Why a Cyclocross?

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limbot
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Why a Cyclocross?

Postby limbot » Sun May 04, 2014 7:28 pm

Weather has been rubbish down here in Hobart this weekend, constant rain and drizzle. Got a bit of a break in the weather and decided to do a quick road ride.

Trouble is the wind was blowing.and the cars were kicking up all the spray as they went past. Not the most enjoyable experience.

Solution? Dive off into the nature reserve and do some trailing riding. No wind and no car spray :)

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Last edited by limbot on Sun May 04, 2014 7:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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cyclotaur
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby cyclotaur » Sun May 04, 2014 7:54 pm

All you need are mudguards and you can ride en tout cas. :wink:
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wardie
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby wardie » Mon May 05, 2014 10:03 am

That's inspirng as I'm hoping to get a cx bike soon to do virtually the same.

May I ask what tyres you are using as the trails around my place look similar to the one in the picture?
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limbot
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby limbot » Mon May 05, 2014 10:19 am

It's the OEMs that came with it, Vittoria XG Pros (32mm)

Probably should have dropped the pressure a bit as they were set to 70 psi for the road ride but didn't cause me any pucker moments except when I hit a patch of sand. :p

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joshnh
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby joshnh » Mon May 05, 2014 10:54 am

I'm mainly a road rider, but since buying a CX bike I've been having so much fun on 4WD tracks and single track!
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Mugglechops
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby Mugglechops » Mon May 05, 2014 7:32 pm

Preaching to the converted here :D

I like to get a bit of a dirt fix everyday

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limbot
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby limbot » Sun May 18, 2014 7:17 pm

part deux.... :)
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cancan64
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby cancan64 » Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:22 pm

limbot wrote:part deux.... :)
Thats a great photo
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vindlecrag
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby vindlecrag » Tue Oct 14, 2014 4:46 pm

Love the enthusiasm. CX is the bike that always reinspires me. Effortless on the road to get out of town. But then more than enough traction to go exploring on the trails. They're just so capable. I always think the tyres are going to let go...but don't. I'm going for a ride tonight!

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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby tcdev » Tue Oct 14, 2014 4:59 pm

I knew nothing about bikes before I bought mine; asked around a few mates with MTB and the LBS was pretty useless so I ended up with MTB myself. Since joining this forum and attempting to educate myself a little more on the subject of cycling in general, I've become aware of CX and am wondering now whether that would have been a better choice for me?

Right now I'm 95% road riding - purely for fitness and fun, no commuting - but do like the idea of getting off-road when I get the chance. So far I've done Manly Dam (MTB), but at this point I'm not convinced that I'm not going to enjoy CX even more if/when I get the opportunity to give it a go. Planning to do Lady Carrington Drive next weekend which I understand might even be suitable for a CX bike?!?

Anyway, I can see where the whole (n+1) joke comes from... :mrgreen:
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KGB
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby KGB » Tue Oct 14, 2014 6:09 pm

I've seen Lady Carrington done on a road bike.
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CXCommuter
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby CXCommuter » Tue Oct 14, 2014 6:13 pm

KGB wrote:I've seen Lady Carrington done on a road bike.
Same- some okay singletrack that feeds off it though
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singlespeedscott
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby singlespeedscott » Sat Oct 25, 2014 8:17 am

I did the convict 100 at St Albans earlier this year. It follows a few of the old convict roads but there is a lot of rough sandstone with a few small drops. I guy absolutely blew past me a CX. I was mightly inpressed. Obviously the drop bar position, lack of suspension and small tyres was not holding him up.

I think a lot of riding can easily be done a road/CX with a fat tyres. Unfortunately most modern frames lack the space for serious tyres, at least 32mm, and most people have to resort to CX bikes. The problem is most CX's have high bottom brackets designed for clearing barriers. High BB are not ideal for most trail/gravel riding. They really are terrible for pedaling through loose soil and sand.

The bicycle marketing guru's have pushed those who want the big tyre clearence and low bottom to their gravel/adventure bikes but a lot of these are portly slugs.

If your not going to race a true CX event or do technical single track the best compromise I have found is late 1970/80's sports touring bikes. The steel bikes are super comfortable off road as the frames really absorb the shock well. The steel forks are way better then carbon forks too. They absorb big hits and have lower trail which makes them more stable in sand and more maneuverable at low speed. And as most of these bikes where designed for 27" wheels with mud guards you can squeeze some very large 700c rubber in there. They also have a nice low bottom bracket which makes riding sand an absolute cake walk.
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby caneye » Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:07 am

to the folks who are using their cx bikes for commuting - are you using 700 x 32 or 28 tyres?

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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby queequeg » Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:40 am

caneye wrote:to the folks who are using their cx bikes for commuting - are you using 700 x 32 or 28 tyres?
I am running 28 on mine, but 32 would work just as well. I used to commute on 32s but dropped to 28s to save a little bit of weight on the SMP tyres.
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby tcdev » Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:22 am

KGB wrote:I've seen Lady Carrington done on a road bike.
That's good news! Heading down to LCD this morning and a mate is going to give his bike (not a road racer, but not sure exactly what it is) with road tyres a go to see if it's working for him!
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nezumi
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby nezumi » Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:20 am

caneye wrote:to the folks who are using their cx bikes for commuting - are you using 700 x 32 or 28 tyres?
I run 25mm Conti GP4000s, 28mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus (winter) or 35mm Conti CX-racw (for taking the dirt route).

It really depends on your riding style and comfort. I don't notice a massive difference between the GP4000s and the SMPs in terms of squishiness of the ride - just the weight.
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby mitchy_ » Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:25 am

caneye wrote:to the folks who are using their cx bikes for commuting - are you using 700 x 32 or 28 tyres?
i use my 700x33c maxxis raze cx tyres for commuting... they seem almost as fast, and much comfier than the road tyres i was using.

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limbot
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby limbot » Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:18 am

Cause I'm lazy and cheap use 32s for road, dirt and commute :)

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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby macca33 » Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:21 pm

I'm running Conti CX Speed 35mm on one set of wheels and Maxxis Re-Fuse 23mm on another. Interestingly, the Contis feel quicker than the Maxxis???

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albertgaleano
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby albertgaleano » Sun Oct 26, 2014 5:57 pm

I use Schwalbe Sammy Slicks 35's as my all rounder's, even leave them on when I am chasing the Mtb'ers around :lol:
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A_P
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby A_P » Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:31 pm

I use conti contacts in a 32 or a 37. Fast enough and comfortable

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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby caneye » Tue Oct 28, 2014 1:35 pm

thanks for the feedback.
i'll be going for some Marathon 700x32c for my CX soon, to be used primarily as a commuter.
it currently has knobby Bontrager CX tyres.

fyi - i rode a MTB with 26 x 2.1 for the past 6 yrs.
got a road bike earlier this year but i'm still not entirely comfortable with commuting on 700x25c. despite the lighter weight & rolling resistance, it is a

lot less forgiving and twitchy. but that's just my experience.

so i'm thinking that 700x32c is a good compromise...

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singlespeedscott
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby singlespeedscott » Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:58 pm

32 is perfect. If you got some high quality, supple tyres (not marathons) you'll actually find your commute will be just as fast as the 25's
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Re: Why a Cyclocross?

Postby Mububban » Thu Jun 11, 2015 4:10 pm

What's the gearing like on CX bikes? I love my granny gears on my MTB, and I just don't have the legs to push the bigger road gears up hills. Are CX bikes geared somewhere in the middle or do they lean more towards one end of the spectrum?
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