Difference between cyclo cross and road bikes!

[Tim O'Reilly]

Hi All,

I'm a mountain biker at heart but with some of the horrible wet muddy conditions we are having I have started riding on the roads at full speed covering between 30/40 mikes and I'm really enjoy it. Most of my mates are roadies at heart and I have come to the conclusion that I need and third bike. I currently have a full suspension 29er and a full rigid 29er. Both bikes I do use, but....!

I had my first go last week on a friends cyclo cross and was amazed at the ease of climbing and the extra speeds. I suppose what I'm wanting to know is, other than the the obvious things, what are the main differences between road and cross? I have noticed that some c/c bikes have disc brakes of which for me would be a must after terrifying myself on the c/c bike and not being able to stop! So, are the differences the wheels and tyres?
I would appreciate any advise, but I think what I want is a bike that will go fast like a road bike, but which can also stop on a penny! Am I describing a cyclo cross bike? Do I buy a c/c bike and change the tyres for something faster rolling?

Thanks.

 

[palinurus]

Cross bikes are like road bikes with more space around the wheels so you can fit fatter tyres (and a good glob of mud). Some of them have disc brakes, and these are becoming more common. You can pick up a spare set of wheels and that way switch between road and off road tyres in minutes.

On relatively non-technical off-road stuff they are pretty quick compared to mountain bikes.

If you are only riding on the road though a road bike with well set up brakes will stop pretty good (I can lock the wheels on mine on a dry road- well the rear anyway, I don't want to test the front- and you can't brake better than that)

 

[Tim O'Reilly]

Cross bikes are like road bikes with more space around the wheels so you can fit fatter tyres (and a good glob of mud). Some of them have disc brakes, and these are becoming more common. You can pick up a spare set of wheels and that way switch between road and off road tyres in minutes.

On relatively non-technical off-road stuff they are pretty quick compared to mountain bikes.

If you are only riding on the road though a road bike with well set up brakes will stop pretty good (I can lock the wheels on mine on a dry road- well the rear anyway, I don't want to test the front- and you can't brake better than that)

Thanks for your advise!

Another question if possible! How long would it take me to get used to drop bars as all I've ever ridden are mountain bikes with flat bars or do I buy a cyclo cross bike with a flat bar?

 

[HovR]

I don't know about more modern bikes, but the front brake on my Dawes road bike is powerful enough to pick up the back wheel a decent height from the ground when on the drops.

It's worth noting that there are currently no hydro levers for drop bars, so you'd have to have cable actuated discs (or one of those cable/hydro converter things, but you'd still have cable in the braking system).

A cross bike will be built slightly more heavy duty than a road bike, so will have a bit of extra weight. There's also the advantage that many cross bikes (such as the well regarded Boardman CX) have rack fittings, which may be useful if you commute.

 

[Norm]

(generalising) CX-styled bikes work well on the road, and they work pretty well away from the road. IMO, a road bike will be better if you never plan to leave the Tarmac, they are lighter and the gears are more suited to road work, they climb better and they are responsive.

However, on rough Tarmac and mud, gravel etc, a CX bike will perform better than you'd expect and many of the advantages of the road bike could become disadvantages compared to the more stable and solid feel that you get from the solid frame, relaxed geometry and smoother ride of the CX.

 

[MacB]

I was having a think about this the other day and geometry does seem to vary under the heading crossbike depending on manufacturer. It did cross my mind as to whether, on some models, there would be no difference if you fitted shorter road forks?

Generally I tend to notice they have longer forks, shorter headtubes, higher BB, longer chainstays and a shorter reach BB to headtube, which will give the geometry angles for ST and HT. If you put forks on that were 20mm less AtoC(axle to crown) then the angles would steepen by 1 degree each, lower the BB and effectively shorten the chainstays?

Does that sound about right, I lack the enrgy to puzzle it all out right now?

 

[palinurus]

How long would it take me to get used to drop bars

Three or four minutes probably. It's not tricky.

 

[Beebo]

Three or four minutes probably. It's not tricky.

not sure about that, it took me about 2 months of daily commuting to get fully confident with using drops.
the brake levers are totally different, hand signals are harder, and changing down to the drops can be a bit wobbly.

 

[black'n'yellow]

three or four mins to familiarise yourself with them, certainly. Maybe a bit longer for a physical adjustment, maybe not...

 

[HovR]

not sure about that, it took me about 2 months of daily commuting to get fully confident with using drops.
the brake levers are totally different, hand signals are harder, and changing down to the drops can be a bit wobbly.

I guess it's pretty personal, as it only took me a few minutes after riding solely on flats for many years.

 

[The Jogger]

I'm getting use to my cross bike after riding a road bike, I like the cross, it feels more comfortable imo......

 

[defy-one]

I always rode flat bar bikes before - now I'm on a roadie and I love it.
Takes a few weeks I would say - but so worth it

 

[MrJamie]

Ive been looking at CX bikes instead of moving to a road bike for the flexibility, some of them are more like all purpose bikes, more relaxed geometry than a roadie, mountain bike gearing options and fittings for touring and mudguards. Others seem more aimed at competitive cyclocross where they have no extra fittings for guards/luggage and gear ratios that didnt really seem ideal for road use imho. Looking around almost every one I looked at was lacking 1 thing i was after. I liked the look of the Specialized Tricross Disc best, but im not sure id want alu forks on a £1200 bike. A lot of the others seemed to have quite low top gears compared to roadbikes (or even hybrids) with a 44 front chainring and a lack of granny gear which id probably miss.

 

[black'n'yellow]

gearing can be changed though..?

 

[MattHB]

gearing can be changed though..?

certainly I intend to do just this with my new CAADX 5 when I get it in a fortnight