Cyclocross bikes...

[Nitrojan646]

Hey! I'm new to the sport of cycling and I bought a book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling" (yeah yeah), I figured I better read up a little bit before I bought a bike. It says cyclocross bikes are very versatile, they can be used for touring, road, and light trails with some minor adjustments. Does anyone else have experience with this to verify? Anyone know of some good cyclocross bikes? Thanks!

 

[txbuckeye]

Hey! I'm new to the sport of cycling and I bought a book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling" (yeah yeah), I figured I better read up a little bit before I bought a bike. It says cyclocross bikes are very versatile, they can be used for touring, road, and light trails with some minor adjustments. Does anyone else have experience with this to verify? Anyone know of some good cyclocross bikes? Thanks!

I ride a Bianchi Axis. Very comfortable and strong. I think it would make a very versatile bike and it works great on light trails. Several styles of tires are offered and can be tailored to the style of riding you do the most. If I had to only have one bike it would probably be the cross bike.

 

[Nitrojan646]

I ride a Bianchi Axis. Very comfortable and strong. I think it would make a very versatile bike and it works great on light trails. Several styles of tires are offered and can be tailored to the style of riding you do the most. If I had to only have one bike it would probably be the cross bike.

Ah, thanks for the help! I looked at the Bianchi site and the Volpe or the Axis both look like they would be able to suit my needs, its too bad there isn't a dealer around that sells Bianchi. Another thing that attracted me to a cyclocross bike are that they make a good year round ride, if anyone else has some ideas on a good bike for road and possibly touring and I can use year round, speak up!

 

[tarczan]

I have a Fuji Cross bike that I have used for racing, touring and cyclocross. Very durable bike. I don't care for the sidepull brakes though, they are constantly in need of adjustment.

I just put on a pair of road tires and haven't seen the difference in performance from a real road bike. I commute on bad city streets and the wheels and frame hold up well to the pounding.

Unless it's real muddy I also use it as a mountain bike.

It really has been a good all around bike.

 

[Wurm]

I bought an '03 K2 "Enemy" CX bike last summer, (pictured in my avatar & below) and I can recommend it highly. I use it for everything from commuting around the city, to road riding, to the occasional 'cross race. The frame is made of custom-drawn and butted 7000-series aluminum with rack, fender & disc brake mounts if you need them, and the alignment is dead-on straight. The geometry happens to fit me well, so it's comfortable. It's a very good value when you consider the price.

I have customized mine with different wheels and tires, drivetrain, saddle, bar tape, etc., but the stock parts and wheels are still very good.

You may be able to find some of the '04 models around still for a closeout price, before the '05s are completely stocked.

Check out the '04 Enemy here: http://www.k2bikes.com/04products/cyclocross/enemy.asp

The '05 model is on their homepage.

Good luck hunting!

 

[tbobby]

I bought a Kona Jake the Snake. The steering is too twitchy for me and the bars are too low for my old back and neck. My next bike will be a Rivendell or similar old-school type ride.

 

[brownfeesh]

I also have a Fuji Cross. I have put many punishing miles on it at 200 pounds, cyclocross racing, commuting, training. If you really want versatility I recommend one wheelset with cyclocross tires if you want to go offroad and another wheel set with road tires for fast road riding. With 2 wheelsets you can change in minutes. There are a bunch of other good ones out there. In addition to the ones mentioned ...
Redline, Soma, Surly, Gunnar, Cannondale, Trek, Lemond all make them.