CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

Croix de Fer vs A Road Bike

(29 posts)
  • Started 6 years ago by Schemieradge
  • Latest reply from acsimpson

No tags yet.


  1. Schemieradge
    Member

    Up till a few months ago I was someone who strictly cycled only as a mode of transport - about 10 miles at a time to work.

    I recently bought a Croix de Fer (as recommended on here - ta), and (as predicted on here) I'm finding myself, for the first times ever, going out for cycles for fun and not to actually get somewhere specific.

    Being quite time limited, I'm loving the fact I can go for a good 30-40 mile circuit through the Lammermuirs in just an hour or 3.

    So now getting ideas of how much further I could go if I could cycle that *little* bit quicker... and that has progressed quite promptly to thinking about whether I should buy a full-blown road bike for these non-commute cycles.

    But not entirely sure just how much difference it would make since by all accounts, the CdF is merely *quite* fast, just not *very* fast... this is playing havoc with my attempts to get the confirmation bias momentum moving in the right direction.

    So, does anyone perchance own a Croix de Fer and also have a road bike?
    How different do you find your mileage/speed with the two?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. Schemieradge
    Member

    (Or I guess - not specifically a Croix de Fer - but any steel framed 12+kg gravel/adventure bike compared to a road bike)

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. acsimpson
    Member

    I don't own a thoroughbred road bike but do have an alu framed Cx bike not dissimilar to a Croix de fer. I'm quite happy doing 100 milers on it although not especially fast and would suspect that a thoroughbred would be faster but a little less comfortable.

    However I feel the real question you should be asking (provided you aren't monobikomus) is do you have somewhere to store it and if so what's the budget.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. minus six
    Member

    i've a CdF for studded winter commuting and laden pannier weekly shopping trips all year round

    as you anticipate, it doesn't get anywhere near a decent carbon road bike for handling and speed, but if i could only have one bike, i'd say the CdF is the perfect all-rounder

    anyway sounds like you've talked yourself into n+1

    its just a matter now of which road bike you are going to buy

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. Stickman
    Member

    I moved the other way from a cheap road bike to a Croix. I noticed a difference in speed but I think that was more due to going from 23mm to 35mm tyres.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. Schemieradge
    Member

    I have room for another bike in the garage (currently I have 5 and half in there - only 1.5 of them mine - another 1 won't make a difference).

    I'm fairly settled with the CdF as my "main" bike.. I'm loving it and have been using it to commute since December.

    So I couldn't justify spending anything like that amount on n+1. Have been looking at 2nd hard road bikes about the 300-500 mark.

    But still have that question mark - is it really going to be *that* different to the CdF... plus given my budget is on the low side - will the cheapness of said road bike mean it'll be a clunker to ride.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. minus six
    Member

    if you like cycling and feel that you're quite good at it, you certainly owe it to yourself to get a pure racing bike, because they are really different class these days - the tech has come a long way over the past few years

    there, that should do it

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. minus six
    Member

    you'd need to spend a wee bit more, but something like this would work well

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-Tarmac-Full-Carbon-56cm-Great-Condition/123275816935

    or just buy a decent frame, and built it up

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. paddyirish
    Member

    I've a CDF as my main bike and love it. I am happy doing 100 milers on it. You can upgrade your CDF components without breaking the bank -e.g. by buying better tyres I have 28s on it - absolutely fine for playing off-road in Hopetoun and Dalmeny Estates and the Pentlands, but faster on the road.

    Have a certain amount of skepticism about road bikes- the reason I am slow is not because I have a CDF and not some fancy road bike, but because I am carrying ~15kg of lard. If you want to go further you can get up earlier and be back home at the same time- riding at early light is a pleasure.

    If you are set on a road bike you could do a lot worse than looking at BTwin Triban range from Decathlon - 300-500 new and regularly beating bikes twice their price in reviews in Cycling mags. I would get someone who knows bikes to check the build- I think a number of people have had issues with Decathlon mechanics.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. Greenroofer
    Member

    I have a B'Twin Triban 540 and love it, but it's not a full-on 'road bike' - being closer to the endurance end of the spectrum.

    While not wishing to dissuade you from n+1, there's a question about whether you want to go a long way or you want to go fast. If you want to go a long way comfortably, you'll need a bike with endurance geometry (like the CdF?). If you want to go fast, get a road bike, but you may find that going a long way on it becomes...wearing... as your fillings get rattled out and and your back starts to hurt.

    If you want to go a long way fast, I reckon it's more about being able to apply power relentlessly for hour after hour, up hill and down dale without stopping.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. Schemieradge
    Member

    @paddyirish I did wonder whether just getting better tyres on the CdF might make a big difference.
    I was never that sure how narrow I could go with the stock Jalco SR240D rims.
    +@greenroofer I was *extremely* tempted by a £150 2nd-hand B'twin Triban 5 on Gumtree the other day... it disappeared pretty quick though funnily enough.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. Blueth
    Member

    I am fortunate enough to have acquired a few different bikes over the years and can say that when it comes to speed, particularly over distance, it's the legs wot count more than the bike, within reason of course.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. gkgk
    Member

    You should get over to Evans and Edinburgh Bicycles and have a test ride up the big Leamington Terrace hill between the two. For me, the lighter bike is all about floating up big hills at the same low, low speed but with less effort, keeping out of the high wear bit of the power curve. If I do the Edinburgh St Andrews on the pub bike, I fall asleep in the bus back, but I don't when using the road bike.

