gdiamond1989

Hey All,

I'm in the market for a new bike and was originally thinking road bike but have now settled on Cyclocross. I do a lot of trail riding where road bikes simply wouldn't work out and the guy at the bike store recommended cyclocross for the riding I'm mostly doing. I'm not thinking about getting into Cyclocross competitively right now, but perhaps I will in the future. Mostly I'm wanting to find an affordable cyclocross bike that will be a lighter, faster, generally better version than the Trek Rincon Mountain Bike I've got right now.

The cheapest Cyclocross bike I've found at the local bikeshops around me is this Giant selling for $999. It's listed here.

https://millrace.com/product/11giant-tcx-2-72394-1.htm

I wasn't excited about the price as I came into the store not wanting to spend much more than $800 so I walked away pretty dejected. Then today I discovered this cyclocross bike on Amazon and am pretty impressed with it. As far as I can tell it's got a very similar part set to the Giant and has a better fork (Carbon vs. Aluminum, I believe Carbon is better right?) and it's 350 dollars cheaper! Here it is

https://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-St...3764378&sr=8-1

I'm really close to buying the Diamondback but wanted to ask the experts if I'm missing anything. Is there anything that a pretty casual trail rider (not racer) would regret about buying the cheaper Diamondback versus the Giant? Wish I could support the local store but this price difference is crazy.

david58

I think you can do better. Look at other bikes that are going with at least Tiagra shifters, or better yet 105. I got my Fuji CX bike from Performance last year at about $650 after the rebate, or about $800 before. Nashbar has a 105-equipped bike at a good price (can't remember it now, you can find it on their site). Personally, I would avoid the Sora and get the fully integrated, cables-under-the-bartape Tiagra or 105.

simonaway427

I agree. You can do better. Don't forget....If you're budget restricted, I'd check the classifieds first. You can get a really nice bike second hand for that kind of money.

Mondo734

+1 on Performance and nashbar.

I also would have to say that if you want to use this bike as an all purpose bike you may want to get one with eylets for fenders and racks; this is something the Diamondback Lacks. Plus I would advise against buying a bike without having a test ride on it first. Difference cx bikes from different brands ride significantly different.

Spld cyclist

If you find the right size locally of one model, you can find the geometry tables for it and comparable bikes online. By comparing them, you can get a pretty good idea if you're buying the online bike in the right size. I would agree, though, that bikes with the exact same geometry can ride differently due to the stiffness of the tube set and other subtle differences. It can be a leap of faith to buy online.

If you're considering buying a bike online that you can't test ride locally, you might as well look at Bikes Direct as well. They have some nice cross bikes at your price point. I got a Fantom CXX recently and like it a lot. I also bought a Fantom CX frame from Bike Island (which is the same frame that comes as a complete bike from Bikes Direct) and transferred the parts from another frame. I rode it for the first time today (just a couple miles), and I think I'll be happy with it.

Of course, if you buy online, then you will need to do the assembly yourself or take it to a local shop to do it. Before you do anything, call around to see what shops will charge. Doing it yourself may require the purchase of special tools. These are the sorts of things that go into the decision whether to just buy locally or not.

gdiamond1989

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I found this bike today at the Nashbar store for a comparable price point, would you guys all be in agreement that with the non Sora derailer/shifters it's the better buy?

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...1#ReviewHeader

I actually ordered the Diamondback already but can still cancel it, thanks to whoever shouted out about Nashbar and what they were offering!

FrenchFit 

If you want disc brakes:

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ane/outlaw.htm

If you want 105:

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...m_cross_xi.htm

I assume shopping at your LBS is out of the picture.

Mondo734

The tiagra set is definitely a step up from sora so yea its better. This one is not bad either a better component set (SRAM Apex) https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...fantom_cxx.htm