2 new bikes or 1 new bike with 2 sets of wheels?

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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
 

jack smith

Veteran
Location
Durham
Id go with the carbon cross bike and some spare wheels, depending on if they are disc or rim brakes you can pick up shimano wheelsets anywhere from £70 to suit all budgets. id personally use the wheels the bike comes with for the road if they are a nice pair of wheels and buy a cheap pair of shimano wheels for off road use. R500 for example, wheels ypu dont mind getting dirty.

You wont notice much difference between a dedicated road bike and a cross bike with road wheels/tyres.
 
U

User19783

Guest
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

Hi
If I had that sort of money ,
I would buy MTB 650b/29er, hardtail, you can have lot more fun out on the trail than on a CX bike, CX bikes are hash to ride over long distance,
Your steel road bike will cover most things, buy some light weight wheel and tyre s for that bike, then you could do some sportives , and then overtake all the carbon frame boys, that's what I do, ( well try).
Enjoy whatever bike you get.
BTW,
Don't forget to leave some money , to get a fixed wheel bike, , which is a must.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

outlash

also available in orange
You wont notice much difference between a dedicated road bike and a cross bike with road wheels/tyres.

This. Good Friday I went out on my crosser (as the weather wasn't great and it's the only bike I have that'll take mudguards) and did 75 miles on the road without any problems, Sunday it went off road. All I did was take off the mudguards and stuck on some knobblies. You don't even need 2 sets of wheels. For example the only difference between the Fulcrum CX & road wheels are the CX versions have double sealed hubs to keep the crap out.

Tony.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
How much does your equilibrium actually weigh? Mine is under 10kg. A carbon CX isn't going to be much lighter especially if disc brakes surely. £1000 doesn't buy a super light carbon roadbike either, even used
 

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
I tried that "having 2 sets of wheels and swapping them round to suit CX or road" thing; but don't forget that you will need to swap cassettes over too. Having separate cassettes on each wheelset doesn't really work out either because they will wear with the chain at different rates unless you are using them in roughly equal amounts and swapping regularly. A chain and cassette with different levels of wear doesn't make for smooth running!
 
OP
OP
EasyPeez

EasyPeez

Veteran
id personally use the wheels the bike comes with for the road if they are a nice pair of wheels and buy a cheap pair of shimano wheels for off road use. R500 for example, wheels ypu dont mind getting dirty.
That's not a bad idea - I was thinking of using the stock CX wheels for off-road and getting some lighter, quicker ones for road riding, but I guess a cheap set for off-road makes sense as I'll be less bothered about speed then and the wheels will be taking more of a hammering. That way I'd free up a couple of hundred extra for the bike itself which ought to mean I could get something with better wheels to start with, esp if I go for a frameset and wheels separately rather than buying an off the shelf bike. Thanks for the suggestion.

For example the only difference between the Fulcrum CX & road wheels are the CX versions have double sealed hubs to keep the crap out.
Yeah, those are the wheels I have on my steel bike now. It comes with the CX versions depsite being a road bike.

How much does your equilibrium actually weigh? Mine is under 10kg. A carbon CX isn't going to be much lighter especially if disc brakes surely. £1000 doesn't buy a super light carbon roadbike either, even used
Not sure as I don't have scales. The website quotes 10.55kg for the size up from mine, without pedals. It's not a heavy bike, and is certainly much lighter than anything I've had before. But compared to the carbon road bikes that I had a sly heft of last week at the club meet I reckon I'm carrying at least 2kg extra. Maybe much of that is in the differences in wheels and groupset between my bike and theirs,not just in the steel vs. carbon frame? That said, theirs are all dedicated road bikes (by the likes of Planet X, Ribble, Giant etc) whereas I'm now considering a carbon CX - are carbon CX bikes/frames generally a bit heavier than equivalent priced carbon road bikes for some reason? I would have thought only the disc brakes and wheels would be likely to carry extra weight rather than the frames themselves. Something for me to look into more closely I guess. But again, my dilemma is as much about best use of funds (and shed space!) as having a very light bike, so a kg here or there is not a deal breaker, so long as the bike(s) I buy allow(s) me to go off-road and includes an option that's noticeably lighter than what I'm riding right now.

I tried that "having 2 sets of wheels and swapping them round to suit CX or road" thing; but don't forget that you will need to swap cassettes over too. Having separate cassettes on each wheelset doesn't really work out either because they will wear with the chain at different rates unless you are using them in roughly equal amounts and swapping regularly. A chain and cassette with different levels of wear doesn't make for smooth running!
Gah!! I never thought of this! I couldn't be faffed with swapping cassettes several times a week. If I was starting out with 2 new cassettes and 1 new chain though I reckon I'm OCD enough to record my mileage on each cassette and share the riding equally between the 2 wheelsets. Or is this what you once told yourself too?!

Thanks for the input everyone. More advice/experience on the two cassettes and chainwear issue would be appreciated if anyone else is riding 2 sets of wheels. I'm off to look more closely at carbon CX frame weights and budget off-road wheelsets. Cheers.
 
