[Closed] Do most STW ers now own a road /cx bike?

Dickyboy - Member
I thought I had a road bike, but apparently a Genesis Equilibrium with flat bars is a hybrid

think my CX bike is a "drop bar hybrid" not likely to ever see a CX race

I have both road and CX, and as a result almost never ride my mtb anymore. I just can't be bothered with the faff of mtbing.

+1 😳

think my CX bike is a "drop bar hybrid" not likely to ever see a CX race

or is there something obvious I'm missing?

Owned a roadbike since before mtb was thought of and probably always will. Have always ridden them off road too. But wouldn't ever want a. CX bike - too much of a compromis.. Basically I find them rubbish for everything other than CX racing.

if it weren't for TJ and Fred having a massive argument, I'd never have seem this forum and wouldn't now have 2 road bikes, wouldn't have owned a single speed and probably wouldn't have a fat bike.

I bought a road bike because I fancied one. Rode it quite a lot to work and back as it was the ideal bike for 30 miles round trip. Then changed jobs and stopped using it. Late last year I swapped it for a Geneis CDF 10 baca use I could leave that locked up and not be gutted if it was stolen and I could go exploring anywhere I liked on days off. It's got rack and guards on it now, so it's more of a dropped bar hybrid than a CX bike, but that's what suits me I guess. It might see some light touring at some point too I guess.

To be honest I found road cycling deathly boring. I mean, it's riding a bike, so that's good, but apart from that it's not really for me.

I've had road bikes for the last 10 years, purely to ride with the wife, to work or to give fitness a quick boost. Road riding isn't that much fun but it keeps me fit.

To liven it up I'm buying a cross bike. I have good trails on my doorstep, but time means I can't fit them in every night. If I have a cross bike I can ride home on the tamer trails across the countryside and end on the groomed singletrack in the woods. Moar trails in a week is good, regardless of what bike it's on.

But, make no mistake, if I fancy a ride on the weekend I won't be hopping on the cross bike and riding smooth singletrack when there's a mountain bike and massive rocks to ride.

I've had mountain bikes (too many to list)since about 1985. Bought a road bike in late 2013, have since swapped it for another and love road riding. Have thought about CX but never taken the plunge.

Currently:
MTB - Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc 29'r
Fatbike - Specialized Fatboy
Road - Specialized Roubaix
Touring - Koga Miyata Globe Traveller.

rene59 - Member

Mountain bikes only for me. No interest in road/cx bikes whatsoever.

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After years of giving roadies abuse (tongue in cheek) I bought a road bike last November for fitness training. I got some well deserved grief from mtb friends when they found out.

It's actually quite enjoyable, when I get away from traffic and into the hills.

I can't see me ever getting into it in a big way, it just doesn't have the fun element that mtb'ing has. Also, I refuse to wear Lycra and run flat pedals so get funny looks from the snooty roadie brigade 😀

It's all bikes at the end of the day. I do find it odd that STW has so many people who don't ride mtb though.

My CX/Gravel is one of my commuters, but my commute certainly isn't standard.

It's about 30% properly offroad, 20% single track road, 15% B-road and 35% cycle path.

It's getting ruined, but it's great fun!

but it's great fun!

Is it a fat bike?

Had a cross bike for twenty odd years, love them, right place and time they are awesome. Enjoy riding the odd trail centre on one just to upset the mtb'ers, well the sight of drop bars tend to puzzle/infuriate them it would seem rude not to.

Got a few road bikes and a few mountain bikes, would like another cross bike, so I have a bike in the pits to change to when it gets really messy, but that's n+1 and racing for you.

1 x road
2 x hardtail MTB
+ a new bouncer frame 😀

Would never, ever, ever, ever, get a CX bike just in case I accidentall ended up doing some cx. [shudders].

I sold my car 2 years ago and replaced it with a gravel bike (Salsa Vaya) for commuting. I sometimes go around llandegla on it and like to get out on the country lanes too.
I've got a full sus 29er (Giant Anthem) that is very good but I don't have the emotional attachment to it that have for my SS 29er (Salsa El Mariachi) and the Vaya

kudos100 - Member
I do find it odd that STW has so many people who don't ride mtb though.

20 years ago, we were bimbling about on bridleways, and fire-roads, and we called it mountainbiking.

but things have changed, apparently 'mountainbiking' now looks something like this:

[img] [/img]

most people don't have ride-from-home access to anything like that, their local trails still look like this:

[img] [/img]

(if they're lucky)

why bother with the mountain bike? - that's perfect cx* territory that is.

(*i did my first cx race a few months ago, it was WAAAY more technical than my first mtb race 22 years ago)

I'm a cyclist, I ride bikes on & off road. I don't look down on either type

at the moment i have a f/s AM bike (Giant Reign X2) and a commuter (Saracen Studio 74)
the commuter is officially classed as an urban bike but as it uses an mtb frame and drivetrain in addition to the 700c wheels...i'd say its more of a hybrid.

due to a lack of storage space and a not very impressed wife, i've shelved my plans to increase the collection...but eventually i'd like to add the following:
dh bike
xc f/s
ht trailbike
fatbike

we need a bigger house first...

I'd like to buy a cx and a road bike

Does that count?

Road bike - check
MTB - check
Cross Bike - check (more or less)

And theyre all great fun - check

=win

MTBs fine, road bikes also fine, but what was/is primarily a race niche bike and now become a "road bike for mtb ers too tubby for a real road bike" - please naff off to the cx forum, it's your special place, where you can be special with each other 😛

road bike for mtb ers too tubby for a real road bike

...But my CX bike is a race bike...

