Cyclocross - Anybody try the Nashbar X aluminum cross frame? I just ordered one for $80

I had a Felt frame with bent stays I was trying to straighten and...well the stays are straight but each one now has a nice crack in it. 2 minutes after they snapped I placed an order for the Nashbar X frame (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_173397_-1_201511_10000_200450). Great price couldn't pass it up.

This bike might see some cross racing next year, but I have a nicer cross bike already so likely this will be my back up/training/city bike.

The build will be:

Nashbar X Cyclocross frame
Surly Cross Check fork
Mavic Aksium wheels
Ritchey comp stem and headset
FSA bars
Sugino single speed cranks, Shimano BB
Deore XT 9 speed RD
Deore XT 9 speed cassette / chain
105 9 speed STI lever
Tektro front brake lever
Avid Shorty brakes
Brooks Professional saddle
SKS Fenders (for when it's in city mode)


Only need a seatpost and seatpost collar

Awesome!

just make sure you have all the parts to assemble the bike. The nashbar Frame tends to come with nothing.

just make sure you have all the parts to assemble the bike. The nashbar Frame tends to come with nothing.

I found the frame came complete with everything described. it came with one der hanger and spring loaded barrel adjusters, the plastic cable guide for under the bottom bracket. All the screws present and were installed.

I picked up an additional hanger because by the time I break mine they might not have the same frame anymore. I also got the seatpost clamp that the frame description listed this one was pretty nice compared to other clamps on my other bikes, and cheap I think it set me back 8 bucks!

I found the frame came complete with everything described. it came with one der hanger and spring loaded barrel adjusters, the plastic cable guide for under the bottom bracket. All the screws present and were installed.

I picked up an additional hanger because by the time I break mine they might not have the same frame anymore. I also got the seatpost clamp that the frame description listed this one was pretty nice compared to other clamps on my other bikes, and cheap I think it set me back 8 bucks!

How's the quality? How do you have it built up...share some pics I'm anxious to get mine!!!

I thought the quality of the frame was great compared to the price. It is a light frame and looks nice.

Mine built up very well. The first time I built a bike from a frame. I just got it finished yesterday.
172199
172200

Only one ride so far so good!

I bet it'd be a great frame to build from but looking at the compact geometry I'd imagine it'd be harder to shoulder for true CX use. But it has all the eyelets on it for commuting right? That's a nicer feature if you're into that sort of thing for the other 9 months of the year.

... but looking at the compact geometry I'd imagine it'd be harder to shoulder for true CX use. But it has all the eyelets on it for commuting right?...

You are spot on, there is no flat top for the shouldering. A pure cyclocross frame will shoulder better. It is more of a do-it-all frame. It has rack and fender mounting points. I really liked the disc brake option.

Interesting to note, I have the medium which claims to be a 54 cm top tube. My normal road bike is 54 cm as well and I have toe overlap on my road bike, but this cyclocross frame does not have toe overlap. So I would guess it is not as compact as my road bike.

Different angles. I have a 54cm Redline and toe overlap is annoying on tight turns.

I thought the quality of the frame was great compared to the price. It is a light frame and looks nice.

Mine built up very well. The first time I built a bike from a frame. I just got it finished yesterday.
172199
172200


Only one ride so far so good!

mine will look like that... how are the disc brkes?

The disc brakes are good. Hard to set up but I found a YouTube video about how to align and set up properly. Just remember to get the road versions. The brake levers pull pretty far before they stop.

I ride an older iteration of this frame. Nice utility bike.

Beware; if you intend to ever run discs, the old was very convenient with 135mm spacing, whilst the newer one is 130mm spaced.

I ride an older iteration of this frame. Nice utility bike.

Beware; if you intend to ever run discs, the old was very convenient with 135mm spacing, whilst the newer one is 130mm spaced.

Bikeisland has a nice selection of 130mm disc wheels.

My nashbar x frame is set up with 25mm road tires for now. I am looking at trying some cross tires and wonder if anyone has run into a general size limit with this frame. Obviously the front fork will be the limiting factor in the front, but the back should be the same for most of us.

