I think i'm finally ready to pull the trigger on my next commuter
 

Everyone get their Nashbar email this morning? :)

So after way too much over analysis, indecision, pacing too & fro etc i'm going with the Nashbar CX1 Cyclocross.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...97_-1___204687

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=445220

I'm 6'5" 250 with long legs and a torso/reach more like a person 6'1" or 6'2". The 60cm version of this bike has an effective top tube length of 565mm and a 120mm stem. Should put me right in there.

Here's the rest of the specs:

FRAME TIG-welded alloy, English threaded bottom bracket, 130mm rear hub spacing, cantilever brake, replaceable rear derailleur hanger
FORK Carbon fiber blades, 1-1/8" alloy steerer, cantilever brake
HEADSET FSA Intellaset ST
CRANKSET Alloy crank arms, 48/36T chainrings, Square taper axle, Crank arm lengths: 48cm=170mm; 51-54cm=172.5mm; 57-60cm=175mm
CASSETTE Shimano HG50 9-speed, 12-27
SHIFTERS Shimano Sora 2x9 speed
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano Sora, 31.8mm clamp diameter
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Sora 9-speed
BRAKES Tektro Oryx cantilever, forged alloy, linear spring & dual tension adjusters
LEVERS Shimano Sora
TIRES Kenda Kwicker K-932, 700x32, 30 TPI, wire bead
WHEELSET Rims: Shining A350 alloy 700c; Hubs: KT, 28h front/32h rear w/130mm spacing; Spokes: 14G stainless steel
BARS Kalloy aluminum, 131mm drop, 84mm reach, 31.8mm clamp diameter, Widths: 48-51cm=40cm; 54-57cm=42cm; 60cm=44cm
STEM Kalloy aluminum, +/- 7 degree rise, 31.8mm clamp, 1-1/8" steerer, Lengths: 48cm=90mm; 51cm=100mm; 54-57cm=110mm; 60cm=120mm
SEATPOST Kalloy aluminum, 27.2mm x 350mm
SADDLE Velo VL-1489, Chromoly rails
CHAIN KMC Z99 9-speed
PEDALS Wellgo platform LU-981, aluminum cage, boron axle
GRIPS/BAR TAPE Velo EVA cork

I'm also ordering their Vuelta Corsa HD wheelset and a set of 700x30 schwalbe marathon racers. I've run the marathon plus's in the past and they were fantastic but really heavy. Figured i'd give these a go.

I'm not super excited about the drive train but i've run everything from series to claris, deore & tiagra and all were rock solid reliable which is my main concern.

I haven't put a bike together since i was about 15 but I'll get through it :)

I think i'll go with mountain pedals and i need to pick a seat. I'm wide in the hips so i guess i need to sort that out before i place my order. *edit* i'm also ordering planet bike ff hardcore road fenders.

Anyone see any other real weak spots in this ride besides the wheelset?

Ultimately i picked it because of the CX versatility. I'll keep the stock wheelset & tires to throw on in case i do some bike camping or hit some closed logging roads this deer season. Kinda happy to have them actually.

Crap. Looks like there are no fender mounts on the forks?

I guess i need the type that clip on?

You will probably need rack mounting too.

I'm getting a CrossRip LTD for my commuter, and am also struggling with the seat. I'm also 6'5", but I weight more than you (310lbs.) Interested to see what seat you go with!

No rack or fender mounts would be a no go for me. Also I want my next dedicated commuter bike to have disc brakes.

Hydraulic disc brakes.

I wish it had mounts for a rack and fenders.

I've gone with a rack in the past, but lately i've been using a backpack by Osprey specifically built for commuting by bike. It's absolutely fantastic. I don't miss my racks. I may when i'm camping/hunting though.

My last bike had mechanical discs. They were fine. I suppose they worked fine in the rain but i didn't notice a big difference over my cheapo tekro oryx's from my crosscheck.

I'm currently eyeballing this one: Becoz Moderate Eco Saddle Width is 179.

Trust me, you'd notice the difference with hydros.

Edit: BTW, I think it's a really bad idea to ask a question like this before buying a bike you have already settled on. Much easier just to get the bike and show us. :)

for me If i was buying a new commuter i would for sure have disk brakes mechanical or hydro all depending on price differences. I would also have to have rack and fender mounts but if it works for you good stuff.

Yeah i wish it had regular rack & fender mounts. Their steel bike does but there are downsides to that bike as well.

I've looked at quite a few and they all have really long TT length.

Maybe i can use a seat post rack if i need it.

*edit* For anyone else interested in this bike. I just chatted with a sales specialist who says it has rear rack mounts.

