[PING] Croix de Fer owners

[PaulSecteur]

Hi,

Im seriously looking at getting one of these as my "Do it all" bike, I have a few questions for those that have owned one for a while...

1-I have had a very short trial on one and found the brakes to be poor. It was brand new and the chap said they would bed in (BB7s). Is this true?

2-I would be looking at a 54 or 56 frame, I have size 10 feet. Would there be toe overlap, especially with guards fitted?

3-Any problems with the new 10 speed tiagra?

4-Not sure if I will be buying a complete bike, or a frame and fork and getting my own components. Can anyone recommend suitable wheels?

Ta, Paul.

 

[ianrauk]

I'm sure Gaz545 had one and he returned it due to recurring trouble with the brakes.

 

[potsy]

I'm sure Gaz545 had one and he returned it due to recurring trouble with the brakes.

Think Gaz had a Genesis, but not a CdF.
New Tiagra is very smooth, got it on my Tricross

 

[ianrauk]

aha... cheets Pots, I stand corrected.

 

[vickster]

I think benb has one

 

[benb]

I love it. I've had no problems with the brakes, except for a squeak which the lbs sorted out for me.

I've got the 2011, so it's got the 9 speed so I can't comment on the 10 speed components on the 2012 model.

 

[gaz]

I'm sure Gaz545 had one and he returned it due to recurring trouble with the brakes.

I had the Day01 not the CDF.
Poor dangerous braking was due to miss match of calliper and rotor. Which Genesis (and madison (distributor)) didn't think was a problem.

Hi,

Im seriously looking at getting one of these as my "Do it all" bike, I have a few questions for those that have owned one for a while...

1-I have had a very short trial on one and found the brakes to be poor. It was brand new and the chap said they would bed in (BB7s). Is this true?

2-I would be looking at a 54 or 56 frame, I have size 10 feet. Would there be toe overlap, especially with guards fitted?

3-Any problems with the new 10 speed tiagra?

4-Not sure if I will be buying a complete bike, or a frame and fork and getting my own components. Can anyone recommend suitable wheels?

Ta, Paul.

1. Probably right, disc brakes take a few uses to get a good feel.
2. Going by other genesis frames, you probably will get some toe overlap.

 

[Fex]

I have had a 2011 9 speed Croix de Fer since July and use it for all types of ride. It is nearly standard but has mudguards and a wide range cassette (11 – 34) with a Deore LX changer. I use Gatorskins on the road but with discs, it's a minor job to change these for the Cyclocross Continentals it came with.

I am extremely happy with the bike and find it a delight to ride. The steel frame is very comfortable over all sorts of surfaces and I would highly recommend it to anyone. A few minor points;

• I am about 1.8m and use a 54cm frame; I sometimes wonder if I should have picked a 56 (as suggested by Twelve50 Bikes in Frodsham from whom I bought it and whom I highly recommend) but I felt a bit stretched when I tried one so picked the smaller. I also have feet of size 10 and there is a little overlap with the mudguards. I have yet to find it a problem.
• I like the brakes (they are the Shimano discs not the current BB7); they are strong enough for me and I can lock a wheel without any trouble, should I want to do so. What I like most is that they are highly controllable with a lack of grab but with plenty of grip.
• I would stick with the standard Alex wheels. I had an unfortunate incident involving a hard and immoveable object which I hit head-on at right angles. The forks bent but there was no other damage and the front wheel did not need truing. Good enough for me – shame that there were no forks around for over a month - I had to use the old bike. When I got the new fork I left it uncut and raised the bars about 30mm which has made me happier with the frame.
• I am a bit unsure about the drops. I do not find them very comfortable,even after raising and, although I do not have small hands, the reach to the brake levers is a stretch. I may change the bars but I not yet sure as to what I might replace them with.
• It is probably not the fastest bike on the road but I am certainly far from the fastest rider.

All in all I think it deserves about 17 out of 20 although I believe that the price has risen with the spec improvements – I would still pay because I know that I like it but I would not call it cheap.