P.S. I got a few PMs from people that I can not reply to because my post count is too low. I guess being a lurker has drawbacks.

i run some HUGE 35mm and still have room for mud.
http://www.pedalroom.com/bike/2010-nashbar-x-1558

i'd assume 40 would be about the limit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v495/emosubaru/20101006-IMG_3336.jpg

I'm thinking of picking this up for $80 and making it a SS with a single-ator.
What fork would be a good option? Every time I price it out it comes tot he same amount (with fork) as getting some other options that come with forks and headsets already.

I'm thinking of picking this up for $80 and making it a SS with a single-ator.
What fork would be a good option? Every time I price it out it comes tot he same amount (with fork) as getting some other options that come with forks and headsets already.

Sometimes Nashbar has their famous Combo deal. I've seen the CX frame with a fork also. Isn't there a 20% off deal going on now?

what's the total cost? i've taken advantage of the Nashbar sales lately......$60 FSA gossamers for $10....eggbeaters, etc

tempted to get that frame at $100 with the 20% coupon myself......

what's the total cost? i've taken advantage of the Nashbar sales lately......$60 FSA gossamers for $10....eggbeaters, etc

tempted to get that frame at $100 with the 20% coupon myself......

Oversize shipping was $17. But I think right now you can get 20% off a single item and free shipping on orders over $100. So $97 shipped for the frame or the frame + a $20.01 item for $100 shipped.

I'm still waiting for a few parts to come in to get mine on the road, but the quality looks pretty good.

Note though that they are out of size M frames...

yeah i bought my medium from a guy on craigslist that was too big for it. he said he never rode it, just built some fit parts to check fit.

i'm pretty impressed... raced my first ever cross race on it today and it didn't let me down. also a testament to my awesome bike assembly/adjustment skills.

It's crazy how close that geometry looks to my Monster Crosser built with a 20" Performance MTB frame. Different downtube, but looks the same otherwise (wheels, of course, different).

My main thing is the max chainring allowed on the frame is 48. I have a Campy Veloce triple with a 52 big ring. Is there any way I can get away with that?

As for disc brakes, I assume the term everyone's using for "road discs" are the mechanical discs.

Wider BB to allow at least a 50?
The one thing I see that this option may have over others is the ability to go to disks when you want to. Something to consider I suppose. The only thing is that I just don;t see the need to spend extra money on disks and the whole mechanical extras they bring.

My main thing is the max chainring allowed on the frame is 48. I have a Campy Veloce triple with a 52 big ring. Is there any way I can get away with that?

No. I can barley clear the 48 tooth SRAM Force with an external bb.


As for disc brakes, I assume the term everyone's using for "road discs" are the mechanical discs.
The avid BB7s are available in two versions: road and mountain. The brakes have different pull rates and may not work well with the opposite levers.

i cleared a sram 50 but it was by a hair.

you don't want bigger than a 48 for cross anyway unless your legs are crazy, your cassette is huge, or your cross races are down mountains.

But commuting also happens the rest of the year so a 50 would actually be nice.

well a truvativ elita isn't the best crankset out there, but i'd assume any gxp could fit that particular 50. but i'm serious, there was less than a mm of clearance. you're better off running a 48 and having a road rear wheel with a smaaaalllll cassette.

What type of front derailleur do you use on that? Braze on or clamp? If I used a clamp, can't I just raise it up a lil so I could accommodate the 52 tooth chainring of my veloce crankset? I'm just trying to make a cyclocross bike out of some of the parts that I already have and using the least amount of money on the frame.

I believe the issue is that the chainstay is round with no cutout and the chainring would rub on the lower chainstay if it is larger than 48T

I built up a Motobecane Fanton cross just fine with a 52-42 biopace for my bro.
$200 with steel fork

Also, the Scattante XRL frame for $220 with CF fork I built up for my wife works fine with a 39-52

Finally got all of the parts together for this build. It is going to be my winter commuter...
I'll post again with pics and a ride report once I get the fork cut and put it together.

http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww335/telepciaka/IMG_0646.jpg

But commuting also happens the rest of the year so a 50 would actually be nice.

I did a road race with a 46 tooth. It didn't hold me back. Why would you be held back by a 46 as a commuter?!

