Anyone ditched the road bike for a cyclo cross?

Ok so ive had a road bike thats been used for training comuting and social rides over the last 4 years. Problem is that this last year its been used less and less as my comute has changed and riding group has been more mtb focused again. So its come that im thinking of replacing with a cyclo cross with hydro discs and rack mounts for the comute and some touring.
Anyone had any experience with sram hydro discs? Any recomendations on what bike ? Id probably still try to get out on the occasional group road ride with slicks or would it be a struggle?

Can’t comment on the disc brakes but I’ve not owned a ‘proper’ road bike for a few years now. I find my Surly Cross Check and faithful old Uncle John are both fast and robust enough to handle the sort of road riding I do. I run them both on 28mm road tyres and don’t find that it affects the level of performance, plus on the rougher sections of road its easier to keep the speed up.

Having said all that the newer generation of disc equipped road bikes are being designed with wider tyres and rims in mind.

I use a ‘cross’ style bike on the road. It’s got disc brakes and clearance for 35mm tyres. Not quite as low/stretched out as my old road bike was.
I currently have 28mm slicks and full mudguards on it as the local bridle ways/byways are pretty body so it’s easier to stick to the Tarmac but once things dry out a bit the cx tyres will go back on, then it’s great for roaming the South Downs on. I don’t commute on it but imagine the fatter tyres and the disc brakes would make it quite good for that.

Sounds good so far id be replacing a boardman carbon pro so a very racy bike thats starting to feel out of its comfort zone on the local roads.

Mine is a Boardman CX Team with wheels changed for lighter ones and the bb5 brakes changed for Acor semi hydro.

A mate of mine ditched his road bike and his Tinbred and went down to a Charge Filter and two sets of wheels, one for road and one for off road. Been like that at least 2 years now.

He is chuntering about a new bling road bike now though, fancies something lighter and speedier.

I swapped from my Kuota road bike to a Boardman CX Team in October when the weather turned. Fitted some 28c road tyres to it and it’s been great so far. Little bit more comfortable than the Kuota (wider tyres and more relaxed geo) and the discs have been great in the wet. I’m keeping up ok on club rides too.

My ARC X is used primarily for Road, clearance for 35mm tyres, currently running 32mm SCHWALBE marathon plus tyres, when it dries out i’ll bob some Grypho’s back on.

It’s been sat in my garage for 5 Years, dusted it off in Oct when the rain started and it’s not stopped raining since. Maybe if i put it back it’ll stop.

Covered nearly 2,000 miles in 4 Months, my fitness has improved massively, lost 2 stone and not been on the MTB since early Dec. absolutely loving it and cant wait for it to dry out so i can get on the Bridleways, towpaths and trails.

Found myself thinking about this today, while out on the roadie.

I know it’s heresy but I don’t want another bike about the place but I would like more versatility and comfort than a pure road bike offers.

It was the new boardman team cx that had peaked my interest today when I was left unsupervised in halfords.

I hear you can get CX bikes with motors now, might be something work looking into?

Might be with looking at the adventure/gravel bike sector as well, lots of clearance and frames more designed to carry luggage.

Do you think some pro level bikes will be for sale last seasons training bike never used etc

My CX bike gets far more use than my road bike. It’s more versatile, it’s less prone to problems when it gets covered in road crap and its still fast enough for anything other than all-out racing.

Just in from 20 odd hilly, cold wet road miles on my Croix De Fer, which included a ford with slightly deeper water than I expected….(well over hub). I really enjoy it for winter road stuff but it’s nice to get back onto a light carbon road bike in April 🙂

28mm is supposed to be faster than 23mm now anyway! 😉

Hi

I’ve been using my cross bike extensively on the road for 3 years, so last month I sold my road bike. I much prefer being able to nip into the woods or down a bridleway. That, and being able to stop. I have a Salsa Warbird so it’s more of a gravel geometry – longer than a Euro cross bike and lower BB. I use Stans Crest rims on Vittoria XG TNT tyres and they cope just fine with mountain biking.

I’ve been running SRAM CX1 hydro for a nearly 2 1/2 years and it’s been faultless. Brakes are fantastic, gears work really well.

If I was buying one now though, it’d have thru-axles, R785 shimano discs and Ultegra Di2.

GB

Been using my Pickenflick as my main road bike for nearly 2 years, Fine for me. Even did a few time trials where the rider not the bike was the weak point. Before that my Cotic X also served time as the road bike.
As for SRAM Hydros, mine are great. A huge step above my BB7’s which I still run on the X.

That’s promising news on the sram hydros. Think I get what you mean about getting back on the carbon roadie when summer arrives iainc. That makes me wonder if I should hang on to the carbon a while longer and see if I miss it.

Just bought an Orange RX9 on cycle to work because the weather has been so foul that I wouldn’t take my road bike out in it. I’m loving the RX9, it’s sturdy, has disc brakes AND it’s orange. Feels pretty bombproof even on days like this.

And it’s not slow. Even with mud guards on it’s given me couple of nice new QOMs on some local trails. Not that it’s all about Strava. Did I mention it was orange?

Depends how you define “road bike”! It seems to mean road racing bike these days, which I think is a bit of a narrow definition.

