CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Have CX bikes had their day?

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Have CX bikes had their day? http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Have CX bikes had their day? en Thu, 02 Jul 2026 11:59:47 +0000 chdot on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127157 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 22:01:28 +0000 chdot 127157@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ "for creating, albiet unintentionally, the circumstances by which I could or would ever have written the previous sentence" Yes, one wonders where one might have been stretching one's literary style before CCE... Uberuce on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127156 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 21:53:27 +0000 Uberuce 127156@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ My only experience of hydraulic discs is on a Bullitt cargo bike, which was in the mostly dry except for one downpour during which I was sawing up a tree with Kappers and Dave. I will now pause this post to thank chdot for creating, albiet unintentionally, the circumstances by which I could or would ever have written the previous sentence. Where was I? Oh yes. Those brakes were beasts, but there's enough variables between the handling of a Bullitt loaded to its full 204kg tare and my Croix going at 45mph that I need further study to be convinced of the gulf between cable and hydraulic. I expect this study would be very short. Basically a quick blast and crash-stop on a 700Cx2*mm slick-tyred hydraulic device. This morning I set out on the stiff little fixer. No brake at the back aside from my legs; Ultegra(with default pads) caliper at the front. Forecast was dry. Meh. This lunchtime's rain was the first time it's had to slow me down in proper wet and while it's still the best rim brake I've had, I was unpleasantly surprised by the lack of its usual grab. That isn't to say I felt unsafe - if I've been on my other two rim-brakers for a while I normally have to remind myself before touching the lever on the stiff little fixer to feather them for fear of a yanked yarble, so there was still plenty of horsepower there. Once I was home for lunch, I swapped to the cable-disco-baby Croix and for the zillionth time marvelled at how nearly complete its indifference to weather is. TL:DR - rim brakes are bobbins in the wet. Discs of any kind are better for that reason alone. kaputnik on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127153 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 21:23:23 +0000 kaputnik 127153@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Indeed. Mud, sand, grass and the occasional grit and gravel is the home of the CX bike. Not rocks and ballast. allebong on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127150 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 21:09:15 +0000 allebong 127150@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Disc brakes do save the rim of your wheel but mostly you do not need to stop that quickly? The great advantage of discs is that you always have the option of stopping quickly. I see so many people that seem to think a brake can be judged by whether it can lock the wheel or not and that's it. Anyone who has been mtbing with hydraulic discs quickly learns to use just one finger on the very end of the lever, through which you can exert very fine control, meaning you can avoid locking the wheel in the first place. Should you need to stop firmly on a good surface a firm pull with two fingers will stop you on a dime. And this works whatever the weather - with the prolonged dry spell finally broken I've had to remember what it's like to cope with rim brakes in the wet, those few seconds while the rim clears are always interesting, and then when the pads do bite you get treated to the lovely sensation of your <strike>crucial tyre mounts</strike> rims being ground away. Add in the fact that hydraulics self adjust and can go for years on one set of pads and without any maintenance and you can see why I'm glad to see the back of rim brakes for heavy riding. The thing about CX bikes is, I'd never take one what I'd consider to be 'mountain biking', because that involves boulders and rock gardens that would shred those tyres to pieces, then crush the rims flat, then snap those dainty wheels like twigs. Fine for rough tracks/fire road at lower speeds I know, but then that puts you into hybrid territory, and you face the same problem; knobby tyres that you need for off road are going to take it totally away from being even close to a road bike for commuting on road. So a CX bike with slicks isn't as fast as a road bike, though it is arguably a better commuter, but a CX bike with knobbies isn't going too far offroad either. With wheels, frankly the width of tyre is going to make more of a difference than pretty much anything else. So your 28 or 32c CX tyre running at, what 60-80 psi, is just not going to stand abuse the same way a 1.75" (~45c) tyre at 40 psi is. If you're used to 2.3" tacky tyres offroad then the thought of going on 700c skinnies, even with knobs, isn't an easy sell. kaputnik on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127147 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:40:42 +0000 kaputnik 127147@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I'm thinking of "29er" (i.e. 700c) rims for my wheelbuild. Hoping to have the first drop-barred, hub-geared, Raleigh Reynolds steel-framed, drum-breaked "MTB" in the