I'm not sure why,but.........

[Chris-H]

I've just brought a Spesh Tricross,i was looking for a dropped bar commuter and this came along at a good price,its a 54cm and i normally ride 57 cm but it fits,i thought it'd be too small so looked at it for the mrs,got it home checked it against my 57cm Bianchi and its the same size pretty much,how does that work then????? Anyway will get some piccies up over the weekend aling with a couple of questions.
Are these suitable commuters? I cant see why not at this stage but never had one or ridden one before.

 

[xxmimixx]

I' m sure that if you measure the Top tube of both bikes it's the same length. I think that the CX bikes geometry is such that you go for a smaller size, the same happened to me, I have a 56cm road bike and a 53cm cx (same brand) and they both have the same top tube length. I think they are perfect for commuting, especially in winter with all the debris on the road, although I might be tempted to put sleeks in summer

 

[Chris-H]

Yup you Are spot on there mate the top tubes are the same,I will probably take the extra brake levers off though togive me more room for lights and computer though, I just need to find some suitable mudguards now, any recommendations.

 

[xxmimixx]

Yup you Are spot on there mate the top tubes are the same,I will probably take the extra brake levers off though togive me more room for lights and computer though, I just need to find some suitable mudguards now, any recommendations.

Mudguards are a dark horse because there isnt a standard wheels size for cx, wheel size vary from 29mm to 33mm+ and if you have the eyelets/catches (cant remember the name!!) to attach the mudguards or if they have to be clip on. SKS are always mentioned and highly rated. I have not put any on my bike yet.

 

[Tarbo]

I use my CX bike as my winter ride, so yes, they can be used to commute.
I have two sets of wheels, one set up for Cx and the second with a set of winter road tyres on them. I also have full mud guards front and back for the bike when used on the road. If i'm racing Cx or going out 'off road' on it, i simply remove the mud guards and swapthe wheels over. Simple !

Just be aware that the cantilever brakes are shite compared to normal rod bike callipers.

 

[Chris-H]

Mudguard dilemma solved,i had a pair of sks off my hybrid hidden away in a shed which i forgot about,had to do a bit of modifying for them to fit and also cut one of the stays off each side on the front one but they fit so has saved me £30 buying new ones.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Bottom brackets are generally higher on cx bikes, so c to c or c to t is smaller but is the same height from the ground as road bikes.....if you get what I mean....

 

[Chris-H]

Bottom brackets are generally higher on cx bikes, so c to c or c to t is smaller but is the same height from the ground as road bikes.....if you get what I mean....

Ahhhh that explains a lot,i just could'nt figure out how a 54 cm felt comfortable,chers for that

 

[Chris-H]

Well,just been out for my first proper ride as opposed to around the block a couple of times and i must say i dont like it It does feel too small after jumping on my Bianchi,therefore i'll be selling it now as theres a bike for sale on here i would like.

 

[Chris-H]

Now in the classifieds.

 

[cyberknight]

Now in the classifieds.

Looks nice and probably the right size for me too , although the only way i could afford it would be like a CCJ payment, £10 a month etc etc

 

[Chris-H]

Looks nice and probably the right size for me too , although the only way i could afford it would be like a CCJ payment, £10 a month etc etc

£300 deposit and 6 monthly payments of a tenner then