Humdinger4u

I have commuted for years on my mountain bikes but want to change to a cyclocross bike.

I want a bike that is light in weight, disk brakes (Hydraulic would be nice), can put a rear rack on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you for your time, Michael

a1penguin

Sorry, I don't have any recommendations, but would you be open to a touring bike? These bikes are road bikes. What is your budget?

The Motobecane Fantom Cross seems to get good reviews. It has the new 11 speed 105, but no disc brakes for $800. Save Up To 60% Off New Cyclocross and Gravel Bicycles from bikesdirect.com. Great for commuting, racing or just having fun riding most anywhere.. Lots of choices.

bgav

Complete bike or frame? Budget?

aggiegrads

You said great, but didn't specify a price range - I'm going to assume that you know that "great" comes at a cost. I am going to say Gunnar Fast Lane. Same bike as the Cross Hairs, but with a shorter head tube and disc brakes. Build it however you want, or have your local shop do it.

With that said, nearly every brand has disk brake models, although I don't know which ones are hydraulic.

bgav

Without knowing budget, those were my thoughts exactly. FastLane and Hyper-X have disc brakes. I just built a Hyper-X with TRP HYRD hydraulic discs. Hyper-X is the disc version of the Crosshairs which is very popular as a commuter/CX race/trail bike.

fietsbob

Its a product sector that all Brands will have one .. Once again , Pick the Shop for its service . then look at what they sell .

Component specifics can be Changed by the shop if you want something different than the Product Manager, at the Importers HQ specified [to hit the Price Point]

Bikesdirect has no Dealer support . but shops will help you for their typical fee.

Drag the Box in and they will put it together for you Too, If you are not already a confident Mechanic on Bicycles..

LokiWolflord

I've got a 2015 Motobecane Fantom Cross that I've been riding on my 30 mile RT commute and I enjoy it. It is not light, though (around 22 lbs the way mine is configured). The titanium version is probably much lighter. The better models of the Fantom come with mechanical disk brakes (Avid BB7 for their best level, Avid BB5 on the one that I have).

Here's a link to the one that I am riding:
Save up to 60% off Avid Disc Brake SRAM Apex Cyclocross | Cross Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross

This is the one that I chickened out on, but looks great:
Save Up to 60% Off Titanium Cyclocross Bicycles | Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium | Cross Bikes

For $1799.99 you can get it with Ultegra groupset if you prefer Shimano.

I chickened out on the Titanium version because I'm still a beginner when it comes to wrenching. Aluminum is easy to deal with and requires virtually no special treatment. I wasn't so sure about Titanium. So far, the bike has been reliable. It's a good ride, stable on pavement, gravel, and dirt trails. The only complaint I have is with the front derailleur (SRAM Apex) which is slow to shift to the large chain ring. I adjusted the stops and now it works better, but it isn't as quick as I'd like it to be. I understand that the SRAM Yaw front derailleurs (Rival +) are much more crisp.

The Avid BB5 brakes are fine...not great...just fine. They are fairly simple to adjust.

The frame feels good. The fork is ugly, but it feels great. Just yesterday, I swapped out the stock saddle for the Avenir Hybrid 100 I was using on my old commuter because the stock saddle was a bit too narrow for me. The Apex rear shifting is very good: quick and reliable.

bmthom.gis

I don't know what your budget is, but
CAADX Tiagra Disc - CAADX - CYCLOCROSS - ROAD - BIKES - 2015

I have yet to sit on a CDale I haven't liked.

Humdinger4u

Thanks guy for the reply's, my budget will be around $2000.00. I want a bike I can go and test ride and might be limited to what I can find locally in Denver, Colorado.

I'm wanting a complete bike, the only one that I have found locally is the TREK Crossrip LTD : CrossRip LTD - Trek Bicycle These are the only models so far that I have found that you can put a rear rack on. I would like the dealer support if something goes wrong for sure.

I'll have to see if I can find a dealer for Motobecane Fantom here in Denver??

Thanks again , Michael

bmthom.gis

I'm tellin ya, check out the cannondale CAADX. The top of the line alloy model is just over 2k, the 105 is around 1500. They have rack and fender mounts. It's good to be able to compare multiple brands, and I would be surprised if you couldn't find a cannondale dealer in your area.

alan s 

Online sale only. I've seen the Ti version in person, and the owner liked the bike. Kind of unattractive overall, but within your budget, and decent quality from reviews. Availability in popular sizes is hit or miss. As best I can tell, they place an order from China every so often, and when the shipment arrives, they send to you. Light final assembly required, and no free LBS support.

