Can one frame be both for cross and road?

[jwb96]

So I've never done cross, but am interested in trying and was thinking about getting a cross bike. Even if I don't race, it would be a good bike to have in Maine as I try to bike all year. Strong Frames are having their annual fall sale and at first I was thinking I'd get a road bike, but now I'm thinking cross. What I don't know is how fit changes between road and cross, and what other changes are made to make the bike cross friendly. More tire clearance, canti break bosses . . . anything else? Does it make sense to try to do two things with one frame, or is a cross bike just good for cross?

Thanks,
Jim

[Smiley]

add to your list higher BB and faster front ends and mud clearance for bigger tires . They are different and I would go with a cross if you were looking to commute on the bike.

[Dekonick]

Surley Cross Check - Wonderful, adaptable frame. Heavy, but cross, fixxie, commuter, it does em all. Spacing is 132.5 so it works with normal 130 hubs, as well as mountain hubs (135) - quite nice!

Drawback? Cheap paint - but what do you expect for $400 frame and fork?

It makes a great commuter bike. (and at this price, you can have your cake and eat it too!)

[Dekonick]

heh - this way you can have your nice strong frame, and a surly cross check to trash.

I forgot to mention that the frame has everything - fender /panier mounts, wide rear for tires up to 35+mm, etc...

[pale scotsman]

Drawback? Cheap paint - but what do you expect for $400 frame and fork?


Sir Deko - If by cheap you mean not too fancy then I agree, but it's not a bad paintjob if you mean cheap by not being durable. They are powdercoated and it's done quite well... for powdercoat.

I had a black crosscheck and it saw some really rough gravel road riding, flying rocks, dumps, etc., and looked great when I eventually sold it. The only paint damage was on the dropouts, and at that barely.

Surly's are tools. Nothing pretty, but straight, functional, and solid bikes that are meant to be ridden.

[dirtdigger88]

Terraplane- MRB option

Jason ;)

[Peter]

If you're honestly thinking of purchasing a bike for the dual purpose of
'cross and road riding, AND it's possibly gonna be a custom Strong because of the attractive deal, then ask Carl Strong to design it with dimensions BETWEEN both disciplines. Problem solved.

[shinomaster]

If I could only choose one bike to ride with me into the after life, it would be a cross bike. I would also like to be mumified in my Pryramid with a small scale model of Uma Thurman.

[itsalldark]

You should check out a Gunnar Crosshair! Much nicer paint and finish then the Surly. I think they are made in the Waterford factory!

[dbrk]

Most contemporary cross bikes have a bb that is just too high and unnecessarily so. Clipless pedals render the clearance issue now irrelevant (we used to drag our clips and that is the real/only clearance issue. If you look at someone who has a better idea like, say, Richard Sachs, you find that the bb on the 'cross bikes matches or close to matches road bikes. There's no particular reason why a cross bike can't be made to ride nicely on the road: cantis, tire heights, those are easy but there's no real reason to mess with the geos much. Back Then we rode "regular" road frames with braze-ons added for fat tire clearances.

dbrk

[Doc Hollywood]

http://www.ifbikes.com/frames2/steelindependence.shtml.

I know a guy who races road on one. It is also equipped with Canti Bosses and wider rear triangle for fenders so it can handle a wider 700X30/32 cross tire.

To make it REALLY versatile, buy two forks, a cross fork and a road fork.

A Lemond Popard would work too for a cross/road frame.

Litespeed use to make the Appalachain (sp?) that could function as both also. I don't know if they still make it.

Surly is okay for a cross frame, but it is a PIG to accelerate and not really set up to be a good road race frame.

Doc

[93legendti]

You will love your Strong. Talk to Carl, he will have great suggestions. I think I took every one of his suggestions when he made my bike last year.

[Orin]

Where's e-Richie when we need him?

Seriously, whatever he is building for his sponsored riders would do just fine. Pity about the wait.

Orin.

[Ray]

[QUOTE Doc Hollywood

A Lemond Popard would work too for a cross/road frame.

Litespeed use to make the Appalachain (sp?) that could function as both also. I don't know if they still make it.

Surly is okay for a cross frame, but it is a PIG to accelerate and not really set up to be a good road race frame.

Doc[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the Poprad is a great (and inexpensive) frame for both cross and road. It's geometry is essentially identical to my favorite sport touring road bike, but it has clearance for much fatter tires (I've run 700x38 on it without issue). It's bb drop is 74, which is lower than Lemond's road bikes. The bike is great at everything I've ever tried with it.

Litespeed's Appalachian was a very similar bike to the Poprad and I know some people who have them and really like them. They discontinued it and changed the Blue Ridge (which had been the identical frame) to more of a traditional touring bike - I wouldn't buy one for cross OR road at this point.

