Road Cycling - Road Bike geometry vs Cyclocross geometry

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PeterG1185
06-09-03, 04:22 PM
Hey,
I'm(pretty sure) that within a month i will be getting a shop job and one of the first things i want to do is pick up a road bike. Thing i was thinking, though, is that maby i could purchase a CX frame and build it up as a roadie because it makes sense to me if it was more comfortable, but i'm not reall sure about this. How would that end up working out if i were to go through with it and aside from construction what are the major geometrical differances between the two kind of bikes. I'll admit it i dont know jack about road bikes seeing as i ride MTB's, but i do know i like my sis' De Rosa Merack and i'm pretty sure i want to start road riding if for nothing else than the fitness for my MTB racing

Thanks for the help

cycletourist
06-09-03, 04:39 PM
CX bikes have a higher bottom bracket, more tire clearance, and cantilever brakes (sometimes disc). For pavement riding, a standard road bike is a better machine.
RacerX
06-09-03, 06:13 PM
If you're using the bike for fitness, go for the cyclocross bike. As cycletourist said, it has a higher bottom bracket and longer chainstays. The geometry is slack compared to a road racing bike but you can certainly race road on a CX bike if you wanted- no problem.

The other benefit, being that you are a MTB'ker is that you can throw some knobbies on it and hit some trails to sharpen your handling skills. If you can descend, and singletrack a 30c tire- believe me, a 1.9 or 2.0 MTB all of the sudden feels so easy!

richard wun
02-04-04, 01:05 PM
Hey,
I'm(pretty sure) that within a month i will be getting a shop job and one of the first things i want to do is pick up a road bike. Thing i was thinking, though, is that maby i could purchase a CX frame and build it up as a roadie because it makes sense to me if it was more comfortable, but i'm not reall sure about this. How would that end up working out if i were to go through with it and aside from construction what are the major geometrical differances between the two kind of bikes. I'll admit it i dont know jack about road bikes seeing as i ride MTB's, but i do know i like my sis' De Rosa Merack and i'm pretty sure i want to start road riding if for nothing else than the fitness for my MTB racing

Thanks for the help

How about a touring bike, like a Giant OCR touring compact frame. It is capable of being set up as a road bike or cross bike or hybrid bike. The frame is even strong enough for hard core MTB riding. It is disc brake ready and can be set up to anything you want it to be. I have one set up as a cross bike and it is fast, agile, and just out right fun to ride. rwun
jfmckenna
02-04-04, 02:57 PM
I say get the CX bike. I can see why you like the DeRosa they are the Bomb and they have the greatest little heart logo :) But that is verymuch a road bike. Coming from a MTB background you may like the CX better. If your gonna do crits or stage races get the racer but it sounds like you want an allround general purpose can do anything type bike. CX bikes are nothing but fun! I agree too that tourers are not a bad option too but they typically have a very low center of gravity (BB).