A year ago I got a Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 (now for sale!) and have absolutely loved it. It's brilliant on the road and makes the usual N Downs trails a lot more entertaining! Now, after a year of waiting as all the 2013 ones just vanished, the Salsa Warbird has arrived! Suits me better than an out-and-out cross bike as I don't race cross, as the cables are all hidden under the top tube (I don't do carrying) and there is masses of mud room round the BB due to the bridgeless chainstays. Looking forward to the first ride tomorrow!
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GB
Amen to that... 😀
Road pedals on a cross bike? I thought SPDs were de rigueur?
Very nice, looking forward to a full report.
Yeah I prefer road pedals on cross bikes - don't ever get off and walk and don't race so no need for rattly MTB cleats on the road. Power transfer is a lot better and it feels much more like a road bike on the road, which is nice. They've lasted surprisingly well off road - they are a year old and have been ridden on some adventurous trails... Just don't get off and push in the mud.
The geometry is similar to the Kinesis - top tube is identical, angles the same, wheelbase near enough the same, chainstays the same... The differences are the Salsa has 10mm more BB drop and a 15mm longer headtube.
My Alfine Day One on the Hampshire downs today..
I bought it for the winter mud clearance (chalky clay round here) but it's not really grabbed me yet.. doesn't help that I've punctured on every ride on it so far - not sure it's designed to withstand flinty tracks!
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Is it the weight? I had a Salsa Vaya before the Kinesis - whilst I'm sure it's an excellent tourer it was a bit too much of a tank to be lively off road.
good stuff....now enter a local cx race...you'll love it (after its finished)...seriously dont think about it just go race!
It's definitely a factor (heavier than my MTBs), and the hub gear ratios take a bit of getting used to.. I think it was aimed more at the touring end of things - but was a steal, so how could I resist! 😆
Crosses are the best bikes for Hampshire I reckon.. 😉
Absolutely loving mine 😀
I'm really tempted....... but
a) I find my soul with 2.0 mudtyres too harsh for my back on long rides and I feel quite beat up after my long chilterns loop. I can stand for the bumpy field bits etc but my hands get a couple of inches of suspension even with lock out.
c) I don't plan on increasing the amount of road I do apart from my small lane commute to work.
So the head says that it's not really for me. If I were to do it it'd be with a 'dale headshok I think.
Just added Hope V twin hyd discs to mine (bought off here). I can stop when I want to off road now - which removes an element of fun, but increases fun overall.
Yes, they are. I absolutely love riding mine.
adsh - round here, there are loads of bridleways that are a bit dull on an mtb but great on a cross bike. I agree that riding your normal mtb routes can be wearing on a cx particularly if you have back problems but if you look around there may well be other routes that are spot on.
Obligatory pic of mine 🙂
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My first ride on my new CX today, only a short one mostly on road to bed the disc brakes in. It's great. 🙂
clubber - nice bike. What is it?
I loves my Cotic X. It's my best friend for commuting and I'm a bit shocked at how much time I've spent on it instead of my MTB's this summer, too.
People keep trying to get me 'Cross racing but I'm resisting (not sure this is what 'StayStrong!' is supposed to mean... 😉 )
...adsh, I think you're missing out. That sounds like exactly the sort of thing a cycle2work scheme funded 'cross bike is genius at... 😈
Mine's great, rode it for the first time today....
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It's an Ican MC098 from China. If you do a forum search on mc098 you'll see all about it 🙂
Gee- what size is your Pro6? I'm Interested in a second hand one.
Sparklingchains - it's a 57cm. I'm 6'1" and smack in the middle of the height range.
Drop me an email on georgebudd1 AT gmail.com if you want some more details.
GB
Yep love mine, disk brakes a must in my humble opinion. gee lovely looking bike that.
mine runs a flat bar which gives better control off road and hydro brakes but yes, great fun for rough track adventures
Totally agree. If you could only have one bike, CX would have to be the choice.
however...
