blxm

I've been commuting for a few weeks now and loving it for all the right reasons.
We are moving office soon and my daily route will be 3.5 miles rough farm track plus 3.5 miles road.

At the moment I'm riding an old Aluminium Rockhopper and the roughness of the farm track does kinda take it out of me. My bike has no suspension and 26 x 1.25 semi slicks.

In terms of ride, is there any benefit in using a cyclocross bike as opposed to what I use just now?

I like: room for panniers, low position on road, softer frame.
I dislike: thought of punctures, sinking into mud.

Beacuse it's a 50/50 on/offroad, I'd like to hear from anyone else who has such a route and what advice they can offer.

Andy_K 

I love cyclocross bikes, but it won't add any comfort to a rough road compared to a rigid mountain bike, unless you get a carbon fork, which may add a little something. On the road, and for the length of the ride, there would be some benefit in terms of hand positions, speed (arguably), and whatnot.

Barrettscv 

I have a steel framed Cyclocross bike with a Carbon Fiber fork. It's as smooth as it gets for a bike without a suspension. The ride is far better than any road bike due to the frame material and fatter tires.

But I would consider a 29er with a suspension fork. This will be faster than your existing bike, but the ride will be far better.

Michael

Willy Gee

I have a 6 mile commute, 3.5 miles of which are on farm roads or dirt paths. I use a cyclocross bike (Trek XO1) and love it. The ride can be a little rough, but I don't mind it too much. I've never had any problems with mud. I have crossed 30 foot puddles without any issues, except for wet clothing.

I hope this helps.

ryanwood

3.5 miles really isn't too far for on road, you might even consider a front suspension. I ride my front suspension mountain bike 4 miles to get from my house to the trail system that I ride on. I much prefer my cross bike for my commutes, but it is 85% pavement. It is rough for that little bit of gravel trail that I ride on but the 5 miles of road riding makes up for the difference.

dwr1961

I have both a hardtail MTB and a 'cross bike that I use for commuting. I only negotiate a small stretch of dirt farm road in my commute. The CX bike can handle it, but if I had 3.5 miles to deal with, I'd be on the MTB full time. It is perfectely suited to negotiating that rutted, bumpy (and sometimes muddy/slimy) mess. The suspension fork makes a huge diffence in control and comfort (BTW, I will never win any awards for skill in bike handling).

For your purposes I would go with a hardtail 29'er. I would get a lockout fork and the most road-friendly tires the nasty part of your commute will allow. I also recommend disc brakes if you're dealing with the clay-type mud/soil that we have here. It really jams up v-brakes.

Best of luck.

DWR

dwr1961

Oh, and if punctures are a problem I recommend a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus touring tires. They come in both 26" and 700c (29") sizes. We have goathead thorns out here and those are about the only tires that deal well with them.

tjspiel

1.25" tires on a 26" wheel is going to give you a rougher ride than the same width tire (about 32mm) on a 700c wheel.

So even with the same size tire, your ride will probably be a little smoother and you're in no more risk of punctures or sinking in the mud on a cyclocross bike. I think most cyclocross bikes can take up to 38s without much trouble so you can always go with a wider tire if comfort or traction dictates it.

Andy_K 

Your best bang for the buck comfort-wise might be to put a set of Schwalbe Big Apples on your current bike.

hernick

Yeah - replacing those skinny 26x1.25 tires with 26x2.00 tires will really help with comfort, and you won't lose much speed on a 3.5 mile commute.

Kedosto

Panaracer RiBMo, 26x2.0 -- skinny tire fast, fat tire smooth. Nothing else like it on the road.

rumrunn6

1st choice - try those fat 2" tires and 2nd choice: "29er with a suspension fork" also with big fat slicks

I use a hybrid with drops; 35c slicks and suspension fork for street commuting.

MichaelW

I'll 4th the idea of fatter tyres. I use Big Apple 26x2", they are as speedy on the road and more comfortable on rough patches than my 700cx32 marathons. In wet seasons you may want a grippier tyre, BAs can slide around in mud.

bkrownd

No, narrower tires will give a rougher ride and require more steering work.

I don't get the first bit since I use the same rack and sidebags on both my commuter and off-road bike. If you really want more room for bags, look at longer touring frames.

I'd expect you'd probably ride higher on a cyclocross frame than a mountain bike frame, not lower.

If the road portion of your ride is flat, I'd suggest sticking with the mountain bike frame with some modifications. If there are big hills, perhaps you should look at touring frames that take the fattest tires possible?

superjohnny

My Surly Crosscheck rides no different with a carbon fork than it did with a steel one. It's a 1lb lighter, but the ride quality is not what I would consider noticeable and it is certainly not "softer". I doubt a cyclocross bike is going to ride much smoother than a mtb with slicks. You may or may not prefer the position that type of bike puts your body in, which would probably be one of the biggest reasons to change.

I like bkrownd's reply. I think he/she nailed it.