would a cx bike be a lot slower on the road than an equivalent road bike?

apologies for the numpty question (you can tell that i’m no expert on road/c’x bikes 😳 after i have paid off my bmx,i am seriously thinking about finally doing what i have wanted to do for a long time (get a road bike).the thing is that i have my eye on one of these bad boys

was just wondering how much slower it would be on the road compared to an equivalent priced tarmac (it’s £1500) for instance.would it also be capable of riding any distance on tarmac (fitness allowing).i really like the idea of a c/x bike,as i can explore bridleways around wilts e.t.c/also good for winter use too. to be honest i would use it off road a bit (would like to ride it on ridgeway near avebury),but i can see most of my riding being on the road. thanks in advance 🙂

Depends on the tyres mostly. Put road tyres on it, and it will be as fast as any road bike. Put cx tyres on and it will be slower.

Yes a bit slower even with road tyres.
The bits I notice the most are the slacker angles and the longer chainstays.
Slower than my 80s steel bike
Slower than my Ti training bike
Slower far slower than my race day bike.

That said if you’re out off on your own then it won’t matter

BMX?

Disc brakes preclude you from doing any road racing on it, but as said; with the right tyres you’ll be fine. A bloke used to race my local crits on a cross bike, did fine.

That’s really nice.

shortcut +1

*toddles off to look at spesh site

oldgit the bmx is a mid life crisis purchase 😉

njee20 have no plans on racing at all (my lack of fitness sees to that 😆 😳

what geoff said.

I can remember Rog Hammond riding off the front of an E1 race at Hillingdon a few years ago on his cx bike the day before the Archer International cx, and winning by about 3/4 of a lap. You’ll be able to hold your own easily on a cx bike compared to those on road bikes.
As I’ve said on here for years the main difference is the slower handling and slightly higher position compared to a road bike. I’ve done big rides on my cx bikes, and actually went on a training camp in March and took the current bike. It was only my fitness that held me back compared to those on plastic road bikes. Admittedly with road wheels my cx bike is sub 16.5lbs anyway. 😉

“It’s not about the bike”

Fitness far more important than bike up to a pretty high level.

Fit a set of decent road tyres and job’s a good un and in winter you can run a proper set of mudguards.

I commuted for the last two and a half years on a cross bike and my average speed over 22 miles is no different to when i use my carbon Sunday best road bike, as already mentioned, just change the tyres.

I’ve recently changed to a proper road bike from a cx with slick tyres. Here are my highly scientific findings.

Gears are wider. On the CX I had a 46/36 and an 11-25 cassette. there were smooth changing gaps but I’d spin out over 35mph and struggled to climb a local killer ascent. On the road bike I have a 50/34 and an 11-28 cassette. changing gaps are bigger, but I now spin out at about 39mph and can climb up anything that I can be bothered to spin up.

Position is better, after about 2 hours I started to get a bit sore on the CX bike with lower back pain and wrist pain (although this was a 56cm alu bike compared to a M carbon bike?)

Brakes. I hate cantilevers. I always have since the early days of MTB. Some people tink they’re great, I think they sound like a goose attacking and stop like a hedgehog on ice. the calipers on the road bike work fine, are deadly silent and if anything are too good, as I keep locking up the rear wheel if I’m not careful!

in short, buy a cx bike, if you find you enjoy riding road, you can buy a road bike later on. Road bikes are IMO a better investment than mtb’s as stuff breaks less often, there’s less technology and a top bike can be had for less money (I just sold a reynolds steel, full dura ace bike for £170).

My CX bike was about 5-10 minutes slower than my road bike over a 25 mile road ride. Having said that, I never used it with full on road tyres, they were always either fat semi slicks or proper CX tyres.

I’ve seen people race (non-disc) CX bikes in crits and road races and sit there quite happily in the bunch.

Given a choice (if it’s one or the other) go for the CX – much more versatile! 🙂

Okay. To be honest I am thinking ‘really’ at the comments here. Perhaps it’s just my cross bike compared to my road race bike?

I used to use one for winter training, and I was fine on my own. It also meant I could dart off road like I was in some funky Rapha ad. But keeping up with club mates on their Cervelos and Pinarellos it was noticeably slower, in the saddle climbs mainly.

I would really hate to have to choose one, to me they’re summer and winter.

But no racing though…the CX or something in between like a fratello?

My Tricross disc is about 1 mph slower than my carbon roadie on overall average.

Recently set it up for touring with rack and panniers and it felt fantastic, stable, smooth, comfortable and really enjoyable until my son aged 13 crashed and knocked himself unconscious and we went back to Carlisle in an ambulance.

I can’t see you been much slower in that bike.

I have a 26″ wheeler with hub gear that weighs 30+ lbs as a winter bike. I’m probable no more that 3 mph slower over a 30 mile ride, less on shorter rides.

The difference a bike and gearing makes is not really that much.

If you like the bike just go off it, and it looks very nice too. Probably will have a comfy ride, which actually might help you ride further and faster, just make sure you et the right size and set it up correctly.

i had a road bike but found i was getting bord just looking at tarmac so got myself cross bike now i can ride anything in my local area (bristol) and swap the tyres out for doing triathlos on i have a old canti spec tricross that i will be puting mini v’s on when i get the cash that will them ok me to do some road races if i feel the need

Thanks for the post ‘racefaceec90’, I’ve been mulling over a similar purchase. Although I have a road bike and was thinking of a cx bike for winter use. Seems like it could be the way forward.

You’ll be fine. I ride my cross bike with slicks in bad weather and it makes little difference solo. In a group I am more than able to keep up. I wouldn.’t was t to race it though as I need all the help I can get.

Might not be able to get narrow road tyres on some cross rims but most guys in my club run 28mm tyres in winter to allow for bad roads. I run 32mm semi sslick

iv run 25’s and 35’s on the same rim with no issues untill i got a second ligher wheelset for the road/tri still running my 35mm rubber queens on a standard road rim

Ive used 34mm cross tyres on standard 19mm road rims. You’ll be fine.

I’m probable no more that 3 mph slower over a 30 mile ride, less on shorter rides.

That’s a massive difference!

The thing for me is whether you ‘get’ the cross bike thing. I’ve had 3, but I never once went for a road ride then took it off road. I went riding off road on it, mainly at Ashton Court, and it was good, but an MTB was more fun. Or I used it on the road, it was good, but a road bike was more fun!

For me cross bikes were just jack of all trades, master of none. YMMV.

My current Bike2Work bike is an Orbea igorre CX bike, the 46-36 chainrings mean that I spin out on the downs and struggle on the ups on my commute across the Quantocks but I can cope with that. The thing I can’t stand its the inconsistent canti brakes. I’ve got a second set of wheels with slicks and it’s not bad on the road but my road bike’s better.

If it were me, I’d buy that WAY before I’d buy any road bike. Go for it

Sounds like a good idea, but I’d buy a 2nd set of light weight wheels with light road tyres and inner tubes for use on the road. Otherwise it’ll just feel shit and slow.

These are probably worth looking at if you’re going to buy one

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOODDRIV/on_one_dirty_disco_cyclocross_rival

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rose-pro-dx-cross-4400-4636-574913/aid:574950