Humdinger4u

bmthom.gis That's funny I was just looking at those on line and then went back to the forum and saw your reply. Yes I know there should be a cannondale dealer locally.

Thanks you, Michael

Andy_K 

Check out the Kona Jake the Snake. It's a great race bike, but also has all the attachment points you need for a full-time commute bike (rack, fenders, water bottles). It comes with mechanical disc brakes, but it's built for full length cable housing, so you can always convert to hydraulic if you want. I believe the frame is even Di2 ready.

Also, your local Kona dealer can sell you a Jake the Snake frameset and build it up any way you'd like, so you can go straight to hydraulic.

As always, total bike weight is extremely dependent on component selection. I haven't heard a total weight for the JtS with disc brakes, but a local shop was building the cantilever version a couple of years ago with a 1x10 Gevenalle drivetrain and claimed they were coming in under 18 pounds. Disc brakes typically add a pound or so.

GeneO 

Felt
Canondale
Raleigh (mightlook at their gravel Tamland)

I have a felt F55x I use for commuting on trails. I am looking at a Tamland now.

jralbert

Just chiming in to add my standard "I think the Specialized Tricross Elite Disc is the perfect commuter/light-tourer/cross-if-you-push-it all purpose bike" plug that these threads usually inspire.

LokiWolflord

The Tamland looks excellent.

Raleigh Bicycles - Tamland 1

dynaryder

That actually makes no sense. Ti is much stronger than alum,and is immune to corrosion. Rides better as well. My ti Phantom Cross was my fav bike until it was stolen.

Only special care required of ti is when you weld the frame together.

Indy21

New guy around here and unsure of how to post a link but...

All City has some really nice bikes you should check out..

Im looking into a Nature Boy Disc myself, a friend of mine has the Macho Man Disc and the bike looks great!

All-City

Edit: s'pose I DO know how to post a link =)

LokiWolflord

There is a process called galling where Titanium will bond with other metals or with itself, essentially freezing screws and bearings into place. It's a kind of friction welding. Ti Prep is made to prevent this from happening, but making sure the whole bike was prepped would have entailed stripping the whole thing apart and putting it back together. My skill set isn't up to that.

Aside from this, there is also the fact that it was my first time buying a bike on the internet. Since I couldn't ride the bike first, I was a bit leery of what I would get. The reviews of the Fantoms were good, but what suits one person might not go over so well with another. It's easier to justify replacing an aluminum frame than a Titanium one, in case I hated the frame.

If I had it to do again, I would have bought the Titanium frame with the Rival drive train. My inexperience with the material made me *** shy. Still, the bike I got is excellent. I like riding it a lot more than the 2012 Giant Escape it replaced.

dynaryder

You're overthinking this. No need to prep the entire frame. You grease(assembly compound for CF) your seatpost before installing it,no matter what the material is. Most other things get grease/anti-seize/thread locker as a matter of course as well. Absolutely no reason to take a new ti bike and tear it down to do anything to it.

TGT1

Bought the Ti Fantom pro last year and have 4000+ miles on it now.

Commute on it, grind fire roads with the occasional wrong turn down a single track and have put skinny tires on it and ridden an organized century, so yeah, it will go about anywhere reasonably fast.

Alterations:

30mm setback seatpost and Brooks B-17
Changed out the rival FD for Red Yaw (got a good deal on it and I was going to have to move the FD up anyway)
Changed front rings to 34-48
Now running 42mm Conti Crossrides.

With anything but steel (CF, Ti, Al) one of those CDI 5nm tee handle torque drivers would be a wise purchase along with some thread compound. Even at that almost all of the fasteners that commonly need adjustment (seatpost, Headset, etc) don't thread into the frame.

Surly2698

surly cross check
All city macho man
There are a lot of bike shops in Denver you should not have a problem
Finding what you want
Good luck

Humdinger4u

Thanks you all for your input, I'm going to be hitting a few bike shops this weekend and see what's out there.

Thanks again, Michael

Humdinger4u

Surly2698 you are correct there are a lot of bike shops, I just wasn't sure what was out there that's all.

I'm kind of curious what everyone else has, what they like and dislike about the bike they have now for commuting?

aggiegrads

I have two bikes that I commute on - a Gunnar Cross Hairs and a Surly LHT. Both are set up with Cantilever brakes. I once thought that I needed disk brakes for a rainy PNW commute. Then I discovered Kool-Stop brake pads. I have never found myself in a situation where I felt that I needed more brake.

The Gunnar sees more commuting miles by far, but when the weather turns nasty, the LHT has the longest Honjo Fenders you can buy, and studded tires for when it drops below freezing.