Carbon cross frame as a gravelly/road disc bike?

[kramnnim]

Looking at buying a carbon cross frame, but not for cross. There are a lot of gravel roads up in the mountains that I'm forced to avoid due to my fragile road tires, so I'm thinking of building it up as more of a road bike with disc brakes and fatter tires, room for fenders, etc.

Is this a bad idea? The frame I'm looking at (Ridley X-Night) only has mounts for one bottle cage, I can probably rig up something else on the seat tube with zip ties. Are there any quirks with cross geometry I should be aware of?

This will probably end up being used in damp weather, etc...my rides in the mountains have been ~100 miles/9k' elevation, with half hour long climbs. (If it randomly rains, the braking (or lack of) on my carbon clinchers is terrifying.)

So...does this make sense, or will I end up with a useless frankenbike? (I guess it depends on what I put on the frame...)

[shovelhd]

How will you attach the fenders? Race Blades, P-clips?

[DfCas]

Note that Ridleys have very high bottom brackets which may suit you fine, but I reject frames with high bb,s.

[Bruce K]

My Marin Cortina did great on D2R2

Has mounts for 2 bottles but no fender mounts

I am not sure the Ridley would be my first choice

BK

[kramnnim]

Yeah, probably wouldn't go for a more permanent fender, as I avoid riding in the rain. (But when I do, I like to be able to slow down/stop.)

BB drop is 62mm on this size/model, so about 8mm higher than normal? How does this affect things? Higher CoG...?

[kramnnim]

I guess I should mention that the only reason that I'm looking at this particular frame is that it's cheap and supposedly around 1kg.

[rnhood]

I'd go for the Specialized Diverge. Its pretty much an all purpose bike for the rough stuff....and smooth stuff. You can use it for touring as it has the front and rear eyelets and mounting means for racks and fenders. Slap a pair of road wheels on it and it certainly won't be holding you back on the fastest group rides.

Unfortunately, it isn't cheap.

[pbarry]

As stated above, find something with more drop. Poprads and many contemporary cross bikes have drop similar to a road bike. Forget the bargain, you'll thank us later. :beer:

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I guess I should mention that the only reason that I'm looking at this particular frame is that it's cheap and supposedly around 1kg.

I don't think you'll be happy with the handling on this for long road rides. It's made for quick turning at low CX speeds. Is look for something with a lower BB. There are plenty of CX bikes out there now with 70mm drops.

[wallymann]

i think its a great idea in general, but it comes down to the particular bike and how well it matches to your intended use. my CF grinder is ostensibly a cross bike, as well. but it works perfectly for my desired use: moderate BB drop and geometry that ended up exactly what i wanted, more go-fast biased than alot of grinder/allroads these days which seem to tend toward touring geometry.

you can DIY another set of bottle-bosses with rivnuts so itll be practically OEM.

fenders are trickier if thats important to you but lots of people use zipties to mount them and the bonus is they come off in springtime as easy as pie.

[ceolwulf]

If you're after carbon CX disk on a budget maybe one of the China-direct frames would work? People seem to like them quite a bit.

[wallymann]

If you're after carbon CX disk on a budget maybe one of the China-direct frames would work? People seem to like them quite a bit.

thats what i did...build quality is on-par with everything else ive ever owned.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

thats what i did...build quality is on-par with everything else ive ever owned.

Can I ask which one?

[pbarry]

Just want to add, with the recent spate of, "can I ride this on gravel?" threads, (no offense meant to the OP here): There are no rules. Ride a track bike on gravel, ride a FS MTB on the road, ride a Stingray on a downhill course. It's all good.

[kramnnim]

Still wondering how the high BB affects handling... :confused:

And yes, 23c tires on carbon clinchers will roll on gravel...but not real eager to rip more sidewalls out of expensive tires. :(

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Still wondering how the high BB affects handling... :confused:

And yes, 23c tires on carbon clinchers will roll on gravel...but not real eager to rip more sidewalls out of expensive tires. :(

Higher CG will make it feel less stable. Less an issue the slower you go. Helpful for avoiding pedal strikes on technical courses, but not all that useful otherwise IMO. When I go downhill on road on my wife's CX bike, I get nervous. I'm not a nervous descender.

[pbarry]

Higher BB = higher center of gravity. You won't clip a pedal as easily in a turn and can pedal over big bumps without the above happening.

[Charles M]

Cross bikes make great gravel bikes...

[Vientomas]

I used a Blue Cxc as a dirty bike for a year. I did not feel comfortable descending on dirt roads due to the higher bottom bracket. Overall the bike felt a bit tall to me.

