Hi all, I just got a new orbea road bike, and thus am putting my old bike out of service…temporarily. I am looking to convert it into a cyclocross style bike for riding on dirt roads and commuting, NOT racing. Has anyone done this before, and if so did you do it cheaply?
Thanks!
the main differences between a road bike and a CX bike are:
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cantilever brakes versus caliper brakes: on cantilever brakes 2 separate pieces bolt onto metal things which are a part of the frame for each brake. with road/caliper brakes you just screw one piece on. You cannot ‘convert’ a road bike to a CX bike in this way, unless you welded on some brake braze-ons.
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A tad more bottom bracket clearance: again, can’t change this
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Cable routing goes on the top tube instead of the downtube / under bottom bracket: again can’t change this
in summary, you can’t really ‘convert’ a road bike to a CX bike. If all you want is a commuter/dirt road bike, just buy some wider tires for your road bike…just make sure they will fit into your frame/brakes before handing over your cash.
alternatively, you can get a motobecane or similar low-end cross bike for a song right now…seeing brand new bikes for 4-500 bucks.
Edit: just saw you didn’t want to race. In that case, a $75 dollar wallmart bike would probably be cheaper than buying new tires for your road bike. Plus, you have a brand new bike which you can beat the hell out of and won’t cry if it gets stolen.
Well, this is probably a stupid question, but would I be safe riding on dirt roads in the winter with a road bike that simply has thicker treads?
Well, this is probably a stupid question, but would I be safe riding on dirt roads in the winter with a road bike that simply has thicker treads?
The quick answer is, yes. If you are a good bike handler and comfortable on your bike, riding on dirt/gravel roads should not be a problem on a road bike. I do it regularly.
What is helpful is if you can put wider tires on the bike, 25mm or 28mm with a bit of tread - you may be able to do this with some older road bikes. This will get you more comfort and stability on gravel/dirt roads. Unfortunatly they make the brake and frame clearances so narrow with newer road bikes that getting anything other than a 23mm tire to work is impossible.
Of course, a cross-bike is perfect for this, but an old road bike can get you most of the way there.
Of course, a cross-bike is perfect for this, but an old road bike can get you most of the way there.
But the cables Steve, the wont be on the top tube. This would no doubt cause stigmata or at least saddle sores.
Before I started racing CX, I trained on a roadbike with 700x28 tires. I was amazed at the offroad ability with 28s. Of course you need to learn the limits of the tires, but even if you push it in a corner, you’re much safer than on the road. 28s should fit most road bikes and also should fit between the brake pads. Use internet vendors and order a cheap set and have fun.
28s won’t work on most “single track” or anything with lots of rocks or roots as they don’t have sufficient size (air cushion) and they’ll be challenging in soft dirt or sand, but for dirt road or gravel, they will be fine.
you can buy a discount “cross” fork from nashbar or one of the other discount online retailers. This will either give you studs to mount the canti-brakes on or just provide a beefier fork for when you hit curbs or potholes … plus the knobbier tires …
Before I started racing CX, I trained on a roadbike with 700x28 tires. I was amazed at the offroad ability with 28s.
Indeed.
We have a ride here in the Toronto area that a few friends do called Too Hell & Back. It’s about 1/3 paved road, 1/3 dirt & gravel road and 1/3 easy trail - mostly farmer tracks. It’s about 120K in total. Mostly everyone does it on either cross-bikes or old retro-fitted road bikes using wider 28mm tires. The other change is to put MTB pedals on and use MTB shoes - cause their are a few sections that need to be done on foot. It is amzing how far you can push a regular road bike with some good 28mm tires.
Well, this is probably a stupid question, but would I be safe riding on dirt roads in the winter with a road bike that simply has thicker treads?
I ride off-road with my 27" 1x1/8 old-school Fuji roadie. I’m talking, full trail action- it can be brutal, but it’s fun- I ride up the road and then off into the woods. I’ve never run into something I was scared to do on the bike. You just have to be…er…“witty”…with your handling. AKA always ready to ditch and jump off. It is a hoot.
I tried to do the same as you, convert it to CX- you can’t. Sucks.
However, as someone who grew up on dirt roads- you can ride a 23cc tire on any dirt road. If you get advice otherwise, don’t listen- I have a lot of experience with this. Of course 25-28cc are better, but not necessary. Just get your handling up, and understand you’re going to be cleaing your bike a lot more. Just don’t go during mud season and you’ll be fine. I’d be confident to ride my race roadie on most well maintained trails, with 23cc tires.
Hell, I used to have to ride my tri bike 1 mile to the pavement, full aero setup, 19cc tires- rode it on the dirt road. That was a bit sketchy though, especially right after they graded the road. Very soft. I didn’t get in my aero bars much in that first mile, hahaha.
I was just thinking about the places that I road my old “10-speed”, with the 27" tires before I had even heard of a “mountain bike”.
Hell you might be able to install that cx fork with a front canti brake, then take off your rear caliper and go brakeless in the rear. Might be able to get even thicker tires on there.
Maybe.
