deacon mark

Seems in the fall this is bigger and I know a lot of roadies who ride off road. Not sure if I am just not on the same wavelength but I find I am a pure roadie. I just hate to slow up and deal with uneven paths. I am thinking in my old age my bike is my "sports car " of youth. I just want get out and give it a spin and going downhill, with the wind, it gives a youth I never really did...... Cars a fast driving were not my thing.

I guessing this post is just baffling but to the end cyclecross is not in the plans..,... And I a runner first.

TimothyH

I recommend a fixed-gear Deacon Mark.

I ride mine to adoration. I'm sure Father would let you keep a change of clothes in the vestry.



Pray for me.


-Tim-

GlennR

You can do a CX bike and still be a "roadie".

Cannondale SuperX with 32mm tires. It's awesome on the road and rides really nice.


It's also awesome on the dirt.

Seattle Forrest

I've spent the summer doing long rides on dirt roads. Paved ones too. Still feel very much like a roadie.

I also think of a racing road bike like a sports car, and a CX bike is a little more like a Subaru. I'm really liking not having to turn around when the pavement ends. And you can get going pretty fast on dirt roads, especially when there's climbing and descending involved. This opens up all kinds of loops that were impossible for me before. This has opened up so much new riding, and I'm 90 or 95 % as fast on good pavement too.

Andy Somnifac

Sooo, you're telling us that you don't like something that other people do? Solid post.

Psimet2001 

Most CXers are roadies at heart. That's why the sport exists. Otherwise it would be called mountainbiking.

redlude97

this. i have no interest in mountain biking. Road is fun. Cross is funner

Seattle Forrest

Mountain biking is a lot of fun, too, but it's completely different.

More pictures of CX bikes out in the wild, please.

Psimet2001 

Follow me outside of here and that's about all you'll see. Still recovering from jinglecross this last weekend. Onward with Chicago Cross Cup this weekend.

RJM

I just got a cross bike and I'm digging it for gravel riding and hopefully I might enter a cross race or two this year, even though I will do terribly. Fun stuff.


I actually am less and less of a roadie nowadays, but still like to mix it up with the group rides every so often. If I had to choose one discipline to stick to, it would probably be mountain biking though.

mpath

What's the point of this thread?

GlennR

It's the interweb... there is no point.

Jseis 

While on our annual/inaugural ORB (2 days, 135 miles) we negotiated an ancient logging road with a deep stream restoration cut. Vinny in the distance is riding a Kona Jake and Rory (near) a Specialized cross. Dale is carrying a Scapin and I rode my Defy 1. On the old logging road climb up 10-15% backside of this cut, the road bikers (Dale and I..riding on slicks) out-climbed the cyclocross riders Haha.

Good thing the rain stopped the previous day though. I'm still pulling clay from places the sun doesn't shine. Next year we are thinking of adding 50 miles (or more) of logging roads to turn the ORB into 50:50 road and gravel/crap. The ORB circumnavigated the lower Columbia River. We started in Long Beach, overnight in Cathlamet. The route includes:Tunnel, looong bridge, ferry ride, island,

Shuffleman

Interesting. I like both mtb and road. If I did not have to travel to mtb I would definitely prefer it over the road. With that being said I have no interest in cyclocross or touring.

dougphoto

winner

seypat

I'm with you there Deacon. I grew up on a hundred acres rolling around on trails on single speeds. Got that out of my system in my youth. Now I'm a Cannonball Run/Vanishing Point type of rider. Petal to the metal, eating up miles. Stop, refuel, then take back off speeding for somewhere on the distant horizon. Too bad my engine can't live up to my mindset. Now in an automobile, the mindset varies. I also like screaming down a dirt/gravel/logging road acting like I am a Rally driver in a Lancia Stratos or other Rally Car. Or maybe screaming across the desert in the Dakar Rally in one of those ultra cool big trucks!

I am a runner also. I like varied terrain, twists and turns, ups and downs, dirt roads, gravel etc. But, I just don't care for running on single track trails. I've run every distance up to Marathon and this is by far the best/most fun event I participated in. A Tough Mudder without the mud. I did the one in Chicago until it was dropped last year. Unfortunately, Men's Health has replaced it with the Rugged Maniac series.

http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/about.html

As far as Cyclocross, it looks like it could be fun, but you get muddy. I got tired of the dirt and mud on the farm/ranch I grew up on. I might give it a shot some day, but I doubt it.

Seattle Forrest

deepakvrao

I've said it before - nice bike. What tyres?

GlennR

Zipps 30 course with Bontrager AW2 32mm tubeless.
Maddux CX 2.0 with Schwalbe Rapid Rob 35mm

Seattle Forrest

How do the Zipp wheels handle on the dirt, oldnslow2? Which ones are they?

GlennR

The Zipps are really nice. I have "street" tires on them but have done some hard pack and single track. But if I was going to do a dedicated off road route, i'd put the knobby wheels on.

The bike is my "foul weather" bike which is why i have street tires. The bike is a "beast", it handles great and makes all the rough patchy pavement smooth as glass. It inspires great confidence when going downhill at speed.

As a pure road bike it's not match for my Emonda, but for what I purchased it for, i'm very pleased.

fietsbob 

many want a wider tire capacity than a road bike allows .. then, as you see..
they buy Cross" bikes (or hybrids if they prefer straight, not drop bars)

Gravel Grinders are non running events where people show up with that kind of bike..

Its a newly created niche market.




./.

redlude97

Do you ride in groups regularly? The competitive aspect is what is fun about road and cyclocross. A little rubbing and elbows keeps you on your toes.

Shuffleman

I do my long rides on Sat. with a group. They can get pretty competitive. Other than that, I ride by myself. I have to confess to never riding cyclocross but it just has not drawn me in. I would not even know where to do it. I live in Florida and no nobody that rides cyclocross around here.

Sidney Porter

When I lived in jax there was a Thursday night cyclocross race every week in Sept / oct