Disc Road vs. CX Question

[Nooch]

let me start by saying, I'm just thinking aloud here...

For an occasional cx racer, but regular commuter, could a road geometry bike (with discs) work as an occasional cx racer, assuming plenty of room for the rubber?

What advantages, disadvantages, and trade offs could you see by utilizing a 'road' geo when cx racing? Lower bottom bracket giving less clearance? Would a bike designed mainly for handling on the road be at that much of a deficit off road?

edit: re-reading this it just sounds like a dirt road bike with discs...

[e-RICHIE]

let me start by saying, I'm just thinking aloud here...

For an occasional cx racer, but regular commuter, could a road geometry bike (with discs) work as an occasional cx racer, assuming plenty of room for the rubber?

What advantages, disadvantages, and trade offs could you see by utilizing a 'road' geo when cx racing? Lower bottom bracket giving less clearance? Would a bike designed mainly for handling on the road be at that much of a deficit off road?

edit: re-reading this it just sounds like a dirt road bike with discs...

No - if you're as you say, an occasional cx racer, then there'd be no deficit atmo.

ps

arrange disorder

;);):cool:
:cool::cool::rolleyes:
:rolleyes::rolleyes::cool:

[Nooch]

No - if you're as you say, an occasional cx racer, then there'd be no deficit atmo.

ps

arrange disorder

;);):cool:
:cool::cool::rolleyes:
:rolleyes::rolleyes::cool:

just a very lowly cat 4 -- I'd gladly downgrade to the new cat 5 category for cx, lol. i suppose if it gets more serious, then the 'upgrade' would be in order..

and i'm only thinking discs to allow plenty of room for any/all options, and the added security during bad weather commuting..

[VA-Scooter]

I replaced my older road bike with a CX disc with road gears. I do all the same group rides,centuries etc. that I did before & see no real difference. I do not race CX but do play on the trails -- I like being able to do all my riding on one bike. I think a CX bike may handle road duty better than a road bike would handle CX.

[Nooch]

I replaced my older road bike with a CX disc with road gears. I do all the same group rides,centuries etc. that I did before & see no real difference. I do not race CX but do play on the trails -- I like being able to do all my riding on one bike. I think a CX bike may handle road duty better than a road bike would handle CX.

i guess that's kind of the question i'm getting at... but how much different are the geometries, in the long run? wheel base is going to be longer on a cx bike, right?

[br995]

My commuter IS a CX bike. And I don't race cross, but I have done two races.

I'd say a CX bike with slicks is much better for commuting/road rides than a road bike would be for cross. My cross bike has more relaxed geometry, which is fine for my commute and longer gravel/dirt roads, but also functions well for cross.

I can't imagine trying to navigate the twists and turns and ups and downs of a cross race on narrower tires with twitchier handling.

[JayBay]

I haven't ridden enough cross bikes to comment much on geometry differences - for example "tall" euro-style BB heights vs. "American" geo with a lower BB. But I'm guessing you could make just about any cross bike work great as a road bike too. My Specialized Crux (just upgraded to the disc version), which has more road-like geometry, works great on the road, cross, heck it's even a fun singletrack machine. The bike sees the following usage:

Pure road riding, fast group rides, centuries, etc: 80%
Gravel roads, D2R2-type rides: 15%
Cross racing: 3%
MTB-style singletrack silliness: 2%

And the Crux is every bit as fast on the road as my Serotta. If I had to narrow it down to one bike for all purposes, it would definitely be a cross bike.

[VA-Scooter]

I am not real observant on handling issues & geometry type stuff but I did notice the CX bike has a longer wheelbase. I have to twist it just right to get it in the back seat of my car with the rear wheel on. For just playing around I would think a road bike would work if you can get a wider tire on it.

[Nooch]

I haven't ridden enough cross bikes to comment much on geometry differences - for example "tall" euro-style BB heights vs. "American" geo with a lower BB. But I'm guessing you could make just about any cross bike work great as a road bike too. My Specialized Crux (just upgraded to the disc version), which has more road-like geometry, works great on the road, cross, heck it's even a fun singletrack machine. The bike sees the following usage:

Pure road riding, fast group rides, centuries, etc: 80%
Gravel roads, D2R2-type rides: 15%
Cross racing: 3%
MTB-style singletrack silliness: 2%

And the Crux is every bit as fast on the road as my Serotta. If I had to narrow it down to one bike for all purposes, it would definitely be a cross bike.

