chefisaac

Hello all.

I'm considering getting a new bicycle for commuting. Right now, I commute around 38 miles round trip. I'm a bigger guy, 6 foot 4 inches and weigh around 250. I do haul some stuff into work and back as well. A friend mentioned to ditch the idea of a road bike and look into a cyclocross bike. But I'm not sure what to look for as far as brands go. Any recommendations?

Right now, I commute of a Giant mountain bike converted to a commuting bike.

chriskmurray

CX bikes make great commuters as they have room for wider tires that are both more comfortable and handle nasty roads better. There is also room for fenders usually which adds to the comfort assuming you live in an area that can benefit from them. Do you have to deal with much snow?

What kind of budget are you looking at? Surly makes the Straggler and Cross Check, both of which are good for the money but there are a ton of options out there that could work really well for you.

yooperbiker

I would say a touring bike, or a light touring/gravel bike would be closer on target for you, but some CX bikes could work. A true CX bike is made for CX racing, but some entry level ones are more like gravel bikes. If stable geometry, fender/rack mounts etc can work, but again the bike becomes more and more like a touring bike at that point anyway.

An example, which some would call a CX bike (but more of a gravel/touring bike IMHO) would be the Rove:

KONA BIKES | 2016 BIKES | ROVE | Rove ST

macca33

I commute on my Focus Mares CX regularly - it is a 25mile each-way commute on tarmac roads. I only carry what fits in my jersey pockets and in the satchel on my back though.....

The CX gives you the ability to ride quickly over tarmac, gravel, bike paths etc, etc, so is very versatile.

cheers

TGT1

I upgraded from a converted mt bike to a CX bike. You can set a CX bike up as a "go anywhere reasonably fast" ride.
Just make sure it has the brazeons for a rack and fenders. The more pure race oriented ones may not have them.

NormanF

A pure CX bike isn't desirable because of the high bottom bracket that makes the bike feel - taller.

You're better off with a gravel road/adventure bike. It has a more relaxed geometry and has brazeons for a rack and fenders.

Canadian_giant

+1 on the adventure bike. Every major manufacturer is stuffing new bikes between road bikes, hybrids and cyclocross bikes. The only way to know if it's right for you is to try a few out on the road.

grolby

"Pure CX bike" covers such a broad range of geometries that this is a useless generalization. Some CX bikes have high bottom brackets. Some, including many of those designed by American companies (Trek, Specialized, etc), have essentially the same bottom bracket height of a typical road bike, with any difference being the result of wider tires rather than frame geometry. Likewise for the front end geometry, which is variable and really won't necessarily be much different from that of a gravel bike (which also are not all the same). Much more important than what it says on the tin is whether the individual model has the particular features that you want. For example, many cyclocross bikes and some gravel bikes as well do not come with fender and/or rack mounts, which might be important to a commuter. It's important to look at any bike's features. There are some CX models that can serve as fantastic commuter bikes and some gravel racers that might not be so great for it.

tl;dr all bikes sold under a given label are not identical and fully interchangeable. Do the research.

bikebreak

specialized tricross

Andy_K 

I really like Kona bikes and I think the Jake line offers pretty solid components for the price point.

Generally, I think the advice to look at adventure/gravel bikes is worth considering, but as grolby indicated, "pure CX bike" is a mythical beast. The bottom bracket on Kona's 2016 Jake the Snake is all of 2-2.5 mm higher than that on the same sized 2016 Rove. The stack and reach are also very similar. Finally, while the Snake is a very capable CX race bike, it does have the braze-ons and eyelets for a rack and fenders. Even the lowest gear is about the same as the Rove. Probably the most significant distinction for the Rove is that it has clearance for wider tires (I think). Also, the chainstays are 5mm longer, which might make a slight difference if you have very big feet, though even there the 430mm chainstays on the Snake will work with a pannier for most people.

On a related note, everyone raves about steel, especially for commuting, but with wide tires a well designed aluminum frame can be just as comfortable to ride and aluminum doesn't rust.

All this is to say, I love my Kona Jake for commuting!

jaxgtr

My Trek CrossRip when I bought it was under the CX banner, but rides more roadish and I use it as a daily commuter. I basically took the frame and replaced everything and recently moved an 11 speed 105 drivetrain I had from another bike over to it and replaced the 10 speed group I had on it. It's a great bike for commuting, but I also use it as my foul weather bike.

Sy Reene

Just assembled a Nashbar Steel CX bike.. Shimano 105 equipped and you can get for under $750 if you buy during 20% off sales.
Only had the chance for a quick spin yesterday. Seems good.. I have to replace the tires for something more commuting friendly (came with some knobby-ish Kenda CX tires -- found a great deal on Vittoria Randanneur ProII (half price) at Chain Reaction); also will try swapping out the stock brake pads for some Koolstops and I've ordered some Planetbike fenders. Nice red color and completely unlogo'd if this matters to you.
Nashbar Steel Cyclocross Bike

For gear carrying, I plan to use my topeak MTX Beam rack setup.

