I am looking to buy a used and/or lower end cyclocross bike for my off season training and commuting in NYC. I am hoping to get some some recommendations for ‘cross bikes/sizes that may work. I am not looking to race and expect to make the purchase online or via craigslist, so “buying the bike that fits the best” is not realistic. I am 5’ 11.5" and currently ride a 56 P3.
Thanks
T
Probably not the answer you are looking for, but my experience buying a cross bike this year was that the sizing was all over the board depending on brand. I ride a 54 P2 and ended up with a 52 Ridley. Other brands were different…
Good luck.
I bought a Felt CX bike w/a top tube that was pretty close to my road bike top tube length. Fwiw, I’m about your height and ride a 55cm P3 & 54cm Tarmac.
The head tube on the Felt is not overly tall and I’d feel just fine doing commute or nasty weather days on it w/road tires; I did drop all of the spacers out after I got it and race CX as low as I can- maybe not the best idea but that’s where I feel most comfortable.
Depending on your build, you’ll probably be in a 54 or 56.
I’m about the same height, ride the same size tri frame, and have ridden a 54 and 56 cross bike.
Thanks for all the feedback. The only bikes I have looked at so far have been Specialized Tricross and both felt wrong. The 54 (which was a new model) was definitely too small, and I tried a 56 from 2009, which height wise seemed fine, but it otherwise felt awkward in a way that spacers and a new stem would not fix.
I’m 5’ 10" with a 31" inseam riding a med Shiv for a tri bike. My 2010 tricross is a 56 and it fits me well. There was a lot of variances though between the manufacturers when I tested others. On a felt the 54 felt better.
Just to add more data points… I’m 5’11" w/ about 33" inseam and my cx bike is a 56cm. I had a 58cm, but was just too tall, so swapped out to the smaller. Obviously some of the bikes have the sloping TT, so that will play into the fit. I ran my measurements through the fit calc (road) at the Competitive Cyclist and went just a hair smaller. Pay attention to the TT measurement and you should be good. Since you’re not racing, you have some wiggle room, but if between sizes, I would opt for the smaller for maneuverability/stand over clearance for in the city.
There’s a wide variety of brands, so hard to say, but you can always pick up a good deal on an aluminum frame. Now’s a good time with cross season winding down in the next month or so. cxmagazine.com has some listings, but not a lot of volume.
As folks said above it depends a lot on the brand of cross bike. In general look at top tube sizing and also look at standover height more than seat tube based measurements. You’ll likely end up in a 55cm or 56cm on most compact geometry bikes like the Specialized, Scott, Redline, etc. with their sloped top tubes and reasonable BB heights. But if you go with something like a Ridley or an older Salsa Chili Con Crosso (both great bikes BTW) then the sizes will seem really whacked and you’ll likely end up on a 51 (Con Crosso) or 52 (Ridley) to make the standover height and top tube lengths work out.
-Dave
From the bikes I’ve looked at, the biggest variation seems to be with the length of the head tube. I switched from a Fantom Cross Pro (short head tube) to a Specialized Crux (tall head tube). For cross racing I like the Crux but for road use etc., I prefer the Fantom Cross.
I have been looking at these bike and the measurements really are all over the place but I think it was the head tube length on the specialized that made it feel awkward for me. I would prefer something used, but a local shop is selling a basic Jamis Nova for 800 bucks so I may check that out. Thanks again for feedback.
do you know your road bike top tube length? If so, buy a cross bike with the same length. If you don’t know, you need to figure it out before blowing money. Cross bike geometry is a little different from road but the top tube is what you need to look at. Your TT / Tri bike top tube length isn’t relevant.
Be aware that used cross bikes actually used for racing will often be beat to crap and may require new cables, bearings, chain, etc. When the races get muddy it’s very hard on equipment as we use powerwashers on the bikes and pack them with frozen mud.
I only have TT bikes and a mountain bike so unfortunately I don’t have a road bike for comparison. My plan is to get rid of my old mtn bike (which I use as my commuter with road tires) and use the 'cross bike as my primary road/commuter ride. (I don’t do a lot of trail riding at this point, but I like to have the option and I think the 'cross bike will meet my needs.) Thanks for the tip about the abuse a racing bike may take.
Probably not the answer you are looking for, but my experience buying a cross bike this year was that the sizing was all over the board depending on brand. I ride a 54 P2 and ended up with a 52 Ridley. Other brands were different…
Good luck.
Same issue with a Ridley. Usually ride a 53/54, and ended up on a 50 Ridley. I have no idea how they measure their bikes…
We are about the same height. I ride a 56cm caad10 with a 120mm stem for my road bike. My cross bike is also a 56cm, but I have a 110mm stem on it to compensate for the more upright position.
With my dimensions, I think I’d be on a 56cm P3 with a 100mm stem, FWIW.
at just under 6 feet, you might be on a bike with a top tube of 56-58, just a guess depending on your dimensions. I’m 6’ 1" and ride a 58.5 top tube on my road and cross bike, which turns out to be a 60 road bike and a 57 Felt cross bike due to how they measure it.
Look at the geometry charts, the top tube length on a cross bike is generally, but not always close to equal or longer than the seat tube, which is often not the case with a road bike.
Competitive Cyclist has an online fit program that you can use to get some dimensions, it seems to work pretty well if you measure yourself carefully.
Sometimes the bikes get used in adverse conditions…
Bottom bracket height varies widely among CX bikes as well. Some manufacturers use high BBs (relative to most road geometry) for obstacle clearance. If you aren’t using it for racing getting one with a bottom bracket height similar to your main bike might help it “feel” more natural.
Ridleys have pretty high BBs IIRC.
…Ridleys have pretty high BBs IIRC.
Yeah, Ridley’s have a very high BB and they also use a traditional geometry with horizontal top tube instead of a sloped compact geometry more common in newer cross bikes. The horizontal top tube is nice for shouldering with a very big and open main triangle but the combination of high BB and horizontal top tube, not to mention substantial wheel to frame and fork clearances leads to very high standover heights. IME, it’s not that the seat tube to top tube dimensions are all that unusual on Ridleys, just that they have very high standover clearances. So most folks end up sizing down to make the standover work and then run a relatively long stem to make the reach work even with the more upright cross position.
-Dave
Hey what CX Bike did you have?
do you know your road bike top tube length? If so, buy a cross bike with the same length. If you don’t know, you need to figure it out before blowing money. Cross bike geometry is a little different from road but the top tube is what you need to look at. Your TT / Tri bike top tube length isn’t relevant.
Be aware that used cross bikes actually used for racing will often be beat to crap and may require new cables, bearings, chain, etc. When the races get muddy it’s very hard on equipment as we use powerwashers on the bikes and pack them with frozen mud.I’ll agree with this.
Same basic TT length as a road bike but maybe a slightly taller stem to get you a little more upright for cross. If you’re using it as an ‘all rounder’ go same same as your road bike. (can’t help you with tri- bike lengths sorry)
More on the ‘all-rounder’ thing: 36/50 or 34/50 are both good ring sets for JRA. If you’re going to race cross, you’ll want a smaller big ring. I typically run either a 44 or 46t big ring once racing season rolls around. Oh, and tubulars DO make for a better race wheelset. Mmmm cloud of t-----s!
HTH
M