Cyclocross or Road Bike???

QueenMTBee

I'm currently using my full suss to commute and it's killing me as I have to keep changing the air pressure in the tyres depending on whether I'm on the road or trails. Was going to buy a proper road bike (Bike to Work Scheme) but I'm hoping to do some adventure racing next year and am wondering if I should go for a cyclocross bike instead. Then if I need a proper road bike down the road (no pun intended) I can just change the tyres on it.

Any opinions or advice?

Pigeon Reaper

I commute on a disc brake cyclocross with slicks on it. I also have a road bike and find very little difference in them for commuting purposes. You mind find the cyclocross a bit slower than a road bike but unless you're racing I wouldn't be too concerned.

Tenzor07

CX bike and swap the tyres when you are commuting.. or just use the CX tyres of your commute can be done through parks etc...

QueenMTBee

Thanks! It sounds exactly what I need. Commuting for now (a small bit of road, lots of tarmac canal path and some gravel canal path) and then either adventure racing or duathlons next year.

07Lapierre

one of each!

Colonel Panic

I commute on a CX bike with 32C slick tyres. They're great for commuting since you've got a slightly more upright riding position.

guanciale

I have two roads bikes and bought a CX bike last year. I love being on the road but you cannot beat the versatility of the cross bike. Really opened my eyes.

If I had to buy only one bike I would choose a sporty CX or gravel bike with a 1x group.
I have canti brakes which in hindsight is a mistake. The upside is that I have a lot of wheel compatibility with my road bikes. The downside is that braking coming down long fast road descents is poor.

Unless you are road racing or doing TTs then I do not think you can go wrong with a cross or gravel style bike.

QueenMTBee

Someone pointed out to me that you can't put CX tyres on a road bike because there won't be enough clearance but you can put slicks on a CX bike if you want to do a road race. Only possible downside is that CX bikes don't have the granny ring for hill climbs or the hardest gear for speed on the flats - is this correct? If I'm thinking of doing adventure racing next year, will I regret not having a road bike?

As much as I'd love one of each, at the moment funds aren't unlimited and I'd rather have one good bike than two sh*tty ones so I need to make the right decision.

cython

QueenMTBee wrote: »

Someone pointed out to me that you can't put CX tyres on a road bike because there won't be enough clearance but you can put slicks on a CX bike if you want to do a road race. Only possible downside is that CX bikes don't have the granny ring for hill climbs or the hardest gear for speed on the flats - is this correct? If I'm thinking of doing adventure racing next year, will I regret not having a road bike?

As much as I'd love one of each, at the moment funds aren't unlimited and I'd rather have one good bike than two sh*tty ones so I need to make the right decision.

It's completely possible with the right groupset combo to run a 50/34 chainset with up to 11/32 cassette on a CX bike. However a lot of CX bikes may come with a smaller large chainring to offer more clearance off road, but typically the spider is still 110 BCD so it can just be swapped out. While that will be a lower top gear than say a 52 or 53 tooth chainring, it's still more than respectable and you'd need to be going over 50 km/h before you come close to spinning out the compact. Then your lowest gear in that is 34x32, which is pretty similar to, if not lower than, say a triple road chainset would offer with a normal (for that setup) cassette.

Only real downside of that is gappy shifting due to jumps on the cassette, but not a major issue either really - Dan Martin, for example, runs a 11-32 cassette, albeit with 53/39 chainset.

^ That helps me too with something I had in mind to ask about. Cheers.

rodneyTrotter.

I bought a cross cannondale caadx last year and rode it on the road with the cross tyres . Fast comfortable and even with the schwalbe sammy slick tyres I was flying around . Didn't even feel the need to change the tyres for slicks . Also meant I could go through muck and grass anytime I felt it . Great bikes and if I had one bike that would be it

eeeee

cython wrote: »

It's completely possible with the right groupset combo to run a 50/34 chainset with up to 11/32 cassette on a CX bike. However a lot of CX bikes may come with a smaller large chainring to offer more clearance off road, but typically the spider is still 110 BCD so it can just be swapped out. While that will be a lower top gear than say a 52 or 53 tooth chainring, it's still more than respectable and you'd need to be going over 50 km/h before you come close to spinning out the compact. Then your lowest gear in that is 34x32, which is pretty similar to, if not lower than, say a triple road chainset would offer with a normal (for that setup) cassette.

