NormanF

Easiest thing is to get a mega range cassette. 11-34 will give plenty of gears for the hills and then some.

dynaryder

But requires a long cage derailleur.

NormanF

Perhaps. But nearly all bikes today have mega-range gearing for the hills.

dynaryder

Ya,ok,but that still doesn't change the fact that the OP doesn't have a long cage derailleur.

swilly

Thanks for the fantastic post on the Nashbar bike, Bombardier! I recently had my bike stolen so I've been looking for a replacement. The Nashbar Steel Cyclocross also caught my eye.... and I've now got a question for you all that I would greatly appreciate any pointers or advice for. I've ridden a crummy (but beloved) steel mountain bike most of my life and had no idea about sizing until I started looking at bikes in store and online; my dad found a cheap deal on some 10 or so years ago, bought the bike, and I just started riding it without paying attention to proper frame size.Just today, I went to REI to test some bikes to get an idea for the effective top tube that best works for me.

I'm 5'8'' with fairly average body proportions, 30inch inseam. I sat on top of a 54cm Scott Speedster, 545mm effective top tube length with a 110mm stem and I felt like that was probably as stretched as I wanted to be (545+110 = 655mm). If I had moved the seat a little forward, I would say that would be my most comfortable mode. I then tried a Medium Novara Strada which has 535mm effective top tube. I unfortunately did not pay heed to the stem length, so going by my previous total, the total length for the reach should be either 635mm or 645mm.

The Nashbar 53cm has 530 effective top tube length with a 100 stem, so 630mm for my total. The Nashbar 56cm has a 555 effective top tube with 100mm stem, so 655 total, which is the same as the 54cm Scott Speedster that I tried. In your opinions, do you think I should go for a 53cm frame and get a longer stem, or a 56cm frame and potentially shorten the stem? I'm sorry, but I have such little experience, so I reach out to you all.

Thanks again!
-Swilly

NormanF

Unless the top tube is long, I'd go with the recommended size. With a long top tube, go down one size to shorten the reach with a longer stem. That works well for me.

Every one is different so you may have to test bikes in both sizes by riding them to see which one feels right.

swilly

When you say "unless the top tube is long", do you mean the effective top tube length? Also, the problem is that I don't know what the recommended size is. Ideally, it would actually be something in between, perhaps a 54cm or 55cm bike (which they don't offer with the Nashbar Steel Cyclocross bike). It's because there are these large differences that I don't know if it would be fine to put a 110/120mm stem on the 53cm bike or a 90cm stem on the 56cm bike.

Thanks again!
-Swilly

NormanF

I mean the effective top tube length. On some road bikes like Lemond, in my usual size, the effective top tube length is so long I feel stretched out.

And I find I have to go down a size to get a more "normal" fit. So one can't always go by a given frame size in assessing what bike fits best.

gregjones

I've solved my fit problems by ordering a bike by the top tube, or effective, length. I don't care much about seat tube length...they're all too long for me.

gregjones

I am almost 800 miles into using a 12-30 cassette with a 5700 series (105) short cage RD. I have yet to have the first problem.

With the stock 36/28 gearing you were running 34.2 gear inches. 34/30 will get you down to 30.2 inches. That's significant. The 30t cassette will probably end up with 26-30 or 27-30 for the bigger two cogs as the final step, either are nice. I have one of each on two bikes and sorta prefer the 27-30 gap. I like the 12 tooth for high gear, I don't need the extra speed and like the closer ratios at the lower end. Chains also like 12 or 11t gears!!

Sram cassettes (like PG1070) will work just fine if you find a deal on them.

ian0789

Looks really good! In another month I will have one as well once it comes off backorder. Had one bought a few months ago and cant wait for it. I think I might pick up a rear rack and set of bags. I ended up getting a Motobecane cross bike with disc that I have been using in the single track so I think this one is going to be my commuter bike Originally bought this but got to impatient waiting. Could cancle the order but got it with a 25% off and I have some nashbar gift cards so will end up dirt cheap! Dont think I can pass up this bike for $320! I still have nice set of bars, stem, post, saddle and kool even a set of Kool stops I had intended to use on this bike. Cant really go wrong with 105 and a steel frame!

ksryder

My 2014 nashbar steel cx arrived Monday and it went on its maiden voyage this morning (during the blood moon; it was super cool!) I waited until they had a sale, which they have pretty regularly. Got it during a 21% sale and got it for $670.

I won't post pics because it looks exactly like the OP; but I like it. I like that shade of red, couldn't find a scratch or ding on it. I like the no decal look too. Welds all look solid, one or two weren't the prettiest but nothing horrendous.

Shifting -- The 105 group is nice, I didn't even have to do that much adjusting. The derailleurs were pretty close out of the box. 105 is lightyears ahead of anything else I have and it performs excellently. I was a little concerned about the compact crank only having a 46t big ring but the 11-28 in the back more than makes up for it, I doubt I'll be spinning out anytime soon.

