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[email protected]> wrote in message
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[email protected]...
> Rick wrote:
> > 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.
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.