Cyclocross - Well, My Bike's on Injured Reserve

Semi long story short, I got in an accident while riding to work. The front wheel took the majority of the impact (it's trashed but the hub may be salvageable) but the left-side chainstay is dimpled/dented. Must've been quite an impact to cripple a steel bike! My LBS said that it is "mend-able but then again, what isn't?" Still, they would not recommend riding on it for very long. Things are still up in the air as to whether things will be completely paid for or not but, either way, it's time to look for a new bike.

I'm looking for another cyclocross bike. It's primary use will be commuting 10mi to work in Portland. I loved the feel of the True Temper OX Platinum but that doesn't mean that I'm impartial towards other materials (I do love the look of a traditional geometry steel frame I think it is most beautiful!). Budget for frame and fork is around $1000... The bike will see city streets, bike paths, mud, cyclocross, group rides with a bunch of roadies, maybe even a bit of CAT 5 road racing (if there is such a thing).

My buddy is loaning me a decent wheelset until I can afford my own so that $1000 budget is for FRAME & FORK

Scandium:
Kona Major Jake (Scandium + Easton EC90X Carbon Fork) $750
Redline Conquest Team (Scandium + Redline Team Carbon Fork) $900
Salsa Chili Con Crosso (Scandium + Alpha Q Carbon Fork) $1000

Scandium/Carbon Seatstays:
Voodoo Cycles Limba (Scandium + Carbon Fork) $700

Aluminum:
Ridley Crosswind (7005 Alloy + Ridley 4ZA Carbon Fork) $900

Aluminum/Carbon Seatstays:
Van Dessel Gin & Trombones (7005 Alloy + Carbon Fork) $1000

Steel:
Soma Double Cross + Carbon Fork (Tange Prestige Steel + Alpha Q or Reynolds) $750
Surly Cross Check + Carbon Fork (4130 CroMoly Steel + Alpha Q or Reynolds) $750 (after selling stock Surly fork)

The Kona seems like an amazing deal! Still, I'm attracted to smaller companies... The Salsa comes off as such a special bike! I feel like the Van Dessel would make a great road bike as well... I feel like going from an OX Platinum steel frame to an all aluminum may be uncomfortable... Sadly I can't go out and test bikes yet (that would not make my doctor very happy) so it's all about bench racing right now.

Let me know what your thoughts are! I've got another 5-7 weeks off the bike to get everything figured out :(/:mad:/:)

That sucks - glad you're ok. You *might* find some LeMond bargains, either bikes or frames, now that Trek has dumped them for Armstrong.

Also, I'll make the usual disc brake equipped CX bike suggestions - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=368115

the new Gary Fisher Presidio is virtually the same bike, with Sram Rival instead of the 105/Ultegra mix.

I'd add the Soma Doublecross (http://www.somafab.com/) to the list, especially since it appears that most of your components are in good shape. It is fairly lightweight and comes in both disc and canti models. You can find the frame online for $320-400. With your $1000 budget you could pick up a carbon fork and a reasonable wheelset as well.

[IMG]The bike will see city streets, bike paths, mud, cyclocross, group rides with a bunch of roadies, maybe even a bit of CAT 5 road racing (if there is such a thing).

Here are my current thoughts (not in any particular order):

Kona Major Jake (but I can't seem to find it as frameset only)
Ridley Crosswind
Salsa Chili Con Crosso
Surly Cross Check + Carbon Fork (Alpha Q or Reynolds)
Van Dessel Gin & Trombones


Let me know what your thoughts are! I've got another 5-7 weeks off the bike to get everything figured out :(/:mad:/:)

I'm not so sure that one bike can do all of that. Maybe everything listed besides that cat 5 racing.
Gary

I just picked up an '09 Kona Jake The Snake frameset for $360 on eBay. It has the carbon fork like the Major. The frame was just delivered this morning so I haven't got it built yet but it looks nice enough in the bubble wrap. It's more of a British Racing Green that the pictures make it out to be IMHO. I'm very happy with my choice.

Just my $0.02...

:beer:

Kona Major Jake (but I can't seem to find it as frameset only)

Bikeman.com offers them Major Jake as frame set in 5-700 range

Being laid up like this is unfair! It should be illegal to spend this much time on a computer... I don't think I've done this in years but I've been on my laptop alll day.


I came across a few interesting bikes to add to my list (yes, it's getting bigger)... See updated first post.

I'm not so sure that one bike can do all of that. Maybe everything listed besides that cat 5 racing.
Gary

Eh, I saw someone finish mid pack in a flat cat 5 crit on a surly long haul turcker with front and rear racks.

Being in Portland where it tends to rain, consider titanium. Habanero frame $989 shipped. Or for $1800 the BD Ti Cross entire bike. Part yours out.

That titanium bike is tempting even though it would push the budget a bit... $1380 w/ a Reynolds fork... They does use 3Al/2.5V titanium which seems to be the norm around titanium bikes these days (Moots, Seven, etc) but I'm wondering how the worksmanship is on a sub-$1k titanium bike... Why is it so cheap?!

+1 for Kona, either JYS or Major Jake.

My JTS can do everything, but the cross compact (46/35) may be a limit in a road race,

Why is it so cheap?!

Made in China I believe. Excellent frame build quality.

From Habanero's website (http://www.habcycles.com/techstuf.html#looking)...

Price . How do we do it? Simple. We work very hard at it. No importers or distributors to add mark-up along the way. And, we work hard to keep our overhead to a minimum, so we can sell the frames for less than anything in their class. We care about quality and performance, not gimmicks. Sometimes even if it seems too good to be true, it isn't!Does this mean that they build the frame, bike, etc down in Florida? This is a perplexing little company and I'm kind of intrigued...

Same concept as Bikes Direct. Skip the LBS, self-import and sell directly to the end user. Imagine if Trek bailed on their LBS' and sold directly. Immediately drop 30+% off the price. If you know what you're doing (i.e. don't need an LBS), it's the smart money.