Hi,

I've been thinking about getting a cyclocross bike that I would also use as a road bike. And now someone nearby is selling one that looks like a reasonable candidate. The full ad is here (http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-For-Sale-55cm-Bianchi-Cyclocross-Bike-W0QQAdIdZ32579969).

So what do you think of this bike for weekend touring (80-200 km rides)?
http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i10/06/k/000/78/a1/9566_18.JPG

I'd also be using it for some trail riding. It looks to me like it would make a decent road bike with a pair of slicks, but what do you guys think?

looks perfect.

I bought a CX bike and have plans to buy another set of wheels for skinny tires. My CF race bike is now for sale. I think a CX bike does so many things, like a swiss army knife. Not perfect but it does so many things well that I realized it is 1 bike that covers all of my riding.

Good luck

I had a Surly Crosscheck with two sets of wheels - one for offroad/touring (depending on the tire) and another set for fast road riding. I didn't like it so much as a road bike - it was too slow when riding with my roadie friends and when descending on pavement it had a tendency to slide the rear tire around corners. But if you don't plan on keeping up with the road crew and don't demand perfect handling in corners, then the bike should do everything you want it to.

i rode the ast two road racing seasons with a robike


i change stem to a longer one ,and i put the spacer on the top of the stem

I bought a CX bike and have plans to buy another set of wheels for skinny tires. My CF race bike is now for sale. I think a CX bike does so many things, like a swiss army knife. Not perfect but it does so many things well that I realized it is 1 bike that covers all of my riding.

Good luck

I bought a cf road bike a few months ago and it's been a great bike, but when riding it I have the occasional man I wish I had rode my cross bike moment. Part of me wished I had bought a nicer cross bike instead.

I had a Surly Crosscheck with two sets of wheels - one for offroad/touring (depending on the tire) and another set for fast road riding. I didn't like it so much as a road bike - it was too slow when riding with my roadie friends and when descending on pavement it had a tendency to slide the rear tire around corners. But if you don't plan on keeping up with the road crew and don't demand perfect handling in corners, then the bike should do everything you want it to.

Thanks for the feedback on that. Since I don't plan on racing I had kind of discounted the small performance hit, but riding with roadies is something I'll have to consider.

From this can I assume people find the geometry of cross bikes quite comfortable for century length rides?

I had a Surly Crosscheck with two sets of wheels - one for offroad/touring (depending on the tire) and another set for fast road riding. I didn't like it so much as a road bike - it was too slow when riding with my roadie friends and when descending on pavement it had a tendency to slide the rear tire around corners. But if you don't plan on keeping up with the road crew and don't demand perfect handling in corners, then the bike should do everything you want it to.

1+ on what others have said. Unless you're seeking light weight, you cant go wrong with a cross bike.

I'd done just about everything with my CrossCheck, from road bike races, to road centuries, to mountain bike races, to 'cross races. It's a great bike, but don't expect it to perform as nicely on the road as a bike designed for road racing.

When I go on long road rides with the Surly, my biggest complaint isn't so much the weight, but the way the bike handles out of the saddle and on decents. It just isn't as stable as my road bike.

cross bikes have a slightly higher bottom bracket and longer wheelbase. my cross bike is very stable going down hills, and fun to ride. out the saddle handling is also not much of a issue with the right tires. I ride with 32c tires in the front and 30 in the rear pumped up to around 85 to 90 psi, if I get on loose dirt, I drop the pressure down. I live in san fran and lots of hills, so weight is an issue. most of the weight is in the fork, a good road fork is sub 400 grams and a cross fork is in the 800 range unless you shell out some bucks.

I love my Tricross for weekend touring. Very stable and carry a ton of stuff.

Thanks for the feedback on that. Since I don't plan on racing I had kind of discounted the small performance hit, but riding with roadies is something I'll have to consider.

From this can I assume people find the geometry of cross bikes quite comfortable for century length rides?

Yup.

I have a kona JTS. With road wheels / tires, perfectly comfy for century distances, and quick enough. I ride all the time with roadies. I'm just a little slower, but not usually enough to make a difference. Haven't noticed a looser tail on descents, but the brakes are a little trickier to modulate and take some getting used to (upgrading to salmon skins helped a lot).

Well, professional racers use tricked-out cyclocross bikes all the time, the most recent one I've seen was http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/tech/2006/features/roubaix_bikes1. I am planning to use my new cross bike as both bad-weather-bad-pavement road bike and a cross bike.