I now have a Black Mountain Road, the geometry of which I much prefer. Not disc however.

You obviously can use a cross bike for dirt/gravel/pavement, but if you have an option, I suggest something else.

[kramnnim]

Appreciate the responses... Interesting how 5-10mm can make that big of a difference. An eccentric BB has about that much adjustment... (not that it is related in any way)

[tele]

I used a carbon Hakkalugi for a pavement/dirt/gravel bike for bout a year and never had a problem with bb or center of gravity. The frame certainly didnt hold me back in any way.

I could tell a difference between the Hakk and my Skeletor on the road but thats not fair.

[Gummee]

The X-Night is an all-out racing frame. Does fantastic for what its designed for, but probably not the best option for longer rides.

GT just came out with some gravel bikes, ditto SBC, ditto pretty much anyone else. Probably a better bet if you're not racing CX.

If you ARE racing CX, then get the race bike and 'make do' for the rest of the year.

I ordered myself an FM058 from Dengfu and had it custom painted in my 'new bike brand' livery of white/orange/black with FN Bicycles (get it?!) on the DT. VERY tongue in cheek backup CX bike. (mines cantilever only tho). Should be here within the next few days.

M

[kramnnim]

Does fantastic for what its designed for, but probably not the best option for longer rides.



What would I likely be frustrated by? Sluggishness?

[oldpotatoe]

Just want to add, with the recent spate of, "can I ride this on gravel?" threads, (no offense meant to the OP here): There are no rules. Ride a track bike on gravel, ride a FS MTB on the road, ride a Stingray on a downhill course. It's all good.

Good post.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

What would I likely be frustrated by? Sluggishness?

This is an unanswerable question and goes to what others say about riding anything on gravel. Yes, you can ride the Ridley on gravel. It won't break, and you won't die. You can also ride a tandem (solo if you want), a track bike or a MTB. It's not a question of whether the bike will work, but rather what is most enjoyable. That, frankly, is almost entirely subjective. A full-tilt race bike is exactly what it tries to be: stiff, fast handling, and stiff. On a long ride, some people find such bikes unforgiving, harsh and twitchy. Whether that's frustrating or exciting is up to you. You seem pretty set on the Ridley, so just buy it and ignore what folks are saying here. If you don't know what a high BB bike rides like, I'd suggest trying one out before dropping a wad of cash.

[kramnnim]

The question never was "will a cross bike work on gravel" (as it has an obvious answer), it was more..."will a cross bike be terrible on long rides with a lot of pavement".

Test ride would make sense, yes...don't think I know anyone with something I could easily borrow, though.

[oldpotatoe]

Cross bikes make great gravel bikes...

They make good
-commuters
-touring bikes
-road bikes
-all rounders

Sold a lot of Gunnar Crosshairs. Yep called 'cross' but sold most as an 'all rounder', rack and fender eyelets, great frame.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

They make good
-commuters
-touring bikes
-road bikes
-all rounders

Sold a lot of Gunnar Crosshairs. Yep called 'cross' but sold most as an 'all rounder', rack and fender eyelets, great frame.

That's the one I have my eye on for a possible project next year, in part because it's got a lower BB than a full-on CX race bike (75 rather than 65). Seems like a good all-rounder.

[Birddog]

Put me in the camp with those preferring a lower BB. The higher BB seems to throw off all the cockpit geos for me.

[redir]

Just want to add, with the recent spate of, "can I ride this on gravel?" threads, (no offense meant to the OP here): There are no rules. Ride a track bike on gravel, ride a FS MTB on the road, ride a Stingray on a downhill course. It's all good.

Yup. Agreed. +1 and so on...

[eippo1]

I went from a cross bike to a "gravel" bike for a number of reasons, but one of them was that the high bottom bracket drove me nuts. It's great for weaving through lanes on a grass field, but I had a harder time keeping the rear in line with the front on rough descents and generally felt like I was riding a horse and loosely telling it what to do, while hoping it would.

Fun and quick, but got old for most of my riding where I'd be on stretches of road, then dirt, then downhill on gravel and moving fast all the time. The gravel bike is much more stable and I even feel comfortable letting the rear drift out on turns, leaned over while still clipped in at high speeds. That's something I never would have done on my cross bike as the chances of losing it due to the bike's maneuverability was so high.

The benefit to this maneuverability due to the high bb and overall geometry is that it was really easy to flick the tail of the bike in technical terrain which is awesome for cross, and bad for stability in rough stuff and bombing through terrain.

