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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

Do I want a cyclocross bike?

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Old 04-13-05, 12:55 PM
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I originally posted this in the MTB forum but started getting recommendations for a cyclocross bike so I also am posting here. I was thinking I was in the market for a lighter mountain bike and some suggested i look at a cyclocross.


My major area of interest with riding right now, is still to ride in the boonies. I like to go where they aren't. If you know what i mean. I basically do a couple different rides on a normal daily basis.

Country/City

About 7 miles of rock roads, 4 miles of gravel bike path, 1 miles of grass path, 10 miles of pavement. I normally end up riding this route on weekdays because it is a faster ride and gets me to home, showered and to work on time. (sort of )

Country/Country

4 miles pavement. 6 miles unmaintained dirt/mud, 16 miles of rock.

Country/Country 2

30 miles of dirt and gravel with virtually no pavement.


These are all general guidelines for how i ride. Obviously it varies, but i wanted to describe my riding to see if a cyclocross bike really fits my needs. Maybe the more i look into this, the more i need two different types of bikes?
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Old 04-13-05, 02:02 PM
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Yeah, I think you might like a cross bike. I'm a red blooded mountain biker, but I'm liking my 'cross machine. A lot.

I took my CX on some technical, steep rooted singletrack that I usually ride my MTB on. I could basicly ride it all without too much difficulty. You do have to be a little more careful about where you put the rubber than on a MTB, but it is not nearly as bad as I expected. When the trail smooths out, you will walk away from a hardtail MTB. It is really fun too.

When the trail turns into pavement-then things really start moving fast. It will *dust* a MTB on the road. No comparison. Like a sports car vs. a dumptruck.

Take one for a test ride and see what you think.
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Old 04-13-05, 02:21 PM
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The question is, do you only want one cross bike
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Old 04-15-05, 02:00 PM
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Yes you do wan't a cx!
My english is so bad so i only say that i ride my kona jake the snake everywhere.
MTB is boring on the road and the roadbike is useless in the woods...

CX rules.
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Old 04-16-05, 07:22 AM
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Originally Posted by .Z.
Yes you do wan't a cx!
My english is so bad so i only say that i ride my kona jake the snake everywhere.
MTB is boring on the road and the roadbike is useless in the woods...

CX rules.
Yes, CX bikes are a true"do it all" bike more so than any other type. I see the
value in them that I'm converting one of my road bikes into a light duty CX bike
for gravel trail riding.
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Old 04-16-05, 09:56 AM
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Last weekend I did a 100km challange ride (60km road, 40km off-road) on my cyclo-cross bike, whilst the majority of people were using MTB's. The only area where I was slow was on the descents.

Details of the event can be found here https://www.cc-cc.co.uk/hotnc.asp
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