Best CX bike for £1,000 or less?

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John_S

Über Member
Hi Steezy,

That's great to hear that you've managed to get a test ride sorted and I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Also fingers crossed you can get some test rides on some other bikes over the weekend whilst it's fresh in your mind.

Hope it goes well!

John
 
OP
OP
S

Steezy

Regular
Hi John,

Sorry for the delayed response - been a very hectic week this one. Just to let you know, I did test some bikes last weekend in York, including the Genesis Eq Disc 10. For you and anyone else who're interested here are my thoughts. I should make it clear that the following are the ramblings of a novice as I'd never rode a road or CX bike before last Saturday.

Well, first stop was at Cycle Heaven in York (which I would highly recommend to anyone in the area for stock and friendliness and professionalism of staff). The Genesis Eq10 was waiting for me and looks every bit as good in the flesh as in the catalogue. After getting measured up and working out that the 54cm frame was just right for me, I took it out for a 20min spin long the side of the Ouse and up around York racecourse. Main observations:

- steel frame+carbon fork gave a very smooth ride over the rough tarmac track, inc. some potholes
- Tiagra groupset was very smooth, and a revelation in comparison to my clunky old MTB shimano set-up. Went up and down thru the whole range a few times and it never missed a beat.
- Brakes were very responsive without being over-keen. They inspired instant confidence and again were a world away from what I'm used to.
- It's quick off the mark and feel great bombing into corners on the drops. Yet the ride position on the hoods is very comfortable and I could easily envisage a full day in the saddle. This came as a pleasant surprise as I was expecting the jump from MTB to road bike to be a bit harsh.
- The bike looks amazing resting against a fence in the sunshine with a river behind it!
Back at the shop I couldn't stop grinning. My brother then took it out for a spin too and his thoughts were much like mine. Except that he loved it even more than me. So much so that he started to panic that he had done the wrong thing in ordering a CAADX 105.

After this we cycled across the city to Evans where I tested a CAADX Sora (only CAADX they had in my size) and a 'Dale Super6 (only road bike they had in my size with 105 groupset).
Although the CAADX is listed as being only marginally lighter than the Genesis, it did feel immediately less hefty (not that the Genesis feels esp weighty) on picking it up. On taking it outside the first thing I noticed was how much slower out of the blocks it is than the Genesis. The second thing I noticed was that it had 2 flat tyres! So back into the shop for a pump up...staff were suitably apologetic. Then back out...it felt much sprightlier with the correct tyre pressures, prob as quick as the Genesis despite thicker tyres. Actually, the bike felt like it could be really, and I mean REALLY good fun to ride, all day across all kinds of terrain. However, I was immediately aware that the Sora was noisier and clunkier than the Tiagra on the Genesis. And the whole thing just didn't feel as well put together - reflector hanging off front wheel, regular missing of gears, some unidentifiable reverb coming up through the seat post at speed. And then, bombing into a corner at a good 25mph-ish, the front wheel caught on my toe-clip and had me flying off into the grass verge. Felt a right plonker (despite being a novice of drop-bar bikes I count myself as a good rider and cycle every day, at speed, and rarely have any offs). After dusting myself off and checking the bike for damage (none thankfully) I realised that it was actually physically impossible to pedal and turn the front wheel more than a certain number of degrees at the same time without the toeclips jamming into the wheel. A problem which would only be made much worse by the addition of mudguards. When I pointed this out in the shop they were surprised and bemused. After some discussion and calling 2 more assistants over they came to the consensus that the pedals must not be the ones supplied with the bike and that the toe-clips in question were too long for this model. I'll take their word for that, but it didn't help me to fall in love with the CAADX that's for sure, nor did it give me much confidence in the Evans set-up having this experience on top of the flat-tyre issue.
Next up I took out the Super6. My first thought was "bloody hell, how do people ride these all day?!" The ride position was much more aggressive and the saddle felt straight out of an 80s Yellow Pages ad. Anyway, I was only trying it for the groupset. Which proved to be a big disappointment. My bro has shown me some of his threads on here discussing 105 vs Tiagra and it seems some people rate the 105 as significantly better and others say if blindfolded they couldn't tell the difference in the two. Well if blindfolded I would easily have been able to tell the difference in the Tiagra on the Genesis and the 105 here. The Tiagra would be the one that changed sweet as a nut everytime; the 105 would be the one that missed gears on the top 3 cogs of the cassette with regularity. I can only assume that this is a set-up issue, rather than the more expensive bit of kit being inferior? Given the fiasco with the CAADX, maybe this was just another example of Evans not setting up the bike properly, so the gears weren't properly calibrated.
So as much as this is meant to be a review of different bikes, I think the day turned out to be a review of different buying experiences. I'm not knocking Evans - the staff seemed knowledgable and helpful, and maybe I just caught them on a bad day. They were incredibly busy so they're obv doing something right. But for me the quality of bike set-up at Cycle Heaven, not to mention their aftersales service (as many free services and tune-ups as you like for a year) was streets ahead.

