Cyclocross - Building a Cross bike

I'm going to build a cross bike using left over road parts and a few extra things.

I'm looking at 2 frames.

An older trek xo-1 frame with steel fork and chris king headset for 200 bucks (plus shipping I guess).

And a motobecane fantom cross frameset with carbon fork (cane creek headset) for 280 shipped.

Neither are special, but I'm doing this for fun and the bike will serve as a backup road bike if needed.

What would your preference be for a frame?

Thanks for the help!

At these prices, those are used? I'd be more nervous about a used carbon fork bike than an all-steel one, especially a bike that might have been used hard - so much more worried with a crosser than a commuter. How rational this fear is I don't know.

Go with steel.

The Motobecane is new, right? Bike Island, I'm guessing. That doesn't look like a bad frameset. A lot of people here have the Fantom Cross, so if you look around, you can find their opinions.

Even so, I think I'd go for the Trek if you're sure it's the right size. It's a nice frame with a nice headset. I'm happy with the steel fork on my cross bike, but you can always upgrade that later if you want carbon fiber.

At these prices, those are used? I'd be more nervous about a used carbon fork bike than an all-steel one, especially a bike that might have been used hard - so much more worried with a crosser than a commuter. How rational this fear is I don't know.

The trek is used, while the fantom would be from bikeisland or ebay and new.

I'd like to try to keep up with some of my friends riding on MTB trails on this doo hicky, so I'm guessing that the steel fork might be the better option for that reason as well, no?

(bump?)

Go with steel.

For the frameset?

The trek is used, while the fantom would be from bikeisland or ebay and new.

I'd like to try to keep up with some of my friends riding on MTB trails on this doo hicky, so I'm guessing that the steel fork might be the better option for that reason as well, no?

Smooth stuff or rough stuff? I ride my fantom cross on smooth offroad stuff and it does fine and I'm not worried about the fork, but I wouldn't be keeping up with dudes on mtbs w/ suspension if that's what you're thinking of. I wouldn't worry about the fork unless you're gonna be on rough, rocky stuff b/c I wouldn't like big rocks kicking up on it or anything. So, if stuff is rough, probably steel.

Smooth stuff or rough stuff? I ride my fantom cross on smooth offroad stuff and it does fine and I'm not worried about the fork, but I wouldn't be keeping up with dudes on mtbs w/ suspension if that's what you're thinking of. I wouldn't worry about the fork unless you're gonna be on rough, rocky stuff b/c I wouldn't like big rocks kicking up on it or anything. So, if stuff is rough, probably steel.

I'm getting rid of my mtb, so I'm probably going to be doing some 'lighter' trails with the cross rig. I figure I'll have to run a bunch, but it'll be fun.

So, I have a campy groupset for sale (in sig) and someone just offered me a handbuild steel cross frame made by ti-cycles of portland. The frame needs a 1 1/8 fork, but they're using a 1 inch fork with a crupi headset.

This would be a straight up trade, and he said he'd throw in bars/stem/etc. Does this sound like a fair deal? I was asking 300 for my groupset. The fork is a steel ritchey fork.

The trek I was getting used was for 200 with chris king headset.

What size? I may be interested in what you don't go with... but the Ti-Cycles swap sounds like a great deal.

What size? I may be interested in what you don't go with... but the Ti-Cycles swap sounds like a great deal.

The trek was only an option for me since someone wasn't interested in selling it but decided they would because I had nothing.

If I was you, I'd just go the bikeisland.com route. They have a ton of stuff on there.

If you're looking to buy a bike, just get one from bikesdirect. I'm going this route since I already have a groupset.

Edit: I'm going with the ti-cycles frame.