I am a road cyclist, with the occasional off-road dabble. I hate riding my mtb on the road for any length of time... and recently got a crosser thinking it would be good for a 2nd road bike and adequate for off road with a tyre change. Problem is, I ride off road so infrequently my handling skills aren't the best, and I feel I need more skill to use the crosser.
So I guess the question is, if you had to ride 8 road miles to do 2 miles of simple single track, what would you choose?
Commuter hybrid.
Commuter hybrid.
Rigid 29er (Salsa El Mariachi):
Drop bar 29er (Genesis Vagabond):
Or similar.
The El Mar is very fast on road, and I love riding it, but it's also far more capable off road (and hencer easier to ride) than a CX bike. You could adjust tyres or bars to suit. I use it for riding 10-15 miles up into the Valleys then across the mountains on the rough tracks, with the odd bit of technical single track thrown in. It was my preferred MTB for a few years; at the same time I hold a few PRs on road segments on it instead of my road bike.
I have a commuter hybrid with 32c tyres on it. Even on really good tracks I have to go quite slowly because there are always potholes and stones that threaten to pinch puncture. Not an issue with big enough tyres.
Cx bike, seems a bit overkill changing bikes for easy singletrack
fatter tyres and flat bars will make the difference.
I like molgrips' suggestion, and can confirm that his Salsa is an amazingly capable and versatile bike.
I speak as someone pretty much like you, OP: a road cyclist, with the occasional off-road dabble.
I like my CX / Gravel / Adventure / whatever you want to call it bike on easy singletrack, but I'm a mountain biker that doesn't like riding on the road at the best of times!
+1 for I'd give the cross bike a bit more time. It's amazing what you can ride on the things, but it does take some getting used to off road. Can you fit bigger / gripper tyres to give you a little more confidence off road maybe?
Mason Bokeh.
If only mine would arrive I’ll tell you if that’s actually true.
I'd wonder why I was riding 8 miles to do 2 miles of simple singletrack!! Is that just a 18 mile loop?
If your problem offroad is handling skills, and your problem onroad is you still want to go fast, then I don't think a drop bar 29er is the best option. That'll give you something barely faster on the road than a rigid 29er MTB and much harder to handle offroad.
My partner pretty much encountered this same problem, and I've just sorted her a rigid 29er with skinny slicks.
I'm actually kind of jealous of it, even though it appears entirely unfashionable... It was absurdly cheap and is very quick on those bit of everything kind-of rides.
It's a Pinnacle Lithium 5 from ebay, and I put on it some Hope/Stans Crest wheels set up tubeless with Maxxis 2.1 Pace tyres and On One OG bars.
Less than £500 all in, which isn't bad for an MTB that weighs less than 11kg...
It's only so cheap as it's marketed as a hybrid, but unlike most hybrids it can take 2.2 x 29er tyres, so it's basically a light-MTB
Re "I’d wonder why I was riding 8 miles to do 2 miles of simple singletrack!! Is that just a 18 mile loop?"
Nah, just an indicator of proportional use. See my cx is great as winter bike when slicked up and gets used a lot for that, but my mtb mates have invited me for an off road shenanigans weekend and have promised to find easy routes. I fear their "easy" is different to mine...
Oh, what CX bike do you have?
These suggestions all look great btw, ta.
My CX is a Frankenbike, and had several owners (possibly some on STW). The frame is an Alan but in team livery of a shop in Coventry, OpenPro wheels/Ultegra shifters/Deore rear mech/single chain ring. I love it, just not sure if it was the right thing to get for my needs.
How wide a tyre do you think you can squeeze into the frame and fork?
If you want to attempt to salvage the bike into something you want, the best bet is large tyres and some alt-drop bars; On One Midge or Love Mud Bomber is you're going budget, Salsa Woodchipper's or something if you're not
You could also convert to flat-bars, but that's a tricky one. I had some luck converting my partner's old gravel bike to have flat-bars, (very swept One On Mary's). She had a 20mm longer stem, but TBH another 10-20mm would have been better. So that plan would only be possible for you if you have a 80mm-90mm on your CX bike now so you could move up to a 120mm and flat-bars.
In the end, she needed proper MTB size tyres for the sort of riding we do anyway, hence the Lithium
Oh, I'm assuming you aren't yet running alt-drops or the largest tyres you can... if you are then you're probably almost out of options!
I use a CX bike for rides which are maybe 80% on road and the other bits are largely tracks. Those bits would be quicker on a mountain bike but they'd also be no fun IMO and a mtb would make 80% of the ride pretty terrible. For me slightly bigger tyres and a drop in pressure improve part of the ride just enough without hampering the majority of it but it's a subjective point. In fact i went back from CX tyres to 35mm Schwalbe G-Ones.
Ajoten
...So I guess the question is, if you had to ride 8 road miles to do 2 miles of simple single track, what would you choose?
Probably this... 🙂
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/837/41851659280_d85b1759f3_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/837/41851659280_d85b1759f3_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Whot yow brung.
I'd just ride my CX bike TBH, or most probably my Mason Bokeh. I've even done off road with slick Compass tyres, although the trails we rode in the Cevennes were at times a tiny bit tough, but then we had ridden 40km on road to get to them, and then had a great 15km road downhill at the end.
Of my bikes I'd use my cx or 29er depending how much I wanted to enjoy the singletrack. A mtb is always going to be better on the singletrack but if you really hate it off road...
Or could you fit some faster mtb tyres so that the road part is less of a chore?
Definitely the crosser, with the biggest tyre I could fit.
