CX – am I missing something!?

More hand positions, less weight, different weight distribution, different body position?

These are all good things on road but to me there position specific for off road use.

I do not get why I would want to be in the drop’s off road.
Them little brakes on the tops are far too narrow.
Personally I preferred being on the hoods offroad even if I lost some breaking power and grip as this is the highest widest position.

There needs to be a high wide position for offroad.

Drops are for going fast, not doing technical or rocky stuff.

The little brakes on the top are a bit pointless, too close together, not much power and on a narrow bit of the bar. Use the hoods, unless you’ve set the bike up far too long, or with the hoods rotated a long way forwards. Then your weight distribution will be all wrong, you won’t be able to reach them properly, and it’ll handle “skittishly” (terrifyingly).

There is a high wide position, the hoods.

Try something like woodchippers, they are shallower (so you don’t have to reach so much for the drops, and wider. And flared so you don’t smash your wrists on the tops when using the drops, and the drops are wider/higher, so you’ll get a more usable position in the drops.

I do not get why I would want to be in the drop’s off road.

Well, I don’t so I sort of get this but it clearly works for other people so…

Them little brakes on the tops are far too narrow.
Personally I preferred being on the hoods offroad even if I lost some breaking power and grip as this is the highest widest position.

For you. I find them plenty wide enough (though I don’t usually like wide bars). It’s a fallacy that a wide position is always better especially when you consider the difference in hand position between the hoods and tops. Anyway, the point is, it’s what works for you or not.

There needs to be a high wide position for offroad.

higher, yes in an ideal world. Wider? Meh.. not as much as you might think especially as above.

The little brakes on the top are a bit pointless, too close together, not much power and on a narrow bit of the bar. Use the hoods, unless you’ve set the bike up far too long, or with the hoods rotated a long way forwards. Then your weight distribution will be all wrong, you won’t be able to reach them properly, and it’ll handle “skittishly” (terrifyingly).

Again, for you. I use them and find they allow for a long set up on the hoods/drops (for road and non tech offroad) but allow for a shorter, higher position for technical stuff. Power isn’t an issue (why would it be?). Width? Well, again…

All I’ll say is that I keep hearing these comments about chicken levers being pointless but out riding, regularly found I’d drop better riders than me on technical stuff.

So how do you change gear in tech stuff? 😉

Power isn’t an issue for me personally, it is for many (lots of braking = fatigue).
Same with bar width, i only went wide on the MTB 3 years ago (and only 700mm as well) CX is 40cm C-C IIRC
It’s just the usual complaints, about CX bikes, again. They’ve been coming up on and off since i used to coach.

Well I sold it and now have a 29er rigid for road/offroad mix and a road bike for road only.

So I cant get any better any more.

I would like to give something like this a try
Saracen Hack FB

But with some better components and 680 mm bars are ridiculously wide for its use.

Maybe I’d add some bar ends or tri bars or something similar for road sections.

I do not get why I would want to be in the drop’s off road.

I use drops off road just as much as on road (pretty much all of the time unless I am doing a seated climb). It is a faster position off road just the same as it is a faster position on road

There really isn’t much difference between riding on a road and riding on gentle off road. In fact I find a lot of off road more comfortable as it is slightly softer.

There’s some good posts about off-road drop bars by Guitar Ted

I don’t change gear on tech stuff. If you need to then it’s not really tech 😉

For you.

Just accept that folks have different opinions and preferences. FWIW, I hate chicken levers; too narrow, can make your brakes feel sloppy and they get in the way of bar luggage. Other folks seem to like them.

I like my chicken levers. Very handy for getting my weight back on steep descents. On my bike that’s 100mm further back compared to riding on hoods. That makes a big difference.

Blimey – hadn’t realised this would be quite such a contentious post! Certainly set a new replies record for one of my topics by a factor of about 3 to 1.

I do not get why I would want to be in the drop’s off road.

It’s a more secure position for technical descents. That’s the only time I use them other than on a finish line sprint.

A link to one of my ramblings on the pleasure in wrongness and how the beer tastes better when it’s over here[/url]

Drops are for going fast, not doing technical or rocky stuff.

au contraire, drops are for descending 🙂
Arguably, ymmv, all imo of course, on your CX bike you probably shouldn’t be riding trails that are on the raggedy edge of your ability, leave that to your gnarpoon/enduro weapon. So keep your weight central and commit to the manoeuvre, drops have better grip and all your controls are there (presuming STIs), slow speed steeps get your arse behind the saddle. Optional bit of slithery rooty steep down on my commute, on the drops arse behind the saddle, I’ve a 3/5 chance of cleaning it, 2/5 failure with about 1/20 that I’ll actually hit the deck, feels good when I get it right tho.

Again it’s a balance, if you’re doing lots of steep rocky downs and less tamer stuff then an mtb may be more suitable.

au contraire, drops are for descending

I don’t like descending on drops as much because it puts my weight too far forward when it’s steep. On the other hand the hand position isn’t as good on the hoods, I can’t rotate my wrists as far back in that plane and retain strength to brake.

Um, you mean “going fast” :wink:?

