Single speed or Cylocross

Which would you rather for your second or third/ play bike?

I like the simplicity of single speed but the idea of CX appeals also for a pure mud ploughing winter traing/ race bike.

Single speed cx bike?

How about both?

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Genesis Day-one[/url] by Jon Wyatt[/url], on Flickr

o.k how about single speed with suspension against cyclocross. really fancy a winter training bike and it’ll be one of the two. Need some opinions though.

I have full sus (zesty 514) and a racey hartail (23lb) at present so looking for a nice addition. Anyone in the glasgow area fancy letting me try out either a single speed or cyclocross?

The cyclocross bike offers more – it opens up more types / styles of riding than a SS mtb IMO.
Single CX is great in the winter for simplicity and maintenance. You lose a bit of versatility though with the gear – it’ll be a lot bigger than a typical 32/16 set up on a ss MTB so you can’t really take it on serious MTB-style rides with steep climbs. A geared CX bike is better for this. Long, rolling rides though the single CX is a great choice.

Don’t think SS works for CX bikes? The whole point of them. is their versatility and yet there isn’t a ratio that isn’t compromised either on or off road. I guess it works if you buy your CX for one discipline or the other! But in that case surely you’d be better with either an SS road bike or an SS mtb?

For training I’d say definitely the CX bike – mtbs aren’t very good for training on compared to road/CX bikes IME though obviously you can manage on pretty much any bike.

A SS is not really that different to a normal hardtail – just try going for a ride on your hardtail and don’t shift (Yes, I know it’s not quite the same but really it’s close enough to get a feel for it).

I’d lose my SS before my CX I reckon though I love both.

I have a road SS and a CX, love then both. If had to be 1 it would be the CX by far. Versatile, adaptable and comfy. Tricross is the name, simply superb….. the new version with disk brakes looks stunning.

My SS CX gets more use than the others put together.
That inlcudes a geared , disc CX, a geared non disc CX, a SS fully rigid MTB and a full suss bike that hasn’t been ridden for a year.
SS means cheap tough chains etc and much less to wash. (or not wash!)
Having said that My geared CX runs 8 speed bits which were cheap and chains are 4 quid from Asda.

My vote goes to geared CX bike for all round use… As above, they are more versatile than a ss mtb. HOWEVER, it depends what you want to use it for & what terrain you’ll be riding. I used to have a SS CX which was great either on road or off road, but never really both. Racing was OK on it as long as the terrain didn’t vary too much.

I now have a geared CX bike which I use for winter road training & CX racing. It works very well for both, with just a change of tyres transforming it from CX to road.

Ultimately though, you’ll prob want both, which is what I ended up doing – geared CX and SS mtb…!

I want a belt drive CX bike but I am probably just trying to out niche you all :twisted:

I took the CX root last month (geared)Great fun..amazing what can be done…I thought tow paths,gentle trails,but it’s fine on our local singletrack.

How about monstercross? :wink:

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2011_12_11_IMG_1711[/url] by GavinBelton[/url], on Flickr

SS 29er? My swift does everything my old ss did, but better, faster, more fun and more comfortably.

Alternatively, for £200 for a return ticket go spend a week in Spain, the hills are bigger, the sun shines, the trails are dry etc, better than any £200 bike part.

CX

oddjob – Member
I want a belt drive CX bike but I am probably just trying to out niche you all

:)

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Samuri +1 Genesis is a brilliant bike

Swavis +2 Gryphon can do 3 jobs, CX, SS, 29er, just change the tyres.

Once again I find myself looking at one of these as a do it all bike

I have both :D

but right now if I had to get rid of one it would be the singlespeed.

Racing, distance/fast rides, winter road bike, easier mountainbiking, light touring are also possible on my cross bike so I think it is way more versatile. Might consider a hub gear and disc brakes for maximum durability and usefulness.

Swavis +2 Gryphon can do 3 jobs, CX, SS, 29er, just change the tyres.

I think some 700×40 ice spikes might be my next purchase, although we’ve had a good thaw today. I’ve only had a couple of short rides since building it up, the weather and childminding duties have been against me. Roll on the holidays :D

yeah but you cannot SS a Fargo!? and for that reason, i would not have one. Shame, as i nearly bought a SH funguy green one on two ocasions :wink:

CX geared.

I guess it depends where you are but there are loads of nice, longish, not too technical trails round here (Calder Valley) with roads in between and I’ve been surprised and delighted at how far you can get on the ‘cross bike and how fast it goes. Am deffo going to do the Mary Towneley loop on it next year.

Exactly as Clover says – in most of the UK, there are miles of bridleways and connecting roads that make for a great ride on a CX bike while being a bit dull (technically) and draggy (road) on an mtb.

Craig

Not read all of the above so sorry if I duplicate.

I arce on the road and train through the winter on a singlespeed hardtail mtb. I love it. I climb basically everything the geared boys climb. Good strength training. I wouldn’t be without it.

But then it’s my only mountain bike, whereas you’ve got a geared mtb.

I recently bought the new Genesis Day Alfine 11.

I like it a lot. It’s not light! What it’s best for is a sory of on-road / off road training. So I train just like I do on the road, riding through the prettiest areas I can find, riding a few hills and maybe chatting to a ride buddy – but I do it all off road.

I have ridden the crosser on the surrey singletrack and you can definitely do it but it is nothing like as much fun as on the mountain bike.

Both of the bikes you’re talking about are sort of an extra, if you’ve already got a geared mtb. And both are good.

Cross bike: soft trails and bridleways for endurance and tempo rides.
Singlespeed: low maintenance, high fun trail riding.

I vote ‘cross bike or something monstercross/29er drops like the Fargo or the Singular. It lets you get out on a road ride, but with that ‘I wonder what’s down that track’ potential of a mountain bike.

Until this thread i didnt know the genesis alfine 11 even existed and now i want one really bad. 8O
That would be my choice.

Gryphon can do 3 jobs, CX, SS, 29er, just change the tyres.

erm…and drivetrain?

I’d say cx, though ap above, a drop bar 29er is more capable, and will upset cx purists, double win!

SS your racy HT to try it, then decide.
Do you have a road bike?

Nosemineb

853, Alfine 11, Avid BB7

And looks great. Hard to resist. I was perfectly happy with my stable of bikes until I popped to the Genesis site to find a Flyer for my girl friend.

853 was the deal-maker.

Watch out for the short-reach bars. I bought the frame size that exactly matched my road bike and found the reach was way short. They’ve put ladies’ geometry bars on it with a really short reach.

Plus the saddle is the usual Genesis razor-blade and way too small even for my slimline butt.

3T road bars a Spacialized Romin saddle and a pair of Conti Cyclocross Race. I’m another £170 down but the bike’s now perfect.

cx no question, you could even ss it, i’ve had a ss for years but these days the only real time i miss it is in winter, less maintenance cleaning etc
i’ve now ditched my ss for 1x8or9 on all bikes for best compramise, though could at any given moment revert to ss especially if something breaks