CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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OK, next question in the "find a bike for the better half" campaign.
Does anybody have, or know, of a 52cm Croix de Fer that we might be able to see for sizing?
Have test ridden the 54cm but was too big, other than that a winner. Better half slightly nervous about spending a grand on the assumption that 52cm will fit.
Eternal gratitude available.
You could try getting a bike fitting, then you would know which frames would fit and have the bike tweaked for the optimum fit.
I'm afraid SWMBO isn't enough of a cyclist to want to spend money being fitted! It's like suggesting to a non-runner that they should be videoed on a treadmill before buying shoes...
However, I'm pleased to report that she took her current bike into the shop and measured it up against the 54cm model (why I didn't think of this, I don't know!).
The Croix de Fer has much higher bars than her current bike, which it turns out is a 52 anyway - I thought it more likely to be a 50 or even 48 - so they were pretty sure it would do the trick.
I think she was more than a little shell-shocked to have spent four figures on a bike! :)
I understand what you are saying, Dave, but then again, when you are spending a four figure sum on a bike, spending £35 to make sure it is the idea fit, does sound so bad. ;-)
I hope she really enjoys her new bike, I think the CdF is a pretty good choice.
@Dave
Did you notice this?
Yeah mine has that also but tbh it's fine in the machine on a 30degree synthetic cycle....
Dave,
Hope she enjoys the CdF! Those conti speed-kings die very fast on roads you may want to throw on a dedicated commute tyre and save them for bridleway and off road rides.
Thanks guys,
I have high hopes of the CdF, it's almost like somebody took my spec for a "one bike to rule them all" and build it.
Steel all round, will take huge tyres + mudguards and a rack, or skinny 23mm just as happily. And of course, disc brakes. (Once I sell the fixie that will be the last of rim brakes in the fleet.)
I think probably the tyres will come off when we get the bike home in exchange for something a little more suitable (pretty much the only annoyance of the bike is that it comes with tyres that suggest you might actually cyclocross on it - wonder how many do!).
'I have high hopes of the CdF, it's almost like somebody took my spec for a "one bike to rule them all" and build it. '
I would like to see a Croix de Fer with Ultegra running gear, oh hang on that is what I am building :-)
Nice...
Dave
Apart from severe road-meltage I quite liked those tyres! My CdF went down the Dreghorn descent and around Glentress Red (at night) happily in those.
Kim,
Are you fitting a triple at the front? Can it take that? It would be nice to have a granny ring for the Pentlands.
Yep, the 105 STIs can double or triple shift and the BB is Hollow Tech II, so it is easy enough to put on a triple crank, swap the front dérailleur for a triple and the rear dérailleur for a GS Medium Cage one and you probably need a new chain.
I can see that this could be a bit daunting, but is it fairly straight forward. I am lucky in that I was given a frame and so am building from scratch.
Oh and the other thing to be aware of is that the 2009 CdF was 105 running gear, but the 2010 has been down graded to Tiagra. I am not sure if the Tiagra STI can triple shift, so you might need to get a new left STI.
The Tiagra on my Fisher will triple shift they are either '09 or '10 so you should be fine.
Actually really good shifters, they've got a nice little window telling you what gear your in.
That is one of the downsides with the 105 shifters is that because there are "Flightdeck" compatible there is no wee window telling you what gear your in (you are supposed to spend more money on a Shimano Flightdeck computer).
I always thought the needle indicator was a bit of a gimmic to be honest. I have them on the Tiagras on my tourer and on the other bikes, if I really cant tell from how the gear "feels", I'll look at the cassette. Surely the only thing that really matters about gears is if you are in the right one, regardless of where it actually is on the cassette.
I like the needles but that could just be me., I am not a fan of disc brakes but I am losing that argument too, I do like the Croix de Fer - see the n+1 string - they appear to be taking over. The name is good and the bike was high spec - also from people I know - feels good cycling it - winner
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