Cyclocross - Should I sell my road bike and put time and $$$ into my cyclocross bike?

Have a 2001 Schwinn Fastback, nice bike, I like it.

Have a motobecane fantom cx (I built up from the frame).

Obviously neither of these bikes are superbikes, but both are nice and servicible.

I've begun to realize that while I enjoy riding on the road a lot, I really love tearing around on mixed surfaces cyclocross style (going from road, to field, to singletrack, to mud, back to road, etc).

So I'm thinking about selling my road bike and sinking the extra $$ into my cross bike. Additionally, I find it hard to find the time to give both the maintence they deserve.

I still want to do the occaisional road race (so I'm going to keep a 23mm road wheelset for that) , but really am just super excited about racing cross next season.

Should I do it...

I'd go steel fork to carbon fork, old 9 speed 105 to SRAM Rival, (tubular wheelset??)

How much is the Schwinn worth? From googling, I don't think you'll get much out of it. May be enough for a fork upgrade.

There are new components into it, now it has a ritchey stem/seatpost, cinelli bars, 5500 series shimano components (the brifters are actually recent NOS, and have less than 200 miles on them), FSA energy crankset

So I'd hope I could get at least $500 for it. I'd have to let the free market decide I suppose...thanks ebay.

If i could get 500, that would be enough for (used probably) SRAM Rival brifters/derailleurs and a carbon fork. And more for odds and ends like tubes, CO2s, lube, etc.

Sell road bike to upgrade your cx? That's what I'm doing!

I'm going to be selling my old and upgraded Giant OCR (I'm thinking $350 is about the best I'll get) and some other parts laying around for Thomson stem and seatpost and new wheels - DT 240s to the Stan's CX rims --- Pumped!

I don't think I'd do it. The upgrades you're talking about are nice bling, but I'm not convinced you'd notice a lot of difference on the course. I think it would be better to keep both bikes. There's very little chance that your bike is going to be worth as much to someone else as it is to you.

I'm also in the process of selling my road bike, a 2008 made-by-Lynskey titanium.

I just like my CX bike more overall. My next bike will be a CX bike, probably high-end steel. Maybe a custom build.

Michael

I'm aware that my bike won't be as valuble to someone else as it is to me. But as a college student I'm having trouble scraping together the time and especially money to devote to both bikes. Its attractive having one bike to baby, as opposed to the "well duct tape will hold together this bar tape until i can afford new rolls".

And right now my CX bike has one tire with the casing showing through on the side, housing I stole from an old 70s road bike in the basement, one broken 5500 series left shifter (so I'm effectively running a single chainring setup), and the right shifter gums up when it gets below freezing.

It works pretty well all things considered, but still...

OK, I can see why you'd do it. You might want to consider moving some the good parts to the CX bike before you sell. Where you see "Schwinn Fastback with lots of upgrades," most potential buyers will see "Schwinn Fastback" and maybe even just "old Schwinn." The upgrades lose a lot of their value as soon as you put them on the bike.

i sold my road bike and bought a cross about 3 months ago...i don't regret it one bit...just my 2 cents..

make that schwinn into your sscx bike..and the bike that you wont get to upset about if it gets stolen when you ride to the store..

I say keep both. It's nice to have multiple bikes, so when you get ready for a ride and find your bike has a flat or something, you can hop on the other and go. New tires are cheap, spray some WD40 into the shifter, and keep it rolling. I don't think you'll have the opportunity for fun with just one marginally upgraded cross bike.

Hrmmmmmmm. Hrmmmmmm. Hard decision.

My other thought is that one I graduate this semester, I'll probably be moving around a lot over the next few years. I don't know that I'll always have room and ability to take care of an entire stable of bikes. That also makes the idea of one (nice) do-it-all bike attractive.

Know this is an old post, but do you still have your fastback frame?

I don't think I'd do it. The upgrades you're talking about are nice bling, but I'm not convinced you'd notice a lot of difference on the course. I think it would be better to keep both bikes. There's very little chance that your bike is going to be worth as much to someone else as it is to you.

aint that a ***** about selling nice used bikes? they just aren't worth as much to others as they are to you.

For example, I was trying to sell my 2011 56cm CC frame set for $300, to size down to a 54cm CC for about $140 more but I kept getting low baller offers of $200. If I saw a slightly too large CC for $200, you bet I'd jump right on. Point is that my 56cm worth more to me than it is to anyone else. I just have to live with the discomfort. It's less than ideal but I guess a shorter stem could help make it better.


make that schwinn into your sscx bike..and the bike that you wont get to upset about if it gets stolen when you ride to the store..