Having tested all the same bikes as me, my brother was now even more convinced that he'd done the wrong thing in ordering the CAADX. So we rushed back to Cycle Heaven, they let him have another spin out to confirm his thoughts despite it getting dark (again, shows how keen they are to provide a good service). He came back grinning like a Cheshire Cat, rang his LBS and cancelled the CAADX there and then and paid a £100 deposit to take the Eq10.
The lad in the shop confirmed it will take 32mm winter tyres, comes with stronger CX wheels that will take a battering on rough roads better than most 'road' wheels, will take guards and a rack, has a lifetime frame guarantee as is easily upgradable to Ultegra/SRAM in the future.

So my bro is currently one very happy bunny, waiting for his Cyclescheme voucher to come through so that he can return to York to pick it up and ride it the 40miles home!

For myself, there were too many issues with the CAADX (perhaps more Evans fault than Cannondales) for me to feel confident ordering one. And I loved the Genesis but won't be able to keep my MTB or buy another bike for a long time due to space issues, so I really need to be looking at a CX I think. Though if my brother hadn't gone for the Eq10 quite so early I'd probably have come home, thought it over and decided to get that and swap out the tyres. Maybe I still will do that, it just pains me to think of riding the same bike as him!

Sorry if anyone has dropped off reading that lot! The search goes on for me, but thanks for your help. Can see now that riding a machine is by far the best way to assess if a bike meets one's needs, so looks like booking more test rides and visiting more cities is in store. Cheers.

And if anyone is considering a versatile road bike then I would highly recommend the Equilibrium Disc range, and know my bro would too.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Wonderful Spec! Bloody horrible looking! (IMO YMMV WTF ETC)
I haven't quite made my mind up about the black and green! There is a black and white version but my size (XL) is currently not available. Mind you - neither is the cash! I probably would not be buying until March, so I think I will just get some more Crud Roadracers for my Basso and ride that until the end of the winter.
 

John_S

Über Member
Hi Steezy,

Thanks for posting this update following your test rides and I found this really interesting!

Sounds like it was an eventful day and like you say almost as much a tale of two bikes shops as well as the bikes to compare. Maybe it was just one of those days for the shop but it’s not great to have been given a bike with two flats. Also I’m glad to hear that you came to no harm given the off into the grass verge.

The feedback on the two bikes is really useful and it’s good that you took your brother along as well and could get two opinions and it’s interesting that you’re opinions matched up.

It seems like your brother came out of the test ride day with the best result having found the bike for him whereas for you the search continues. However it just goes to show that it’s well worth getting a test ride if you can. To be honest it can be as much about trying things and eliminating bikes to narrow things down and eventually get to the right bike.

Thinking of the Genesis Equilibrium Disc 10, from looking at the photos I’ve seen, for me it’s a nice looking bike. However the look and specs can only tell you so much and it’s really good feedback to hear that both you and your brother were impressed with it.