    Borders railway is good too, though, if you want new, wider horizons.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. Schemieradge
    Member

    I'm sure that's mostly true... but my step up from generic-commuter-bike-thing to a Croix de Fer told me there's a measurable chunk of performance my legs are much happier to produce when I'm on a lighter (+ newer, well lubricated, more-aerodynamic) bike.
    Maybe I'm into diminishing returns territory now though... there's a bloke nearby who's offered me a go of his road bike so I guess that might be the best way to find out.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  15. dessert rat
    Member

    I also have a CdF equivalent which is my daily commuter (GT Gravel) now even heavier with Marathon+, small pannier, full mguards, etc etc... and a better-than'll-ever-be carbon road bike. The difference is stark.

    When I trundle ie just pedaling along reasonably hard but not exhaustive (commuting speed) I can see a 2-3kph difference on the Strava segments. If I push hard the difference increases dramatically.

    If you have the cash and space, I would get a road bike. When the sun is out, with a slight tail wind and on smooth tarmac its magical to be doing +30kph without really trying. The kms fly by.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  16. gembo
    Member

    I am five mins quicker over an hour of cycloing with continental Grand Prix on the wheels compared with marathon plus.

    So if route takes me an hour on marathon plus it takes 55 mins on Grand Prix.

    If I swapped and put the marathon plus on my road bike and the Grand Prix on my Tricross I think the times would still be the same, in the Tricross with the fast tyres. Ok ok, would need to take rack off etc.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  17. Schemieradge
    Member

    This is exactly what I'm hankering after!:

    "When the sun is out, with a slight tail wind and on smooth tarmac its magical to be doing +30kph without really trying. The kms fly by."

    Posted 6 years ago #

  18. chdot
    Admin

    Keep it clean.

    It’ll go faster...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  19. steveo
    Member

    For me and my cdf the difference between off road cross tyres (38) and gator skins (28) is remarkable they feel much quicker and roll much faster though the difference on my commute time is negligible except I spend the journey worrying I'm wasting the knobbly tyres.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  20. steveo
    Member

    When I get into the office I'll look at a few longer rides out along the lang whang from years back when I had the racer and compare with more recent rides on the CDF although I expect that will say more about me than the machines...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  21. Mandopicker101
    Member

    Not a CdF owner, but I have a similar-ish CX as a commuter/fun bike with a road bike for weekend club runs and events etc. Tyre choice definitely makes a difference. I found a marked improvement on the CX when I swapped 35mm Landcruisers for 32mm Vittoria Revolutions.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  22. Schemieradge
    Member

    "Keep it clean."
    Phew - you meant the bike.. (thought I'd misspelt hankering)
    I've turned over a new leaf with the CdF and clean it regularly.
    My old commuter had a rear derailleur cog which, it turned out, was so muddy it hadn't turned in months - there was no teeth left on it - almost a perfectly smooth circle.
    So not much wonder I started going a lot faster when I got a new bike - a new derailleur would probably have done it.

    @steveo - can you happily put 28mm tyres on the stock CdF rims? My rims are, I think, 622-19c

    Posted 6 years ago #

  23. steveo
    Member

    Aye the 28 go on fine. They're only slightly wider than the rim but that's never been a problem but I doubt you'd get much narrower.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  24. panyagua
    Member

    I own a Croix de Fer, and an Equilibrium (steel Genesis road bike ideal for Audax and winter rides), *and* a lightweight carbon road bike for summer fun. The CdF is great for commuting, but there is no doubt the two road bikes are faster and more fun to ride, especially the carbon one. It's not just about weight, but also stiffness (giving a more immediate and direct response to getting the power down) and geometry/wheelbase, which gives the road bikes a much more snappy feel round corners. How much difference you notice probably depends what kind of rider you are and where you like to ride. I am light rather than powerful, so more of a grimpeur, which means the light and responsive bike makes relatively more of a difference for me than it would for a big and powerful rider. I also like hilly and twisty terrain which suits a light road bike; my idea of hell is a straight flat road with a headwind, where a heavier bike would not be a disadvantage at all.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  25. steveo
    Member

    Looking at my strava times across a few segments there is no real difference in time (for me) between the CDF on narrow tyres and my racer with very narrow tyres. There will have been different efforts if nothing else the cdf has a 1:1 low gear.

    The CDF is a compromise, it is heavier but it's much more versatile, on a long run you miss the close ratio block of a road bike but its a comfortable ride, the gaps between the last three gears is massive but its lowest gear is a near winch.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  26. deckard112
    Member

    >£500 will buy you a decent 2nd hand road bike. I wouldn't get overly hung up on Aluminium vs Carbon at that price point as better components and finishing kit will also make a difference and you'll still be looking at a sub 10kg bike. If you are buying second hand usual advice applies, check the drivetrain has life left, no movement in bearings/headset for example. There's a couple of good sales pages on Facebook where it's usually experienced folk selling well maintained bikes.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  27. amir
    Member

    I would think that key factors are comfort, wheels, tyres.

    Geometry is very important, frame material secondary.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  28. panyagua
    Member

    Agree with @amir that wheels and tyres are a key part of the overall 'feel' of a road bike and material is less important. There is more difference between my (steel) CdF and (steel) Equilibrium than between the Eq and my carbon road bike. It's all about the geometry and wheels/tyres, as well as the weight. Many 'off the peg' road bikes come with fairly basic wheels and tyres. However as mentioned already, buying second hand may get you something already upgraded with better components.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  29. acsimpson
    Member

    Sheldon agrees that 28mm is as small as you should go on 19mm rims: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

    Posted 6 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin