Possible to have a single bike for crits and cx?

[apple]

I have too many bikes, thinking about consolidating if I can and thinking about the road disc trend. Right now I have a nice titanium road bike, and a nice carbon cx bike. Is it possible to combine those into something that can be used during cx and crit season? Where all I would have to change would be wheels? Or would the concessions for one bike style take too much away from racing in the other style?

[KonaSS]

I have teammates who do it. Use a cross bike that is close to road geometry. They use the Specialized Crux, Santa Cruz Stigmata would be another. Doesn't hold them back.

[rzthomas]

I used to race CX/crits/road races on a Redline Conquest. It did just fine.

I'd swap the pedals out for the appropriate venue, same as wheels.

[tommyrod74]

One of my road teammates (and a couple of other local Cat 1/2 road guys on other teams who also race high level CX) does this. He's a national-level CX pro and wins local crits on his Kona Major Jake, just runs a big (52-54t) single ring for crits. Another former national-level road pro (also local) is doing the same on a Raleigh carbon CX bike.

I just picked up a Focus Mares CX from a poster here with the intent of having it as a backup crit bike as well. I'll run 2x 53/39 with a 11/28 cassette for road and training, and switch to 50/34 and 11/32 for gravel racing. I can share wheels between road and CX bikes, and tires, etc.

Honestly, the Mares CX geo isn't that far off of the crit-specific bike one of my sponsors is bringing out soon, so I should be able to switch back and forth easily. Slightly longer wheelbase and very slightly higher BB, plus slacker head angle and longer fork/shorter head tube. Stack and reach are very close.

So, in short, I think it would work, though maybe not 100% optimally. I'll let you know how my experiment goes. Honestly I'd like to have a bike I could use for everything minus XC riding and racing.

[coreydoesntknow]

Absolutely, I've been getting shredded by all the Goguen kids on their cross bikes here in NE crits for years. I'm not even sure if they all run road gearing

[Mark McM]

Bike racing (CX or criteriums) is more about the engine and driver than it is about the chassis. That said, the most important part of the chassis are the wheels and tires, so swapping wheels between CX and crits. will get you 98% of the way from turning a CX bike into a crit. bike.

[.RJ]

I use my Crux as a road bike pretty often - its plenty stiff and has geo much closer to a road bike than the old school euro CX frames. I wouldnt hesitate to use it in a crit or fast ride.

[apple]

Thanks for the comments everyone! I have a Focus Mares CX for my cx bike, maybe I already have a road/cx bike! Never thought about just throwing on disc road wheels...

[Gummee]

Thanks for the comments everyone! I have a Focus Mares CX for my cx bike, maybe I already have a road/cx bike! Never thought about just throwing on disc road wheels...

See my comments in the discs thread: I'm considering a road disc bike to make the wheels cross compatible from road to CX and (somewhat) mtn

I've got a couple of disc TA frames incoming (if they ever get here!) and will probably have bike(s) light enough to ride and race road on them

M