Plan on commuting at 30mph?

I did a road race with a 46 tooth. It didn't hold me back. Why would you be held back by a 46 as a commuter?!

Plan on commuting at 30mph?

As often as possible :D My '09 Cross Comp has a 46-36, and at first I planned on swapping out for a compact double. There's really no need (12-25 cassette). The only time I miss the extra teeth up front is on long descents, but I've become used to it.

EDIT: FWIW, my other bike is very similar to the OP's build, but is a black Performance MTB frame with Vuelta Zerolite wheels and a 44-32 crank (22 removed and FD locked out and a 11-28 cass). Even 44t is just fine.

Apologies for ignoring bike picture ettiquette.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_wyr-0yVtOoI/TOKtuCdJDbI/AAAAAAAAAWc/07s8U0YDEwA/s640/monstercross.jpg

I did a road race with a 46 tooth. It didn't hold me back. Why would you be held back by a 46 as a commuter?!

Plan on commuting at 30mph?

Exactly, my 39-11 is good for 28.5mph at 100rpm. Not much chance of me spinning out of the top of that on my own. A 46 is worth 34mph at 100rpm. C'mon, now, how often do you go faster than that on a flat?

I have this frame. The build quality is great. What I don't like about it so much is the geometry; the headtube angle is really slack (70 on my Small), so steering is a bit sluggish, and it feels a little vague. I bought the frame specifically to build a budget 'cross racer, so this is a fairly important issue for me. If you're not planning on actually racing the bike, it's not likely to be noticeable. I'll probably swap it for a Soma Double Cross next year. The chainring clearance also is a little tight, but no big deal if you pay attention. Be careful if you're running square taper cranks, though; my left crank clears the frame with about a millimeter to spare. Still, for around $100 or less, it's hard to go wrong.

I suppose, as long as I'm listing the things I don't like about this frame, I might as well add one more: It is FUGLY.

I have this frame. The build quality is great. What I don't like about it so much is the geometry; the headtube angle is really slack (70 on my Small), so steering is a bit sluggish, and it feels a little vague. I bought the frame specifically to build a budget 'cross racer, so this is a fairly important issue for me. If you're not planning on actually racing the bike, it's not likely to be noticeable.

The Neuvation cross bike is similar, 71* headtube on a small. It also has a low bottom bracket (same drop as the road bike, 68mm). I'd love to give one of these less expensive bikes a go, but I know they just aren't what I'm looking for.

The Neuvation cross bike is similar, 71* headtube on a small. It also has a low bottom bracket (same drop as the road bike, 68mm). I'd love to give one of these less expensive bikes a go, but I know they just aren't what I'm looking for.

Opinion is divided on BB height for 'cross bikes, but I think more and more are being made with road-like drop these days. There's arguably no need for a high BB now that everyone races with clipless pedals, and a lower BB = better handling.

I am in the midst of building one of these as a single speed commuter. Fender mounts, etc were important. I'd love to ugrade to a(cheap) carbon fork with fender mounts one day. The issue with the chain ring size is definitely a clearance with the chain stay. I dry fit my 175mm Isis cranks and I almost had a problem with the crank arm hitting the chain stay.

When I took it out of the box, I was amazed at the similarities between this frame and my 2005 Fuji Cross Pro. The tubing is similar. The weird vertical hole in the seat stay bridge is identical. My cross pro has a much shorter head tube though. There's a great thread around here where two guys go back and forth for 2-3 pages about who's fuji is the same as their windsor.

I got mine with ae steel touring fork as I have no intention of racing this bike and needed/wanted fender mounts. $80 for the frame, $50 for the fork, I picked up a BB at universal cycles for $27 and the rest is either parts out of the drawer, or from the local resale bike shop.

Now, if I can only explain to my wife that I have another bike that I am currently putting together at work...

But commuting also happens the rest of the year so a 50 would actually be nice.

You can run a 50 with a 68x118 bottom bracket. I had to go to the 118 b/c my right crank arm was nicking the chainstay w/a 109.

I have this frame. The build quality is great. What I don't like about it so much is the geometry; the headtube angle is really slack (70 on my Small), so steering is a bit sluggish, and it feels a little vague.