I might do this with my CC, too.


Next dream bike is a Vaya, built from the ground up!


to the OP: frankenstein the best of both bikes onto your Motobecane. Then, make your Schwinn into a scrapper you can leave outside the bus-station like Bluenote suggested. Upgrade your Motobecane, slowly. Eventually, you could even upgrade the frame...in any case, selling your Schwinn won't pan out for you. Just keep it and make the best of things.

This thread is almost a year old...so this ship sailed a while ago.

smailsteve - I sold the frame a while back. Thanks for asking though.

SurlyLaika - thanks for the advice, but its too late!

If anyone is interested, heres a before + after:

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/3968/cxbike.jpg

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3316/dsc02851f.jpg

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5624/dsc02852wc.jpg

looks great, beautiful bike

Nice.

It seems it is almost better to break down a bike and sell it as parts rather than as a complete bike. You raise more money this way and end up with spare parts for yourself to boot (like an extra wheelset and various other bits that you are going to need anyhow.)

Once you sell the frame the room saved in a small apartment is huge if you can't find the room for that extra bike.

It isn't nearly as hard taking a bike apart as it is building it back up. Sure, you need some special tools like crank pullers and BB tools but you need those anyhow for basic maintenance unless you are a slave to your LBS wrench.

Honestly, I'd agree with that. I was able to get around 250 (I think) for my road frame, and 200 for the old 105 shifters. I bet you I wouldn't have gotten more than 500 for the complete bike...and this way I have a bunch of spare parts lying around.

Though it probably depends on the model/year.

The cross bike now has SRAM rival shifters, too.

the best thing i did in the last year was sell my road bike and buy a cross bike. as much as i loved my road bike, i have so much more fun on this thing than i ever did on that one.

Interesting thread, sounds like you made the decision that worked best for your situation.

Since I have the money, time and desire to have more than one bike, I like having a road and a cyclocross bike. In rainy Seattle, having the crosser for lousier weather is great, and I like the roadie for faster and distance riding. The road bike is more fun, the cross more versatile.

Interesting thread, sounds like you made the decision that worked best for your situation.

Since I have the money, time and desire to have more than one bike, I like having a road and a cyclocross bike. In rainy Seattle, having the crosser for lousier weather is great, and I like the roadie for faster and distance riding. The road bike is more fun, the cross more versatile.

I have a road bike and a mountain bike. A cross bike should give me the sliding scale between the two, depending on gearing and tires selected.

That would equal 3 bikes which leaves options open for a Touring bike, Single speed MTB, Single Speed Road, and rainy day variants of each of them. ;) N+1

Risking to beat the proverbial horse beyond reason I will add my experience in the cross vs road bike debate.

I have one of each, a C'dale SuperSix (16lbs) and a C'dale SuperX (19lbs), and they are very different beasts. Both are 58cm frames with Campagnolo drivetrains and road wheels (23mm tires vs 28mm), but that's definitely where the similarities end.

Briefly this is what I've found for use strictly on pavement: The roadbike is a faster climber and accelerator, is easier to hold it's place in a paceline and beats into a headwind with much less effort. The crossbike is comfortable and plush, descends with a lot more confidence, thus faster downhill and it absorbs road chatter with efficiency.

Due to geometry (and a flipped stem) the cross bike handle bars are almost level with the saddle. To achieve this with the roadie I would have to go up 2 sizes. Such a seemingly small detail makes a lot of difference in comfort but also in performance. The wheel base is longer and the head angle slacker on the crosser, again adding to stability and comfort but subtracting from pure road performance.

For road use they compliment each other very well: Solo rides and 'training' is easier on the body when using the crosser, while group rides are more fun on the roadie.

I have a Cannondale R800 for road and a Felt F1X for a cyclocross. Both are standard double drive trains. In comparison, the road bike is quicker, lighter, easier for climbing, more fun overall. The Felt is tougher, fits wider tires--so better traction in the rain, can carry a rear rack and load, and can take the pounding on city streets with less attention to ruts etc., and rides higher which I like.


That would equal 3 bikes which leaves options open for a Touring bike, Single speed MTB, Single Speed Road, and rainy day variants of each of them. ;) N+1

OK, I also have a mtn bike and a ss road bike.

As fun as n+1 is, I've found that--belatedly obvious--each add'l bike takes time, money and maintenance after the fact to keep in top working order. That's my limiting factor, not the initial cost of the bike itself.