I have a crux now, but it's currently wearing file treads and cx gearing, so when I rode it to work this morning it just didn't excite me too much.. i've been riding my bedford to work the rest of the week, and that just feels great. I'd have to say my breakdown is probably closer to 95% road, 5% cx/dirt etc..


I can't imagine trying to navigate the twists and turns and ups and downs of a cross race on narrower tires with twitchier handling.

It would have room for the same griffo's/fango's that I'd run on my cx bike..

[Nooch]

maybe a builder can chime in... what are the major geometry difference between a road bike, a dirt road bike, and a cx bike?

[Lanterne Rouge]

I had a Civilian le roi le veut that I geared up as 1 x 10. Which I used to commute, CX and road ride and there was no real appreciable difference between it on the road and my (beloved) Fuso.

Had it had rack and fender mounts then there is no question that I'd still have it now and it would be my regular ride.

(I was no particularly taken with the aesthetics of the Civilian le roi le veut either if I'm going to be totally honest).

[e-RICHIE]

maybe a builder can chime in... what are the major geometry difference between a road bike, a dirt road bike, and a cx bike?


If my road bicycle has space for CX tires, I could race it in autumn. But if my CX bicycle
had road wheels and gears on it, I still wouldn't feel comfortable racing it in summer atmo.

[br995]

I wouldn't road race on a cross bike, either. But for commuting, road rides with friends, or solo centuries, I'd totally be fine on a cross bike.

[David Kirk]

maybe a builder can chime in... what are the major geometry difference between a road bike, a dirt road bike, and a cx bike?

IMO - A dirt road bike fits like a road bike but has room to fit fatter tires and the front end geometry is relaxed some to better handle a bumpy and soft surface. The BB is lowish and the c-stays are longish.

A cross bike that is designed for cross racing will have a slightly shorter reach and a bit less drop than the road bike. It will have a higher BB to allow for pedaling around very short radius turns. The front end geometry allows for a bit less trail to help prevent crabbing on short radius and off camber stuff and of course it is designed for a lot of tire/mud room.

Frankly the lines are a bit blurry between the genres as one can certainly race cross on a road bike that has tire room and of course one can also ride dirt roads on a straight up road bike. But if things are optimized for a given activity then the small changes add up to making a bike that really shines in one condition and less in another.

It's been raining here over the past few days which means that the dusty dirt roads are now tacky and fast and I look forward to getting out on them this afternoon. Which bike should I ride - cross or road?

dave

[Nooch]

Which bike should I ride - cross or road?

dave

whichever one makes you smile :)

so if I want it to shine as a commuter and be passable in a cx race -- which way would you go? a cx bike with slicks, or a road bike with room for cx tires?

(yeah, I know, totally over-thinking this hypothetical question)

[JayBay]

I don't race on the road, but if were to enter one now I wouldn't hesitate to race my Crux. Are disc brakes legal for road racing yet?

[David Kirk]

whichever one makes you smile :)

so if I want it to shine as a commuter and be passable in a cx race -- which way would you go? a cx bike with slicks, or a road bike with room for cx tires?

(yeah, I know, totally over-thinking this hypothetical question)

I assume you will spend many more hours on the thing commuting so I would lean toward making that work as best possible and then run what you brung for cross. If you find you want to race cross more seriously you could then pick up a cross race bike and be all set.

Dave

[VA-Scooter]

No on the disc legal for road racing. ATMO--There where 2 things on a CX bike that I felt hindered its road use. Cantilever brakes & CX gearing. I put together a CX bike with disc brakes & road gears & absolutely love it -- It does everything I want to do. If I raced on the road I do not feel that the bike would be holding me back at all. Lack of fitness,talent & a few other things would hold me back. If I had to do again I might not get disc brakes. Nothing wrong with them but not really impressed either & a bit finicky when changing wheels. I assume cantis have improved--It has been a long time since I had them & I did not like them.

[jpw]

a road bike for CX? tire room is the first hurdle (depending on the nature of the surface being ridden over). Dugast does the typhoon cotton in a 28mm tire size (with tread on top, naturally).

if you master CX on a road bike your skills will have become excellent.

[Nooch]

a road bike for CX? tire room is the first hurdle (depending on the nature of the surface being ridden over). Dugast does the typhoon cotton in a 28mm tire size (with tread on top, naturally).

if you master CX on a road bike your skills will have become excellent.

again, consider it a road bike with discs and room for at least a 35 griffo or fango.

[rice rocket]

I rode my CX bike all year on the road while I waited for my road bike to get repainted.

That said, I haven't been more glad to get back on my road bike. The bicycle still goes, but the laid back geometry didn't make me want to get out and ride as much.