Buying a Cyclocross bike

[SHARKBITEATTACK]

Decided my next bike is gonna be a CX or Road bike that I wanna use mainly for riding the trails. I've never owned one before, but so far I've decided I want an AL frame, wider tires (for gravel) and cheater brakes and I wanna stay at ~$1000 or under.

Anyhow last night I rode a few.

2013 Giant TCX. Overall I liked the bike and its the right price. The "thumb style" shifters felt a little cheap at first but I actually wound up liking them. Seating position felt somewhat uncomfortable (esp on the drop bars) and my forearms got kinda tired fast. I kinda brushed that off tho and said that's probably something I'll get more accustomed to as time goes on....

BUT then I road this Giant Anyroad and it was beyond awesome! This model is a brand new 2016 and its at the top of my price range. Everything seemed to be more precise, like shifting, braking etc. Not sure if that's attributed to the tune, age or components. Disc brakes felt awesome. Also, the geometry on this one felt a little more relaxed, a good thing for someone like myself whose ridden nothing but mountain bikes my whole life.

So let me know what you guys think? What should I be looking for component wise? I'm 230lbs 6ft so I want something that will hold up to the abuse. I accidentally went over a curb in my cousins flat bar road bike once and messed the rim up which really sucked.

Also if anyone knows of any good deals or has stuff to sell PM me.

Click to read more...

 

[DanJ]

[MENTION=2449]ilikemtb999[/MENTION] [MENTION=8202]rz79[/MENTION]

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

That's a weird ass looking "cross" bike

 

[rz79]

That is a very uh, unique frame design... Honestly, I'm kinda a hack. Joel is a bike demigod and his input should be tops in anyone's book...

But since I'm on the Internet my opinion would be -
- look for for 105 (shimano) components. I have over 2,000 miles on my rig and haven't had a single issue. Cassette looks new, gonna replace the chain this week.
- mechanical disc brakes are fine for what you're gonna be doing. I had BB7's and the were adequate. (5'8" 210lb) I replaced them with dual pull calipers which are better.
- a man of your stature will destroy any CX /road rim from an off the shelf bike when eating a curb.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Check out the specialized diverge bikes. It's classified as an "adventure" road bike but has a ton of room for big comfy tires or knobs and has a more relaxed fit. They also have a few models around your price range.

 

[Bruce Jibboo]

what about a nice fatboy specialized.. EXCEPT the price

Specialized Fatboy SL Expert Hed Big Deal Carbon Hope Fatsno SRAM XX1 Race Face | eBay

 

[Ti28]

If my buddy was here right now, I would be able to tell you what he rides. He does Cyclocross.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

what about a nice fatboy specialized.. EXCEPT the price

Specialized Fatboy SL Expert Hed Big Deal Carbon Hope Fatsno SRAM XX1 Race Face | eBay

Gayer than aids

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Can you elaborate on what riding you're doing? Trail as in bike path, road, dirt?

 

[rz79]

Gayer than aids

Ever notice people on fat bikes truly believe that their fat bike is the perfect ride for every single condition, terrain,distance.. ? I've never seen this before in any prior passion/hobby I've ever taken up.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I have, and I hate them. There's an article that just came out from the owner of Santa Cruz basically telling it like it actually is. It's amazing. I'll post in the mtb thread

 

[SHARKBITEATTACK]

Yea that Anyroad does look a little goofy compared to a traditional road frame, especially in pictures but I like it... I actually checked out another bike store in Bartlett today and the owner said he enjoyed that bike so much he's getting the carbon version for daily commuting. He also classified it as an "Adventure Bike" too.

I'll look into the specialized diverge as you mentioned ilikemtb, looks like a similar setup.

What type of riding do I plan on doing? Mainly going on adventures lol! Well, I currently take my MTB on ~15mi rides by myself but its mainly for the purpose of getting exercise. I like to ride the trails (gravel and paved), through local neighborhoods, dirt trails through the woods that I stumble across and occasionally along the side of busy roads provided there's a wide shoulder. I do it here and there but I'm not really comfortable on busy roads or city riding with motor vehicles. A couple years ago when I was in better shape I'd go on longer rides with a partner, even did 48mi on an MTB once and it sucked! Which is part of the reason I want to get something lighter and more efficient.

I don't plan on doing any of the CX racing or wearing spandex and riding with groups yet. Maybe in the future though.

And on a side note, there are soo many stiles of bikes these days I cant even keep up with the names. 10 years ago I classified everything as either Road, MTB, comfort or BMX. So forgive me if I'm wrong in my terminology. I guess my interpretation of a CX bike was a "beefier road bike that could accommodate larger tires"

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I agree there are too many classifications now. That type of bike sounds perfect for you though. Running a 32c road tire will handle all that while not being overly bumpy (like a true cross tire would be) and those bikes should be able to handle a true cross tire of you wanted. There are a group of guys at my shop that ride from Denver to the mountains and ride straight up jeep trails on 30/32c tires and then ride back.

 

[FESTER665]

Don't know if they might have anything left, but Two Seasons Bike & Ski in Hanover Park is closing shop so everything is marked down like 40% right now last time I drove past....

 

[Bruce Jibboo]

I have, and I hate them. There's an article that just came out from the owner of Santa Cruz basically telling it like it actually is. It's amazing. I'll post in the mtb thread

lol I've seen someone riding one on the bike path next to Randall in the snow, I'll leave riding things in snow to motor powered or down hills/mountains on a flat board

 

[rz79]

lol I've seen someone riding one on the bike path next to Randall in the snow, I'll leave riding things in snow to motor powered or down hills/mountains on a flat board

I rode all last winter.. I stuck mainly to city streets as they are maintained... After the walkers pack the snow into that layer of 3 inch thick bumpy ice it's terrible to even try to ride it.

I was on these for 1,100 miles and they worked well in almost every way.
Sammy Slick - Schwalbe Professional Bike Tires

 

[big_shmoop]

Ever notice people on fat bikes truly believe that their fat bike is the perfect ride for every single condition, terrain,distance.. ? I've never seen this before in any prior passion/hobby I've ever taken up.

The only people I've truly came close to fucking cold cocking on the trials are asshats on their fat bikes. They're the fucking hipsters of the bike world and I hope they all die of AIDS.

 

[big_shmoop]

Yea that Anyroad does look a little goofy compared to a traditional road frame, especially in pictures but I like it... I actually checked out another bike store in Bartlett today and the owner said he enjoyed that bike so much he's getting the carbon version for daily commuting. He also classified it as an "Adventure Bike" too.

I'll look into the specialized diverge as you mentioned ilikemtb, looks like a similar setup.

What type of riding do I plan on doing? Mainly going on adventures lol! Well, I currently take my MTB on ~15mi rides by myself but its mainly for the purpose of getting exercise. I like to ride the trails (gravel and paved), through local neighborhoods, dirt trails through the woods that I stumble across and occasionally along the side of busy roads provided there's a wide shoulder. I do it here and there but I'm not really comfortable on busy roads or city riding with motor vehicles. A couple years ago when I was in better shape I'd go on longer rides with a partner, even did 48mi on an MTB once and it sucked! Which is part of the reason I want to get something lighter and more efficient.

I don't plan on doing any of the CX racing or wearing spandex and riding with groups yet. Maybe in the future though.

And on a side note, there are soo many stiles of bikes these days I cant even keep up with the names. 10 years ago I classified everything as either Road, MTB, comfort or BMX. So forgive me if I'm wrong in my terminology. I guess my interpretation of a CX bike was a "beefier road bike that could accommodate larger tires"

Was it Greg at Spindoctors by chance? That's my LBS and I highly recommend them. Really laid back place and they are super friendly and helpful.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I rode all last winter.. I stuck mainly to city streets as they are maintained... After the walkers pack the snow into that layer of 3 inch thick bumpy ice it's terrible to even try to ride it.

I was on these for 1,100 miles and they worked well in almost every way.
Sammy Slick - Schwalbe Professional Bike Tires

Turns out cross bikes actually work better in loose snow. They also work on packed snow. Fat bikes only work on packed down snow, otherwise they just push it and they don't move.

 

[rz79]

Yep, I was cutting through 4-5in of fresh powder on a walking path near my house like it was nothing.

The only issue I had all year was water in my rear brake cable that would freeze and render my rear brake useless. Pulled the cable out of the housing and replaced it (housing) and it was back to snow busting

 

[SHARKBITEATTACK]

Turns out cross bikes actually work better in loose snow. They also work on packed snow. Fat bikes only work on packed down snow, otherwise they just push it and they don't move.

Sounds about right. I wonder if it's kind of like snow tires for cars. Skinny tires work best in snow/slush but I think fatter tires have more traction on ice.

Was it Greg at Spindoctors by chance? That's my LBS and I highly recommend them. Really laid back place and they are super friendly and helpful.

That was him!

 

[SHARKBITEATTACK]

Wound up getting an Anyroad. This one was a NOS 2014 model and I was able to get 25% off.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

That's an odd frame shape.

Cross bike is a good choice though, road bikes are too useless.

 

[rz79]

Yes,odd. Glad you got what you wanted tho. Seems like a very upright position so I'm sure it's comfortable

 

[SHARKBITEATTACK]

Here's their promotion video of the bike.


I guess comfortable is relatively speaking. This is my first road style bike instead of a MTB or conventional flat bar, and I wanted to get something more relaxed to start off on.

I rode it 20mi today. Up until now I've never used a road bike more than a few miles. Gonna take me a few more rides before I'm fully acclimated with shifting and braking differently. Also was my first time EVER having my shoes clipped in. I was kinda nervous about the whole falling over thing if you forget to unclip your shoes when you come to a stop but I didn't have any issues. Cleats and clip tension will need some adjustment and possibly a wedge too. The ride isn't as forgiving as I'm used too tho. Esp the shit saddle that it comes with. My muscles ache a bit more than normal but then again the season is just starting.

Looking forward to my new sport