/edit; oh and IMO discs are 100% worth it. Not that there's anything wrong with cantis per se but with discs I do zero maintenance, the brakes work the same in all conditions and I never get grinding once road grit gets under the pads so I don't worry about rim wear.

Thanks for the reply. Are cable disc brakes any good and worth the price difference?

Are cable disc brakes any good and worth the price difference?

IMO Yes on both counts. Avid BB7s all the way

STi shifters are hugely expensive, over £150 for 105 (LX level) and 200+ for Ultegra (XT equivalent). That is probably a large part of the price of the whole bike.

Plus there are big economies of scale on MTBs but much less on a CX bike.

They are pretty tough, mine does rocky trails and steps, albeit slower than on an MTB so a kerb or a speed bump isn't a problemo. Honestly don't think they are much dearer than a similar specced road bike.

Have a look at Focus bikes on Wiggle as well, don't know if they tick all your boxes but their CX bikes seem to be well thought of.

EDIT – yes to cable discs – or Avid BB7s anyway – the saving in pads and rims will pay for the price difference in not very long. Plus they work well in all conditions.

the shimano cable discs i had were terrible and i'd never choose them over cantis in the future. The cable required requent adjustment, they added a lot of weight, made fitting 'guards/rack a pain, and weren't very powerful at all.

Thanks for your commants on discs. Definitely more options than I initially thought.

I'd forgotten about the (unbelievable) price of STi levers. got a J-tek Bar end shifter and Diacompe brake levers running in my cockpit

the shimano cable discs i had were terrible and i'd never choose them over cantis in the future. The cable required requent adjustment, they added a lot of weight, made fitting 'guards/rack a pain, and weren't very powerful at all.

I have heard that about shim cable discs but never tried them myself. Rest assured though, Avid BB7s (or indeed BB5s) are bloody good.

I have BB7 and find them a pain to set up properly, they eat brake pads as well. Having said that I suppose it's better than getting through a set of rims each winter…
Given my time again I'd get cantis for my road rat though

boardman cx looks good value, especially if you have the c2w scheme.

I have BB7 and find them a pain to set up properly, they eat brake pads as well. Having said that I suppose it's better than getting through a set of rims each winter…
Given my time again I'd get cantis for my road rat though

it's funny that, I've heard other people say the same but I really had no trouble setting them up and am on the same set of pads from new (after 5,000 km and 4 seasons on the road)I probably adjust the pads every 3-4 months, but like I said it's strictly road use.

one disadvantage of discs on a road bike / CX is the attention they attract. Like flies round sh1t I tell you.

and racks can be interesting to fit, depending on the frame design.

How about a Surly Crosscheck.
Shimano Sora groupset £179 at Ribbles
Shimano RS series wheels or hadbuilts
Finishing kit of your choice and stuff that'll fit

+1 for BB7's. Pad wear not been a problem here – am still on the original set after about 15 months of off road use. Didn't find them difficult to set up as such, but the pads need to run closer to the disc than hydraulics to compensate for a little cable stretch.

+2 for BB7 discs. Got them on my major jake and they work sooooooo much better than the cantis they replaced

Thinking about getting a cyclocross bike myself.
Just wondering…
Conventional rigid 29er mountain bike with 700c rims and drop bars.
Would that work ? It's not a common conversion, which makes me suspect it wouldn't.
Does anyone make hydraulic levers for drop bars ?

I've ruled out the spesh tricross!!

any reason why?

+ 1 for what oldgit said.

Conventional rigid 29er mountain bike with 700c rims and drop bars.
Would that work ? It's not a common conversion, which makes me suspect it wouldn't.
Does anyone make hydraulic levers for drop bars ?

No-one makes hydro levers for drop bars at the moment. Magura used to for their Hydrostops and I believe that Hope may have a cable actuated master cylinder that you frame mount aimed at tandems but it won't be competitively priced. Until the UCI legalises discs in CX competition (if ever, which is not anything like a given) I doubt that the big boys will bother but who knows?

as for 29er with drop bars; frames for drop bars are typically shorter than for flat bars (witness the Cotic Road Rat which sells in 2 different lengths depending on whether you want flat or dropped bars)

but …. it all very much depends on your own body shape what frame length you'd need, you may find one compatible

secondly (and perhaps more importantly, I'm not sure) 29er frames tend to be sus corrected so you'd either need to go with a suspension fork or a longer A2C than a normal X/road fork (which is around 400mm) and you'd end up with slacker angles I'm pretty sure

if you want an off-the shelf drop-bar 29er MTB look up the Salsa Fargo.

My road bike copes with going up and down kerbs and bunny hopping speed bumps – though that is with the lightweight wheels on and 23mm tyres. It also does much tougher as well – try riding at 40kmh over Belgian cobbles on 24mm tyres if you want rough.
Why not just get a proper touring bike – then you'll have all the rack and pannier mounts you want, and you won't look like a fashion victim.

try riding at 40kmh over Belgian cobbles on 24mm tyres if you want rough.

Not long to go until Flanders, aP…. 😀

(I shall, of course, be riding my road bike, with only a 27 sprocket as a concession to the Paterberg and Koppenberg. No ladyboy compacts here..!)

OMITH – er, yes. I so hope it doesn't rain. Have you seen that the route has been changed this year?

aP – yep. Saw that it had changed. Going to be windy on the first leg.

Still, it's *only* 150 miles, and the groups are huge. Going to get more draft than the Vietnam War… 😀

Speaking of CXbikes – look what I just collected at lunchtime today 🙂

I see the cross but not the bike 😐

Another shout for road BB7's…..

Trying again with the image posting. Also, to the OP – £700 for mine but works out less as I used the Bike to work scheme.

They're not expensive, it's just that there's no market for crap cx bikes.

domino – Liking the look of your new TCX, looking good in team blue livery.
Quick question. Does the TCX 2 have mudguard/rack eyelets.
Cheers.

Thanks for your comments. Coleman – yes it does.

Thanks domino. I have a TCX frameset and my son has a TCX 1 and niether have eyelets. We race ours only so don't need them, but it's interesting to know Giant produce the same frame with eyelets – makes it much more versatile.
Hope you enjoy your new bike.
Cheers.