Cyclocross - converting road to cyclocross

Hey guys!
is there a way to put on a cantilever brake on a road bike without a built on adapter on the bike? and should i change my stock fork with a rigid mtb fork?
lol i dunno anything yet...
looking forward for you advices, thanks!

If it's a modern road bike, you're not going to be able to convert it, no canti mounts, tire clearance, etc...

Easier and probably more satisfactory to buy a cyclocross bike.

well at the one race I saw a guy racing on a modern road bike with standard road tires and it didn't seem like he was doing to well. At the last race I was at a guy on a an old road bike converted to a single speed with a cross fork racing against geared bikes and was doing quite well. My ss/fg road bike was designed to accept fenders so I can fit cross tires on it and have ridden it on cross courses and it did fairly well and will probably race it this year in the single speed category. Have you thought about just getting a cheap frameset and moving parts over?

hey! thanks for the replies.
@ljrichar the road bike that i was thinking on converting is a 1980's frame i think i can fit a 700x23 / 25 tire at the back but won't be able to put canti brake...
@scattered73, maybe i should get a cheap cyclocross frame?

As long as the race isn't too muddy, I wouldn't worry about canti brakes. You don't even neeeeeed fat tires or even knobby ones for that matter! You probably won't finish first, but you'll have a good time at least.

(I used to ride my Ironman on singletrack all the time. I'm a crazy dude.)

Fork, tires, and front canti shouldn't cost more than $200 total, if you shop around. The rear tire will have to be a treaded touring tire - a true cross won't fit.

Here is my conversion: New handle bars, stem,saddle,dual brakes and new wire on the brakes, new tubes and tires. Everything else I keep and just cleaned including rims. I'm waiting shifters for 18 speed.Old school thumb shifter. 3 on front 6 on back. Once installed I'll wrap the handle bars.

http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad341/jediazsr/TrekfutureCyclcross001.jpg
http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad341/jediazsr/TrekfutureCyclcross007.jpg

Here is my conversion: New handle bars, stem,saddle,dual brakes and new wire on the brakes, new tubes and tires. Everything else I keep and just cleaned including rims. I'm waiting shifters for 18 speed.Old school thumb shifter. 3 on front 6 on back. Once installed I'll wrap the handle bars.

Hell yes - nice job. I'm doing the same to my hybrid Fuji. I prefer the V-brakes that came with it, found some Tektro drop bar levers that work without a Travel Agent, and the hybrid geometry allows for size 32 tires. Replacing trigger shifters with bar end.

Hell yes - nice job. I'm doing the same to my hybrid Fuji. I prefer the V-brakes that came with it, found some Tektro drop bar levers that work without a Travel Agent, and the hybrid geometry allows for size 32 tires. Replacing trigger shifters with bar end.

Thanks. Here is the finish product. Not crazy about the big ol' shifters but it's my first conversion and wanted to keep my cost low and max what the bike already had. So only 15 speeds shift smoothly.It will work for the time being until I put it through series of riding test.

The bike frame is short but fits me perfect from saddle to handle bar and with long seat post I have good leg extension.

http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad341/jediazsr/CyclocrossTrek014.jpg
http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad341/jediazsr/Cyclocrossconversincomplete.jpg

Slope + Yates

I used my '89 Trek 660 as a SSCX for a season. 41x17 gearing and 28mm knobbies (Kenda Kwicks), which just barely fit under the calipers.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Bikes/treksscx.jpg

It was fun, cheap, and worked great in September.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Bikes/delpasocx.jpg


Not so great in November.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Bikes/DSC02946-1.jpg

All cool builds! I just finished my uber-budget 'cross build based around a late '70's Takara frame + fork. What I found with that is that while the extended fork rake looks really cool and classic, it's not so great offroad. On the plus side, those Weinemann centerpulls with Kool-Stop salmon road pads are AWESOME. Plenty of clearance around the tire, and plenty of rim clearance for mud. And they stop damn good. Damn, they're easier to set up than cantilevers. I'd put them on my "good" cross bikes if I could (Mongoose Croix and Airborne Carpe Diem).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7533984@N03/4563985426/sizes/o/

What the heck? Is bike forums and Flickr not compatible? Geez, seems like no matter what I do I can get the photo to pop up correctly.

I used my '89 Trek 660 as a SSCX for a season. 41x17 gearing and 28mm knobbies (Kenda Kwicks), which just barely fit under the calipers.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Bikes/treksscx.jpg

It was fun, cheap, and worked great in September.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Bikes/delpasocx.jpg


Not so great in November.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Bikes/DSC02946-1.jpg

Nice Effort for sure!! Great you gave it a shot and raced. Can't wait on how it goes for me.

What the heck? Is bike forums and Flickr not compatible? Geez, seems like no matter what I do I can get the photo to pop up correctly.

upload you pics to photobucket.com and then use advance post and copy and paste code provide for that pic you loaded. Works great for me.

Nice Effort for sure!! Great you gave it a shot and raced. Can't wait on how it goes for me.

Thanks. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that the next season I built up a CX bike from a proper CX frame and fork.

I through together a 80's Bridgestone 400 as a SS CX ride for fun. It fit 32's with the enter pull brakes and was fun as hell to ride.