-Ray

[Andreu]

...cross bike a good few years ago to race cross, commute and do chain gangs doing the winter and it was great.
It was a real winter hacker that worked ...change the tyres if you want something chunky and want to go off road or put slicker tyres on for road work.

I really loved it and would buy another one but I really do prefer north European weather conditions for going off road as I have a tendency to fall of quite a bit....there is some great off road near me but the ground is just to bloody hard!

Unless you have money burning a whole in your pocket and you are sold on something expensive I would go bargain basement and enjoy it.
A

[jwb96]

Everyone - thanks for the great feedback and suggestions! Not knowing a cross bike from a hole in the ground I was worried I was going to be told my idea was a pipe dream, but now I'm really encouraged. Excited even!! :D :D

A few more questions, if you don't mind:

Any concerns about fork rake if switching between a road and cross fork? And is this even neccessary?

Center pull vs. side pull vs. disc brakes - any thoughts?

Assuming a Foco steel frame, are cross frames typically built up any stronger than a road frame - gussetted, reinforced, etc? Thinking weight for the road, is there any compromise in asking for a frame that can do both?

[CJV]

After crashing too many times to suit my aging body, I had my Bridgestone MB ZIP converted to a road bike. If I wanted to ride offroad or on gravel roads, All I need to do is convert from the Conti 1-inch road tires to 1.25- or 1.5-inch mountain bike 26-inch tires. Light and responsive. It works.

[zap]

Based on my research, the only difference is that a cyco bike will handle a little slower. Many designs will have a higher bb but I suspect that will change. Slowly :rolleyes:

Frames look a little beefier but not much. Think thicker walled tubes.

I would spec canti's or v brakes w/ceramic rims. These will be lighter and performance should be pretty close to discs. UCI baned discs so who knows what the USCF will do next year.

I'm looking to duplicate my road position but am willing to live w/slightly slower steering. So, I would think the only change from road to cyclocross and back would be tires and/or wheelset. I'm thinking tubies here.

[Kevan]

(Keep) cable routing generally is done over the top of the top tube. It's not essential, but helps keep the bike's functions running clean. Discs offer better stopping and keep drier and cleaner generally.

[maccpres]

I got a Carrera Cross bike and rode it on the road. When I was struggling to keep up with everyone else on road bikes I realized that Cross bikes are slower on the road. Just a slight aero disadvantage, a extra pound or 2, the high bottem bracket, it just didn't feel as fast as a road bike. I eventually sold it because I never took it off road like I thought I would. If you ride alone it won't matter but if you ride with friends or enemies :) on road bikes you'll want a road bike.

[DfCas]

Most road forks have an axle-crown height of ~370mm.Most cross forks measure ~400,so switching will change your head and seat angle by almost 3 degrees,making steering wrong if not dangerous.

A few cross bike makers(Gunnar) come to mind that use a proprietary fork length(383),but most are 395-400.

Dan C.

[bcm119]

If you're going to get a Strong, get a road frame. I wouldn't get such a beauty of a frame and mess it up with sluggish geometry and canti bosses. I would get a cheap cross bike and try it out first. My opinion of cross bikes is that they should be used for trails and cross racing only, they are positively boring to ride on the road. A cheap cross bike would make a good winter commuter too, while saving your Strong from salt and sand.

[coylifut]

If you're going to get a Strong, get a road frame. I wouldn't get such a beauty of a frame and mess it up with sluggish geometry and canti bosses. I would get a cheap cross bike and try it out first. My opinion of cross bikes is that they should be used for trails and cross racing only, they are positively boring to ride on the road. A cheap cross bike would make a good winter commuter too, while saving your Strong from salt and sand.

I agree. Although I love my cross bike, it's a crude tool on the road. If forced, yes it can do it all, but's it's clearly slower than my heaviest least efficient road bike on pavement.

[shinomaster]

What kind of cross rig do you race on??

[Kane]

Ritchard Sachs is reported to have a normal height bb on his cross bikes. DBRK as always makes a good point.

My bike is the Appalatian with canti mounts and it rides quite nicely on the road. All the limitations are certainly the rider and not the bike. Ironically, I purchased the bike because its geometry matched that of my first bike which was a 26 year old Italian racing bike at the that time. Low bottom bracket, softer head angle (71.5 degrees) and 42.5 cm chain stays. The custom stainless steel fork gave me a 6.5 cm trail. I lust for an Avid mechanical disc brake up front.

The longer axel to crown race distance, 390 mm vs. 360mm would change the head angle by just over a degree.