It’s a shame that it might not be the bike to suit your requirements and good luck with your continued search to find the right one for you!

John
 
Just to second what @Steezy said above - Cycle Heaven in York is fantastic, and the Genesis Eq10 is a wonderful bike - such a smooth ride, versatile and great on the eye. I like it so much that I think I'm going to scrap my original plan to kit my new bike out in panniers and guards and only ride it in fine weather, sticking with my MTB when it's wet out. I dunno....that doesn't sound too practical but it seems to me too gorgeous a bike to spoil with ugly bolt-ons and hammer in all weathers, though I'm sure it'd be tough enough to take it.

Having rode and ordered a 105 CAADX in Hull I can confirm that it's also a fab bike, and loads of fun. Really quick and agile. The 105 I rode was dead smooth so I can only assume the Super6 in York wasn't set up properly or had been knocked out of whack on a previous test ride. The Eq10 felt much better built and finished than the CAADX for me though, and I couldn't honestly tell a difference between the 105 I rode in Hull and the Genesis' Tiagra groupset, although I have to confess there was quite a period of weeks in between trying the two so it's not like i could make a direct comparison.

Can't wait to pick up Jenny now!
 

pclay

Veteran
Location
Rugby
Hi John,

Sorry for the delayed response - been a very hectic week this one. Just to let you know, I did test some bikes last weekend in York, including the Genesis Eq Disc 10. For you and anyone else who're interested here are my thoughts. I should make it clear that the following are the ramblings of a novice as I'd never rode a road or CX bike before last Saturday.

Well, first stop was at Cycle Heaven in York (which I would highly recommend to anyone in the area for stock and friendliness and professionalism of staff). The Genesis Eq10 was waiting for me and looks every bit as good in the flesh as in the catalogue. After getting measured up and working out that the 54cm frame was just right for me, I took it out for a 20min spin long the side of the Ouse and up around York racecourse. Main observations:

- steel frame+carbon fork gave a very smooth ride over the rough tarmac track, inc. some potholes
- Tiagra groupset was very smooth, and a revelation in comparison to my clunky old MTB shimano set-up. Went up and down thru the whole range a few times and it never missed a beat.
- Brakes were very responsive without being over-keen. They inspired instant confidence and again were a world away from what I'm used to.
- It's quick off the mark and feel great bombing into corners on the drops. Yet the ride position on the hoods is very comfortable and I could easily envisage a full day in the saddle. This came as a pleasant surprise as I was expecting the jump from MTB to road bike to be a bit harsh.
- The bike looks amazing resting against a fence in the sunshine with a river behind it!
Back at the shop I couldn't stop grinning. My brother then took it out for a spin too and his thoughts were much like mine. Except that he loved it even more than me. So much so that he started to panic that he had done the wrong thing in ordering a CAADX 105.