world. Uberuce on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127146 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:34:48 +0000 Uberuce 127146@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Baldcyclist, I theorise that the expected terrain of a cyclocross race is muddy rather than rocky, so the wheels don't need to have the same strength with regard to jarring impact as is engineered into an MTB wheel. People that haven't just pulled that theory from their back wheel, so to speak, are almost certainly worth listening to more than me. gembo on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127140 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 19:50:01 +0000 gembo 127140@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Spesh tricross I own is a touring bike that is souped up enough to handle WoL path and canal towpath beyond Heriot watt. Some people alsomgominto the hills on them. The brakes have been a big pain. However, now that they have the same ones as you find on a Dawes galaxy they work better. Despite being marketd as a cyclocross bike. It isn't and neither is the Croix de fer ( also lovely) nor any tourer marketed as CX If doing CX above just mucking about level your bike will be an actual CX bike Disc brakes do save the rim of your wheel but mostly you do not need to stop tht quickly? kaputnik on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127079 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 13:54:23 +0000 kaputnik 127079@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ You're so behind the curve :P Actually considering going back to drops. Also, mine will be blue. Cyclingmollie on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127074 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 13:37:43 +0000 Cyclingmollie 127074@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I ride around on a bike with the Italian for "sports fan" written all over it. But it's better than the beautifully named Wilier Triestina I recently tried to lift in an Edinburgh bike shop. I expect that some famous cyclists have lent their names to some bad bikes. Wilmington's Cow on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127070 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 13:26:25 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 127070@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Speaking of which, got an email from On-One the other day, Holdsworth is back! (did it actually go away? I'm presuming so). New steel frame, but primarily now in... carbon fibre.... (the steel looks lovely, but pricey - limited to 150). LaidBack on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127069 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 13:25:09 +0000 LaidBack 127069@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ The name on a bike and graphics are very important - not least because it keeps graphic designers in work ;-). (eg The name Galaxy covers a range of bikes from older Dawes 'made in England' models with 531 tubing to the newer aluminium 'made in Cambodia' models.) Without a name and a head badge a bike is not so interesting... Like the car industry, the bike industry loves heritage and is not averse to fashion. Could do a whole thread on silly bike names - but then a good name can't hide a bad bike - or can it? Dave on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127057 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 13:06:38 +0000 Dave 127057@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I am inventing a new bike which is a hub-geared, drum-braked cyclocross-tyred, bullhorn-barred path-and-track-and-winter bike. I have yet to come up with a snappy name for it. You're so behind the curve :P That said, I've had two and a bike years to fail to come up with a name either ... Baldcyclist on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127051 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:26:56 +0000 Baldcyclist 127051@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I do try to talk anyone who buys a CX bike to actually give CX a go. I did spend a couple of months during the summer hammering along the wooded trail through Dalmeny Estate to Queensferry. Was fun, but I started popping spokes at an alarming rate, so gave it up as a fun, but silly idea. Perhaps my bike, despite it's cost, and advertised use is actually really just a road bike with disc brakes? Certainly the wheels seem to be. crowriver on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127048 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:18:33 +0000 crowriver 127048@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ @WC, it's a fair question. Presumably the owner realised what the point of it was. Wilmington's Cow on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127047 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:12:28 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 127047@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I do try to talk anyone who buys a CX bike to actually give CX a go. But then I once had someone stop talking to me when I asked if they ever took their Land Rover off road. crowriver on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127046 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:11:02 +0000 crowriver 127046@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ @WC, ah but you are one of those rare beasts that uses a CX bike for.....CX! crowriver on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127045 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:09:42 +0000 crowriver 127045@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ @kaputnik, yu could just call it Bucephalus, like Fred Birchmore (the origina; "Fred"). Here's his Bucephalus, which he rode around the world. Okay the bars are a bit different... <img src="http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/Fred-Birchmore-bike-Bucephalus-2.jpg"> (Really needs to pump those tyres too). twq on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127040 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:58:33 +0000 twq 127040@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I'm tempted by one of these for the winter, but will probably just go for a single speed. Maybe the Belter. <a href="http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-shadow-13" rel="nofollow">http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-shadow-13</a> Wilmington's Cow on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127038 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:56:58 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 127038@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ "A bit like buying a 4x4 and never leaving the tarmac, it's a lie, but a lucrative one" In some cases, but not all.... kaputnik on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127037 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:56:39 +0000 kaputnik 127037@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I am inventing a new bike which is a hub-geared, drum-braked cyclocross-tyred, bullhorn-barred path-and-track-and-winter bike. I have yet to come up with a snappy name for it. twq on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127035 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:54:22 +0000 twq 127035@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I'm enjoying my CX bike (Specialised Tricross), it makes my commute nice and snappy, but also does longer rides when I'm not feeling roadie. Can handle paths much better too. Cantilever brakes are a pain though, they get in the way of panniers a bit, and just don't work well. crowriver on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127032 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:48:25 +0000 crowriver 127032@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CX bikes are the new tourer. Tourers, rightly or wrongly, have that old fashioned image: checked shirts, flasks of tea, youth hostels, and bracing CTC runs. CX bikes have a sportier image, appealing to those who think they might just try sliding around in the mud in sweaty lycra. Maybe. Some time. A bit like buying a 4x4 and never leaving the tarmac, it's a lie, but a lucrative one. That's the bicycle industry of today, at least in Anglophone countries. Uberuce on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127030 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:40:01 +0000 Uberuce 127030@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ By the time people like bikes enough to pay ~£1000 for their daily hack I imagine they'd almost all be aware of how roomy the word 'cyclocross' is. When you want a daily hack that's going to ride fast, you just hit the CX tab and read blurbs to make sure there's rack'n'guard mounts. There isn't much point cluttering up your website with an extra tab by inventing another word for hybridly geometried drop barred 700x3*c tyred lots-of-muck-clearancely braked bike, and indeed allebong started a thread rightly ridiculing the people that tried. Genesis, maker of my daily hack and audaxer, have seven bikes in their cyclocross range, but only two of them even mention the sport. The other five talk about commuting, touring and path riding. kaputnik on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127023 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:12:01 +0000 kaputnik 127023@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Depends if you are meaning CX bikes for the purposes of CX riding/racing, or CX bikes as a general purpose Jack/Jill-of-all-trades bike. A lot of what are badged up as CX-bikes don't bear much in common to what you'll find people racing on. The disc brakes certainly solved the rubbish spongy cantilevers or mini-Vs which were often the Achilles heel of bikes aimed and priced at the general public. I think manufacturers realised that they could improve appeal of their bikes to a wider audience by simple expedient of providing brazeons and clearance for guards and racks. Particularly in the bike-to-work price range. Wilmington's Cow on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127022 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:01:29 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 127022@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I think for the geometry they still fill the brief nicely for commuting. Somewhere in between an MTB and road bike, makes them more comfy - kinda like an audax frame, but with some snappy steering. I think if my commuter was to die I'd go for a cx frame... Baldcyclist on "Have CX bikes had their day?" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11276#post-127018 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 10:55:52 +0000 Baldcyclist 127018@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Were they just a fad? Now we have disc equipped road bikes will anybody bother to buy them? I love my commuter, but I'm not sure I would buy another... and I notice the manufacturer (Whyte) has slimmed the range right back to one, and brought out a new range of disc road bikes..