Cyclocross - First CX Bike Suggestions

Hey everyone!

I've been riding bicycles for the majority of my life, but never really got too serious with it. By that I mean I'd buy $150-$200 terrible bikes without really knowing any better and burn them out in a couple years and just buy a new one. That was all fine and good as I was only a young high school kid with a budget that was to be expected of someone of that age. However, now that I am a bit older (graduating college as a mechanical engineer) with a solid job lined up with a good amount of money coming in from tax returns/graduation presents/signing bonuses, I decided to step up to the (bigger) leagues. This comes coupled with the fact that my former sporting interest, mixed martial arts, was taking a toll on my body that I no longer wished to pay. I was really looking for a new sport that gave huge fitness benefits while at the same time gave me the adrenaline rush that martial arts provided.

With that thought in mind I began to do some research into the type of bike I wanted. I wanted something that could be fairly fast on roads (faster than a mountain bike) so that I could at least keep up with a few of my friends who ride road bikes. This will also allow me to use the bike for some good transportation (if I wake up one morning and its just a great day outside, I would love nothing more than to ride my bike to work, about 6.5 miles each way). This originally brought me to road bikes; however, I soon realized that they really wouldn't do so well on mountain trails, which is where I hoped to experience most of the more adventurous aspects of cycling. I really don't have any intention of going over massive jumps, climbing super grueling mud hills, or anything like that. I can definitely see myself getting a bit of air time after hitting a small bump on a dirt path, plowing through a small stream, and so forth, though. So I definitely wanted something a bit more durable than a road bike and possibly even a hybrid, but faster and more road worthy than a straight up mountain bike. This brought me to the cyclocross category.

I've seen quite a few videos now of people handling exactly the same off road terrain that I will be experiencing but still hitting very respectable speeds on road. This is precisely what I was looking for and I spent a few days now doing some research and talking to other cyclists about quality brands, parts, etc. I've pretty much narrowed my choice down to two bikes. Usually by this point I can make a decision fairly easily... However, I really am struggling to choose. The two choices are the Kona Jake and the Jamis Nova Race.

I've heard people rave about both of them; obviously the Kona has made a huge name for itself in the cyclocross world and I personally know someone who owned the (older model) Jamis and has said it was his favorite bike to use off road (now races roadies only). I was looking at the 2012 models and both have some things I really like that the other doesn't have.

For example, the Kona has better gearing/drive train, tires, and has more sizing options to enable a better fit. The Jamis has disc brakes, is slightly lighter, and has a carbon composite front fork. I realize I can always change parts out, but I want to avoid that as much as possible in the beginning. Both are essentially the same price varying only really by the dealer (about $1100 or so). I will definitely take both for a test ride before buying, but I'd like to have some idea of what I want before doing so.

So can anyone possibly offer any advice between the two? Or if you don't like either, possibly suggest another option? I would really appreciate the help if anyone can provide it! Thanks!

Have you looked at the tricross and/or crux from specialized? Have you test ridden any bikes yet? I thought I would like a certain fuji cross bike and once I test rode it I found I really didnt like the way it felt. I definitely recommend test riding at least 3 or 4 different cross bikes to see what feels right.

Thanks for the reply, Mondo!

I just took a look at those Specialized bikes that you mentioned, and I didn't really like the Tricross but really liked the Crux.

At this point I was really leaning towards the Jamis, just because it was really hard to beat the features you get for the price (including disc brakes, which I noticed the Crux didn't have unless I spent a ton more money).

How would you say the 2012 Crux Elite (which I can get a bit discounted from my LBS since they sponsor my school's cycling team) compares to the 2012 Jamis Nova Race in terms of components? I completely agree that I definitely need to test ride them both before making a decision.

Thanks again!


EDIT: I just went to my LBS and looked at the Crux Elite. Unfortunately they didn't have my size in stock to test ride (they will in about a week). However, it looked awesome and I really liked it to be honest. I also liked that they would sell it to me for $1300 including all the essentials as well as their any-time drop in policy which lets me get it serviced/tuned up at any time, no questions asked. Doesn't seem too bad of a deal.

Alright so after looking at the jamis this is what I noticed. First the tiagra components are a lower level component group than the Apex group. Apex is considered to be equal to Shimano's 105 group. However the SRAM and Shimano brifters handle differently (two levers for Shimano and one for SRAM) in fact the entire shifting system should feel different; this however is a matter of personal preference. I find the SRAM shifting to be more intuitive. Second the Jamis has Avid BB5 disc brakes whereas the Crux with disc brakes has the Avid bb7's (the next step up). In a test ride with both I didn't notice a difference in braking power but I have heard that BB7's are much easier to adjust as your pads wear out. One final note it seems that the jamis is also a pound or two heavier. Hope this helps you out.

make sure you pay attention to mounting points for racks/ fenders in case you get bitten by the commuting bug.

Alpha742

Sorry bout my previous post I thought the elite was the apex disc model. the sora component group is one level below the tiagra component group. There are big mechanical differences between sora and tiagra. Have you tried a cross bike with cantilever brakes IMO they suck I really dislike canti's. Personally between the crux elite and the jamis race if I liked the feel of both about the same I think I would have to go with the Jamis as it is a slightly higher spec'd bike. Though I personally would highly consider saving up a little more cash and going with one of the crux disc models.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I'm so glad you all are taking the time to help me, it really means a lot as I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I think what I'm going to do is pony up an additional 300 dollars and buy the Crux Comp Apex. This doesn't have the discs, but it has the mountings for them. Since the disc version in my price range doesn't have the SRAM stuff that I want, I figured I'd go with the canti version (which has very decent performance for cantis) and eventually save a little more and add the discs myself. I also was thinking of asking for a job at the shop for a few hours a week. But in lieu of paying me, they would teach me everything I need to know about CX. One of the owners races and knows just about everything about them mechanically. Maybe if I do a really good job, they'd even give me a discount on future parts ;-). But in all honesty, I really just want to hang around the shop and learn all that I can. I don't want to take advantage of their kindness, though, so I'd gladly help them with whatever they needed.

Thank you all again for the help!

Congrats! I have been learning bike mechanics myself through the forum and youtube. It would be nice to do what you are talking about unfortunately I just dont have a schedule that allows for it. As it sits I am probably going to buy either the crux apex disc or tricross apex disc model this week also. once you get yours post some pics and let me know how you like it after you have had some time to really get some riding in.

Well, I officially bought my bike yesterday! I put up a bit more money and went with the Crux Comp Apex Disc. I got a really unbelievable deal on it... $1800 dollars with a full assembly and custom fitting. Not bad considering it retails for $2100. It should arrive Monday, at which point I'm going to do some easy riding to get used to the SRAM shifting and the disc brakes. Pictures should come soon after. Possibly a review (giving the perspective of a new cyclocross rider) too. Stay tuned!

Congrats! You will love the flexibility of a cross bike to do all the things that your heart desires.