That was my point, they [i]are[/i] (or should be) race bikes, not curly bar hybrids for portly well heeled chaps

why bother with the mountain bike? - that's perfect cx* territory that is.

That's hard tail, rigid singlespeed, hybrid, touring or commute bike territory.

CX is designed to race round a field with obstacles you climb over in full lycra carrying the ultra light bike. Not a pootle out on your local trails, bridleways, tow paths, farm tracks, etc.

Still don't see the attraction of a road bike off of tarmac even if it has slightly bigger tyres.

(Triban 3) I really can't get used to it, especially the useless brakes

the brakes on those truly are appaling. i upgraded the GFs to some secondhand entry level tektros. Night & day.

why bother with the mountain bike? - that's perfect cx* territory that is.

(*i did my first cx race a few months ago, it was WAAAY more technical than my first mtb race 22 years ago)

There is a special place in hell for people who ride CX.

All the worst bits of MTB and road riding combined 😆

I've got a geared 29er, SS 29er, SS city bike and a CX/gravel/road bike - which is by far the most ridden of all my bikes. With the right tyres it's perfect for stringing together on-and-offroad adventures from my front door. If I feel like more of an MTB blast then I get the 29er out but I've not driven somewhere to ride my bike in the UK for many years.

poe's law again?
some people do (seem to) get het up about the CX monicker being appropriated
is it a roadie thing, like hating triathletes?

no ive got a commuter, but its a hardtail with slicks that i take on gentle off road rides with the kids and sometimes longer stuff with some knobblies on

Got the range covered I think:

Full sus - with big tyres and dropper post for Lakeland epics - to me this is my main bike and the last one I would sell!

Hardtail - for a giggle, tours and a winter mud

CX - most ridden bike as great for riding from the door and commuting

Road bike - hummmm...gets a few outings a year (normally from my parents where the mtb is rubbish), but not worth getting rid of as not worth a lot and I enjoy the hour spins on sunny evenings/trying to get some fitness back.

Having the luxury of having the choice is great, but I'd always consider myself a mountain biker. The CX and road bike just mix things up/keep me fit(ish).

No. I have an elderly Brompton for commuting.

4 full on MTBs (1 FS & 3 HTs).

1 not quite MTB for commuting - MTB frame, rigid, slicks and singlespeed.

No road, CX, gravel or whatever bikes here...

1 mtb, 1 adventure road/gravel/(marketing bullocks) bike.

Never been keen on pure road bikes, but I like to use the gravel bike for a bit of distance training using roads and light trails.
Have to say, it's given me a new enthusiasm for riding.

1 mtb SS
1 mtb Geared
1 cx / tourer
1 road bike
Thinking of getting rid of the mtbs as hardly ride them anymore! , and buying another crosser or roadie

I recently sold my MTB and winter road bike and now just have a very nice CX (Giant TCX SLR with hydraulics) and an even nicer road bike (Enigma Ethos with Dura Ace and Ultegra spec)….I figured that I had too many bikes and didn't ride the nicer ones enough so went with just the two very nice ones and hope to spend more time on those rather than the "hacks" I always reached for because it was too wet, too muddy, etc….

1 x Carbon HT
1 x Steel rigid HT
1 x Steel winter road bike (weighs as much as my carbon ht)
1 x Carbon road bike

Would consider swapping the steel bikes for a CX at some point as I want to race this coming winter

Hmm. One mtb, three proper road bikes, a drop barred fixie and a drop barred commuter with chunky tyres.

1 spesh enduro (proper bike)
1 jumpy hardtail
1 Carbon 29er cross road/gravel/thingy
1 Family utility bike.

No road or CX bikes here, although I have toyed with the idea of a CX bike I never actually got round to getting one and probably never will now.

My main bike is a road/CX type bike, a Charge Plug 3. Just sold my MTB on Sunday, but do fancy another. I've also got a Triban 3 road bike for sale, I could do with that going before I buy another bike.

Haven't used dropped bars since the late 80s but have ridden on the road forever.

Sporty flatbar and barends hybrids for me, these days.

Nope, can't say it holds any interest for me at all.
Just seems so one dimensional (ie it's all just about pure fitness/stamina), compared to MTB which requires much wider range of skills IMO. I like to point this out to my roadie mates at every possible opportunity too - I find using the term 'one trick pony' usually provokes the desired reaction!

pure fitness/stamina

It may not work for everyone but doing a lot of early morning blasts around the back roads has improved my off road power no end. You could probably (accurately) argue that I could get just as fit riding full off road of a morning but from previous experience it's a quicker (pun alert) road to that fitness with the added benefit of not having to hose the bike down every bloody ride at this time of year.

[quote=Legoman ]Nope, can't say it holds any interest for me at all.
Just seems so one dimensional (ie it's all just about pure fitness/stamina), Not necessarily. A road bike enables you to travel further and faster. If you're into looking at nice views, stopping for a leisurely coffee etc they are excellent.

I have;
A carbon road bike (23mm tyres)
A Ti tourer that also doubles as a general "Cross" bikes (I'll avoid using CX as I don't actually race it)
A Ti 29er that is my primary bikepacking and local MTBing bike
A fatbike
A 26er FS - rarely used as I never visit the trail centres it's really designed for.

They each have their strengths and weaknesses and there's a degree of overlap coz sometimes it's nice to be contrary and take the "incorrect" bike - e.g. fatbiking round Glentress. I don't feel the need to disparage anyone else's choices.

I have a road bike that use to just be for winter and quick rides to get miles in. Since building a single speed mtb I've hardly used it.