Molgrips, sounds like you have your bars too far forward, too low and possibly hoods rotated too far forwards. Or a combination……. Like a road bike……

Well to be fair I’ve only off-roaded my hybrid a few times, and I like to have the bars rotated forward a bit to make them easier to ride with on the road. I haven’t tried to set up a drop bar bike purely for off-road.

Interesting looking at last year’s Tour Divide bikes[/url] a significant number of those who chose to reply to the request have dropped bars.

Tour divide is a bit of a niche situation though. Huge miles and little tech, I’d be on drops no question.

Um, you mean “going fast” :wink:?

you can go fast on the flat and even uphill, fitness allowing, dunno about you but I descend some stuff pretty slowly, especially on a cx bike 🙂

I don’t like descending on drops as much because it puts my weight too far forward when it’s steep.

I didn’t like it at first, but stuck with it and got used to it. I’ll never get down the really tech stuff I can on my mtb, but the compromise is worth it for the other 99% of the trails/routes that I ride it on.

D0NK – Member

still haven’t heard the details as to what makes a tourer better for “most people”

Sorry, didn’t think anyone had read it!

Compared to a real CX race bike, wider gearing, bigger tyres, slightly less twitchy, the ability to take a rack and guards.

Makes it a more practical proposition without compromising too much ability in other areas.

I got frame only so gears and tyres models own, guard mounts were already a must for me so that just leaves geometry, presumably slacker head angle. Hmm, I honestly don’t know if I’d prefer that or not, I guess I wouldn’t find out without riding something slacker with a similar spec back to back. It’s fun for chucking round singletrack and apart from the aforementioned slithery rooty bit don’t often bin it, but you don’t know what you’re missing til you’ve tried it eh? Who’s got a slack, big tyred, drop barred bike to lend me? 🙂

Me.
And the wife.

Green or blue?
🙂

big enough for me @ 6’2″

🙂

au contraire, drops are for descending
Arguably, ymmv, all imo of course, on your CX bike you probably shouldn’t be riding trails that are on the raggedy edge of your ability,

Drops are for going fast, not doing technical or rocky stuff.

I didn’t like it at first, but stuck with it and got used to it

I don’t like descending on drops as much because it puts my weight too far forward when it’s steep. On the other hand the hand position isn’t as good on the hoods

Even CX enthusiasts cant seem to agree how to use the bars on CX bikes !

I agree with Road bars for gravel bike as you say you are covering long distances with little tech.

You know what the best thing is about this thread?
Everyone on here loves THEIR bike and enjoys riding it!!!

I’ll never get down the really tech stuff I can on my mtb, but the compromise is worth it for the other 99% of the trails/routes that I ride it on

We’ve hit the nail on the head several times on this thread and here it is again.

I’ll never get down the really tech stuff I can on my mtb, but the compromise is worth it for the other 99% of the trails/routes that I ride it on

But I wonder if there were some slight tweaks to the handlebar layout whether you could get down some slightly more tech stuff without losing any much speed on the road sections.

Presumably the CX bike is meant to be more capable off road than a Road bike with big tyres or a gravel bike but Im not convinced it is.

Well, if we welded them together?

My CX bikes have been used and abused on all sorts of terrain over the years. My local trails are around Rivington and I’m happy going up or down most of the stuff around there including San Marino, around the Healy Nab Trails etc… (although it’s not much fun on the Ice Cream Run these days). It’s fun around Llandegla too. Also gets used on long rides with mixed road / canal / trails and I race occasionally too. It’s just fun 🙂

Rivington Pike by Simon Barnes[/url], on Flickr

2016-11-01_08-42-12 by Simon Barnes[/url], on Flickr

NWCCA-R9-Vet- Otterspool by Simon Barnes[/url], on Flickr

done san marino a couple times, predictably slow, I’ve never been angry enough at my wheels or my wrists to have a go at ICR 🙂
Is that the canal through trafford park? If so I rode mine down there this morning

But I wonder if there were some slight tweaks

as I said not worth making, the bike is spot on for 99% of the riding I do on it.

I haven’t read the previous 5 pages of comments all I will say is if you race CX you WILL be addicted I would bet a months’ salary! Short hard fast work out for 40 minutes, my average heart rate is 185+ and I come home buzzing. Spend all evening looking at the free pics of us all messing about in the mud, the leagues are so friendly and it’s just mega. I wouldn’t go out MTBing in some of the winter weather we’ve had but I’ll drag my butt to a 40 min CX race.

Is that the canal through trafford park?

Aye 🙂

I hate mud.

Will I still like CX?

Don’t worry, Fox has a solution for all you softies with delicate wrists:

Adventure Cross fork for niche-dwellers

😆

I hate mud.

Will I still like CX?

Possibly. As long as you only ride it in summer.

Simon, if that’s you in the pink jersey, and it says “velocake” you may know my Central CX ‘nemesis’ Mike who races in that kit? We had a season-long battle for the much-coveted 10th spot in V40 🙂

And also WTF, from the pic tag is that Otterspool Park in Liverpool? I studied in Liverpool in the 90’s and used to muck around on my MTB in there all the time.

Simon, if that’s you in the pink jersey, and it says “velocake” you may know my Central CX ‘nemesis’ Mike who races in that kit?

I do indeed know the fine gentleman in question 🙂

And also WTF, from the pic tag is that Otterspool Park in Liverpool?

Yup!