Just did my first tour from portland to sanfran this last fall on a Trek 520 and I am thirsty for more. Unfortunately I had to sell the 520 to buy a plane ticket back home so now I am searching for another road machine- the next tour being New Zealand. So... after budget considerations Ive narrowed my sights down on the Fuji Touring https://www.fujibikes.com/Specialty/Touring/Touring.aspx . and this tasty number https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/cyclo.htm a cyclocross.

The fuji is a solid bike but im expecting to be riding some gravel, dirt, muddy, as well as paved roads in NZ. The reason why im looking at the cyclocross.


What I need from you is insight in these areas:
1. Will the cyclocross frame hold up to heavy loads
2. Is it going to kill me not having a granny gear
3. Any other thoughts throw em at me

Cheers!

Why not the Windsor tourist and add some cyclocross tires? Seems like it would be a good cheap way to go. Just a thought.

1+ for the Windsor Tourist. It is available through bikesdirect.com and will hold up great. I met a guy who loved his while doing the trans america. I would never tour on a bike with a carbon fiber fork. Some of the components on the fijui/windsor touring are on the cheap side but they are all proven, durable parts that you can upgrade when they finally give!

I wouldn't buy from BD unless you are very good at doing your own repairs. Any bike will need a tune-up shortly after purchase, as well as periodic maintenance -- especially right before a tour. If you need to alter the gearing, you're basically going to lose out on the deal.

By the way, yes most cross bikes tour just fine (people used them to tour for years, and still do) and yes you'll want the granny gear.

In that case, a Surly Cross-Check or a Bianche Volpe from an LBS is probably a better choice. Steel frame, canti brakes, can take loads without a problem. Tell the LBS you want them to set it up with a triple and a wider cassette; most LBS's won't charge extra for those changes.

i'd go with a Surly LHT

Im asking the wrong question. I shouldnt be asking which would be better for touring, because obviously touring specific bikes would be. But rather if a cyclocross will work as a touring bike? If im going to spend the money I don't want to pigeonhole myself in a tour specific bike. Ive seen people tour on mt bikes I figured the cyclocross would be a good meld of the two. BUT will 20 gears be enough for some ups

Zeppinger- why wouldn't you tour with a carbon fiber fork im curious?

sure it will..... Just get the tubus rack with the low mounts so heal strike isn't an issue and start riding. If it comes with a compact crank and you run a 12/28 sram cassette you can get up some pretty steep stuff. I'd rather have a trip with an 11/32 though.

excuse my bike naiveness but could i just buy a triple crank and throw it on the cx? or is that impossible and/ or a ***** to do

Sure, you can put a triple on the 'cross bike. Nothing wrong with that.

what you want then is a 29er MTB.
really.
i ride my Hunter 29er on club rides with my roadie buddies.
use WTB Vulpines, they are fairly light weight for a MTB tyre.
you can also use any 700c tyre
as the ERD (Effective Rim Diameter) for a 700c wheel is the same as a 29er MTB.

i'd pick a rigid set up.
i.e. Karate Monkey
44x11t on a 29er is almost exactly the same gear inch as a 53x12t on a 700c.

the 29er MTB obviously has plenty of range in gears. it has a granny gear.
and yes... you can pull a BOB with it
and yes... you can add racks
and yes... you can convert it to an XtraCycle
and yes... you can convert it to an XtraCycle add a front rack and panniers, and pull a BOB.

Carbon fiber forks are just not as strong. That in itself is not that beg a deal, all forks break eventually. However, carbon fiber, when it fails, fails big. A steel fork simply bends a bit and there is lots of warning that it is going to fail. Carbon fiber, once it is going to fail, breaks all together. When your loaded the risk of this is much higher than when doing club rides with hospitals close by There are people who have toured with carbon fiber but I doubt they would continue to do so as if it were ideal or safe.

If you want a cx bike and will be doing some light touring on the side I highly recommend the Cross-check but you may want to build it up yourself because the stock one only has a double crank which means no granny gear. This will let you really build up a nice strong cross bike that can also handle just about anything els you want to throw at it.

The main difference between cross bikes and touring bikes is the slightly more relaxed geometry of the touring bikes and also the MUCH longer chain stays of the touring bikes. Increases chain stays make the bikes more stable under load but some people think they make the bike less responsive while unloaded. If your not going to tour more than a few times a year then it shouldnt be "That" big a deal. On the other hand check out touring bikes that have chain stays on the shorter end of the spectrum.

I really like the cross check and almost got one as well because I tour only 1-2 a year. However, i like the stablility and dont mind the extra weight of a touring bike unloaded. I also haul a lot of groceries that make it even more worth it. My tours tend to be rather epic as well so if your jsut a weekend tourer dont sweat it!

While 700c and 29er tires are interchangeable what matters is the bead seat diameter, not the ERD.

The ERD is the distance that you need to calculate spoke length, the distance from a nipple to the one on the opposite side of the rim. Bead seat diameter is the diameter of the hook that holds the bead of the tire to the rim. ERD of a 700c rim is usually in the 600mm range, and it varies across rims, while the bead seat diameter of all 700c/29er rims is 622mm.