Final tally (sort of)
1 Nashbar CX1 Cyclocross Bike NB-CXIA-60 60 CM $599.99 $599.99
1 Vuelta Corsa HD Road Wheelset VL-CHDR $154.99 $154.99
1 Becoz Moderate Eco Saddle BE-BEMS-MN-TN TAN $22.99 $22.99
1 Nashbar Rodeo Mountain Pedals NS-ROPK $24.99 $24.99
1 CatEye Commuter Wireless Bike Computer YC-COM10W $49.99 $49.99
1 Planet Bike Speedez Fenders Road PB-SPDRD $42.75 $42.75

Total: $859.20
- 20%: $716.56

I'm ordering tires & tubes from amazon.

It HAS rack mounts:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=445295

As for fenders,it def has the hole in the fork. I don't see any mounts by the dropouts,but it wouldn't be a big deal to use P clips or skewer fender mounts.

Thanks dynaryder. I ended up getting planet bikes clip on fenders.

Great googily friggin moogily - i just realized i ordered those planet bike fenders with max 28mm tires.

The Schwalbe marathon racers smallest size are 30's.

Glad i didn't order my tires yet.

Rim brakes and mechanical disc brakes are obsolete.

I rigged both of my bikes with racks, neither of them have actual mounts for them. I used insulated P-clamps down low, and a Problem Solvers seat post clamp with rack bosses on both bikes. Works great!

I also run Raceblade clip-on fenders on my road/commuter bike, but they're kind of a pain. They help a little bit, but much of the bike still gets dirty since they're not full coverage. I don't leave them on, either. I take them on and off as weather requires.

Have to agree with you there. Cable shifting will soon go the way of the dodo bird. Even Di2 and EPS will be replaced by wireless.

Rim brakes and cable shifting will continue on. Companies will continue to make new caliper brakes. Companies will continue to produce cabling. None of this will end any time soon.

Any chance that the front and rear could be drilled and tapped for fender/rack mounting?

You think? How about 7, 8 and 9 speed? Surely those will be cast aside. 10 speed is commonplace, 11 is readily available, and 12 and upwards are on the horizon.

BTW, don't take this too seriously.

2,000 mile update: I love the bike. The geometry is pretty good for my body. I like the shorter top tube. The handling is a little on the twitchy side but not bad. I can sit up and ride with no hands to give my back a break here and there. All of the components are doing fine as expected at only 8 months old except for the brakes and the fenders.

The brakes are terrible. I've adjusted them to the best of my ability and switched pads to kool stops and i CAN stop myself fairly quickly but it takes a tremendous amount of grip on the brake lever to do so. I'm looking into hydraulic discs (wish someone had suggested those in the first place :)).

The fenders are constantly needing adjustment. If they get 1 mm out of adjustment they scrape or squeek and drive me crazy. I took them off all summer but i have to have them in the rain so i'll live with them for now.

Other than that i'm on my third saddle and still not quite satisfied. But that's a topic for another thread.

Hope this helps anyone considering this bike.

That's too bad about the brakes. You should consider mini-V brakes. They require less force from your hands. And perhaps replace the fenders with better fenders. You saved a lot of money on the bike, so fix it up right.

Thank you! I'll look into mini-v. I wish i had the frame for discs.

Yep. I don't think I'll buy a bike that doesn't have disc brakes... I might as well go hydraulic if I'm buying new and at full price. And, no way do I buy a bike that doesn't have fender mounts if it's going to be used as a commuter in the Pacific Northwest. Sounds like everything else is working out nicely on the bike.

I'm not sure how much you paid, but the bike is selling for $599 right now... it's a steal!

If you want to install nice permanent fenders, let the bike shop do the work, they'll cut the fenders to size and they'll put in the mounting hardware and the fenders on them.

Worth the cash.

I don't mean to sound insulting, but do you know how to adjust your brakes properly? Cantilevers have a couple degrees of freedom that affect the power you can put to the pads.

The Park Tool instructions are okay (my first hit in a search), but they focus on the line between the brake boss and the pad mounting bolt when it should be the line between the brake boss and the straddle wire attachment (either the bolt or at the quick release). They don't really make it clear that the angle between this line and the straddle wire should be as close as possible to a 90 degree angle when the pads hit the rim. Extend the pads further on their bosses if necessary to get a right angle with the straddle hanger as low as practical (though straddle hanger height sometimes depends on how much power you want, how much pad clearance you want, and the geometry of the cantilever. Yeah, it's a bit complicated).

WARNING! thread hijack!

I just realized your screen name is an anogram..clever!

Hello fellow anagram lover, BeatsYa71.

[MENTION=34228]Geekage[/MENTION] raises a point, and I'm surprised the rest of us missed it. Misadjustment is common with cantis, and getting it right is important. It's confusing. Check it out. You might be able to improve your braking with proper adjustment.

LongRide... did I get it right? :P

I've never been a fan of canti's myself. I would definitely recommend v-brakes if you can make them work with the drop bar levers.