Cyclocross - What would you saddle, Raleigh RX 1.0, Kona Jake the Snake, or Giant TCX 1

What would you saddle, Raleigh RX 1.0, Kona Jake the Snake, or Giant TCX 1? What ever bike you choose to saddled you could spend $250.00 to upgrade any parts that you wanted. Also you may sell parts on the new bike to purchase upgrade parts. You can not bring any other bike you own into the picture. What would you do?

Here are the specs;

Giant TCX 1: $1400.00
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/road/2299/35372/
frame ALUXX SL-Grade Aluminum
fork Advanced-Grade Composite, Alloy OverDrive Steerer
handlebar AL Anatomic Bend, 31.8
stem Giant Alloy
seatpost Giant Composite, 30.9
saddle Giant Performance Road, Men's
pedals Crank Bros Egg Beater MXR
shifters Shimano 105
front derailleur Shimano 105
rear derailleur Shimano 105
brakes Tektro CR-720 specific cyclocross
brake levers Shimano 105
cassette Shimano 105 12/25, 10-speed
chain Shimano 105
cranks FSA Gossamer MegaExo Compact 36-46
bb FSA Mega Exo, External
rims Mavic CXP 22N blaclk
hubs formula sealed Cartridge Bearing 24/28 hole
spokes SAPIM race 14/15g
tires Kenda small Block Eight 700x35c folding
extras Top Bar Tektro RL721 specific cyclocross brake

Kona Jake the Snake $1300.00
Frame tubing Kona Race Light 7005 Aluminum Butted
Fork Kona Carbon Cross
Headset TH
Crankarms FSA Gossamer (47-49=165, 52=170, 54-56=172.5, 58-62=175mm)
Chainrings 36/46
B/B FSA MegaExo
Pedals Shimano M505 Clipless
Chain Shimano 105
Freewheel Shimano 105 (12-25, 10spd)
F/D Shimano 105
R/D Shimano 105
Shifters Shimano 105
Handlebar Kona Road (31.8mm, 47-49=400, 52-54=420, 56-62=440mm Wide)
Stem Kona Road (6°± , 47-52=90, 54-56=100, 58-62=115mm)
Brakes Kore Race w/Tektro RL 721
Brake Levers Shimano 105
Front hub Mavic Aksium Wheelset
Rear hub Mavic Aksium Wheelset
Spokes Mavic Aksium Wheelset
Tires Continental SpeedKing Cross 700x35C
Rims Mavic Aksium Wheelset
Saddle WTB Rocket V Comp OE
Seatpost Kona Road
Seat clamp Kona Clamp

Raleigh RX 1.0 $1250.00

Aluminum Frame, Easton EC70 Fork
FSA Headset
Rival Shifters (Carbon)
Rival Frt& Rear Derailluers
BB30 BB FSA Cranks
Tektro CR720 Brakes
Alex Wheels w/ Green Alloy Nips
Vittoria Cross EVO XG 700x32c Silver Tread tires

You can't get the 2009 tcx1 anymore. The new 2010 is out and comes with full sram rival and avid shorty 6 brakes for around $1500.

I have a 2007 Giant TCX0 but voted for Kona Jake the Snake. I really like my TCX. The reason I voted Kona is because I nearly bought one in 2004 when looking for a good commuter bike. Got the TCX for off road riding.

Assessing bikes by component spec is almost the worst way to choose a bike. It's notorious that the worst specced bike at a given price can be the best one because more money has gone on welding the frame. (Or at least it used to be. Maybe frame welding robots are used now and I'm terribly quaint and old skool. Or even olde schoole.)

If I was buying on component group I'd look for Campag. Those "If they stop working throw them away and give us $400" Shimano brifters terrify me. Are the SRAM Rival shifters repairable? I'll vote for the Raleigh in the hope that they are and because using non-Shimano power train indicates it might be better value.

TCXs are sloping top tubes so depending on the size they may be harder to shoulder than the other 2 bikes. Hard to go wrong with Konas for cross so as long as it fits that seems the way to go. For upgrades you should try and get your hands on a tubular set up

Thanks guys, I went ahead and ordered my dream frameset and spent a little extra on something that I will love. I got the Rock Lobster Team Scandium, going to keep my 07 kona jake as my training bike. Thanks for all the great comments and votes.

If I was buying on component group I'd look for Campag. Those "If they stop working throw them away and give us $400" Shimano brifters terrify me. Are the SRAM Rival shifters repairable? I'll vote for the Raleigh in the hope that they are and because using non-Shimano power train indicates it might be better value.

You can get replacement parts for Shimano shifters, btw. Not every nut and bolt individually but you can replace the required part of the damaged component and not have have to toss the whole thing.

You can get replacement parts for Shimano shifters, btw. Not every nut and bolt individually but you can replace the required part of the damaged component and not have have to toss the whole thing.

Yes, but people who try to repair Shimanos seem to have nervous meltdowns. It's a much more complex design by all accounts.

But now I'd definitely go for SRAM, possibly even over Campag:



http://velonews.com/article/9723

Ben Jacques-Maynes of Team Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada, was an early adapter, first riding the group at the national criterium championships in Downer’s Grove last season. He developed a technique for sprinting that he calls “trigger shifting.” He hooks his right forefinger around the shift lever and pulls it back to the handlebar and holds it there, since it, like Campagnolo’s cable-pulling lever, pivots back toward the bar. While holding tightly to both the drops of the bar and the lever, he can simply twitch his forefinger inward to cause upshifts.

“I was a Campy guy, and Campy riders tend to play with the lever behind the brake lever, since it flips back toward the bar,” he explains. “I was just playing around with this lever that way one day and discovered this way to shift. I called up SRAM immediately, and they thought it was cool, too. With Campagnolo, to get my thumb on the lever and shift, my power in a sprint drops by over 400 watts when shifting, from up around 1300 watts to under 900 watts. With Shimano, I lose even more; I practically have to sit down, shift, then stand up again and restart my sprint. With SRAM, though, my power in a sprint drops by only 40 watts; I can’t even notice it. I think it’s a huge advantage, because I can start my sprint in a much lower gear and steadily shift up as my speed increases, whereas most guys start in a huge gear and grunt it up to speed, because they don’t want to shift during the sprint.”


So assuming the SRAM hoods are comfortable, the other bikes would have to have much better frames than the Raleigh to get my money. Especially given that the Raleigh is so much cheaper.

Ya, I'm not disputing that. I'm disputing the claim that you have to toss the whole shifter if part of it breaks, which is untrue.

Ya, I'm not disputing that. I'm disputing the claim that you have to toss the whole shifter if part of it breaks, which is untrue.


Ok: if I broke the shifter I'd have to toss it! Perhaps things have improved since the threads that I read doing my pre-bike buying research*:



http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-281025.html

Shimano shifters 'are not rebuildable' - that said, it's been done, but isn't for the faint of heart. You may also have trouble getting the piece.

..

Shimano does not sell repair parts for brifters, so the only way to get parts is to cannibalize
another brifter. The mechanical complexity of Shimano brifters is enough to make further
disassembly inadvisable as rebuilding requires well above average skills even if you found
some repair parts. Campy brifters are simpler, more robust and repair parts are available.


Or perhaps - very possibly - you know more than those people. It's certainly easy to know more than I do here!

*Ironically, I got such a good deal on my Campag bike - £200 in almost new condition (not stolen!) that I'd have bought it regardless...