Cyclocross - Cross bike dilema

I'm thinking about trying cross this year. One of my team mates is trying to go to nats; he's got me excited about racing.

I have a Surly X-check set up in commuter mode: fenders, rack, front bag mounts, etc. I'm thinking about picking up a frameset and building a 1x9 dedicated rig. I have all parts, but the shifter, frame and tires. The monetary investment is minimal. I live in the city; it's kind of hard to justify a fifth bike to the wife when space is a premium. How realistic is it to use my commuter to race cross? I would have to strip all the unnecessary stuff off every time I take it out mudding. If anyone was/is in the same boat, please share your experiences.

The Cross Check is pretty heavy to begin with, and trying to race with all your gear will make it harder with lots of unnecessary weight. If you don't mind taking all that stuff off every time to race, well, that'd be the cheapest, most space efficient way.

However, you may think it won't be so bad now, but putting on/off your racks every weekend will get to you by the end of the season. Its nice to have a dedicated rig where you don't have to worry about it.

Also do you have a friend with an empty basement or garage you can store one of your other bikes you won't be riding during CX season?

I've got a Kona Jake that I use for commuting most of the year. When cross season rolls around, I strip off all the commuting stuff (road tires, rack, fenders, lights, bottle cages, mirror) to get it into cross mode and leave it that way until the season is over. If the weather happens to be nice during the week (not very common around here in the fall) I throw my work stuff in a backpack and take the Jake to work, cross tires and all. Otherwise, I've got another bike that I use as my alternate commuter.

Of course, my alternate commuter is typically my rain commuter anyway. I originally bought it with the justification that I didn't want to expose my Jake to the elements. That, of course, was before I got into cross racing, which makes a typical rain commute look like a day at the spa for the bike.

So, if you have another bike that you can commute on, let your Cross Check live the dream and see what it was really made for. Make it a full time cross racing bike for the fall, and commute on something else. When you discover that you love cyclocross (which you will) you can decide if the Cross Check is too heavy and you want to buy something else or if this will be a yearly transformation.

Last season I did what you are considering. It can be done, but if you have something you can dedicate to 'cross for the season while you commute on another bike, that is the way to go. I don't know what the courses are like where you ride, but here in the PNW I found racing to be pretty hard on equipment- "sealed" bearings are not sealed well enough for prolonged running in water, mud and unmentionable substances.

I have a similar dilema where I have a Major Jake that serves as my normal commuting bike but is always begging to go racing. Like Andy K and others, I have another bike set up with fenders that becomes my normal commuting bike during cross season. The 2ndary commuter feels like a bit of a dog but who really cares on a rainy day anyway (actually, my fastest century was done on that bike).. My 2ndary commuter does not have clearance for studded tires in the snow but by that time I can mount fenders to the MJ and commute on that for the winter.

Actually, I ride the dog commuter in both rainly seasons (fall and spring) anyway because I like to park it unlocked under an awning here at work to keep it out of the rain. There is NO WAY I would ever leave the MJ unlocked.

Make the cc your cx bike for the season. Heck, you got 3 other rides that i'm sure you can use as commuters?? Unless they are worth some ridiculous amt and security is an issue at your destination..??

Let us know how it goes. I'm itching to get a cc.. for now, i think i'm gonna beat the hell out of my motobecane fantom cross.

I tried to plan out the dismantling process of the CC. I'll need the rack, fenders, ortlieb mount off every time. I'm not sure how brooks take mud; probably will need to swap the saddle. Then there's the issue of fork swapping... I have it set up with a long haul trucker fork. I can seem myself getting tired from bike setup. Plus the unforeseen equipment failures may take the CC out of commission for a few days.

After reading all the posts, I'm def. trying to figure out what to do with my bikes. My current plan is to store my primary race for the winter at my rents house and picking up a second cross frameset. Considering some local used frames and the motobecane bikesilands deals.