Cyclocross - Bianchi Axis

Hey guys,
I wanna get into CX, and basically, I would start from an old steel frame, but ideally, I think its not worth putting money into it if I will later have to upgrade to a better frame.

I work at a shop, and can get Bianchis cheaper. I was thinking of the Axis. How is this as a begginer bike? I dont think I'll like that triple and such, but at 22lbs and probably sub 600 USD, I think its pretty good.

Any reviews on the Axis and it's performace and possible any suggestions?(I can get Fuji cross bikes also, but I think Bianchis are better overall.

Byron

If you can get an axis for under $600.00 I would jump on it. The MSRP is $1,299.00.

I am currently awaiting for delivery of a 49cm 2005 Axis. I test rode 44 and 52cm versions and it seems like a great cyclocross bike and can be used as a commuter/touring/road bike as well! If you can get it cheap as a Bianchi dealer I would go for it!

fwiw, i think the fuji is a better race bike. the slightly slacker head tube will help over the rough stuff without compromisingthe agressive position. the axis is really specced as a glorified touring bike, with triple chainrings, a wide=range cassette and a square-tapered crank. the first thing that i would do, if i was going to race the axis is replace the bottom bracket with a splined unit, replace the crankset with a double, and replace the casette and rd with a road rd and a shorter cassette. waitasec... i just turned a bianchi into a fuji! ;)

I have an '04 Axis. It's an awesome bike, all around. My only complaint is that the front brakes (Shimano 105 STI) are almost useless on anything other than a dry, flat paved surface. Otherwise you get the shudders something fierce. Have tried just about everything to correct the problem w/ out much luck. Other than that, tho, it's a great ride.

Moose

Velocipedio,
I was thinking the same thing. The axis seems more of a touring bike and just didnt appear in my head as a true CX bike. I would actually get the Fuji at probably the same price, but I guess I need to give it more thought.

I would say that the Axis is not just a glorified touring bike, although like any cross bike, it can be used as such. The axis does have rack/fender mounts in the rear and fender mounts in the front. The triple chainrings are set up like a mountain bike, not like a road touring bike. Also the bottom bracket is higher up than it would be on a pure touring bike. The cables run along the top tube, not along the down tube and around the bottom bracket like a road bike. The Axis uses a bottom-pull road front derailleur, necessitating a down-tube pully to convert the top-tube -> seat tube front derailleur cable to bottom-pull set up. The idea is that when going over obstacles you don't want anything on the down tube or bottom bracket shell to catch on something...

okay, sab, it's an off-road touring bike. ;)

the gearing is just wrong for racing. any hill that would require a 26x32 is better run... in fact any hill that would require 36x28 would be better taken on foot. such low gearing is just unnecessary in the sport of cyclo-cross. the triple chainring is a disaster waiting to happen in a race. it increases the angle of the chainline and is a prime area for mud clog. i think the axis is a nice bike, i just don't think it's much of a racing cyclo-cross bike. and if you're not racing, you're not doing cyclo-cross; you're riding a road bike off-road.

I am seriously looking at an Axis because I want a nice road-ish bike to take on Houston roads. Road bike killers is what these streets are. I need to be able to jump curbs and bunny hop, as well. All terrain road bike. ;)

okay, sab, it's an off-road touring bike. ;)

the gearing is just wrong for racing. any hill that would require a 26x32 is better run... in fact any hill that would require 36x28 would be better taken on foot. such low gearing is just unnecessary in the sport of cyclo-cross. the triple chainring is a disaster waiting to happen in a race. it increases the angle of the chainline and is a prime area for mud clog. i think the axis is a nice bike, i just don't think it's much of a racing cyclo-cross bike. and if you're not racing, you're not doing cyclo-cross; you're riding a road bike off-road.

The 2003 model came with a double. Not sure why they added the granny but it's easy enough to remove. In fact the 2003 uses the same crank, just without the granny ring.

It looks as though this is probably a more suitable bike than the Cross Concept for me. I was also looking at litespeed but I could not locate their cyclocross bikes.