After this we cycled across the city to Evans where I tested a CAADX Sora (only CAADX they had in my size) and a 'Dale Super6 (only road bike they had in my size with 105 groupset).
Although the CAADX is listed as being only marginally lighter than the Genesis, it did feel immediately less hefty (not that the Genesis feels esp weighty) on picking it up. On taking it outside the first thing I noticed was how much slower out of the blocks it is than the Genesis. The second thing I noticed was that it had 2 flat tyres! So back into the shop for a pump up...staff were suitably apologetic. Then back out...it felt much sprightlier with the correct tyre pressures, prob as quick as the Genesis despite thicker tyres. Actually, the bike felt like it could be really, and I mean REALLY good fun to ride, all day across all kinds of terrain. However, I was immediately aware that the Sora was noisier and clunkier than the Tiagra on the Genesis. And the whole thing just didn't feel as well put together - reflector hanging off front wheel, regular missing of gears, some unidentifiable reverb coming up through the seat post at speed. And then, bombing into a corner at a good 25mph-ish, the front wheel caught on my toe-clip and had me flying off into the grass verge. Felt a right plonker (despite being a novice of drop-bar bikes I count myself as a good rider and cycle every day, at speed, and rarely have any offs). After dusting myself off and checking the bike for damage (none thankfully) I realised that it was actually physically impossible to pedal and turn the front wheel more than a certain number of degrees at the same time without the toeclips jamming into the wheel. A problem which would only be made much worse by the addition of mudguards. When I pointed this out in the shop they were surprised and bemused. After some discussion and calling 2 more assistants over they came to the consensus that the pedals must not be the ones supplied with the bike and that the toe-clips in question were too long for this model. I'll take their word for that, but it didn't help me to fall in love with the CAADX that's for sure, nor did it give me much confidence in the Evans set-up having this experience on top of the flat-tyre issue.
Next up I took out the Super6. My first thought was "bloody hell, how do people ride these all day?!" The ride position was much more aggressive and the saddle felt straight out of an 80s Yellow Pages ad. Anyway, I was only trying it for the groupset. Which proved to be a big disappointment. My bro has shown me some of his threads on here discussing 105 vs Tiagra and it seems some people rate the 105 as significantly better and others say if blindfolded they couldn't tell the difference in the two. Well if blindfolded I would easily have been able to tell the difference in the Tiagra on the Genesis and the 105 here. The Tiagra would be the one that changed sweet as a nut everytime; the 105 would be the one that missed gears on the top 3 cogs of the cassette with regularity. I can only assume that this is a set-up issue, rather than the more expensive bit of kit being inferior? Given the fiasco with the CAADX, maybe this was just another example of Evans not setting up the bike properly, so the gears weren't properly calibrated.
So as much as this is meant to be a review of different bikes, I think the day turned out to be a review of different buying experiences. I'm not knocking Evans - the staff seemed knowledgable and helpful, and maybe I just caught them on a bad day. They were incredibly busy so they're obv doing something right. But for me the quality of bike set-up at Cycle Heaven, not to mention their aftersales service (as many free services and tune-ups as you like for a year) was streets ahead.

Having tested all the same bikes as me, my brother was now even more convinced that he'd done the wrong thing in ordering the CAADX. So we rushed back to Cycle Heaven, they let him have another spin out to confirm his thoughts despite it getting dark (again, shows how keen they are to provide a good service). He came back grinning like a Cheshire Cat, rang his LBS and cancelled the CAADX there and then and paid a £100 deposit to take the Eq10.
The lad in the shop confirmed it will take 32mm winter tyres, comes with stronger CX wheels that will take a battering on rough roads better than most 'road' wheels, will take guards and a rack, has a lifetime frame guarantee as is easily upgradable to Ultegra/SRAM in the future.

So my bro is currently one very happy bunny, waiting for his Cyclescheme voucher to come through so that he can return to York to pick it up and ride it the 40miles home!

For myself, there were too many issues with the CAADX (perhaps more Evans fault than Cannondales) for me to feel confident ordering one. And I loved the Genesis but won't be able to keep my MTB or buy another bike for a long time due to space issues, so I really need to be looking at a CX I think. Though if my brother hadn't gone for the Eq10 quite so early I'd probably have come home, thought it over and decided to get that and swap out the tyres. Maybe I still will do that, it just pains me to think of riding the same bike as him!

Sorry if anyone has dropped off reading that lot! The search goes on for me, but thanks for your help. Can see now that riding a machine is by far the best way to assess if a bike meets one's needs, so looks like booking more test rides and visiting more cities is in store. Cheers.

And if anyone is considering a versatile road bike then I would highly recommend the Equilibrium Disc range, and know my bro would too.

The genesis eq disc 10 is a road bike, so not what the OP is looking for. Good write up though.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
@EasyPeez nothing wrong with putting pannier and guards on a genesis equilibrium, mine remains lovely even kitted out
 

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shadow master

Well-Known Member
Hi,
Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times, I did try a search but didn't find anything directly related to a wide range of CX bikes in this price bracket.

