Building my first cross bike
08-12-07, 01:06 PM
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Building my first cross bike
Hello, I've spent the past few years mountain biking, but now I am looking for a bike a can use to cover the distance to work fast (with occasional pothole) and let me play on light trails on the weekends.
I am currently considering building up a Surly cross-check frame. I am rather naive when it comes to road/cross components though and I am looking for durability/longevity of components, not the lowest weight, and I don't want to get hosed on $$.
1) I like the idea of brifters but am worried of easily breaking them in a fall in the woods. Is it better to go with the cheaper/more protected bar-end shifters with the traditional brake levers?
2) For componentry, at what point (tiagra, 105, ultegra, dur-ace) do you start paying more for weight (at the loss of strength) as opposed to increased performance. I liked the SRAM Rival series as well and was wondering how people thought they stacked up against the comparable shimanos.
3) I was considering switching in a Dimension cross fork so I can but a Avid BB7 disc brake on the front (leave the canti on the back). I originally road a mtn bike with v-brakes and once I got disc I swore I would never go back.
4) I'm 70" and 155#, so I don't expect to be destroying wheelsets, but I want to get something that won't taco or bend if I hit something hard. I have seen people post about Mavic cxp 33, but again am I paying for weight there over the cxp-23 or comparable other items
All that said, I recently found the lemond poprad disc, and figured that may be a better bike for approximately the same cost after the build up.
Thanks for any advice/experiences/horror-stories you can give me.
I am currently considering building up a Surly cross-check frame. I am rather naive when it comes to road/cross components though and I am looking for durability/longevity of components, not the lowest weight, and I don't want to get hosed on $$.
1) I like the idea of brifters but am worried of easily breaking them in a fall in the woods. Is it better to go with the cheaper/more protected bar-end shifters with the traditional brake levers?
2) For componentry, at what point (tiagra, 105, ultegra, dur-ace) do you start paying more for weight (at the loss of strength) as opposed to increased performance. I liked the SRAM Rival series as well and was wondering how people thought they stacked up against the comparable shimanos.
3) I was considering switching in a Dimension cross fork so I can but a Avid BB7 disc brake on the front (leave the canti on the back). I originally road a mtn bike with v-brakes and once I got disc I swore I would never go back.
4) I'm 70" and 155#, so I don't expect to be destroying wheelsets, but I want to get something that won't taco or bend if I hit something hard. I have seen people post about Mavic cxp 33, but again am I paying for weight there over the cxp-23 or comparable other items
All that said, I recently found the lemond poprad disc, and figured that may be a better bike for approximately the same cost after the build up.
Thanks for any advice/experiences/horror-stories you can give me.
08-12-07, 01:53 PM
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1) brifters should be fine, they're not as delicate as they're made out to be. still, dont put anything on your bike that you're not willing to risk breaking.
2) the level you decide on depends on a lot of things, i personally think tiagra, 105, and ultegra are great values, each for their own reasons. none of those groups sacrifice durability for weight imho. also a lot of people use some mountain components for their cross bikes.
3) discs are sweet. they're banned at the top level (UCI) of cross races but not at most local races. check with your organizer if you have questions.
4) sounds like some light rims and a quality wheelbuild would be sufficient for you. i hear good things about the salsa delgado rims.
2) the level you decide on depends on a lot of things, i personally think tiagra, 105, and ultegra are great values, each for their own reasons. none of those groups sacrifice durability for weight imho. also a lot of people use some mountain components for their cross bikes.
3) discs are sweet. they're banned at the top level (UCI) of cross races but not at most local races. check with your organizer if you have questions.
4) sounds like some light rims and a quality wheelbuild would be sufficient for you. i hear good things about the salsa delgado rims.
