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cycle cross bikes?
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 2015-12-18 2:34 PM |
 3 |  Subject: cycle cross bikes?Hello! My thoughts turn to getting a bike for training and my first races - I was looking at road bikes and tri bikes and came across cycle cross bikes - has any one used these in triathlons before? I get that you sit higher up / in a less streamlined position but - i like the idea of a bike that can can handle a bit of light off road - im not talking about full on riding over roots and rocks but forest tracks tend to be just gravel / hardcore with pot holes and fairly sizeable stones as they are built for logging trucks - but i love the idea of riding out of the city to the nearby woodlands and down some smaller tracks - good for both the body and soul i reckon. Its my plan to do my first triathlon this year so i like the idea of getting a bike that is multipurpose - i do have a current bike but it is a slow 3 speed commuter that was cheap - and its slow and in no way really suited to any sort of racing or distance training - and the thing that has drawn me to the cycle cross bikes is that if i do my first triathlon and then thing sod that (or more likely i injured whilst training like what happened last time - i have a useful bike - i cant really see a tri bike being a good think to be zipping about town and chaining up out side the library. If anyone has any experience of these bikes in triathlons it would be great to hear some feedback. Cheers Skutter |
| 2015-12-20 9:17 AM in reply to: #5157216 |
Expert 1484   | Subject: RE: cycle cross bikes? I'm a huge fan of CX bikes and do nearly 6 months a year of outdoor training on mine. If I had one bike it would be a CX. CX are more like touring bikes with geometry and fit. I have mine fairly close to my road bike fit, but it's still a bit more upright. You are not going to get a great Tri/TT on a CX bike. Depends on what you want from it, if you want a bike to do most things ok a CX is a good choice. Mine will take 40mm tires which gives me options for light off road trails. I usually run 28mm tires on it for road and occasional hard pack trails. Think when the 28mm wear I'm gonna go 32mm. When I road race the bike I take the fenders and other commute kit off but that's it. I wouldn't hesitate to race sprints or Olympic distance on it. But I know my Tri/TT is faster. |
| 2015-12-22 11:53 AM in reply to: 0 |
| 216 | Subject: RE: cycle cross bikes? It all comes down to how driven you are to be competitive. If you are they type who's going to obsess over getting the best possible results, time-wise and finish-position-wise, you should skip the cyclocross bike and go right for a tri-bike. If you're more completion-oriented, and won't be bothered that you gave up a few minutes on your finish time to have a bike that's more comfortable and more useful outside of triathlon, go for the cyclocross bike. A good cyclocross bike is more than sufficient for a casual competitor. Many people do triathlons on road bikes, and there's only a small difference in performance potential between a road bike and an equivalent quality cyclocross bike. Edited by gary p 2015-12-22 11:58 AM |
| 2015-12-23 10:23 AM in reply to: skutter |
3 Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: cycle cross bikes? Agree with all that's been said - I do all my commuting and half of my training on a cross bike (~1500 mi/yr) and it's fantastic, comfortable, reliable, and inexpensive to maintain. I use it so much I invested in a (used) powertap last year, and for all-around performance its my go-to ride. Strip it down and add knobbies to race cross, add panniers to picnic with the wife, add fenders to commute. Very versatile. The only thing I'll caution you is check the rear dropout sizing if you ever plan to upgrade wheels on a cross bike - the market is split between 130 and 135mm and this will affect what wheels can go on the bike in the future. good luck! |
| 2015-12-29 10:11 AM in reply to: skutter |
| Extreme Veteran 418 | Subject: RE: cycle cross bikes? I have a Seven Evergreen gravel bike. I had it built with a compact crank and 11/28 cassette so it is more geared for road riding than gravel or cross. it is becoming my go to bike and I'm thinking of riding it for Ohio 70.3 instead of my Felt AR (IMG_3136.JPG) Attachments ---------------- IMG_3136.JPG (2840KB - 9 downloads) |
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