[Closed] Who rides cyclocross

I race and ride a cyclocross. I used it more than the MTB during the winter. They are different obviously and they have their limtations, but where I ride they're never achieved.
This weekend I'll be having two rides a long road ride and a fairly long on/off cyclocross ride, the mtb will stay at home.
I also found I was knackered after a day out on the crosser, but that's mainly because they're fun to ride hard.
Plus you can enter cross races, you don't need a licence.

Me Ive got a cross bike and enter the odd race.

I have recently bought a cyclocross bike as the kids race with British Cycling's Go-ride set up.

I like cyclocrossing(?) as the whole family can take part. At the races I've been to, the kids have their own race followed, 2 minutes later, by the vets. That's me & the old trout these days I'm afraid!

Tried to get the kids in to MTBing, but cyclocross is winning as they can also use the bikes to go fast on the road.

For me, cross is about racing more than anything else. I enjoy getting long distances on it in winter and they are far more effective bikes off road than you'd think. Many people say how they have no grip etc but that's not something I notice at all, in fact the opposite in the mud! The aren't great once the terrain gets technical and rocky/rooty though.
Since riding a mountain bike on a road can be mind numbing, they are great bikes for exploring trails further a field from where you'd normally go.

But you need to race them really... 😉

i have a SS CX bike - never raced it - keep meaning to though.

I enjoy it for less tech than mtb stuff - there's a couple of us with them and occasionally go for a long gravel ride.

it's all bikes, bikes are fun.

I have two, a Voodoo Limba from Halfords, which I have used through the winter on the road, but will soon be reinstated as a cross. And an old singlespeed Kaffenback which was built out of the spare parts bin, the Kaffenback is a Pub/hack bike but I have still ridden some decent offroad routes on it, which I will be this weekend (hopefully pub and offroad).
I take my Voodoo down to Glentress occasionally, and its good fun round the red.

Cheers thanks for replies, sounds as if a cross bike may be the way to go for me. Everone seems to have great fun on them.

Recently built up TCX frame SS with a tensioner as a winter-proof alternative to a road bike that could also tackle towpaths etc. Works a treat

IF I could only have one bike it would be a CX
Races are ace in the winter

Love my crossbike ride it most of the time, great for longer distances and also for exploring - you can cover a good distance on the road and have the ability off road.

I *really* like mine. Riding, or racing (3 Peaks) it's ace.
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Cross bikes are fantastic fun. If I was only allowed one bike, it'd be a cross bike. Depending on what you ride like they can be slightly more limiting. Saying that, I ride what I'd say is normal to slighty sketchy XC, and I ride exactly the same stuff on my cross bike, usually quicker up the hills and slower down the hills than I would on a mountain bike.

You will learn pain though. Your forearms will look like the hulks and you'll develop a thick padding of skin on your arse as the seat batters against it.

But the finest thing you can do on a cross bike is go out riding on the road. You'll be chunnering along, maybe you've caught up to a group of roadies resplendant in their white socks and sparkling finery. And then you'll see a little footpath dropping ioff down the side of the grass verage and you'll bunny hop over the kerb, and dive down some sweet singletrack before diving back out onto the road.

Brilliant!

Me, eventually...

I've ordered a Jake the Snake from Wiggle (18/04), won't be in stock until early July! I'd cancel the order and buy something similar or another elsewhere, but I bought it on their 20% discount sale. It's killing me waiting!

😀

I got my first, a 2010 Jake the Snake back in February and I can't stop grinning. They are awesome fun for long road rides, short trail centre blasts, long all day XC. You name it, they're fun at it. I use mine for commuting and club time trials too. Spare set of wheels shod in slicks makes it ultra versatile.

Out and about somewhere in the Cambrian Mountains
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Slicks and flipped the stem and removed a stack of spacers for last nights time trial
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got one last year f the 3 peaks and love it, commute on it most days, seeing this link i think its time th guards came off for some off road action n the way home and some mixed road forest rides. Really toying with selling the road frame and and the cross frame and going for a ti cross frame but trying to find one 2nd hand is proving very difficult
ace bikes

Watch this and you#ll buy one even if you don't race...
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Yep I commute and ride on the south downs on my single speed felt breed cyclo corss bike. It's so much fun and makes your normal mtb trails harder which as we all know = more fun!

>Watch this and you#ll buy one even if you don't race...

Great vid and some nice skilz.

Watch this and you#ll buy one even if you don't race...

Cool vid Robbo... defo makes me want to try one out 🙂

Never seen the attraction myself. I used to ride a fully rigid & coud do almost everything that I can do on the full sus, but not as quick. No desire to go back to fully rigid, and no desire to make it even more awkward by using a CX...

Another 'if i could ONLY have one bike it'd be a cx' aficianado.I race cx through the winter on it,commute on it,ride the local stuff you would'nt bother doing on an mtb.I even raced it at the Builth Crc marathon at the weeekend (and it was QUICK till I melted) then went and rode the doethie valley afterwards (which was amazing).Putting slightly bigger-42c tyres on it and some alt drops-salsa woodchippers to spare my arms.I really want a 'monstercross' bike,half cross/half mtb but it'll have to be a custom job for how I would like it to be....mmm who to get to build it?
Orange5-maybe when you're a better rider eh? 😆

When you race on skinny cross tyres you learn some skills that translate well into MTB'ing.
Basically when you see what you can get away with you'll never need to ask another what tyre question again, as the answer will be any just ride faster.

I bought mine specifically for the Three Peaks as I hardly ever race "proper" CX.
Great bike though, incredibly versatile. I've done everything from days in the Peaks and Lakes to trail centres to road rides and commutes (via towpath/urban parkland) in everything from snow and ice to dry, dusty trails. It'll take racks and mudguards for touring or winter commuting and there's something about a CX which means you don't mind getting them covered in mud (whereas I wouldn't dream of taking my nice road bike out on salt encrusted potholed winter roads!).

OK, they have their limitations, they're not *quite* as fast as normal road bikes, they get a bit squirrelly on fast technical DH but their winning point is that is is a true jack-of-all-trades.

Waiting for my jake the snake too ordered a few weeks back should be here today. Going to ring up soon as off through to Newcastle later anyway so can pick it up. Really looking forward to it for the reason samuri says, blast along the roads then zoom off onto a bridleway. Have some pub loops planned.

Indeed. There aren't many bikes that feel quite as good at doing so many things. You could be racing it one day, trail riding it the next and riding a 100k sportive the next day.

Orange5. A cyclocross bike is not a fully rigid mountain bike though. I use my fully rigid mountain bike as a spare cross bike in races. I've put skinny tyres on it, larger chainrings, lightened it as much as I can and it's still no where near as fast as the cross bike on the majority of the course.
The point is that a cross bike is fast on the very terrain where a mountain bike becomes a bit of a drag. It's just a different set of compromises.

Anyone got a secondhand CX frame and forks for sale? Looking for something steel and XL, a Kaffenback would be ideal. I know its a bit of a hijack, sorry.

Just ordered a cheap (€205) Alu CX frame to build up... does that count?

Mainly got it as a road bike where I can say sod it and dive off down a bit of easy singletrack or make use of the numerous (gravel) bike paths through the forests. I don't do hardcore DH, nor am I going to be doing 100km Sportive any time soon.

Right my Jake was due in today they're contacting Paligap to see if it's been dispatched and then they will let me know. 😐

I've got a new built up but unused cross frame, no forks with canti brakes. guides and headset £80.
Graham Weigh 52cm

Loving my cross bike at the moment. Got it last month in a swap for a pompino CX bike as I wanted gears.
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Currently in road guise and doing the odd road commute Halifax to Leeds but moving jobs to Leeds means I will put on some cross tyres and make my shorter commute longer by doing mixed trail and road commutes. Great for local stuff that is pretty boring and staid otherwise.

Going to respray black with white condor lettering for the stealth look.

This is mine, got the frame off STW. it has mounts for guards and bottle cage. This is it in after season training guise, i.e cage fitted and stem raised. Had a full on race cx'er and the lack of bottle mount did become an issue.
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If we are doing show and tell....at cwm rhaeadr.

Wahey! Jake is ready off to get it.

I've just got a TCX2, it's only had the one ride so far. I did mixture of road and off road, both sigletrack and fireroad. It's just so much faster then the mtb for getting from a to b. Did about 30 miles which would have had me worn out dragging 2.4 tyres around on the mtb but I still felt fresh afterwards on the cross bike. Really pleased I got one, didn't want a full on road bike and this is the perfect compromise.

Pre ride pic... it's nice and dirty now.

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Freshly collected not ridden yet and a crappy iPhone pic.

I'm enjoying this thread. Been thinking of getting a cx for a bit. Wondering if I will regret a singlespeed. It will be used for training rides and maybe the odd winter cx to keep the fitness up. Keep the photos and tales coming!

Jesus rode 'cross, as is my understanding.

Some nice bikes, I haven't got into it yet, but it is appealing.

There are few singlespeed cross riders on here that do very well on them, but to make the most of their capabilities gears help.

To be honest I only use my crosser for racing.
It is very capable both on road and off, but why bother when you already have mountain and road bikes. Best tool for the job and all that.

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I don't have or intend on getting a road bike anytime soon when I can just put slicks on my CX.

coleman are they Vittorias you're running there?
Need new tyres for the season, I was running capable but heavy Speed Kings. Looking at;
CX Pros 30mm
Vittoria XG 32mm
Rocket Rons.

oldgit - They are Panaracer Crossblasters 31c. Very light at 290g and ok
unless really muddy. Although when dry at the start of the season I like to
run Kenda small block 8's.

Any tips for what CX bike would be good for the 1k c2w scheme?