Weight -- I have a 56 cm and it comes in right at 26 pounds. I plan to use this for gravel rides and a bike tour next summer so that's not a big deal to me, and if you're looking at a steel CX bike I'm assuming you're not too hung up on weight, but there it is.

Ride -- I only got to do a mile or so on gravel this morning unfortunately, but it felt very stable underneath me on that gravel. My road bike with 700x28 touring tires feels a lot more skittish on that same stretch. Hopefully this weekend I can get some more gravel miles in (stinking rain forecast.) On the asphalt the CX tires felt a little sluggish but that's to be expected. I'll throw the 28s on there one of these days to see how it feels with a road tire. The bike itself is stable, a solid but comfortable ride. I didn't feel like I was going to fly up the hills but I didn't feel like I was pulling a plow either. I think "workhorse" would be a good description.

Seat -- isn't great but I can live with it for now.

Brakes -- don't exactly stop as much as they urge. I'll def. be swapping out some Kool Stops ASAP. Also, a little tricky to adjust because I don't have much experience with cantis but a couple youtube videos and some general common sense and it seems like I've got them pretty close.

Tires -- Not enough miles to tell. However, when I called Nashbar to ask about tire clearance they claimed it could fit a maximum tire size of 700x35. But it looks like you could easily fit 40s in there. I have some 38s and I'll see if they can fit this weekend maybe. Plus lots of people on the interwebs say they're running 40s or higher in there.

Granted I've only ridden 22 miles but those are my initial impressions. If you're looking for latest and greatest most competitive bike ever it's probably not the bike for you (but why are you looking at Nashbar steel anyway?) but if you're looking for a fun, affordable and quality bike, a cromo frame, and a good component group I think it's a good value. Wait for the 20% sale.

Note: I have no experience with actual cyclocross competitions nor do I have any desire to do so, so I can't speak to it's qualities as an actual cross bike.

ksryder

Update: bike now has 300+ miles, mostly gravel. That includes a 75 mile gravel ride through the Flint Hills (dirty kanza territory).

I swapped the pads for kool stops, much better but not great. I may upgrade to better cantilevers or mini vs in the future.

Tires: currently vittoria randonneur 38s because that's what I have. Looking at the chain stays I don't think you could fit 40s in there. I'll probably go with 35s down the road. Personal preference.

Don't care for the cross top levers and will remove them at some point. I don't use them & they make it hard to mount lights. Again, personal preference.

I just ordered some H + Son tb14 rims with 105 hubs on clearance from velomine. We'll see how much of an upgrade over stock wheels they are. My 38s fit on the DC19s but i don't like the balloon shape.

I started to have some issues with my rear derailleur & just couldn't quite get it tuned. My LBS recommended backing out the b screw and that did the trick.

Overall still very happy with it. Tire swap & brake pads made a huge difference and this is my most fun bike at the moment.

nayr497

ksryder - please let us know how the new rims do. I've read that the Son rims don't do well with rim brakes, lose their anodizing quickly.

Nice thread! I've had this bike for two years now. I had the 2013 model, in matte hunter green, but the ST cracked (sheered) when I removed the seat pillar to give it a re-lubing. Went to reinsert, realized the ST was sheered in half. The pillar was angle-cut at the bottom and I think this created a stress riser. The bike was out of warranty but they still sent me a brand new one. Very good customer service!

Some things about mine:
- I use it for daily commuting. Have full Planet Bike fenders and a rear rack. Awesome bike for this purpose. The no decals make it look very unworthy of stealing as well, so I don't mind having to lock it up. I also put 3-M reflective tape over the cranks for 1) viz 2) hide the graphics on them
- still riding the stock wheels, though my freehub body is wiggling around so I'm going to upgrade to something like OPs with 105 hubs
- have swapped the bars to nice Dedas with a traditional round drop
- have swapped the brakes to Tektro mini-Vs with Kool Stop pads and holders. HUGE improvement over the cantis
- just put on a new chain and went up to an 11-28 in the back. Nice to have a few more teeth out back.

Have also swapped out the headset, seat pillar oh...and the groupset I put older 105 9 speed on this bike and put the 5700 10-s on my De Bernardi road bike. That was the plan from the start.

This is a solid bike overall and a great bike for the price. I've swapped parts as needed, though it does now look like I need a new freehub body/rear wheel and the BB is also acting up. Darnit. Oh well, I ride to work daily, so a few hundred is far less than I'd pay to own a car.

ksryder

Yeah the sidewalls are silver now, I've got about a thousand miles on them. But since it's a gravel bike and generally always has a good coating of dust I don't much mind. As far as performance I like them a lot, they spin very smoothly. I got them because they're a very good price, 36 holes, and wide. Have some specialized trigger pro 38s on there right now, it's been a good combo.

nayr497

Thanks for the report. Good to know. Not really a big deal, since most other rims I'm looking at are black centers with silver brake tracks.