OP
OP
EasyPeez

EasyPeez

Veteran
Blow the budget http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/pearson-i-ve-started-so-i-ll-finish.html

They should be able to tell you how much it weighs and I wager you won't see another on your club run
Yep, that is a great looking bike. Pearson are totally on my shopping radar and I'm pretty sure nobody else in Hull owns one (I was feeling pretty unique on my Genesis until last week when one of our local LBSs moved into a new, bigger premises andI popped in to find they have started stocking the Genesis range, amongst others).
The thing putting me off that would be the wheels - same as I already have on my Equilibrium and at £2,000 it would leave me over budget and still needing another set of wheels and cassette...

I might ask if they would sell the frame alone though - that could be exciting. Might ask Planet X the same thing about this one too - just to mix things up even further, how does Titaniumn compare to steel and carbon for ride and weight, anyone?!
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPICKCX1/on-one-pickenflick-sram-cx1-cyclocross-bike
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Why do you need different wheels? Just change the tyres? The beauty of Pearsons is they will spec the bike however you want, groupset, wheels, saddle etc

This is closer to budget and can be tweaked as required http://www.dolan-bikes.com/dolan-cdx-carbon-cyclo-cross-bike.html

Titanium meant to be lighter and even more comfortable than steel

FWIW I find my Genesis steel a more comfortable ride than my carbon even with the same wheels

The PX does look good, I don't really go off road so a CX is of limited interest to me
 

Onyer

Senior Member
just to mix things up even further, how does Titaniumn compare to steel and carbon for ride and weight, anyone?!
I have a Spesh Roubaix that I upgraded with Ultegra 6800 groupset and handbuilt wheels, which reduced the weight by about a kg. A lovely bike and very smooth. I also have a Ti bike with Ultegra groupset and I use the same handbuilt wheels. It is a bit heavier and nearly as smooth as the Spesh. Having said that I think that main difference in smoothness is in the forks. The Spesh has better forks which absorb more of the road buzz. Both lovely materials.
 
OP
OP
EasyPeez

EasyPeez

Veteran
A carbon CX isn't going to be much lighter especially if disc brakes surely
Is this right? I dunno....a quick Google of a few manufacturers offering carbon CX bikes brings up 2 models in my price range that are around 2kg lighter than my steel even with their stock wheels, and even an alu one that comes in nearly 2kg lighter -

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXXLSCX1/planet-x-xls-sram-cx1-cyclocross-bike
http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=14&pg=10660
https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3620

Why do you need different wheels? Just change the tyres?
Well in a typical week I would expect to maybe want to ride off road on Monday, road Weds, off road Thurs and a bit of both at the weekend. That sounds like a lot of tyre changing to me and I'm not sure I could find the time and patience for it. Or am I just being soft?!
The Dolan looks good on paper but for some reason I just know I could never love a Dolan. Dunno why.

The beauty of Pearsons is they will spec the bike however you want, groupset, wheels, saddle etc
I did not know that....now I'm excited! I've asked them the weight of the 'Started so I'll finish'. Will see how that compares to some other options out there and what wheelsets it might take. Maybe I will have to settle for tyre changing after all.

I have a Spesh Roubaix that I upgraded with Ultegra 6800 groupset and handbuilt wheels, which reduced the weight by about a kg
Sounds like a lovely ride :smile:

If Titanium is
It is a bit heavier and nearly as smooth
as carbon then I'm not sure that's really selling it to me!
 

vickster

Legendary Member
I don't understand why you can't use the genesis on the road?

I also don't think you can compare titanium and carbon roadbikes, they are not aimed at the same market generally
 

Onyer

Senior Member
If Titanium is as carbon then I'm not sure that's really selling it to me!
Titanium is a lovely material to ride. Hence my two bikes - the carbon for summer/dry use and the Ti for winter and light touring. My mate bought a Ti bike as a one bike for all purposes, but I think he is missing out on the joy and pleasure of owning a second and different bike. As you have said there are different reasons for wanting a second bike.
 
OP
OP
EasyPeez

EasyPeez

Veteran
I don't understand why you can't use the genesis on the road?
Erm...I can and do use the Genesis on the road. 1,000 miles in the last 8 weeks, commuting daily and club riding weekly. As I said, I am loving it. But in an ideal world I'd like to have a super-light road option for club rides on the big hills and so I have another bike to share my annual road mileage across. I don't need another road bike, but as I'm planning to buy a CX bike I was just wondering if in purchasing one I could preclude my future hankerings for a third bike and stop at two by buying something that ticks the lightweight carbon and off-road boxes. Anyway - looks like I've buggered that idea up now anyway - see below!

I also don't think you can compare titanium and carbon roadbikes, they are not aimed at the same market generally
Yeah, I know. I was just being flippant. Ti is made to sound like the love-child of graphene and angel hair by some, being supposedly lighter and comfier than steel as well as comfier and better lookin than carbon, whilst not much heftier. Yours and @Onyer 's replies didn't make it sound all that better than either is all.

Titanium is a lovely material to ride. Hence my two bikes - the carbon for summer/dry use and the Ti for winter and light touring. My mate bought a Ti bike as a one bike for all purposes, but I think he is missing out on the joy and pleasure of owning a second and different bike. As you have said there are different reasons for wanting a second bike.
Sounds good. An all-weather Titanium tourer/commuter would be great. Possibly with drivechain and hub. Oh dear....looks like I've just realised that I need a third/fourth bike!
 
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