Cyclocross bike

[parviz]

Hi,
My bike is the Scott aspect 750. I go to work and practice with it, I also go on tourist cycling as well as hiking on rough terrain. But for long training and bike touring, handlebar shape is not ideal and can cause neck pain. So I decided to change my bike.
What do you think of the Cyclocross bike, a combination of road and Cross Country, for these applications I mentioned? And what do you suggest if you agree?

Thanks everyone

 

[Jimbo S]

I have a Giant TCX Advanced Pro and love it. However, like most top end cyclocross frames, it doesn't have mounts for fenders, panniers, etc.. It doesn't have a brake bridge on the rear and the fork doesn't have a brake mount. It also has a "twitchy" ride compared to other my slacker steel framed road bike so it would be less stable with any gear attached for touring. The bike came with a 1x drivetrain. Fortunately the left "brifter" was an Ultegra Di2 and the FSA crankset would take 2 rings. After a few rides I purchased a front derailleur and the wiring and converted it to a 2x. I don't understand the current passion for 1x systems. My advice? Make sure whatever you choose has mounts for fenders, etc.. I'd also look for a 2x setup or one that can be converted.

 

[Froze]

the 1x stuff is just a fad, once people realize, after they spent the damn money to get one, that they have gearing limitations. I too think it's a silly idea. I saw a 1x touring bike?! I guess that's great if you won't be doing carrying a lot of camping gear and not going up mountain roads.

As far as mounting more water bottle cages, don't use the idea of going with a hose clamp and clamping a cage to the frame that way, you have to tighten the bolts too much which will crush the CF frame. So the best thing to use without resorting to clamps is using the Wolf Tooth Components B-Rad double bottle cage adapter, this will make it so you can carry two bottles with just your single mount and it's relatively inexpensive at just $25, see: https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Tooth-C...ords=double+bottle+cage&qid=1585687009&sr=8-2

Pannier wise you're screwed! They do make a mount that takes the place of your skewer, but I ran into a guy that used one of those and his broke after only around 300 miles into his trip! I happened to be in my pickup truck so I gave him a lift to the bike shop, but it's something I wouldn't trust. so you're left with attaching frame bags which a lot of riders do but it does increase your center of gravity vs panniers. Here is website showing examples of bike bags, keep in mind certain ones won't work like that bag that fits inside and takes up your frame triangle area because you have water bottles you need to carry; anyway see this: https://www.cyclingabout.com/complete-list-of-bikepacking-bag-manufacturers/

Fenders you would have to use clip on style and they can rattle and move out of position, but those are the only choice you have. Here is a site that shows a few different kinds, once you chose a model check the review on it to make sure it's as good as you hope. https://www.outsidepursuits.com/best-mtb-road-bike-mudguard/

You can make that bike work but for touring you will need to go into more ultralight gear which costs more money but the stuff does work. I tour also but I have a regular touring bike and I use panniers so my cost for camping gear doesn't have to be as high because I don't have to find the lightest stuff I can find. If you do decide to tour on that bike you need to buy the bare bones minimum stuff, then go someplace locally and camp and see what you need from there, once you've done that go a little further and see what you need then, this way you don't overspend for stuff that when you do go decide **** I didn't need that and thus spent money for no reason.

ALSO, if you shop at REI, which can be a bit more expensive than a few other places but if for some reason you don't like something you bought, even after you've used it, you can return it for something else, of course you do need to become a member to get this privilege but it's worth it. Once you're a member you'll get special notices of sales and can save a lot of money doing that. For example I'm a member and they sent in my an e-mail of a sale going on for tents, I got a Marmot tungsten 2 that retailed for $200 for just $128. My friend is also a member he bought a $350 tent for $260, it leaked on the first trial, he sent it back and REI upgraded him to the next level without any additional charge. Anyway REI is a good place to get more expensive stuff, some small cheaper camping stuff you get from WALMART! I got stuff from there and had no issues, anyways if you want to know more about what I got for cheap at Walmart just let me know, there is other stuff too on Amazon that you can find dirt cheap that works really good like my $11 stove with a built in ignitor that works fantastically, as good as my friend's who spent 8 times more than mine did! Just let me know if you're interested in more info.

 

[Paul Marangoni]

I have a related question. I have zero knowledge or experience with Cyclocross bikes, but my road bike isn't fun anymore. The potholes and lousy roads in Los Angeles discourage me from going on any rides. Will a Cyclocross bike have a more forgiving ride?

 

[Jimbo S]

Depending on the bike, perhaps. The biggest difference is tyre size. I ride 25mm on my road bike(s) and 33mm tubeless on my cross bike. Fatter tyre + lower pressure = softer ride on the rough stuff. One step better would be a Trek Boone or other brand that has the ISO speed decouplers which offer greater flex on the front and rear.

 

[Paul Marangoni]

Depending on the bike, perhaps. The biggest difference is tyre size.

That's what I thought. I didn't look at the exact specs for the angles, but Cyclocross bikes seem to have the same frame designs (more or less). I currently have a Pinarello FP3 which is about 12 years old, and was looking at the Pinarello Crossista or the Cinelli King Zydeco. My current bike doesn't have the clearance to just use bigger tires.

What about mountain bikes? Does anyone make a decent one without all the suspension do-hickies? It gets harder and harder to get a simple bike that isn't over engineered (for what I want).

 

[Froze]

That's what I thought. I didn't look at the exact specs for the angles, but Cyclocross bikes seem to have the same frame designs (more or less). I currently have a Pinarello FP3 which is about 12 years old, and was looking at the Pinarello Crossista or the Cinelli King Zydeco. My current bike doesn't have the clearance to just use bigger tires.

What about mountain bikes? Does anyone make a decent one without all the suspension do-hickies? It gets harder and harder to get a simple bike that isn't over engineered (for what I want).

Almost all mountain bikes come with suspension forks, you don't need a suspension fork to ride on the street with, there are only maybe two or three mtb's made anymore that are completely rigid and I don't who those are anymore, the couple that I did see were very low end bikes.

But a cross bike or a touring bike will allow you to use the bigger tires you want for a more comfortable ride. You just have to decide if you want tour with your future bike, if so I would look at a touring bike since most gravel bikes are not set up for touring, however the Salsa Cutthroat GRX is set up for touring but the darn thing cost over $4 grand, but it's not really a gravel bike and not really a touring bike, it's a mutt, and in that process it only uses a single front gear which is good for gravel but you could run out of gears trying to climb a grade fully loaded unless you're a monster on a bike, but they did put a lot of bosses on it so you can't mount a lot of stuff to it, but you can't put rear panniers on because the bike is set up for frame bags instead, which is ok, but traveling that way raises your center of gravity and limits what you can carry.