CastIron

UPDATE BELOW!

The tax returns went favorably so the Mistress of Finance green lighted the build-up of my 'cross rig. Looking for folks to weigh-in since I'd be new to 'cross.

Uses: Do plan to try racing next fall, but it's not the only factor. Will use it for commuting (I have a rig for that, so it'll be a 'fast' commuter), Crap weather road bike (winter, then), and perhpas the odd errand about town ( I live in the city). So this beast will see plenty of road miles but likely less than 50-60 at a time.

Bike:

Merckx Alu Cross framset (can't afford a Moots or IF )
Campy Centuar compact drive (phil wood BB)
House built wheels on King hubs w/ Mavic OP rims
Thomson post and stem, Salsa bars.

My objective is a solid build in the $3k range. I want a good product to last in the crap conditions it'll see. Campy is spec'd for this frame, but another frame might get Ultegra (say a Specialized S-works Tri-cross, a near alternative).

So...let me have it.

phillybill

Try a Ridley is you can find them. I finshed my crossbow a few weeks ago and it is a blast to ride.

Ronsonic 

I think that looks good. But why not go tubular? They do roll sweet and fast compared to the width of a clincher that will get you as much traction and cushion.

Ron

tvphobic

I think that you have a very smart list of primary components; I am curious to see what the other decisions will be. Are you thinking full Centaur other than your spec'ed BB and hubs? For Cyclocross I would recommend Mirage ergos, they will actually take more abuse and look better after a season or two, and they feel, shift-wise, just like Veloce or Centaur, and braking just has a trivial 'give' to the nylon; I rode them extensively in 2004. The Merckx Alu Cross is a winner, one competitor I spoke to last fall had two- we were both using ATACs so he let me do a lap as we were cleaning up at 4 PM. Really great build too, with Ambrosio - (not Campy) Montreal tubies. I had a blast. I will tell you however that such a frame is very very flashy for commuting! I think this is a treat for you, and I would go for it. I also will confess that I have only raced on far humbler bikes.

xccx

well...you asked.

believe me, i understand the allure of the alu-cross. but for 3k you could have two brand new bikes, and still have $ left over for race fees. there is nothing more "fred" than showing up to a cx race with one flashy bike, getting a flat in the first lap, and walking to your car 7 minutes later. do yourself a favor and get 2 bikes (say, for example 2 JTS's or 2 redlines) so that you have one for the pit. then you will also be able to swap wheels/tires seamlesslesly which is a huge advantage in cross given the wide variety of terrain/weather.

have you raced cx before? if not, you will quickly realize that your bike will take a beating. at gloucester last year a guy behind me got his lever stuck in my rear wheel on the run-up...i heard a snap and looked over my shoulder and saw his lever in about 5 pieces. my point is...if you race your cx bike it will inevitably need repair...which is another good reason to have 2. while one is on the stand, you can still go out and train, practice your dismounts, etc.

would i love an alu-cross or a moots or an IF...definetly! but to me it just doesn't make sense (especially as a commuter!).

of course, you are entitled to do whatever you like. just dont be surprised when you get lapped by guys on fixed surlys.

tvphobic

xccx said a few things more clearly than I managed. I generally concur with him. This is the reason you see a lot of folks with two Redlines or Fuji Crosses instead of one Independent Fab or Moots.

CastIron

Thanx for the input! Keep 'em comming.
It's true, this is more bike than I need. Nevertheless, I'm at a station in life where my bike will likely outclass it's rider. If someone wants to get in a snit about it being freddish, then so be it. Having said that, it may well be prudent to consider scaling down the project a bit in lieu of other cycling needs/wants. I'm still at the drawing board, if you will.
I've considered this, but alas, it's only pratical as a second wheelset at this point.
Some of the Ridleys are sweet. Seems a bit too race focused for my needs.
May yet prove to be the case. The second, however, would not be a 'cross bike. If I prove to be both good and gonzo for 'cross, then maybe I'll get a second. Certainly not this year.
Are you kidding? I'll be happy just to be there rolling in the mud. Lap me on a unicycle, I need the laugh.

irb_2

Have you thought about having two sets of wheels? One set for your commuting, training, and pit wheels for races(if you happen to flat) and the second a really nice set of wheels ment for races only. So inessence one set for beating on and one for racing on.

Merckx Rider

Hells yeah, build this mother!!

I have an Eddy Merckx Race that I race road on and have 2 Ridley Crossbows for cross racing only. The Merckx is my all time favorite. The Ridley is an awesome cross bike... but so is the Merckx Alu Cross. I had a wreck last year on my Merckx (Euro railroad tracks are slick!) and as I live in Germany I called the factory in Belgium. (I bent the rear "D" hanger and tweaked the frame way out of alignment) The receptionist said that there was no one there who could speak English but someone would call me back shortly to help... about an hour later I received a call from the greatest cyclist in history! Mr. Merckx was able to give me the location of a dealer that could repair my frame without voiding the warranty and even offered to let me send it back to the factory for repairs at a very reasonable cost. I would highly recommend any of his bikes as he does stand by them, and their workmanship as you will see is incredible. The only reason I went with the Ridley was because of a great price I was offered and the cross specific design. I truly hope you get the Merckx and go with the campy components they'll last longer than shimano.

Cheers, Mike

Oh yeah don't worry about being a "fred" most of those guys are riding surly cross-checks (or some other outdated junk that they read about in Bicycling magazine! ) not real cross bikes like Merckx or Ridley. One bike with two set of wheels is enough to start out with, as you move into higher categories and more demanding races you will want to get another bike like a kona or Stevens (if you can find one stateside) but start with the alu cross and some extra wheels and work your way up from there.

CastIron

Pictures/specs in link. As an '05 I picked it up for 15% off and another 10% off any other goodies. I priced out the build for the Merckx w/ Centuar and w/o the bling King hubs and it was a full $1k more. The shop was more than happy to make that happen but I spyed the Bianchi with the FSA cranks and went HMMMM. There was no way I could see that extra grand making that much difference. I'll take her out this P.M., but in my living room it's much nicer in person that the pictures. The only off-spec part was some Ritchey Pro bars to fit properly. WITH pedals, computer, and full breakdown kit on-board the thing comes to ~22LBS. Interestingly, the frameset alone was quoted at ~$1100--the same as Eddy's.

williumbillium

if you're going campy why not get a set of hubs with a campy freehub? with kings your limiting yourself to a narrow range of cassette ratios by only being able to use conversion cassettes. i would recommend a set of campy hubs or if you wanted to save a few more grams, you could go with dt swiss.

CastIron

PErhaps I wasn't very clear in the last post: I bought that bike.

williumbillium

oops, i don't know how i missed that. the veloce is a fine bike. i'm sure you'll be happy with it.

CastIron

...and so I am. It's proving to be a real delight.

jfmckenna

Seconded. After racing on tubulars this year I have concluded that a good tubular wheel set on an old junker bike is better then clinchers on a sweet frame. I swear. I never thought it would be true until I tried and my skepticism was squashed. The muddiest race I did this year was a mud and peanut butter bath, I ran my sew ups at 25psi and I weigh 190.

You gotta love tax returns...