The short question: how would a Bianchi Axis be for a century?
The longer version: I've been torn for a long time whether to get a road bike or a cyclocross bike (I've been riding for about a year now on a hardtail, commuting and doing trails of moderate difficulty) -- but my primary use will still be commuting on roads of varying quality. on the other hand, I would like to do a century one of these days.
are cyclocross bikes REALLY all that different in ride quality from road bikes? in reading the searches on this forum, I've read that one guy uses his Litespeed Appalachian for all his road riding and someone else wouldn't dream of doing a century on a 'cross. taking individual pref into account, how different can something like an axis really be from road bikes, esp with road tires swapped in? now, I'm not talking about racing here, just commuting and eventually someday those 50-60-75-100 mile rides.
(one last note: I've just started looking for my new bike, so I'm still waiting to see what feels right under me when I actually get fitted correctly. IOW, I'm not stuck on the axis, I just like the looks of it.)
If you're going to do a century on a cyclocross bike, the Axis would be a good choice to do it on. It has a nice, comfortable frame and a carbon form.
The riding position would be more upright [as with any cross bike], but I can't see why not. Not only does on of my ride buddies do all of his road rides on his Appalachian [despite the fact that he also has a Marinoni and a mid-80s Gios] but I know another guy who's happily gone road on his Kona Jake.
So it is being done.
I wouldn't want to ride in a tight fast criterium on a cross bike, but it should make a perfectly satisfactory century bike.
I've never done a century on my cross bike, but I've done 90 km with no problems.
Just swap outthe knobbie tires for road tires and you'll be set.
JohnC
09-03-02, 07:08 AM
I have the 2000 version of the Axis and ride it only on the road. I have done 50 mile rides on it and it is quite comfortable to me. I think it would be a fine century bike. Maybe someday I will have enough time to get back into doing centuries....
John
Guillermo
09-03-02, 07:17 AM
I also have a friend who does all his road riding with a cross/touring bike. As said, as long as you swap for road tires, I think they ride just fine on the road. Plus you will have the versatility to be able to put larger tires on and ride through the winter and on trails if you wish!
1oldRoadie
09-03-02, 09:13 AM
I saw a guy do the Hotter than Hell Century on roller blades....so its not the bike its the motor.
ps: I recognize your picture...your COBBS, your not GOODCATJACK. Wha happened, that little yellow haired kid dump ya?
Rich Clark
09-03-02, 09:25 AM
I ride an Airborne Carpe Diem, which is a "cross/touring frame." Mine is set up for touring/commuting, but I do all my long road rides on it.
What will make the Axis suitable or not suitable for centuries has nothing to do with the frame, IMO. You'll set the bike up for comfort anyway, so you should end up in the same basic position you'd be in on any other road bike.
So it comes down to gearing (is it low enough for whatever climbs you expect to encounter) and what kind of tires you put on the bike. You might give up a tiny bit of speed if you go with the wider tires a 'cross bike usually comes with, but you'll get a bit of a softer ride in exchange.
Cyclocross bikes are eminently practical, IMO, perhaps the best basis for an "all-rounder" available in the US mass market.
RichC
goodcatjack
09-03-02, 11:52 AM
thanks for all the replies, you guys! I'm feeling more and more comfortable with the idea of going with a 'cross. now I just have to spend some time test riding.
your COBBS, your not GOODCATJACK
Hobbes? yeah ... calvin's dad and I are hitting trails. the little s**t's at home scarfing Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs.
--alex.
p.s. the nick's actually from my cat, Jack, who's a big comfortable lovable jerk with very big and sharp claws.
Dirtgrinder
09-03-02, 03:20 PM
FWIW, I have an AXIS. Got it this Spring. So far it's been great. I would have no reservations about doing a century on it. It actually looks better than the pic on the site. The wheels are black instead of the silver pictured. Check out this thread for pics.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9269&highlight=bianchi+axis
Feldman
09-03-02, 08:07 PM
Don't ignore touring bikes--Trek 520, Bruce Gordon BLT, Rivendell Rambouillet. Also look at Bianchi's San Remo and Volpe. Touring bikes can work just great on unpaved roads. With cross bikes there is a continuum of different geometries; some borrowing more from mountain bikes and some from road bikes. A friend of mine's favorite road bike is his Ritchey Swiss Cross; it's a design similar to many road bikes that weren't designed as pure racing machines. A similarly designed bike to the Ritchey in a lower price range is the Lemond Poprad.
If you are buying the bike for road use instead of cross use, make sure that the deraileur cable routing will let you use a road front deraileur and around a 50 tooth outer chainring, so you want a bike that doesn't have cable routing for the mountain-bike style "top pull" front derailleur.
goodcatjack
09-03-02, 10:01 PM
hey dirtgrinder -- YEAH man, I've got those pics saved already! they're way better than Bianchi's pics on their site; in fact, I was originally thinking about just emailing you for your opinion instead of posting a thread, but reconsidered when I figured other people might want to get in on the question.
friend of mine's favorite road bike is his Ritchey Swiss Cross
what a coincidence: met this guy named mark the other day who's big on cyclocross and that's his ride, too. small world. he offered to let me give it a test ride but I haven't had the time. now that I think of it, he did tell me that Ritchey only sells frames and that he'd had to build his up that way; if that's the case, I think I'd rather go with something that's pretty much ready to go.
and, ah, if I do want to replace that 36/48 (always assuming the axis is what ends up fitting me) -- will I be able to get a 50-something chainring on there?
velocipedio
09-04-02, 07:50 AM
Originally posted by goodcatjack
and, ah, if I do want to replace that 36/48 (always assuming the axis is what ends up fitting me) -- will I be able to get a 50-something chainring on there?
Shouldn't be a problem. A front derailleur is a front derailleur [even if this one is a MTB FD]. You'd just have to replace the ring(s) and move the derailleur up the seattube a few mm. On the other hand, your smallest cog is 11t. 48x11 is about the higest gear most people will use in every day life. If you're racing, or you're just a pain junkie like me, you might use a 53x12 or a 53x11. So I don't think you'll have much need to change the chainrings until they're worn.
Just to give you an idea, the higest gear on my cyclocross bike is 48x13, and I really don't see that that often.
Phatman
10-12-02, 05:44 PM
on a purely cosmetic basis, I think that the bianchi is the best looking. Those shimano wheels look really nice...