Cyclocross - Help me convert an 01 badboy to a cyclocross

The rims are both bent so I have to change them anyways. I'd like to put some nobby tires on the new one so I don't have to worry about expansion gaps in the street. It will be 85% road use and 15% off road. And lots of hill climbing. Any thoughts welcome.

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/01/cusa/model-1FS1B.html

What's your budget? Bars, shifters, and new rims should make it an awesome cross/adventure bike.

My budget is under 400. So probably only tires and rims for now

for knobbies on the street i really like ritchey speedmax pros. very low profile in the center so not much to fight against but nice big knobs on the side for muddy corners. they're also pretty damn light.

for rims, salsa delgados seem to be quite well liked. i ran deep v's last season because that's what i had and they were fine as well. little heavier, but midpack in the c races it didn't really matter.

for knobbies on the street i really like ritchey speedmax pros. very low profile in the center so not much to fight against but nice big knobs on the side for muddy corners. they're also pretty damn light.

for rims, salsa delgados seem to be quite well liked. i ran deep v's last season because that's what i had and they were fine as well. little heavier, but midpack in the c races it didn't really matter.


cool, let me look into those....

You may want to double check your tire clearance. I think for the bad boy, C'dale just took a 26" mountain frame and stuck 700c wheels with discs on it. With the larger diameter wheel, you may not have a lot of clearance left over for fatter and knobbier cross tires.

Eric

You may want to double check your tire clearance. I think for the bad boy, C'dale just took a 26" mountain frame and stuck 700c wheels with discs on it. With the larger diameter wheel, you may not have a lot of clearance left over for fatter and knobbier cross tires.

Eric

You're right. The back tire has almost no clearance. So I guess that mean I have to go to a smaller wheel for clearance and a nobby tire......right? Is there a tire calculator like for cars?

yep, with discs you could probably go to a 26 inch rim without too much trouble.

keep in mind though that smaller wheels will mean lower bottom bracket. could be no big deal, could affect pedaling through corners.

fatter tires will offset some of that bb drop. i'd say with 2.5 inchers you'd probably not even notice a difference. just remember fatter, lower pressure tires will be slower on pavement.

... just remember fatter, lower pressure tires will be slower on pavement...

yeah that sucks but it's the trade off