Help required for a CX build and pictures of your bikes!

Hi All,

I’ve finally got myself a disc compatible CX frameset, a Kinesis Pro 6 in white. I love new projects but this time I could do with your help on recommendations, spec’s and generally your thoughts on what works for you with gearing, makes of components etc etc etc!

Pictures would be great to give some ideas if you have them.

This build will probably take a couple of months to complete as I will have to save up. I will buy the best I can at the time but please don’t recommend the best of the best in components as the wife would kill me! 😉

I am a mountain biker at heart and have never ridden a drop so to ride a drop CX will be a new adventure and I’m looking forward to it.

I really appreciate your thoughts!

Thanks.

Gotta love a good CX thread :

Gregmay!

Love the Zipp wheels, but how much! 😕

all depends if you plan to race or use it on the trails.

saying that I have a 34/46 11-28 and use for both racing and trail riding (trail riding around west pennines) anything more and you might want more cogs on the back.

I also need cross levers on the tops (saves the back from long braking in the drops).

tyres – if its trail stuff I use landcrusers they’re cheap and very hardy (3 peaks tyre of choice) ok on the rd too. if racing have a look at the challenge grifo’s

I’ve got some mavic open pros rims which are very stiff & strong

I have rival levers and apex rear mech (get the cheap mechs – mud and racing will destroy them plus ‘high end precision parts’ will be lost on the trails or caked in mud)

a lot swear by 105 groupsets!

I changed my bars to a shallow drop – I didn’t like getting so low on regular drop bars. get some wide bars for stability! not narrow roadie bars.

thats about it.

do have a go at your local cx races you’ll love it! there low key and some even ride on mtb’s.

you’ll love it (I hardly touch my mtb these days)

hope this helps
Craig,

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SDC12313[/url] by jcabuckley1974[/url], on Flickr

Mine… built for racing

Running v brakes and travel agents used the deep section carbon rims i had for road racing and whacked some tubs on.. feels great!

V brakes are head and shoulders above canti’s, but I struggled with my cx8.4’s in the mud so had to throw frogglegs back on. you’ll have discs though so no probs.

I also find a skinny saddle helps you slide back over it.

dont go mad on specc – mine gets trashed on the trails – they really take some abuse. I’m not precious about mine and I think thats one of the reasons I ride it so much on the trails too.

Well you’ve gone discs.
I’d just say a big old cassette out back if you are going to try and replicate your MTB routes on it.
Those granny ring climbs on soft stuff where the front wheel tries to lift are near impossible on a crosser.

Out and out crossers are horrid when ridden slow off road

Price…no idea. They were my old TT wheels and owe me nowt…the other set however…way to much to think about.

Have an UJC for the spare, non race, bike and 3 Peaks duties. Still runs tubs though, they are the best upgrade you can make. I’ve had one puncture in 5 years; the peaks this year.

Mine….

Alan Cross Xtreme Scandium
Full Ultegra (46×39, 12-25)
Mavic Ksyrium Sl’s
Tufo Flexus Primus tubs
Deda finishing kit

recently changed to mini v’s from froglegs to try cure front brake judder

Ahh sefton. I was going to get the Shimano version of the CX8.4s, the CX9s. What was you’re issue.
Don’t mind me asking do you OP?

I bought them for the peaks and they are VERY good! seriously good power. but they just didn’t have the clearance for mud on regular cx races. got fed up of stopping to clear all the mud. I’ll be putting the cx8.4’s back on as soon as the cx sessions over though! not badly priced when you compaire to avid shorty ultimates either

I have 2 cross light pro 6

Ultegra throughout and cx70 cranks with hope BB also has hope v twins now because I found mech discs unreliable
Hubs hope pro 2 on TN319 as pictured and 50mm carbons for races
Thomson pins
Deda bars
Absolutely bombproof bikes really happy with them

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Untitled[/url] by nikxl[/url], on Flickr

Here is my Pro 6… the inspiration behind the bike build column in this month’s mag.