[kramnnim]

Appreciate the descriptive explanation!

[John H.]

A high bb gets even higher with big tire on it.
Go for a bike that is at least road bike low.
Specialized Crux has really good geometry- In fact it is so good that it makes me wonder about the need for the Diverge.
I guess it depends on how big you want your tires to be.
Crux will take a 40mm, Diverge will take a 35mm (without fenders).
Diverge has fender mounts.
Trek Boone is alright too- though it seems to have too much trail.
Other bikes to look at (if you don't need to hugest of tires and aren't 100% sold on disc)- Felt F1 Pr, and Kona Zone 2. Both of these bikes use long reach calipers but they will take a 32mm tire. The Kona has fender mounts.

Higher CG will make it feel less stable. Less an issue the slower you go. Helpful for avoiding pedal strikes on technical courses, but not all that useful otherwise IMO. When I go downhill on road on my wife's CX bike, I get nervous. I'm not a nervous descender.

[TimAZ]

Seems like most CX bikes are going the way of a BB Drop of about 65mm. At 62mm you are barely taller. What size of a bike are you looking to buy? I have a really slick set up BH RX Team Disc used for a race here in Utah called Crusher In The Tushar. With CX geometry I have had no issues with some really fast descents on loose gravel.

[Charles M]

They make good
-commuters
-touring bikes
-road bikes
-all rounders

Sold a lot of Gunnar Crosshairs. Yep called 'cross' but sold most as an 'all rounder', rack and fender eyelets, great frame.

Just finished a ride as a regular commuter with the Superx and yep...

[John H.]

Thanks but if I go carbon I will get a Crux.

Seems like most CX bikes are going the way of a BB Drop of about 65mm. At 62mm you are barely taller. What size of a bike are you looking to buy? I have a really slick set up BH RX Team Disc used for a race here in Utah called Crusher In The Tushar. With CX geometry I have had no issues with some really fast descents on loose gravel.

[kramnnim]

Seems like most CX bikes are going the way of a BB Drop of about 65mm. At 62mm you are barely taller. What size of a bike are you looking to buy? I have a really slick set up BH RX Team Disc used for a race here in Utah called Crusher In The Tushar. With CX geometry I have had no issues with some really fast descents on loose gravel.

54cm would probably be ideal. But I bough the 52cm Ridley, maybe it will work out!

And I would not want a Crux, or other Specialized.

[spartanKid]

Van Dessel cross bikes follow the "new school" cross geo of lower BBs, steeper seat tubes, and slacker head tubes.

I believe my Gin and Trombones has a BB drop of 7cm.

[marciero]

Just to throw this out there-
I just checked the website for the Crosshairs and apparently Gunnar has lowered the BB recently, and also have incorporated some "gravel" language in the description. They now list the drop as 75mm. I just looked at the spec sheet for mine from 2010 and it has BB drop of 70mm. The Raleigh Tamland, which was designed for gravel, lists 72.5-77 depending on size. That bike also has slack head tube and other design features.

I'm not sure how much difference 5mm makes in BB drop...

[mhespenheide]

Still wondering how the high BB affects handling... :confused:

I have two cross bikes; I use both of them for gravel infinitely more than racing cross.

The first is a Lemond Poprad, with a 75mm bottom bracket drop. The second is a Specialized Tri-Cross, with a 68mm bottom bracket drop. While the rest of the geometries also vary, there is a distinctly different feeling of "riding on the bike" with the Poprad and "riding on top of the bike" with the Tri-Cross. The Tri-Cross doesn't feel bad, but -- personally -- I wouldn't buy a bike with a high/old-school/Euro bottom bracket for riding gravel.

Like the title says, though, it's not an A/B comparison since the rest of the geometries aren't identical. It's a clear enough distinction for me.

[John H.]

I wouldn't buy a bike with a high bb for any type of riding, road or gravel.


I have two cross bikes; I use both of them for gravel infinitely more than racing cross.

The first is a Lemond Poprad, with a 75mm bottom bracket drop. The second is a Specialized Tri-Cross, with a 68mm bottom bracket drop. While the rest of the geometries also vary, there is a distinctly different feeling of "riding on the bike" with the Poprad and "riding on top of the bike" with the Tri-Cross. The Tri-Cross doesn't feel bad, but -- personally -- I wouldn't buy a bike with a high/old-school/Euro bottom bracket for riding gravel.

Like the title says, though, it's not an A/B comparison since the rest of the geometries aren't identical. It's a clear enough distinction for me.