Most of my riding is on a Kinesis Pro 6 frame, fitted with disc brakes, rack, guards and dynamo. That gets me to work, tows a trailer occasionally, handles winter training, has done some long distance Audax events, and does a bit of touring. I’m not road racing these days, so my racing bike doesn’t get used much at all.

I would pick the bike that best suits the riding you do most. For commuting, rack and guards would be a must for me, and I’ve been using discs on what I would describe as a road bike for 13 years now.

What gearing are people using with CX1?

just done a deal for my first cx bike on the basis I need to do more road miles mid week and don’t want to trash my very nice road bike. so what pedals? xt trail pedals or my 105 road pedals

I use Time MTB pedals on mine – means I can wear Spesh Defrosters on days like today and regular MTB shoes when touring etc, making stopping and walking more normal

I’ve gone CX disc for the last couple of years. they are heavier and slower and i’m going back to a roadbike for the speed.

Mtb pedals on the cross bike.

I have both. I do massive miles on my roadie and race it so it won’t be replaced. I do still use my CX on the road because it takes chunky tyres and mudguards. Has rack mounts. It is a pro 6 and rides very well – race it CX.

I’ve done road centuries on it and 150 mile off road rides works well. I use my CX gearing on the road (46/34 up front). It is fine but a little too low when things get fast. Still ok for all but the big descents as I can make up the time at the bottom or just tuck up. 28mm tyres. Aside from the weight and gearing I don’t really notice.

My road bike only ever comes out in the sunshine, my Whyte Saxon Cross does everything else.

There used to be a lot of ‘What – do it all bike?’ threads on here.
As Morecash’s mate has found, a decent CX/Gravel frame with two sets of wheels, comes very close.
That’s what I have been moving towards over the last few years.
Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be getting rid of the bling(ish) road bike anytime soon, because on those summer days where I just want to get some big miles in (at a decent pace),nothing comes close.

I’ve been using a Giant Revolt 1 Gravel Bike, i have two sets of wheels with it, for Winter i use CX tyres for lanes bridle ways Cycle paths i generally mix it up in this mode. Summer i put the wheels on with slicks lighter set up so i can enter a few Sportive’s etc. So then anything else i will be on the Mtb. I have found this routine has improved my off road endurance.

Ridley X Trail will probably be replacing my Ti Raliegh road bike and my Ragley Blue Pig which has rarely been used since I got my RM Altitude last year. The Ridley now does everything they both did for my needs.

will echo what said above I built up a frankenCX / drop bar hybrid so could link bridleways and tracks into my road rides to get away from the traffic and litter and sold my road bike after it sat doing nothing – then again I’ve never raced road or road with a club

another pro6 here now with 2 sets of wheels 32mm tyres for gravel and 25mm slicks and lighter rims for having to keep up with mates on a road ride or long all road challenge style rides – sometimes lust after something a little more road but I know it would be money wasted – fits a rack for credit card touring

I got shot of both my road bikes and my commuter and replaced them with a Niner RLT (Gravel bike) with Alfine DI2, Hydros, guards and racks for my commute, and an OO Pickenflick for road riding. I’m running 37 tyres tubeless on both.

Don’t really understand the “heavier” comment above. My Pickenflick is only 18lbs, with its hydros, 37c tyres etc. sure my road bike with its 25s was sub 16, but if I slapped some 25s on the bike, I’m sure I could hit 17lbs.

My commute is 20 miles and I have a forme cyclocross a go for a bit and then went back to a road bike. I just found it slower really and although I fancied taking in some off road sections I never found myself doing it. Think if I had spent more on the cross in particular lighter wheels I may have stuck with it

Until last December I was using a Dawes Audax with full mudguards as a winter road bike, but then bought a Whyte Saxon Cross which at the moment is the go to bike of choice for commuting and weekend rides.

It’s fun to ride on canal tow paths, bridleways and farm/forest tracks and the like and it’s much better on the country lanes with all the crap and potholes than a road bike.

For me, one of the great things is that it gives me the opportunity to mix things up a bit and have variety in a ride especially at this time of year

I’m currently debating whether or not to get a Tripster ATR to replace the road bike as it’ll be good for a bit of riding off-road as well. Not quite a full-on CX bike but close!

My gravel bike (Arkose 2) is getting used for any road based endeavour. It’s my commuting bike – rack, guards, lights, 32mm marathon plus tyres

I’ve thought about getting a 2nd set of wheels for more off road stuff, but I have a rigid El Mariachi that would probably do a better job of that

I love the Arkose though. Does everything I need it to

I was using my road bike for commuting but sold it and got a cannondale CAADX 10 with the SRAM guide hydro disc brakes. 28 mm tyres, full SKS guards and a rack for the work bag. Used for commute and club runs – the hydro discs are great, no problems and so much better than the rim brakes on my old road bike.

yup, my road bike has gone, replaced by an Arkrose. Bloody great it is too: more than enough road bike for me, and reasonably capable off-road.

‘pure’ road bikes are (imho) increasingly irrelevant.

My road bike lasted 6 months before I traded it for a CX bike. Never got into “Road” riding, much prefer something that’ll go anywhere. Road, gravel & single track is all just a change of tyres away.

Those of you running two sets of wheels.. Do you have any problems with having to align the mech and brakes each time or are you able to just switch the wheels over and ride?