Only real downside of that is gappy shifting due to jumps on the cassette, but not a major issue either really - Dan Martin, for example, runs a 11-32 cassette, albeit with 53/39 chainset.

I race a compact. Never feel undergeared. You don't spin out a 50 x 11 at 50kmph. It's a bigger gear than 53 x 12.

OP it's worth noting that you can't race on the road with disc brakes if that's something you're interested in.

Cookie_Monster

i bought a CX to replace my mtb for commuting, great decision. Still have the off road options over a road bike and disc brakes which are so much better yet its light enough, the right geometry and the tyres are not that wide to all be easy and comfortable.

cython

nee wrote: »

I race a compact. Never feel undergeared. You don't spin out a 50 x 11 at 50kmph. It's a bigger gear than 53 x 12.

OP it's worth noting that you can't race on the road with disc brakes if that's something you're interested in.

To be clear, I wasn't suggesting that 50 km/h would result in spinning out or anywhere near it, rather I was picking an arbitrary minimum speed that would definitely be achievable without actually bothering my arse to do the maths on cadence, etc. as to what speed a given cadence would give on that gearing

Taxuser1

All this talk of "slicks"?

Is that non roadie speak for road racing tyres regardless of thread.

There are slicks which have no thread at all hence the confusion.

thekooman

Caadx tiagra or 105 are on sale this time of year: https://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?p=3722351

i have a set of Fulcrum racing 5 Discs to pop on it when i need it for road training and the wheelset that came on it have the CX tyres on it. great bike.

devonp

the planetX Full Monty in this tread looks good, and would take narrower tyres as pointed out...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056651051

nak

cython wrote: »

QueenMTBee wrote: »

Someone pointed out to me that you can't put CX tyres on a road bike because there won't be enough clearance but you can put slicks on a CX bike if you want to do a road race.  Only possible downside is that CX bikes don't have the granny ring for hill climbs or the hardest gear for speed on the flats - is this correct?  If I'm thinking of doing adventure racing next year, will I regret not having a road bike?  

As much as I'd love one of each, at the moment funds aren't unlimited and I'd rather have one good bike than two sh*tty ones so I need to make the right decision.

It's completely possible with the right groupset combo to run a 50/34 chainset with up to 11/32 cassette on a CX bike.  However a lot of CX bikes may come with a smaller large chainring to offer more clearance off road, but typically the spider is still 110 BCD so it can just be swapped out.  While that will be a lower top gear than say a 52 or 53 tooth chainring, it's still more than respectable and you'd need to be going over 50 km/h before you come close to spinning out the compact.  Then your lowest gear in that is 34x32, which is pretty similar to, if not lower than, say a triple road chainset would offer with a normal (for that setup) cassette.

Only real downside of that is gappy shifting due to jumps on the cassette, but not a major issue either really - Dan Martin, for example, runs a 11-32 cassette, albeit with 53/39 chainset.

I have 2 chainsets for my CX bike - 52/36 and 46/36.  Run 11-32 with no issues.

jjp123

Would the Caadx tiagra be a good option for 20k ew commute? I do it on a hybrid but it takes 50mins .

QueenMTBee

nee wrote: »

OP it's worth noting that you can't race on the road with disc brakes if that's something you're interested in.

It is not possible or not allowed? I had only been looking at bikes with disc brakes but I will want the option to road race on the CX, i.e. turn it into a road bike down the line if I need to.

cython

QueenMTBee wrote: »

It is not possible or not allowed? I had only been looking at bikes with disc brakes but I will want the option to road race on the CX, i.e. turn it into a road bike down the line if I need to.

UCI (and by extension Cycling Ireland) road races have a ban on disc brakes outside the current pro tour trial, so you wouldn't be able to use a disc braked CX bike in those unless this trial is a success and rule changes follow. This has no bearing on multisport adventure races like Gael Force, WAR, etc. though.

muckwarrior

QueenMTBee wrote: »

It is not possible or not allowed? I had only been looking at bikes with disc brakes but I will want the option to road race on the CX, i.e. turn it into a road bike down the line if I need to.

Fierce dangerous so they are. Go to any MTB race and you'll see severed limbs everywhere :rolleyes:

thekooman

jjp123 wrote: »

Would the Caadx tiagra be a good option for 20k ew commute? I do it on a hybrid but it takes 50mins .

It would if you stuck some 25mm /28mm Gatorskin tyres on the rims that comes with it. it also takes mudguards and panniers if needed.

Currently have a baby seat on it as well.