My employer has just signed up to the Cyclescheme so I'm planning to take advantage and get myself a bike for the maximum value. I'll mainly be using it for commuting (approx 20miles a day) in all weathers so will be wanting mudguards and a seatpost rack or proper pannier, but would like to get something fast and fun too for weekend spins. I figure a CX prob ticks these boxes better than road or hybrid?
I've done a lot of searching around online but am really struggling to find anywhere near me that has bikes in in my size and will allow test rides.

Some that have caught me eye online include:

http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/road-race/cross-race/cube-cross-race-disc-blacknrednblue-2015/
But cant seem to find this in stock anywhere at all that I can get to

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-cx-team-bike-2014
But I think Halfords operate under a different cycle to work scheme so don't think I can use them

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=14&pg=12141
Not sure about the aesthetics of this one though...

http://www.cannondale.com/nam_en/2015/bikes/road/cyclocross/caadx/caadx-disc-5-105
Not the most exciting looking but spec seems good for the price?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt/cyclocross-bikes/
I like Felt as a brand but Tiagra and lack of full carbon forks for best part of a grand seems underwhelming?

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/city/dual_sport/crossrip/crossrip_limited/
Saw one of these in the flesh last weekend and it strikes me as a beautiful bike and prob the one I'm most drawn to, but is out of my price range and the models below it seem woefully underspecced compared to the others on here, or am I overlooking something?

Have discounted Giant's based on looks and the fact that there are so many of them around here, and not keen on Pinnacles based on looks either.
A shop near me is offering one of these for £700 so was wondering about going for that as it seems excellent value compared to original list price, would leave me £300 to play with for accessories and is a good looking machine. Am unsure though as I was hoping for disc brakes and something tells me if I'm spending £1,000 I should max out on the bike and get the accessories out of my own pocket, as it were, given that they'll be worth nothing as soon as I buy them.

Any thoughts on the bikes and ramblings above would be much appreciated, and am open to any other suggestions I might have not considered. Thanks.
Merida 2015 £999 cyclocross is excellent carbon fork thru axle 22 105 conti tyres check it out,£799 model also available
 

John_S

Über Member
Hi Steezy,

Just because I'm looking at bikes again dreaming of my next bike I wondered if you'd considered trying to get a test ride on either the Genesis Croix de Fer 20 or Croix de Fer Ltd?

Reading your earlier post you said that you'd ruled out the Croix de Fer 10 because you wanted to get more for your money than the Sora groupset. Reading your feedback following your test ride of the Equilibrium Disc 10 I read that you really like the Tiagra groupset. Now I appreciate that everyone has to set a budget for their bike and so the Croix de Fer 20 or Croix de Fer Ltd might be a complete non-starter at £1,200 but with the Equilibrium Disc 10 being £1,100 if following a test ride the Croix de Fer 20 or Ltd fitted the bill it might be worth some extra saving. I only mention this because you seemed to like the Genesis Equilibrium but perhaps wanted something more CX than road orientated and crucially something different from your brother.

Looking at the Genesis website the Croix de Fer 20 comes with the Tiagra groupset and in respect of the Ltd the website says, "Largely sharing the same spec as the stock CdF 20, the polished silver Tiagra components make way for stealthy Shimano 460 parts (essentially black Tiagra level), with the bonus of a slightly higher smaller 48/34T chainset (as opposed to 50/34T)".

Might be worth a test ride if you can get one and considering against any other bikes from other manufacturers that other posters on here can recommend to you or other bikes that LBS have available to try.

Good luck with your continued hunt.

John
 
@EasyPeez nothing wrong with putting pannier and guards on a genesis equilibrium, mine remains lovely even kitted out
That is indeed a lovely looking steed @vickster, rack and all.

I know deep-down that a proper pannier rack and guards make sense overall. And the weight gain for weekend rides and sportives (if I get confident enough to enter any this summer) will be negligible even if I leave them on. But something is holding me back. I'm starting to wonder if my quandry has less to do with the most useful way to kit out my bike and more to do with my impending mid-life crisis!
 
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