[i]no need for rattly MTB cleats on the road.[/i]
I must admit, I have never known SPD's to rattle. That's a new one on me.
im fully smitten with my tricross built under £500 and can ride prety much anything i point it at
no need for rattly MTB cleats on the road.I must admit, I have never known SPD's to rattle. That's a new one on me.
+1 on the rattling cleats
Is there a huge difference between mtb and road cleats? Ive always used mtb shoes even on my road bike, used road cleats for about a week and e-bay'd em... never noticed a huge difference , except when i get off the bike and end up waddling like a duck at the coffee stop.
Out today on mine:
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There's a huge improvement in support, stiffness, less hot spots between road and MTB cleats. Road are also plastic not metal. I find that once the pedal body wears a little on the MTB pedals then there is nothing you can do to get rid of the tiny amount of play between the cleat and the mechanism. Also road pedals are a lot more comfortable for long rides. I don't race cross and don't get off and push, so no worries about mud clogging, plus my cross rides are probably 60-75% road so it makes sense.
First proper ride on my first cx bike I built up today as well. Mixture of road and trails with very little gnarr! Loved it. 😀
Is that a v-twin brake adapter jobby on there? Looks good. Keep being tempted by another cross bike!
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Yup. Will be playing around with this over the winter. Arkose 1x10 105 with bar-end shifter and Tektro Hylex hydros.
Yes got a V-Twin about 3 months ago. It's good, levers feel heavy but the power and lack of adjustin cables and pads the whole time is worth it. If I was buying a new cross bike I'd be looking long and hard at the SRAM 700 or whatever they are called.
had mine about 3 weeks,Trek Crossrip its been great on the road Ill be using it for commuting once or twice a week, some touring and exploring fire roads etc.
I built up a ti salsa warbird recently, bloody awesome bike.
Did 40+ gravelly, muddy, fast! drifty miles it today.
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built up a Crosscheck SS with the fine Open bars too...
a pic of mine running the local trails pre brake change
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Popular spot, rp16v 🙂
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If I was buying a new cross bike I'd be looking long and hard at the SRAM 700 or whatever they are called.
Or Di2 and their hydros...
Nice new bike o.p.
I have a kinesis xlite (with the v twin) , lovely bike.
I'm well on the way to killing mine &hoping that kinesis also adopt the cable routing&
brake mounting improvements other manufacturers have , if so ,i'll have another ta!
It's made my boring commutes much more fun............ 😀
Nice bikes fellows!
Bought one on Saturday from Crispy from this forum.
Will be used during winter to save my carbon roadie.
Did first road ride on it today and think its ace!
Planning to stick the nobbly tyres back on and chase some uphill KOMs on my local off-road loop during the week.
Meet Jake the Snake
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clubber - local?
Yep. Top of the gravel climb.
Leafocross,
earlier today.
We had to carry cross sticks and clear the fork and stays surprisingly frequently.
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So... First proper cross ride on the Warbird this evening.
Building up the frame, it was very well finished and all the bearing surfaces were machined and clean. The paint was perfect and seems good. The sizing is large - I usually ride a 58cm road bike, but went for a 56cm in the Warbird as the top tube length was the same as my old Kinesis. The seat tube extends quite a bit above the top tube, like old Konas, so the standover is excellent.
Riding - it corners on the road a lot better than the Kinesis. The front is 1.5cm higher and the BB 1cm lower and this seems to make a lot of difference to the cornering. It feels a lot more like a road bike than the Kinesis. Off road, it is fantastic on fire roads and bridleways, which is what it's designed for. On more demanding trails, the lower front end and higher BB of the Kinesis probably give it the edge; but this is on really steep stuff (Evian, supernova, Barry's if you know the N Downs).
In terms of what it's for - the gravel moniker is a bit limited. It's fantastic on any off road surface; yes, cross specific bikes are better for cross racing but if you don't race and just want a bike to go exploring on, it's fantastic.
GB
I have a got a Stevens Prestige and find my local trails a lot more fun again, the mtb was overkill on most local trails (bridleways, farm tracks and cheeky footpaths!)
