Cyclocross or road bike?

[Bill93]

Im a bit apprehensive of buying a road bike as ive only ever had bmx as a kid and the mountain bike i have now which is a marin mountain bike with road tires.


This might come across as a dumb question but are road bikes strictly for smooth surfaces only, and are cyclocross bikes any good? i dont wanna go off road properly but sometimes i have to go over grass for like a minute or two so would a road bike not be suitable at all for that

thanks

 

[Norm]

Generalising hugely, I (at 115kg) wouldn't take my road bike very far away from Tarmac but I've used my CX-styled bike on off road courses and done 70-mile days away from roads without an issue. For reference, my roadie is a Specialized Secteur and the CX is a Specialized Tricross.

I'm also generally as fast on the road when riding the Tricross as I am on the Secteur, as I'm less worried about hitting out holes at speed and can concentrate on just maintaining progress, although the Secteur is faster to accelerate and climb, as you'd expect with it's lower weight and lighter wheels and tyres.

However, the problem is that 'road bike' can mean different things and there are plenty of road bikes which could be taken across grass without a problem.

 

[vickster]

It depends on your reasons for wanting a roadbike...do you want something light and quick for the 95% of the time that you are on a road, or do you want something that can handle all surfaces without you being concerned. You can of course go across grass on a roadbike, and you can go across a rough road or through a park but you may need to slow down. It all depends on your needs and confidence and of course budget. CX bikes are a good compromise, but they will be heavier and slower.

I am sure this isn't the case for most, but I was discussing CX bikes with a salesman the other day and he said lots of people buy CX bikes because they want to be able to manage rougher stuff rather than going straight for a road bike (i.e. smoother skinnier tyres) - then they basically ride on roads all the time and are back after 6 months for the road bike. This is in London mind, might depend where you live ultimately

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

IMO you get the good part of both with a CX.
If you want more speed simple enough to slap a pair of slicks on it the take it out for a good Tarmac spin - or get a second pair of wheels and cassette, one for the road as thy say.

 

[Bill93]

thanks guys, think il go for the cyclocross then, any good makes i should be looking at ?

 

[rowdin]

Boardman cx, or the decathlon cx, are the ones i'm looking at, both are around 10 kgs so not too heavy. Biggest reason for me to get a cx is they make much better winter bikes.

 

[vickster]

Budget? Ridley, specialzed make CX bikes. Also Giant and Focus. Scope out some shops and see what appeals. Start at around £800 realistically. Someone is selling his Tricross at the mo. May even be 2 in the classifieds if ok with used

 

[lulubel]

IMO you get the good part of both with a CX.
If you want more speed simple enough to slap a pair of slicks on it the take it out for a good Tarmac spin - or get a second pair of wheels and cassette, one for the road as thy say.

I totally agree with this. A CX bike isn't far away from being a road bike with slightly wider wheel rims and knobbly tyres. I recently built a bike using a CX frame, but put fairly light road wheels on it. I'm actually faster on it than I was on my old dedicated road bike.

 

[2wd]

My almost new Tricross Sport is for sale Bill93

Click on the links below

 

[2wd]

[QUOTE 1979851, member: 45"]Put the model and size into google shopping. I did that and got last year's model Tricross for £500[/quote]

Shimano 2300?

Tiagra like mine is still at £695

Mine also has two wheel sets with 28mm road and 32 mm CX tyres

Bargain @ £500

 

[Rob3rt]

Do yourself a favour and just buy a road bike. Don't bother with a CX bike, it is overkill.

Given your needs (i.e. mostly on road and only the occasional little bit's of over grass etc), then a road bike will suffice. Anyone who is scared about riding a road bike over a bit of grass or an occasional jaunt over a couple of hundred yards of gravel, compacted dirt or surface similar to a canal towpath is paranoid! Road bikes aren't fragile, they just don't have the clearance for larger tyres that would be needed for riding on soggy mud or the brakes for riding in shitty muddy conditions. Unless you plan on getting up to the eyes in mud and smashing your bike over logs etc then a road bike will suffice.

 

[jim55]

i took my road bike on a canal path yest (23s ,and all road kit ),most of it was loose packed gravel /shingle ,it performed faultlessly ,i felt the same at first and using a road bike on anything other than tarmac worried me with slim wheels and narrow tyres ,theyr not as fragile as u think
i have 36 spoke mavic open pro rims and app they are quite strong ,i wouldnt know about some of the other really lightweight less spoke jobs though its really down to the rims u have the rest of the bike would b fine i imagine