I actually have some nice older Shimano 600 hubs, 36-h that I'm looking to pair with a sturdy set of rims, as I ride with loaded panniers most days. Might go for something a bit taller/stiffer than a classic low-profile box rim.

hokietect

nayr497, did you go with the Tektro 926al brakes? Thinking about making this switch on my Nashbar and was curious how this would work. Did you need to redo the cables as well or just swap out the brakes? Any suggestions on brake noodle?

casual_cyclist

To anyone that has done the swap...

I was wondering if you could tell me which Kool Stop pads you used on your Nashbar steelie cyclocross bike.

I was thinking one of the following?

Kool Stop Cross Dura 2 Threaded Set Triple Compound Pad

or

Kool Stop Supra 2 Bicycle Brake Shoes (Threaded, Salmon)

ksryder

I actually have used both -- I upgraded to Tektro CR720 cantis; and started with the Supras. Then I went with the Cross pads, which I think are a little better. But both stopped me just fine.

Also, I finished the Dirty Kanza 200 last weekend on my Nashbar cross bike. About the only thing still stock on it is the seatpost, handlebar and shifters. It was brutal conditions this year and over 50% DNF. I'm not saying I finished because of the bike; but the bike did not stop me.


Edited to add: I've got 3800+ miles on the bike at this point.

rmfnla

This is why I prefer to build bikes from the frame up...

Sy Reene

Not to revive too old a thread, but just ordered the 2015 model of this bike Nashbar Steel Cyclocross Bike. A few questions if anyone has this, or possibly same answers might apply from prior year models/owners?
1. I'm 6'2" with 33.5" inseam.. I ordered the 59cm -- hope this works out. For whatever reason there's no geometry chart provided for this year?
2. From what I can tell it looks like minor updates that folks generally perform are per below.. though I'll give the stock config a try for a bit.
a. New brake pads
b. New brakes -- something like the Avid Shorty 4?
c. I have an extra saddle I can swap in if the stock saddle doesn't work for me.
d. Change out tires for commuting -- looking at Conti Contact IIs in a 32mm to the knobby-ish looking tires that come with the bike.
3. I want to add fenders. It's not clear what'll work with this bike. I have a pair of the PlanetBike Hardcore Hybrid Fenders in my Wish List. Any experience mounting fenders on this bike.. especially if I swap in some Avid Shorty's?
4. I ordered these Nashbar pedals to go with -- any experience here with these? They were cheap anyway. Nashbar Double Track Pedals

Looking forward to this.. finally an about-town, commuter, and casual long-haul bike.

reggieray

Back from the dead...

Looking at this bike as a rain bike.

Someone higher up in this thread said there is no hole in the chainstay bridge. Are there any full coverage fenders that will work on this bike?

Will regular road wheels work on this bike? I have no idea if the Powertap wheel I have would work with cantilever brakes.

Darth Lefty 

I can't speak for any other brands, but SKS Longboards at least come with an optional little clip that you can use there instead.

ksryder

This bike has 700c wheels, i.e. road wheels. You can run any 700c wheel and my experience is that you can fit up to a 38mm tire.

uncle hammy

I had to jump in on this (I stumbled on this thread looking for something else relating to this bike). I bought one of these a couple years ago, intending to use it for commuting and gravel racing. My first race on it was Barry Roubaix in its stock configuration (with studded tires, because it was icy that year). I have slowly modified it with a Ritchey carbon fork (that's you're single biggest weight trimming right there...by almost 3 lbs...the stock steel fork is an absolute beast), flipped the drive train to SRAM Force (mostly because I just prefer SRAM to Shimano) and TRP CX 8.4 V's. During these upgrades, this bike has performed wonderfully in multiple Barry Roubaixs, Lowell 50s, Dirty Kanzas, and a bunch of other long distance gravel races.

Then last year at Dirty Kanza, it (not me) got run over by a truck. The frame was barely even scratched (steel is real), but since I had to buy new wheels and a front fork, I had a local frame builder convert it to disc wheels for me. In it's current incarnation, it's the stock frame, SRAM Force drive train, 50/34 Sram Rival cranks, TRP HyRd hydraulic disc brakes, Stan's Grail ZTR wheels, Ergon C3 carbon seat post and Salsa Cowbell bars. It gets nothing but rave reviews for its throwback looks. I think this bike, with a few modifications (obviously, I went a bit crazy) is one of the best deals out there...I just wish Nashbar would update it to disc brakes, stock. Despite having MUCH higher end bikes in my "stable", this is still me go to for everyday riding...it's just such a pleasure to ride.