I've actually trimmed by bike collection.

I have a Cervelo S1 which I race. Felt F75X which I race. Had a Rockhopper Comp Disc - sold it. Single Speed road bike - sold it.

Riding both my current bikes quite regularly, they are vastly different, and I would not sell one or the other. Since I race both road and cross, I need a dedicated bike for each. The setups are just too different.

Racing aside, the F75x is nice on a rainy or cooler day, since its a much more forgiving bike on rough roads. Its also great for the rail to trails. The cervelo comes out on sunny days where I feel like going fast :)

Nice discussion here. I'm wondering if a cross bike is safer to ride on pavement. I had a bad crash on my road bike recently and broke my collarbone. Things are on the mend after weeks of pain, but I'm really wary of riding my road bike again. I love my road bike -- it's a 2006 Trek Madone 5.2 and I just bought Dura-Ace C24 wheels. There are a few other things that may need to be replaced because of the crash, but the frame looks very intact -- my shoulder got all the impact. I've never ridden a cyclocross bike. I have no intentions of riding on anything but pavement. Could a cyclocross bike be safer? I seemed to have inadvertently rode over a little bump or depression in the road, but the impact was so large that it took me by surprise and I lost control. Though I'm very strong and fast, I always try to ride safely and won't go anywhere my limits. I just have a bad penchant for riding over little bumps in the road :(

Nice discussion here. I'm wondering if a cross bike is safer to ride on pavement. I had a bad crash on my road bike recently and broke my collarbone. Things are on the mend after weeks of pain, but I'm really wary of riding my road bike again. I love my road bike -- it's a 2006 Trek Madone 5.2 and I just bought Dura-Ace C24 wheels. There are a few other things that may need to be replaced because of the crash, but the frame looks very intact -- my shoulder got all the impact. I've never ridden a cyclocross bike. I have no intentions of riding on anything but pavement. Could a cyclocross bike be safer? I seemed to have inadvertently rode over a little bump or depression in the road, but the impact was so large that it took me by surprise and I lost control. Though I'm very strong and fast, I always try to ride safely and won't go anywhere my limits. I just have a bad penchant for riding over little bumps in the road :(

Sorry about your crash. THis is an interesting question. We have a local hill here in Boise (Backside of dump loop for locals) where I have hit 61 mph on my road bike (Tarmac Pro) and 58 mph on my cross bike (Major Jake). Both feel pretty great at speed but I have to admit that I feel less "at risk" for sudden and catastrophic mistakes at speed on the cross bike. I am pretty sure it has to do with the more relaxed heat tube angle on the cross bike.

Cross bikes like Major Jake seem quite attractive. It's been difficult to like bikes other than road bikes until my accident. Maybe when I get good enough to ride again I'll consider a test ride.

I wonder what it would be like riding with cross tires over long distances on pavement. I'm just not sure whether riding a bike that was meant for mixed conditions is really a good choice for riding exclusively on pavement. I can just hear my buddies say "ha, finally got you to slow down!" OTOH the roads that I ride on are really in various states of disrepair!

I each add'l bike takes time, money and maintenance after the fact to keep in top working order. That's my limiting factor, not the initial cost of the bike itself.

*Sigh*
Three chains cleaned and lubed, two to be replaced
Tubes to patch
Hydraulic brakes to bleed and cables to replace.
Yep, drain on the money and time...

Cross bikes like Major Jake seem quite attractive. It's been difficult to like bikes other than road bikes until my accident. Maybe when I get good enough to ride again I'll consider a test ride.

I wonder what it would be like riding with cross tires over long distances on pavement. I'm just not sure whether riding a bike that was meant for mixed conditions is really a good choice for riding exclusively on pavement. I can just hear my buddies say "ha, finally got you to slow down!" OTOH the roads that I ride on are really in various states of disrepair!

I thought that too...that I would essentially be riding a bike that is good at everything but great at nothing. I suppose that is true, but it really on the high end of the "good" scale. So much so that I don't really notice that it is not "great" until I am trying to hammer above 25 mph with my road buddies. When I am riding alone, I don't even notice any defference to my road bike.

On an interesting note, I finally rode the MJ last week after riding the JTS all spring. I noticed a distinct comfort difference in road compliance. The MJ (2005 scadnium) simply rides more comfortably with the same tire pressure.

I should note that I ride 25c road tires pretty much all the time except when racing. I have even used them quite a bit on our local trails.