I work from home but this year I've been doing fake commutes before work. Loops of 15-20miles taking in lanes and tracks, I'd tried doing road rides before work but didn't like riding on roads at rush hour. I'm using a CX bike (Pro 6) with 38/35c (actually 40/38) Gravelking SKs, it's great for the job, also use it for singletrack which is actually easier than the rough bridleways and byways.
I'd give the CX a few weeks.
but my mtb mates have invited me for an off road shenanigans weekend and have promised to find easy routes. I fear their “easy” is different to mine…
That is a different requirement than 8 miles on road, 2 miles off road isn't it. That sound like it is going to be 100% off road. Just hire a mountain bike...
I ride about 50% on road, 40% gravel and 10% single track so not dissimilar and I ride a fixed gear track bike with 23c tyres and love it. However it wouldn't be the bike I would choose if going on some off road shenanigans.
Gravel bike, I have a Ridley X Trail. Used as a commuter and then an after work forest ride home via Mabie on some blue and red route stuff. Trips around Ae which is a large forest, managed a trip down Turbine Alley/The Edge!!!! Other mates have various mtb frames kitted out with “skinny” tyres of various kinds. Have a look at Kinesis
So I guess the question is, if you had to ride 8 road miles to do 2 miles of simple single track, what would you choose?
Cyanide maybe.
If you want to improve your off-road skills, buy a proper mountain bike with 4" to 5" forks and tyres at least 2.3" wide. It won't be fast on-road. If you want something fast on-road, buy a road bike. It won't be much use off-road.
Cross bike with reasonable mud tyres is not so bad on the road. I ride 20 km to Swimley, then blue then 50 km loop home. Position is important and won’t be identical to your road bike. Shorter reach and a cm higher will help with handling. A bit of practice on the easier stuff is no bad thing. Double sided spds on mine.
I also ride a single speed monster cross rigid HT. I’m a wheels on the ground roadie, but do like an off road bimble. I don’t do black, and not ridden the cross over th red at Swinley yet. The HT is fine though.
I've got a Tripster AT and it's pretty good offroad. A touch less capable than my unfashionable 26" 100mm travel hardtail but not much.
For comparison my commute by road bike (23c slicks, 11-23 cassettel) is 1h30 @ 16.5mph (i.e. I'm not especially fit)
My commute Via singlespeed 29er with 2.2 Continental Race Kings (i.e. average MTB tyres) is 1h50 @ 13.5mph (gearing is 32-14)
Now considering I can't do any more than coast on anything remotely downhill that's not a huge difference (but on the other hand I smash it up hills), and it's steel so it's not even that light.
So just get a normal mountain bike, any old 29er hardtail would probably do what you want, and the actual lost time on 10 miles of road will be <10min (less than STW could spend arguing over a drop bar'd monstercross Vs flat bar'd hybrid).
My commute Via singlespeed fat bike takes a little over 2hours (12mph ish) (gearing is 33-19), that's not a sensible choice, but is useful if the other bike has a puncture.
Sonder Camino AL like mine. (last pics in this thread):
CX/gravel with the biggest tubeless tyres you can fit. Unless I'm riding technical single track e.g. red/black / drop-offs and jumps I'm still quicker on a rigid, drop-bar bike simply due to the lack of weight, rolling-resistance. I have some regular offload training loops and when I took the MTB I tried really hard to push in on the rougher sections / downhills but it couldn't make-up the deficit lost on the climbs.
If you want to attempt to salvage the bike into something you want, the best bet is large tyres and some alt-drop bars;
Also a higher and/or shorter stem, if there are downhills to negotiate. That's how a lot of drop bar 29ers come set up.
So I guess the question is, if you had to ride 8 road miles to do 2 miles of simple single track, what would you choose?
Personally and as you don't feel you can handle a CX bike off road, I'd go for a nice light 29er with a set of fast tyres likes Maxxis Ikons, Vittoria Mezcals or similar.
I've no issues with riding at 25-30kph on road (flattish) with that set up on my HT, it will then make the off-road sections a bit nicer and more forgiving.
my f29 lefty handles the road well, will ride at a comfortable 28-35kmph on flat tarmac and is fun offroad. 2.1 tyres, although i'm considering going skinnier WTB 2.0" 9line
its the bike i take out when i fancy a 35-45km offroad bridleway ride with lots of road in between, climbs like a beast too
Problem is, I ride off road so infrequently my handling skills aren’t the best, and I feel I need more skill to use the crosser.
So ride the CXer offroad more often, you already have the tool for the job, but buying another toy won't magically imbue you with "mad skillz" overnight. You still have to actually use the thing...
For just faffing about?
Chinese Carbon 29er with Rigid fork and 2*11 gearing on a 26/40 with a 10-40 cassette. Aiming for 20lbs all up weight and less than £1000.
For tyres I’d go 2.3 front and rear with something like a summer hard pack tyre. It won’t give you ultimate grip, but will be much better than a CX. I,d also pump them to 40psi for the commute and drop them at the trail side to 22/25.
I've got a 9km road commute with exactly 180m up and 180m down at either end, 6km of flat in the middle.
I'm faster on my 12kg 29er hardtail (2.3/2.3 Ikons) than my flash 7kg roadie (25mm Michelin Pro4s), and it's far more comfortable and handles way better given the usual mix of surfaces, gutters and traffic. I climb and descend faster on the hardtail. Only time I wish for the road bike is going into a head wind. if it was a flat commute the roadie would be faster, but not by much. I think a well sorted 29er hardtail is probably the best all rounder ever...