I run 32 and 36mm tires on my CX bike for commuting and it is super plush.
But a “true” commuter, whether a touring or CX frame, is a most wonderful thing indeed.
If you get advice otherwise, don’t listen-
Many are absolutly terrified of riding off the pavement. I have been on a group ride where, people have done a U-Turn and retraced many K’s just to avoid 1K of riding on a dirt road!! Simalarly, there always seems to be absolute and mass panic on the part of triathletes when they hear that the road conditions for the bike leg are anything less than pristine pavement.
I converted my road bike last fall and it worked like a charm.
I got two vittoria size 34 CX tires, but ended up trading in one of them for a 32 for some more clearance on the fork. My bike had plenty of clearance font and back so it was a pretty easy switch from my road tires. Before you go buy anything, make sure some decent CX tires will fit on your frame/fork. If not, your conversion is stuck in the mud, literally.
That is all I did, but did anything else, it would be to get some brackets or something welded on so that I could convert to caliper brakes. Regular road brakes suck up mud like you wouldn’t believe.
It did completely change the way that my bike rides though and I love it. It feels like a tank. I am actually still riding my CX tires and probably will for another month or so (or at least until a few good rain storms come and wash all the sand and debris from the road. I love the feeling that at any moment I can hop off the pavement and go trek through some trails. Great for commuting too.
I did about 10k on a dirt/muddy road on my road bike with 23s on
it was tricky but doable. Some of the hills I came close to just doing a ‘burnout’ instead of making upward progress, lol
If you get advice otherwise, don’t listen-
Many are absolutly terrified of riding off the pavement. I have been on a group ride where, people have done a U-Turn and retraced many K’s just to avoid 1K of riding on a dirt road!! Simalarly, there always seems to be absolute and mass panic on the part of triathletes when they hear that the road conditions for the bike leg are anything less than pristine pavement.
Hell you might be able to install that cx fork with a front canti brake, then take off your rear caliper and go brakeless in the rear. Might be able to get even thicker tires on there.
Maybe.
I run 32 and 36mm tires on my CX bike for commuting and it is super plush.
But a “true” commuter, whether a touring or CX frame, is a most wonderful thing indeed.
Or go with the CX fork, but keep the rear caliper and use the widest tire that will fit it. I believe that Sheldon Brown used to talk about the advantages of a knobby front/slick rear tire set up for commuters, with the idea that it was less of a big deal to lose traction in the rear wheel than the front. From one of his articles:
Bikes that are used some of the time on loose surfaces often benefit from a wider front tire, with a fairly aggressive tread, coupled with a somewhat narrower, smoother rear tire.
The wide, knobby front tire will provide the all-important front wheel traction. If your front tire skids, it almost always leads to a crash. For riding in soft conditions, such as sand or mud, a wide front tire is essential. If the front tire sinks in and gets bogged down, you’re stuck. If the front tire rolls through a soft patch OK, you can generally power the rear through to follow it.
The narrower, smoother rear tire will have lower rolling resistance. Since most of the weight is carried by the rear tire, rolling resistance is more important on the rear than the front. If the rear tire slips, in most cases the worst that will happen is that you’ll have to get off and walk.
This is a great idea that developed out of BMX racing.
Whoa, a setup like that would madness if you like to take corners fast though, haha.
Was Sheldon Brown a drifter?
Sheldon Brown used to talk about the advantages of a knobby front/slick rear tire set up for commuters, with the idea that it was less of a big deal to lose traction in the rear wheel than the front. From one of his articles:
Maybe I should have put a disclaimer on there that I’ve never tried anything like this myself, but I’d like to think that Sheldon knew what he was talking about. Probably would be more than adequate for commuting on mixed surfaces, though I’ll bet a good bike handler could pull off some impressive maneuvers with a setup like this on sand or gravel.
I’ve also done a lot of riding on dirt and gravel. Get some gatorskins in the widest you can fit and forget about it, I say. People are way too concerned with having the ‘right’ equipment. Now, if you actually wanted to race cross (deep mud, obstacles, etc) it could be a different story.
MTB shoes and pedals are nice, too, esp for commuting because you can walk around and not eff up your cleats or slip. And I suppose lower gearing could be good, too (swapping chainrings or the rear cassette), but depending on the terrain you’re talking about, this isn’t necessarily necessary. Just have fun!
Thanks for the replies. Now I am pumped to create an off-road “muddin” style bike!
Maybe I should have put a disclaimer on there that I’ve never tried anything like this myself, but I’d like to think that Sheldon knew what he was talking about. .
…and of course would be a good time to point out the OP’s use of the phrase “NOT racing”. Sheldon indeed knew what he was talking about.
A friend of mine bought a CX bike for loaded commuting, with fat tires. Since she is not of the mind to build things herself, they sold her a set of wheels…
…with low-count, radial laced, bladed spokes. And they put her front and rear panniers on right after the wheels.
I had to hold my tongue, but will never step in that shop again, one of the most prominent in Sacramento.
99% of road bikes will never, ever race, yet we talk about things like “fast cornering and rolling resistance” just before riding to work.