Forum menu
Currently use a Kona Dew Deluxe for the commute. Does the job well enough, but it's a bit on the portly side, and not at all quick.
I've been using my road bike as the front hub on the Kona died - and it's just so much quicker.
Anyway, I fancy the idea of a cyclocross so I can use it on winter club runs and also for work (using the rack mounts etc) - maybe even the odd cyclocross race!
Anyone else use a cyclocross bike for the commute? Looking at a Giant TCX 3.
If you want one then buy one. Why do you need someone else's approval?
yes get one, yes I have one, yes I commute on it. faster than an MTB, more upright than a road bike.
[url= http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de-fer/croix-de-fer ][/url] I really, really like this bike, its a bit more cash than the Giant though . . . .
dont seem to be able to do links properly? 😳
[url= http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de-fer/croix-de-fer ]http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de-fer/croix-de-fer[/url]
I've used mine all winter for all sorts, did the Rapha ride on it last week as well.
I'd give the Croix De Fer a miss and go for a 'proper' crosser that tips a hat to a road bike. Then you'll have a light road going bike when you bung some 23's on.
The Croix De Fer is more of a trail going crosser.
I have a Pearson and I use it for the CX race season. then fit road tyres for winter road training and reliability trials and the odd ride like the Rapha. At the end of the month I'm doing my first 400Km audax on it
Yep. Had a specialized tricross for the commute which became a kinesis tripster with hope discs and drop bars.
Oldgit +1, don't get a cross bike thats trying to be an MTB, make it light, make it fast. Personally I'd even stay away from the disc brakes but I doubt thats a popular opinion.
Cube do one at just under a grand which looked brilliant. If your budget is a bit less the singlespeed Genesis is brilliant fun although I eventually lowered the gear slightly.
Should I get a cyclocross bike?
Yes.
Simple answer is yes. I absolutely love mine.
Yes get one, I'm gonna as well.
CAADX 105 of cyclescheme will only cost me about £500.
I got an Orbea igorre through Cyclescheme for my commute across the Quantocks. It's got no rack or mudguard mounts, so won't be suitable for everyone, but now that I've started to get used to it I'm amazed just how fast I can go offroad on such silly skinny tyres and no suspension.
The OP is asking for feedback, not looking for approval.aP - Member
If you want one then buy one. Why do you need someone else's approval?
Here's mine - £300 ebay special
[img][url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5241/5372386927_0e4bfedfc1.jpg [/img][/url][/img][img][url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikes_and_stuff/5381406051/ ][img] http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5203/5381406051_e3bd41938e.jp g" target="_blank">
Love it for days when i cant be bothered to go out for more than 2 or 3 hours on the road bike. It's ideal for quick 1 or 2 hour blasts on the roads, bridleways and heathland and is a laugh on singletrack. Shame the brakes are crap, as steep rocky stuff is a bit sketchy to say the least.
Person uses t'internet forum to ask for advice shocker!
In other news, tedious man with axe to grind 'thread-craps'.
Don't get it....(someone had to say it)
Unless you want it! Sell the Dew, get the CX or better build one up. There seems to be lots of CX parts on here.
It does seem a little odd to me to have a road bike and a hybrid, a bit like having 2 different shape manual whisks. CX and road seem more varied in their uses; whisk and electric whisk.
I'm thinking about getting one too...no idea where to start since its something i never thought i'd get!
I use a Giant TCX for a commuter - with slick tires and pannier attached (which took some doing) it's fine although I had to bodge a bottle cage on too.
It rarely goes offroad I have to say, but thats more because all the offroad stuff in my part of the world is just too hilly for the big gears and small grip surface on the tires, if you stand up you just spin out.
Need to keep an eye on the brakes keep them well looked after they are a bit scary until you get used to the idea of needing longer to stop.
In it's favor - seems wider and more solid in the handling which is a good thing, and chains and cassettes seem to last forever. And the brakes on the tops of the bars are good, although have had some hairy moments grabbing air on the other bike looking for brakes oops
Cheers guys - thanks for the feedback.