Agreed on the head angle--I changed to a straight-bladed fork and it's still a bit too relaxed. I like the low standover, though, as I'm a short-legged (long-torsoed) type.

I just got mine in the mail today, but the dropout spacing threw me for a loop. The frame is 135 for sure. I have no idea if this is a standardized size or not, as no one seems to have a consistant answer. I have a set of 130 road wheels that I wanted to use, and I would love to not have them modded. Is this an option? I have heard that you can put a 5mm spacer and redish, or use a 2.5 on each side. Any ideas? I am looking for the most cost effective method. This is a secondary/wife-bike that I might use for a feeler into the cx world, so optimum performance is not at the top of the list. What are my options?

I just got mine in the mail today, but the dropout spacing threw me for a loop. The frame is 135 for sure.

Hmmmmm. I have had my frame for a couple weeks, but I am building it on the slow. I haven't even measured the dropouts as I assumed they were 130. For me, 135 would be great, I have an old Deore 135mm spaced rear wheel that I have NO use for. It needs some love, but it could solve my "which random/spare rear wheel to use for this thing" issue if it turns out my rear dropouts are 135mm. It's the only 135mm 700c wheel I own..

Momo15, did you measure it? Put a wheel in? How sure are you?

130mm is standard road spacing. 135mm is standard MTB spacing and therefore the standard disc ready hub spacing. Many threads on this and other forums discuss the rear dropout spacing of this particular frame and the responses are mixed. The disc brakers like 135 mm as there are more options in disc ready 135mm MTb hubs than 130mm disc ready hubs. The road/CX folks like the 130mm spacing because they can use any old wheel back there.

Can you measure yours and get back to us? I can't measure mine until Monday as I am still hiding it from my wife at work. :(

Can you measure yours and get back to us? I can't measure mine until Monday as I am still hiding it from my wife at work. :(

:roflmao2: :innocent:

I checked it with a tape from inside left to inside right and tried to put the wheel in. I am not an expert, but I am 95% sure that it is 135

Damn, too busy to measure it today....Need to remind myself to do it tomorrow....

Huh, I'll have to measure mine.
I got it a few weeks ago and I'm also building it up slowly but IIRC my 130 road wheel fit fine. Hmm

RTDub - What are those monster tires you're running? That build looks awesome

Sadly, they are out of production Forte VersaTrac (http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/forte-fort-versatrac-mtb-tire-reviews). 26x2.0 with a center bead/cross that rides like a road tire, and off road is more than adequate. I have yet to find an equal tire. I have contacted Performance to see if they could 'reprint' it and even make it in 700, but they did not respond favorably.

RTDub- How do you like those Forte Shifters? Do they work well? Any issues?

As for the Forte shifters, I went in thinking I'd be happy if they were adequate, but they have far exceeded my expectations.

Sorry to derail the thread for this micro-review, but Microshift (Forte rebranded them) shifters get far too little respect. I installed them about 700 miles ago, with a Franken-train drivertrain of 44-32 TruVativ cranks, Acera FD and a Deore RD. Knowing that the most important part of shifting is how well you finish your cabling, I have not had to adjust FD or RD ONCE, and the shifting is crisp - as good as the 105 on my regular cross bike. I like the front shifter as it has trim positions (whether this is intended or not, I don't know). Got them for $100 on a 20% off sale, and worth every penny.

Finally got all of the parts together for this build. It is going to be my winter commuter...
I'll post again with pics and a ride report once I get the fork cut and put it together.

What kind of fenders are those? I see you are going to set up with avid cantilever brakes. I set mine up with disc brakes and I want to mount fenders. Has anyone mounted fenders to their frame with disc brakes? I will even settle for pictures without disc brakes if anyone can post them up.

Thanks.

Well, what do you know? My rear dropout spacing is 135mm.

The website still states that the dropout spacing is 130mm. I also find it interesting that when I put the frame in my cart, the site recommended the seatpost collar and the FSA Orbit z-CX headset. I ordered both. The headset fits a frame with a 44mm head tube. The X frame has a 34mm head tube. Needless to say, I need to return this item.