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[Closed] realistically,how much off roading can you do on a cyclo cross bike?

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dont no if u no a/c corse but the ones im refering to are on the old beggerbush section towards the cafe gap,theones on red run and quarry wernt a problem just feels very far forwerd even on the hoods for a drop of that size,after a few runs i think would be doable.


 
Posted : 12/07/2012 6:23 pm
 gee
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I love my cross bike. It's great when the weather is a bit crappy and I don't want to ride my posh road bike, plus I can pop into the trails over the N Downs if I feel like it. Great for exploring for the next time I ride my MTB over there. Always makes me giggle riding it down BKB - drops on the drops! I had one a few years ago but that had canti brakes which really limited it off road - my new Vaya with discs is a lot better as it actually stops which is nice.

GB


 
Posted : 12/07/2012 6:49 pm
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Really!? On what grounds?

I used to ride mine around Ashton Court when I lived in Bristol. Was good, but a mountain bike is a lot faster, and IMO more fun, and those are the 2 criteria I'd use to judge!

On anything more than a smoothish bridleway they'll be less comfortable and slower than an MTB, unless 90% of your riding fits that brief I'd disagree with the above!

If you're the sort of person who likes to do a road ride and perhaps see what a certain bridleway looks like I don't think 'cross bikes really work. I wasn't like that - I'd either go for a road ride, or I'd go for an off-road ride, never really mixed them up, so found a cross bike pretty miserable most of the time!

Granted I live in the middle of Salisbury Plain, so anything I do on my mountainbike round here I can do on my CX bike, but I stand by that comment. Out of interest, what MTB do you ride as Ashton Court isn't exactly a gnar fest.


 
Posted : 12/07/2012 7:02 pm
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Shit loads... I gold medal'd at Bristol bike fest on a single speed surly cross check.

If I only had one bike it would be a crosser.


 
Posted : 12/07/2012 8:49 pm
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Out of interest, what MTB do you ride as Ashton Court isn't exactly a gnar fest.

Couldn't agree more, but I still reckon it's faster on an MTB, which is my point. It would have been an Epic when I was there.

but if you're happy riding round drops that's cool!

Friend of mine used to ride some pretty decent drops (5ft+) on a cross bike, plenty of MTBers would avoid smaller - I don't include you in that don't worry ๐Ÿ™„


 
Posted : 12/07/2012 9:27 pm
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Awesome clip wwaswas


 
Posted : 12/07/2012 9:34 pm
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[i]I still reckon it's faster on an MTB, which is my point[/i]

sometimes it's funner on a cross bike, though.


 
Posted : 13/07/2012 7:37 am
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it's wet, muddy, cold and miserable today. aka_gilo and I went out on our cross bikes and had a brilliant ride. I don't think we'd have enjoyed it anywhere near as much on mtbs.

[img] ?nocache=6742[/img]


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 12:39 pm
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If you think that mountain biking is just about going down hill as fast as you can and jumping off things, you'll hate it.


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 12:54 pm
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As clubber says above, atrocious conditions today, would have been miserable doing an MTB ride or a road ride, but on the cx bikes it was brilliant, loved every minute of it.

And that sums up cx bikes for me really.


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 1:58 pm
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aka_gilo loving it earlier today ๐Ÿ™‚
[img] ?nocache=7010[/img]


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 3:40 pm
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Impressed you have a fast enough shutter speed on your phone to catch me as I sped past..... ๐Ÿ˜€


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 7:10 pm
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I used to have a 1996 fully rigid Orange P7. It was long and low as was the XC fashion in those days. I didn't have a car so I'd ride 15 miles out, link up some valley mountain trails and then ride up to 20 miles back. I don't think I'd fancy that on my 5 due to the upright geometry.

A cross bike would be great for that. I'd seriously consider breaking the P7 out for similar if I still had it ๐Ÿ™


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 7:30 pm
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Pretty much anything that the average MTBer would call "trail riding" you can do on a CX. Some of it faster, some of it slower.

Where CX is at a major disadvantage is rocky descents, otherwise they're pretty capable - there have been pics posted on STW in the past of riders going down steps and getting air out of bombholes on CX bikes.

I ride in the Peak District quite regularly on mine, was out today on it on the Peaks Pootle and the only times it was ever a handful was on the Pindale and Edale Cross descents.


 
Posted : 14/07/2012 8:17 pm
 GW
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[b]atrocious conditions today, would have been miserable doing an MTB ride or a road ride, but on the cx bikes it was brilliant[/b][img] ?nocache=7010[/img]
br />
tripoding your way down easy descents? that does indeed sound Brilliant!! 8)

Pretty much anything that the average MTBer would call "trail riding" you can do on a CX. Some of it faster, some of it slower.
do people really go around categorising their rides as "trail riding" these days? ๐Ÿ˜•

there have been pics posted on STW in the past of riders going down steps and getting air out of bombholes on CX bikes.
Wow!! really? What is STW's fascination with riding down steps all about? my 2yr old can ride down steps on her 10" wheeled bike, there's absolutely nothing difficult about it and so long as you run your tyres hard enough pretty much any bike can be used for it.

If you think that mountain biking is just about going down hill as fast as you can and jumping off things, you'll hate it.
thing is Duirdh, for some, mountainbiking actually is ONLY about going fast DH and jumping.. takes all sorts, eh?


 
Posted : 15/07/2012 2:43 am
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takes all sorts, eh?

Certainly does, good job some of them are as awesome as you at everything


 
Posted : 15/07/2012 5:26 am
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@crazy-legs after riding the Pootle with you yesterday I am in awe of what you managed to do on your CX bike. You are a leg-end in this house chap. ๐Ÿ˜€

I am sure that riders ability and fitness helps and you are built like a racing whippet so that has to help.

Didn't notice you struggling that much on Pindale & Edale Cross, then again I was too busy bouncing from rock to rock! ๐Ÿ˜ฏ


 
Posted : 15/07/2012 8:09 am
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GW, your awesumzness knows no bounds as you've told us many times ๐Ÿ˜‰

as was said earlier

druidh - Member
If you think that mountain biking is just about going down hill as fast as you can and jumping off things, you'll hate it.

You're quite right though, it is a doddle of a descent on an mtb which is why I never ride it on one. Riding a CX bike it's really tricky and I've yet to do it without a dab. As I said earlier, having a CX bikes opens out the routes available locally that I enjoy riding.


 
Posted : 16/07/2012 9:54 am
 GW
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it doesn't open up the routes/terrain available tho does it?
it quite clearly turns anything vaguely technical into a spazzy tripod or walk so in actual fact riding CX will cause you to stop looking for or ignore many more challenging sections.
CX bikes may well allow you to cover more miles and cover ground faster on the dull pedalling sections of your ride but for actually riding stuff they are nowhere near as versatile as a decent mtb.


 
Posted : 16/07/2012 10:22 am
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All depends where you live obviously. IME, most areas, there's more stuff that will become worth riding on a CX bike than stuff you can't ride on one.

And FWIW, not all riders tripod down everything on a cross bike (sorry gilo) ๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 16/07/2012 10:51 am
 GW
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No.

All depends where you [s]live[/s][b] look[/b] (clearly not so obviously)
๐Ÿ˜‰


 
Posted : 16/07/2012 11:45 am
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