Would the rims be narrow enough to swap to something like a 23mm?
It'd be on the cyclescheme, but still don't want to spend loads. Will have a look see whats around.
Just another question - our kiddie seat mounts via a rack - would something like the TCX frame be up to supporting a 2 year old on the seat? My mountain bike doesn't have rack mounts.
Tyres and rack yes.
Would the rims be narrow enough to swap to something like a 23mm?
Yes, that's what I do when using it as a winter bike
Just another question - our kiddie seat mounts via a rack - would something like the TCX frame be up to supporting a 2 year old on the seat? My mountain bike doesn't have rack mounts.
yes, again.
They may have changed the design, but it was a 3 cable tie bodge to get a pannier rack on, and these are proper expensive german ones that don't even need rack mounts, which the TCX doesn't have. The TCX has an odd seatpost clamp that threads the rear brake cable through to contend with too.
I don't mind putting a pannier with all my spare pants on the back, not so sure I would put a person on it, unless I particularly didn;t like them. Check out this aspect in't shop. Or don't complain if you buy if off Wiggle and it don't work !
I must admit I don't see the fascination with cx bikes and kind of think they're just this years trend taking over from single speeds. In the replies so far the following has been said;
"brakes are crap" "to bodge a bottle cage on too" "Need to keep an eye on the brakes keep them well looked after they are a bit scary until you get used to the idea of needing longer to stop." "got no rack or mudguard mounts" "steep rocky stuff is a bit sketchy to say the least"
Been out when clubmates have used cx's off road and we've been on mtb's and they seemed compromised off road as well. Only ever see one on our club run and that has crap brakes. Why not just fit decent wheels and slicks on the Kona?
my cx bike is my road bike. I often thought I would buy a proper road bike, but cx ticks all the boxes. I ran it with 28's for a while, but for the past yr it has had Spesh Borough's on it - 32mm, fast rolling, do it all, comfy. I ride a few times a week on hilly c class roads, plus a few weekends away with a carradice pack on the seatpost, all on quiet roads, with around 50 miles/day mileage. If I was doing a 100 miler I guess I'd stick the Bonty Racelite 28's on....
07 Jake the Snake
I rarely ride it on anything gnarlier than a fireroad - I've got mountain bikes too 😆
Been out when clubmates have used cx's off road and we've been on mtb's and they seemed compromised off road as well.
Yes, they are compromised compared to mtbs. That's pretty much what makes them so much fun as contrary as that sounds. Take them on your normal techy mtb trails and they may well not be as much fun but take them on all the stuff that's a bit too easy on an mtb and they're brilliant - that opens up miles of good riding on bridleways that wouldn't be worth bothering with on an mtb.
they are compromised compared to mtbs. That's pretty much what makes them so much fun as contrary as that sounds. Take them on your normal techy mtb trails and they may well not be as much fun but take them on all the stuff that's a bit too easy on an mtb and they're brilliant - that opens up miles of good riding on bridleways that wouldn't be worth bothering with on an mtb.
Not being argumentative - honestly just curious, but if you had a heard tail wouldn't it be easier /cheaper just to put on narrower, harder tyres
Possibly, that's a perfectly good point actually. That said, the position of a CX bike means that it feels much better on the road and the less technical stuff so you can put together great rides with bridleways and roads linking them without feeling slow as you do on an mtb. The hardtail would end up as an mtb that was crap offroad and not great on either.
Well, I only use mine as a commuter cos it's too far for an MTB, don't want to wreck my nice road bike and never really took to Cross so seemed a shame to waste the bike. Not cos I decided it was ideal commuter or anything.
It is fun offroad on trails, and sure teaches you to ride light on rocks. I can't get the thing up steepish offroad hills tho, too spoilt with triple chainrings etc.
I don't want to fit decent wheels and slicks, cos the frame weighs a ton and I don't rate the position of it - if I'm being honest I bought the wrong bike.
