used, mid-level cyclocross recommendations

Have you considered "used"? You don't say where you live, but there are
some good deals on craigslist and ebay. I saw a 57cm Rock Lobster cross
complete with DA 8 for $650. Another good site is roadbikereview.com
classified.

Of course, if ya gotta have *new*, then any of the ones mentioned are
good buys!

bfd said:

Have you considered "used"? You don't say where you live, but there are
some good deals on craigslist and ebay. I saw a 57cm Rock Lobster cross
complete with DA 8 for $650. Another good site is roadbikereview.com
classified.

Of course, if ya gotta have *new*, then any of the ones mentioned are
good buys!

Look at the OP's subject line again....

"used, mid-level cyclocross recommendations"
--
Live simply so that others may simply live

Rick said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind of long ago)
and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to spend about
$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were redline
conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross. any strengths
and weaknesses anyone could share from experience would be very
valuable.
for me and the group.

Most cyclocross bikes in that price range are pretty decent.
If you have some spare parts lying around, you can also
try building up a frame from one of a number of smaller
builders (e.g. Gunnar, Kelly, Rock Lobster).
The thing you should look for before anything else is fit.
There are a couple of issues here, one is that most people
prefer a slightly more upright position on a cross bike. That
means ability to get the bars higher, and maybe a shorter
top tube (by a cm or two) than you would ride on a road bike.

The second issue is that the geometry of different makes'
cross bikes varies a bit more than road bikes. Be careful
when making comparisons becauses "size" can mean
different things (center-center, center-top, center-top of sloping
top tube, etc). Also some cross bikes have a higher than
normal bottom bracket (a holdover from days of pedaling
on the back of toeclip pedals). This increases standover
for a given seat tube size. Ordinarily standover is not very
important, but on a cross bike you have a greater than usual
chance of dismounting clumsily.

As an example, I remember concluding that I wouldn't fit easily
on a Cannondale, because the size that got the head tube high
enough had too long a top tube and too high standover.
Other people would fit differently.

"Rick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind of long
ago)
and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to spend about
$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were redline
conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross.

Look for Jamis Novas, also.

I'm currently building up a Soma Double Cross with a variety of parts from
Ebay including some Shimano105 for a total of $1150 plus whichever parts
required sales tax. I already had a rear derailer, seatpost, saddle, and
pedals to use.

Greg

"G.T." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Rick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind of long
ago)
and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to spend about
$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were redline
conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross.

Look for Jamis Novas, also.

I'm currently building up a Soma Double Cross with a variety of parts from
Ebay including some Shimano105 for a total of $1150 plus whichever parts
required sales tax. I already had a rear derailer, seatpost, saddle, and
pedals to use.

Oh, yeah, for an already built bike the Kona Jake the Snakes are hard to
beat. Actually, the only reason I didn't go with a new Jake the Snake is
that it's currently a pretty obnoxious color.

Greg

Rick said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind of long
ago)
and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to spend about
$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were redline
conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross. any strengths
and weaknesses anyone could share from experience would be very
valuable.
for me and the group.

I was also going to suggest the Jamis Nova, which is now a bit over the
top of your price range anyway, until I looked at the new 2006 specs
and saw that it has some strikes against it over last year's. Last year
it was really cool because it came with a Tiagra/MA-3/butted spoke
wheelset as opposed to the overpriced jank ones that most bikes in this
category have.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rick said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind

of long ago)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to

spend about

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were

redline

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross. any

strengths

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and weaknesses anyone could share from experience would be

very

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

valuable.
for me and the group.

Most cyclocross bikes in that price range are pretty decent.
If you have some spare parts lying around, you can also
try building up a frame from one of a number of smaller
builders (e.g. Gunnar, Kelly, Rock Lobster).
The thing you should look for before anything else is fit.
There are a couple of issues here, one is that most people
prefer a slightly more upright position on a cross bike. That
means ability to get the bars higher, and maybe a shorter
top tube (by a cm or two) than you would ride on a road bike.

The second issue is that the geometry of different makes'
cross bikes varies a bit more than road bikes. Be careful
when making comparisons becauses "size" can mean
different things (center-center, center-top, center-top of

sloping

Quoted message said:

top tube, etc). Also some cross bikes have a higher than
normal bottom bracket (a holdover from days of pedaling
on the back of toeclip pedals). This increases standover
for a given seat tube size. Ordinarily standover is not very
important, but on a cross bike you have a greater than usual
chance of dismounting clumsily.