66Satellite

Surly Cross Check in disc or canti versions makes for a very versatile commuter. Great tire and fender clearance. Used one to commute for 8 years.

jtbadge

All-City Space Horse will handle tons of weight, fit huge tires with fenders, and has rack mounts, whilst being reasonably light and quick. It'll be more comfortable on a long ride than an aggressive CX bike.

gtweath

Look at the Surly Straggler. It's their cross bike with disc brakes. Great bike for everyday commuting.

GeneO 

^This. especially if you have a long ride, since cyclocross geometry is usually not designed for long rides.

Frank72

This is what I bought. The Moto Fantom Cross team from BD. $1499
Full Ultegra 6800 except the:
Avid BB7 disc brakes
FSA Sl-k carbon post, stem and bar.
Has inserts for fenders.
WTB i19 frequency wheels

Just had it out once but great bike.

allroader55

With your distance I'm guessing you will be moving at a good clip so the cx type is a better choice than a city/hybrid bike. Some of these are just slightly relaxed road bike geometry. It's the sloping top tube and wider tire clearance that are different. Definitely go with something aggressive on the top tube slope. That does not affect rider position at all and it makes for a practical fun bike. I would also pay a lot of attention to having tire clearance to run up to 45c for a lot of new tires that are emerging for gravel and also for a touring tire. It will give you a lot of diversity in bike use for the future. Cyclocross is restricted to a smaller tire, and some bikes still cannot handle more than 35-38c tires.

Definitely get something with all the mounting points for racks, bags, bottles and such.

For me, overall package value is important, as in how much do you have to spend to replace the cheap hardware on the bike. Trek has some nice frames and Specialized has the Sirrus which is a great commute city bike, but these brands offer some of the worst packages in terms of what you get for what you pay. For serious commuting, I would go for a bike outfitted with Shimano 105 and nothing less. Anything higher grade is a waste of money too.

Salsa makes some of the coolest and most targeted bikes with good component sets for you want, but they are pricey ans delivery can be an issue if you want something right away unless you happen to find exactly what you want in an LBSLas. The upside is you don't have to replace everything the day you pick up the bike. Giant and Scott both usually offer some better value in terms of getting a decent equipped bike at the same price for lesser components that Trek and Specialized will give you. The Anyroad, Toughroad, Sub Speed and Addict are all possibilities. I'm not familiar wirh other brands like Surly, but there a lot of medium - small builders addressing this market these days.

1983

Commute via skateboard.

fietsbob

A Hybrid is largely a 'Cross' bike for normal use (not CX Racing ) with straight handlebars ..

look for places to mount racks and Mudguards .. (Its a Market segment all Brands will want a slice of)

How about Trek Cross Rip Or the 720?

Rgl3

Felt F65X

tyrion

I recommend a touring bike. Generally they are more rugged than cyclocross bikes and built for heavier loads. Compared to a CX bike a touring bike will have a more upright seating position, stronger wheels, wider gear range, can fit wider tires, fenders, racks, etc. But it will be heavier and less nimble than a CX bike, but at 250 lbs, and with that load I see on your current bike, I don't think nimble is what you want.

jbandt

I'd also suggest the adventure/gravel bikes. I'm really not going to notice the difference between the geometry's of cx and gravel, but I do like the more upright seating positions. I went with the felt V85 in their adventure line. Full 105 in 11speed. TRP Spyre brakes, carbon fork and seat post. And it was the cheapest at 1400 msrp. I looked at a lot of other brands and everything with similar specs was more expensive.

09box

I'd second the notion for a touring bike.

LuckySailor

Hey Chef. My curiosity is why do you need a new/another bike? I commuted quite a number of years on a mountain bike the same number of miles as you, and hauled stuff on a rear rack with panniers. Very similar set up to what you have. I used Schwalbe marathon tour plus tires to smoothen out the ride the last several years, but actually used the knobbies for several years before that. Also, I concur on the idea of using a touring bike. This past summer I toured across Canada. One of the guys on tour had a new Trek CX, I think it was a Domane, Nothing but problems the whole way across the country. He went thru 2 rear wheels. Shifter probs, countless flats (close to 20), broken chain, spokes, and I have probably missed something. Trek makes a good bike. So why the all the problems? My feeling is that he was too large a guy for the bike. At 5'9", he went 250ish. The rear wheel was only 24 spokes, 20 in front. He had a rear rack with a trunk, and on the rear rack he made a very cool rack to hold 3 more water bottles, as he drank lots of water. All this adds up to an additional 9-10 pounds. Anyhow, there's more but at the risk of sounding like I am ranting. CX with beefy tires and 32 or 36 spoke wheels, maybe ok. Touring bike with 32 or 36 spoke wheels way better. BTW, your current set up has 32 spoke wheels. I think your size dictates a stronger bike, especially considering rider and stuff for work. Check what the manufacturer is rating the bike at for weight before you commit to a purchase.