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Garage Bikes[/url] by 24tom[/url], on Flickr

Mine….

Now with Hope V Twin brakes….awesome bike my favourite bike of all Ive had the pleasure to own!

Many thanks to photo bucket for hosting!

DT Swiss 240 hubs Campag Centaur grouppo, gore cables, it’s great fun, it’s easy to get to almost road bike speeds on the road and handles great, but it’s not the “same” as my road bike As I said its my favourite bike and the one I’d save from a fire!!

Is it the same rule for the sti shifter, not to mix brands/rear mechs?
A mate of mine who races has told me to go 34-50 with a 172.5mm crank and 29-11 cassette? The bike could in the future be raced, but for now will probably be used for light off road and road riding etc, nothing heavier as I also ride 29er’s. My location is Hilly and very wet Yorkshire if that makes a difference. Any other suggestions?

I went all shimano a mix of various vintages of ultegra and 105 depedning on what I found second hand and what was on offer.

Running a 11-28 out back and 34:44 up front. Big ring is good for cruising and easy off road but for proper offroad and racing I find myself in the 34 most of the time (I always prefer to spin).

BB7 for brakes. Some disc wheels from just riding along – A23s on hope hubs.

FSA bars, vero compact, can’t remember they are the same ones as on my road bike. most of the rest was what was cheap at the time.

In limbo at the moment whilst changing the gearing…

Mine

For racing. Trek XO built from bits and bobs

For abuse, now with mudguards. Decade Tripster

So! I’m new to drop bars with only ever riding flat bars. Can any one recommend a stem length, bars etc?
Thanks.

Not sure wether to fully ss it properly with either an eccentric hub or the phil wood eccentric bb or run it gears but with single-ring up front.

Seven Mudhoney SL, ENVE forks, Super Record, Pauls Neo-Retro brakes, King Ti headset, Seven stem, Zipp SL bars, Moots seatpost, XTR pedals, DT190/Ambrosio Nemesis wheels with Dugast rhinos.

No discs, no oversized integrated headtube, no carbon. Seems like a relic but rides like a dream.

Having said that, I sold its identical brother recently. This one is about to go too. Not using it enough. Off road- take the mountain bike, On road – take the road bike.

I am very new to CX, but, Really loving mine.
The gearing was 48T up front, which was too big for the cx races I have entered this year, so went down to a 46T.

With this wet terrible weather the local mtb fave trails are washed out. Thats where the cx bike earns its place. Those trails that are boring on a mtb are nice and fast and challenging on a cx.
One mistake I am thinking I made now is not getting the disk option.
For races the brakes are not important. And the canti seem more than powerful enough.
But I am finding that I am enjoying using my cx-er more than my mtb these days .. and the brake pads are not lasting very long .. I have cravings for sintered pads ..

Didn’t look quite this clean after todays race!
Ebay special for under £500.
Graham Weigh frame, ITM fork, Campag centaur/veloce 10 groupset, 1×10 (38T), n-stop, BBG guard, Shimano CX50 brakes.

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cross[/url] by bmclynskey1[/url], on Flickr[/img]

get mini v brakes! mine are excellent on trails (just as good as disc)

This is mine. it’s done everything from racing to sportives to HONCs to riding things it shouldn’t really be capable of. It’s a Dolan Multicross with an a2z disc adaptor at the back. It’s a bit heavy but of than that it’s pretty spot on. 60cm frame, 57.5tt, 10cm stem and I’m 6’5″

Kitted with Shimano transmission 11-28 cassette, 50-34 chainset) and Campag ergos (hubbub method) and the standard bb7 road discs. I used mtb v brakes with travel agents and they were great but I hate the rim grinding hence the change to discs.

The wheels are stans arch ex rims run tubeless at 60psi which has been brilliant as no more pinch flats on the rocky trails I ride it on.

I use cross top levers (chicken levers) as I find they make the bike so much better on technical trails. Others hate them, mind.