As an example, I remember concluding that I wouldn't fit easily
on a Cannondale, because the size that got the head tube high
enough had too long a top tube and too high standover.
Other people would fit differently.

This is very true of the Cannondale, which I just bought. I
bought it based on price and on-bike fit, but the stand-over
height is suprisingly high. I would run the saddle a little
lower from cross racing and think it will be just fine. I like
the relatively long top-tube. I bought it primairly for
commuting.

I am old and slow, but every year someone tries to get me back
into racing, and I end up on these early season training rides in
the rain. I was out this weekend on the Cannondale and was
rather amazed at how limber the front end was in a sprint,
especially in light of the humungus forks. When I got the bike
home, I noticed that the front wheel was way out of true (it is a
disc, so the rim does not rub the pads). I measured the tension,
and it was about 50kgf. Way low, and nearly slack on some
spokes. I tensioned it and trued it, so, now I have to try
sprinting again on the way home from work tonight and see how
solid it really is. The rear end stays put because of the long
stays.

Other equipment nits to pick about the Cannondale: the Shimano
chain just did not want to work with the 9 speed SRAM cassette.
Lots of skipping like a malignant stiff link. I put on a SRAM
chain, and it works fine. The disc hubs look cheap and have a lot
of seal drag. It has real cross chain rings which basically
gives you a microdrive -- not much of a big gear for the road.
The Avid road discs are great but they do have a break-in period.
There are some very nice parts at this price point -- an Cinelli,
FSA, Fisik, Ultegra. The wheels are very straight-forward Open
Pros 14/15 3X, which I like. Unlike the Empella and some other
high-end frames, the Cannondale does have eyelets for fenders, so
it can be used for something other than pure racing. -- Jay
Beattie.

"Nate Knutson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rick said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind of long
ago)
and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to spend about
$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were redline
conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross. any strengths
and weaknesses anyone could share from experience would be very
valuable.
for me and the group.

I was also going to suggest the Jamis Nova, which is now a bit over the
top of your price range anyway, until I looked at the new 2006 specs
and saw that it has some strikes against it over last year's. Last year
it was really cool because it came with a Tiagra/MA-3/butted spoke
wheelset as opposed to the overpriced jank ones that most bikes in this
category have.

Yeah, I really tried hard to find a last year's 60cm the last 2 months. No
luck. And the new spec didn't interest me.

Greg

On Tue, 3 Jan 2006 15:03:00 -0800, "G.T." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Oh, yeah, for an already built bike the Kona Jake the Snakes are hard to
beat. Actually, the only reason I didn't go with a new Jake the Snake is
that it's currently a pretty obnoxious color.

Which colour don't you like? I would have had the 2005 (blue+black)
for choice, but I bought a 2004 (disturbing metallic green) at a big
discount and learned to live with the colour. The 2006 (orange+black)
is worse than either. The 2005s also have auxiliary brake levers,
which weren't on my 2004 and seem to have been dropped for the 2006.

Overall a strong recommend for a NOS 2005 JtS if you find one with a
discount in your size and like the colour; my 2004 is the nicest "do
anything" bike I've ever owned. My little brother loves his Orbea
Terra CX/Veloce, which should also be within your price range used.
Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 3 Jan 2006 15:03:00 -0800, "G.T." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Oh, yeah, for an already built bike the Kona Jake the Snakes are hard to
beat. Actually, the only reason I didn't go with a new Jake the Snake is
that it's currently a pretty obnoxious color.

Which colour don't you like? I would have had the 2005 (blue+black)
for choice, but I bought a 2004 (disturbing metallic green) at a big
discount and learned to live with the colour. The 2006 (orange+black)
is worse than either.

That's the one I'm talking about. I couldn't find a 60cm 2005. I believe
the 2006 still has auxiliary brake levers.

Greg

Rick said:

i'm a former road racer (LONG time ago) and mtb racer (kind of long
ago)
and looking to get back into cyclocross.

i'll ride probably 40-60 miles a week. and i was hoping to spend about
$800-$1200 to start.

some recommendations that poppped up from a review site were redline
conquest, bianchi axis, and cannondale cyclocross. any strengths
and weaknesses anyone could share from experience would be very
valuable.
for me and the group.

Or the Redline Conquest

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971