EasyPeez
Veteran
- Location
- Cottingham, East Yorkshire
Hi,
I've been shopping around for an alu CX bike for a couple of months now and was expecting/hoping to be able to pick up something decent in the sales or second hand for £500-800. Old model CAADX/Cube CX Race etc were the kind of things on my radar. I've seen a couple of things that have tempted me and daresay I could find something that would suit my needs without too much trouble. But in the last couple of days I've started to think already about what my n+1 will be after I get a CX (I know - it's a sickness!). And the answer is probably a carbon flier, for about £1,000, after a period of saving up.
So now I'm wondering, rather than get myself a CX in the next month or two, and then start saving for bike number 3, would it make more sense to save up for a year or so and then blow the lot (£1,800-ish) on a carbon CX bike and a separate set of road wheels?
I have a steel road bike that's only 8 weeks/1,000 miles old and am loving it, using it for commuting and fun evening/weekend jaunts. I've started riding with a local club every week and group riding has really got me hooked. The rest of them all have carbon or alu road bikes, and although I have no probs keeping up I do fancy having the option of leaving the steel at home and jumping on something super-lightweight occasionally. But as I have a road bike already something that will allow me to go off-road is more of a priority.
I asked in an LBS recently if many people buy a bike and a separate set of wheels but the assistant gave me the impression it was virtually unheard of. He suggested a get a CX bike and a spare set of road tyres and swap between the 2 as required. But I'd likely want to do some road riding and some off-roading every week and don't fancy changing tyres 3 or 4 times a week.
I'd be interested to hear what others would do in this situation. Will £1,800 get me a decent carbon CX AND a decent set of road wheels, or would I need to save a chunk more than that really? Is 2 sets of wheels extravagant? If a viable option, do I need to look out for any possible snags with this set up, other than ensuring both wheels have the same type of cassette fitted? Would a £1,500(ish) carbon CX with road wheels be an inferior tarmac bike to a £1,000 dedicated carbon road bike in some ways?
Thanks in advance for any advice, Andy
I've been shopping around for an alu CX bike for a couple of months now and was expecting/hoping to be able to pick up something decent in the sales or second hand for £500-800. Old model CAADX/Cube CX Race etc were the kind of things on my radar. I've seen a couple of things that have tempted me and daresay I could find something that would suit my needs without too much trouble. But in the last couple of days I've started to think already about what my n+1 will be after I get a CX (I know - it's a sickness!). And the answer is probably a carbon flier, for about £1,000, after a period of saving up.
So now I'm wondering, rather than get myself a CX in the next month or two, and then start saving for bike number 3, would it make more sense to save up for a year or so and then blow the lot (£1,800-ish) on a carbon CX bike and a separate set of road wheels?
I have a steel road bike that's only 8 weeks/1,000 miles old and am loving it, using it for commuting and fun evening/weekend jaunts. I've started riding with a local club every week and group riding has really got me hooked. The rest of them all have carbon or alu road bikes, and although I have no probs keeping up I do fancy having the option of leaving the steel at home and jumping on something super-lightweight occasionally. But as I have a road bike already something that will allow me to go off-road is more of a priority.
I asked in an LBS recently if many people buy a bike and a separate set of wheels but the assistant gave me the impression it was virtually unheard of. He suggested a get a CX bike and a spare set of road tyres and swap between the 2 as required. But I'd likely want to do some road riding and some off-roading every week and don't fancy changing tyres 3 or 4 times a week.
I'd be interested to hear what others would do in this situation. Will £1,800 get me a decent carbon CX AND a decent set of road wheels, or would I need to save a chunk more than that really? Is 2 sets of wheels extravagant? If a viable option, do I need to look out for any possible snags with this set up, other than ensuring both wheels have the same type of cassette fitted? Would a £1,500(ish) carbon CX with road wheels be an inferior tarmac bike to a £1,000 dedicated carbon road bike in some ways?
Thanks in advance for any advice, Andy