Santaria

If you were going to use this as a base for commuting, touring - which would you go with?

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...89_-1___202339

vs.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...12_-1___202339

I would eventually be using my Handsome Devil frame/fork, paul seatpost, brooks saddle and R600 double w/ 105 BB. So the valid parts are really the wheelset and shifters.

Opinions?

nashcommguy

Not being a big fan of triple cranks or indexed front shifting I'm in a bit of a quandry here. The tourer comes w/fenders and a rack, but a triple as well. Hmmmmmm...

The CX is essentially the same bike as this one: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._cross_cx2.htm The MB has more top-end should you need it. It, also comes w/no shipping. Mine was ordered in May of '08 on a Wednesday and I had it by Saturday. Comes 90% assembled. BD often takes a hit w/some around here, but one can't beat the price/quality. The stock tires are too soft for consistant asphalt riding, so I bought some Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x28mm for 1 flat and 2 slow leaks in 4+ years.

Just overhauled it last month w/new chain, rear der(Ultegra 6700), cassette, brake pads, bb, new rear tire and hb tape. Also, re-built the rear wheel w/a new hub as the generic stock one had worn out it's welcome. Rim and spokes are still good. The bike as a whole has over 21,000 commuter/utility miles w/one complete overhaul. The front tire stiil has plenty of tread. The rear is the 3d SMP I've put on as the last 2 lasted 10,000 miles each before showing the blue inner liner.

Needless to say, I recommend the CX bike. But, not the Nashbar. Get the MB. Same price. No shipping. No snob appeal. Just a solid commuter.

Santaria

The Nashbar is almost $50 cheaper for me, without a coupon. I pay sales tax on bikesdirect bikes because of the Texas situation.

peterw_diy

I would just buy the "valid parts" somewhere else. Spec nicer stuff and you'll still have money left over, even if you have some 20% coupon at Nashbar. Use the money you save to have a mechanic do whatever build stuff you can't handle. In the end you'll have a better bike, and fewer junk parts lying around. You know those Nashbar wheels are going to be machine-built, with zero improvements by humans.

nashcommguy

Didn't notice the Texas residence. Also, the NB CX comes w/a carbon fork. The MB CX comes w/a steel fork. Didn't see that either. W/both @ 549.00 how do you save 50.00 w/o a coupon?

Now that I've looked at the specs closer, though I can see there are subtle differences in the 2 CX bikes. Clipless pedals, Formula hubs, Hutchinson tires, carbon fork. Yeah, I had to upgrade all that, except the fork so straight up the NB is a better deal.

peterw_diy

By the way, if you want brifters, jensonusa has the 10s triple 105 brifters for $140 now

tarwheel 

If using the Handsome frame and fork, why buy the Nashbar bike? Doesn't make any sense to me. It seems like you could buy the parts you need on-line for less and not have to deal with stripping all the parts off the Nashbar bike. However, if choosing between the Nashbar CX or touring bike for commuting, that would depend on your intended uses. For strictly commuting, I would choose the CX bike because of its versatility -- eg, ability to ride on trails, unpaved roads, etc. Touring bikes are built with extra-stout frame for carrying loads, which means they ride more harshly when unloaded.

HardyWeinberg

Every side-by-side comparison they list favors the tourer, to me (except the triple I guess; 30 speeds is too darn many, esp. when it's only got a racing granny 30T rather than a real one 22-24T). I'm surprised they're only $100 apart in price.