Chris

I'd stay away from the Windsor's carbon fork; I've seen one of those cause too many problems.

Fuji was recommended to me when I had a week to buy a touring bike last summer, but I can't find the thread.

Again... You can get your LBS to change to a triple, usually at no cost. The crankset even has a spot for a 3rd ring, so all they have to do is put on a different front derailleur, bottom bracket and the ring.

I second that notion

third

I love mine. It's far more versatile than I expected.

And yes, while I've only seen the North Island, New Zealand was quite hilly. You will definitely want a triple.

you can tour on whatever you like. I know people come here looking for advice, but I cannot help but read these posts as asking for *permission*...

"Am i allowed to tour on a unicycle?"
"Sure, Billy, so long as you're home by supper."

Nothing against the OP, of course; it's just a quirky way my mind reacts to the frequent "Can i tour on a _________?" posts.

Personally, I wouldn't want that windsor cross bike for tours. Why? As others mentioned, the carbon fork. As you mentioned, the double crank. As someone might have mentioned, the aluminum frame. As i'm about to mention, the 20speed rear, which you can't make a bigblock out of. Anything else? Sure, but i'm not going to go into it, because i don't want to enrage anyone.

The truth is, many have toured on aluminum bikes, with carbon forks, with double cranks, brifters, 10speed rear, etc. You can do it! But, if you're looking for a tour bike, why not get a tour bike? Any real tour bike will accept cyclocross knobbies, and any stumps/logs/bumps that will require a higher bb shell will surely wreak havoc on your panniers anyway, so you won't need 'cross geometry.

If you love/want a tour bike, and you intend to tour a lot, and you don't have a bike, get a tourbike. If you already had the cross bike, i'd say "ride what ya got".

If you really want a cross bike, and you just plan to use it for tour stuff occasionally, get a cross bike. But, maybe not that cross bike. Maybe more like a volpe or a crosscheck.

If you want to compete in cross competitively, you'll want something quite different than all the bikes mentioned on this thread.

hth,
-rob

Surreal, you're quite correct. I think we may lose sight of that from time to time (I know I do). I think that it's kind of a given, but it's always good to point out.

On the other hand, there are bikes that definitely make the experience a lot smoother! And on yet another hand, there's a big part of me that wants to try a tour with my cheap folding bike and a stuffed backpack.

Anyway, the OP is looking for the best bike for a NZ tour. Back to the thread?

the better bike for the NZ tour would clearly be the tour bike. The OP was looking at the cross bike for offroad ability. While the cross bike is better for shouldering/racing offroad, it isn't more able to go on unpaved roads than the tour bike, once you put the cross tires on the tour rig.

-rob

heartily agree- assuming you are using panniers and not a trailer. with a trailer I like a 'more like a cyclocross' kinda bike, but thats not the OP's focus.

think if you already HAD a cyclocross bike with eyelets for racks, and didnt want to have to own yet another bike for a somewhat more appropriate touring rig, then go for it.

I've done some pretty gnarly dirt offroad riding using panniers and a trek 520 ( like engineers pass in colorado)_ - but with the right tires. like those schwalbe marathon expedition tires.

also agree with using a low geared triple. -- a 20/34 for a low is what I like.

I really like the look of the Salsa Fargo:



29er, drops, up to 6 bottle cages, XT drivetrain, disks, racks etc, etc. What's there not to like?

I didn't read this whole thread, but will chime in that new zealand is very very hilly, and low gears will be much appreciated. I had 26x32 on my trek 520, and bought a 34 cassette in Wanaka, b/c it was so freakin' steep there.

on my next bike, i got 22x34 and it's great

I don't like the front rack, I don't like that it's disc-only, I don't like the overall 29erness of it. I ride a 29" mtb bike, among other things, and I have nothing against the tire size for trail-riding. However, it'd be among the harder sizes to replace on-tour, and one of the bulkiest and heaviest to haul a spare along.

In many ways, I think it rules. I wouldn't buy one, but I hope someone I know does, so I can help build it. I really don't think i'd spec it with drop bars, for brake-compat reasons. I think it'd be the delicious cheese with knock-off h-bars, hydros, and thumbies. Brakes aside, i think this bike allows for many set-up options, which is nice.

to each, their own.

-rob

I don't like the front rack, I don't like that it's disc-only, I don't like the overall 29erness of it. I ride a 29" mtb bike, among other things, and I have nothing against the tire size for trail-riding. However, it'd be among the harder sizes to replace on-tour, and one of the bulkiest and heaviest to haul a spare along.

In many ways, I think it rules. I wouldn't buy one, but I hope someone I know does, so I can help build it. I really don't think i'd spec it with drop bars, for brake-compat reasons. I think it'd be the delicious cheese with knock-off h-bars, hydros, and thumbies. Brakes aside, i think this bike allows for many set-up options, which is nice.

to each, their own.

-rob