I'm hoping the cyclocross bike will be lighter, quicker (for the same effort), but still enable me to commute to work with a rack (I'll check this is the case in the shop for any chosen bike - thanks for the heads up), use it as a winter road bike on club runs (the Kona defo can't do this!) and maybe carry the nipper around the fire roads of Sherwood Pines.
Most replies here say this should be possible.
If I want to do rocky descents, I have a mountain bike for them! I wasn't so much into the road bikes when I got the Kona hence why I didn't consider a cyclocross bike then. Now it seems like the logical way to go.
Anybody fancy buying a 2009 Kona Dew Deluxe off me? Size 54cm, usual condition for a daily commute for 2 years!!
So refreshing to see someone considering a light aluminium framed cross bike, instead of all these steel scaffold pole pseudo cross efforts frequently touted on here. 🙂
Although I mainly only use mine for racing, it is great fun for a quick blast round the woods and, with slicks fitted, have used it for the odd 100m road ride - the slightly relaxed geometry and longer head tube making it a fast comfortable tourer.
The current TCX2 & 3 have rack and mudguard mounts plus 2 sets of bottle bosses but these are omitted on the higher spec. models (down to 1 set of bottle bosses).
If discs are an important consideration, hold off till next model year, when I imagine more frames will be available with mounts.
Yes! How could I argue
[img] 
[/img]
Counter arguement: (although that Burls looks ace!)
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Sorry but I have never seen the appeal - I'll stick to my road bike and mountain bikes 🙂 Perhaps living in a very hilly and off road rocky area in Devon I have no need 🙂
foxyrider - thanks for your less than useless input! 😆
No Problem Top - Just joining in with the rest of the crap!
Sounds like you've a similar situation to me. Find crossers fun but compromised. And history tells me I just end up getting tempted off road, riding stuff I shouldn't + breaking myself. Would prefer a proper road bike that isn't some tourer tank.
So for the non-cyclocross faction, what lightish fastish road bike for crappy knackered roads that are often covered in mud?
Any road bike will do you Mal-ec, they're all tough as old boots.
IMO you have to give a crosser some welly when used on trails. They don't seem to handle 'steady' at all well.
I've not looked at geometry at all, but I'm sure crossers are becoming more road like in their geometry?
Mine for example is sold as an audax'y thing as well I think, whilst another shop sells them as Zepnat frames and refers to them as classic cx frames.
If you're a un fussed type of bloke those Giants will fit the bill nicely. I know Giants a dirty word on here but you always get a good frame when you buy a Giant
Why is Giant a dirty word? How about 'Specialized'?!?!
If I wanted something heavy - I's stick with what i've got!!
Mal-ec may have a point - would I be better off with a 'winter' frame? Suppose it'd still handle fire roads?
Is it common for folk to have the one bike with separate road and CX wheelsets?
Am I right in assuming a CX bike is a road bike with mud/tyre clearance and cantis; therefore a CX can be both but a road bike is solely that?
Got a Giant TCX2 last summer to use as a touring bike. Couldn't bear the thought of a Doors!!! Choose it cause of the rack mounts and road type handling. Carried full set of panniers all over France before I went to the Semaine Federal. (a huge annual cycling festival) When I was there I stripped the the racks of and ripped it up in bunches of up to 10000 (yes 10000) around Verdun. Some of the most enjoyable riding I've done for years. I keep a set of 23s as training/commuting wheels and they fit fine. I've got a Trek Madone 6.5 but there is no way I will get rid of the TCX. Had several Giants and never a bad one.
[img] 
[/img]
I love mine too. As others have said you need to get used to needing longer to stop.
I mostly ride mine on local rooty singletrack and while it's far more challenging without suspension, it's far more engaging IMO and has really benefited my riding generally.
Thats it then. Off to ask the missus if she was joking/I was dreaming!
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/dowers/5640756734/in/photostream/lightbox/ ]My On-One Ti[/url]
Yeah 🙂
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5640756734_2d6fe3d642.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/dowers/5640756734/ ]P4200010[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/dowers/ ]DO.1[/url], on Flickr