I’m a minimalist. And I’m poor. And I’m a solid MOP triathlete. And right now here’s the bikes I “need”:
Road Bike: Training Tri Bike: Racing Commuter: POS no one wants to steal Mountain Bike: Winter/trail riding
I was looking at cyclocross bikes yesterday and they seem the best of all worlds: tough wheels, road frame, efficient, light, built for a bitch slap, soon to be beat up enough to look like a POS.
So, today, I hereby state that the only bike ANYONE needs is a Cyclocross bike (no disc brakes) with 1 set of trail/commuter wheels and 1 set of racing wheels. This includes professional triathletes, Lance Armstrong, mountain bikers, and all your female relatives.*
*Overstatements for discussion purposes only. Not to be confused with actual dogma. Read only as prescribed.
Well I came to the same conclusion a few years ago and bought a Kona Jake, still needed some “road wheels” so I got some on Ebay- they happened to be attached to a nice Titanflex. Oh and then there was the singlespeed for taking to the pool, cause I did not want to have to wear bike shoes, and worry about locking it up. But now I think the SS needs to be a fixie instead.
So yes a Cyclocross bike is all it takes, but remember n=n+1
With autumn in the air, real cyclists’ thoughts turn to cross. Enjoy the only bike you’ll ever need. If you’re in the area, we’re racing cross October 6, 20 and 27th.
The main drawbacks to riding cross bikes on the road is that they have a narrower gearing range (something like 42/48 double or 44 single chainrings) and the geometry is a little different. But your point is taken, they are nice versitile bikes. I race cross on mine, commute, use it for a trainer bike and ride it on the road in a pinch.
I run a standard 50/34 compact on my CCX bike without any problems whatsoever. Actually, the chainstays are typically longer so you don’t end up with nearly as many problems shifting as you do with say a Cervelo (short chainstay = chain angles).
Just run standard 50/34 compact cranks on your CCX bike and it really CAN be the only bike you’ll ever need (I’ve raced my for MTB Short Track as well as road racing in the Spring…Just change your tires).
Your thinking is good. A cross bike is really kind of a “sport utility” road bike. Lots of versatility.
The thing to remember is that anything that does everything doesn’t do anything particularly well. It’s like a Swiss Army knife- you can do a lot with it, but you wouldn’t want to drive 20 wood screws with the screwdriver that comes on it. You need a screwdriver for that.
Tom is, of course, correct that a CCX bike won’t be perfect for any application (except CCX and commuting), but it will be MORE than acceptable for all of them.
Honestly, today’s top-end CCX bikes can hit the UCI weight limits so they are fine for stage racing/road racing. They handle well in tight technical CCX courses so they’ll handle a criterium (although they’ll risk being a bit whippy in a sprint and the longer wheelbase isn’t optimal), they are GREAT for long winter training rides (that long wheelbase and compact crankset makes base miles much more comfortable).
As for a TT…Well…That’s where I’d draw the line…Probably not great at all, but you could still do it with some clip-ons.
CCX…'Nuff said. Perfect application.
MTB…Doable on many courses, but the Canti brakes will disappoint you if you are used to discs.
Well … it’s not quite true that it doesn’t do anything particularly well. It would be perfect for, say, cyclocross.
A cross bike with three sets of wheels (tri race, road training, cx) would be a pretty sweet setup. And imagine the looks you would get with a disc/trispoke combo on it
It’s like a Swiss Army knife- you can do a lot with it, but you wouldn’t want to drive 20 wood screws with the screwdriver that comes on it. You need a screwdriver for that.
Screw that! (no pun intended) If you want me to drive 20 wood screws you’d better damn well give me a drill.
I knew if I posted this idea someone would point out something terribly obvious that I’d failed to consider. Your point about gearing is an excellent one. Cheers.
Everyone Else:
It took a while, but I finally wrote something that was actually somewhat informed, well-reasoned, and generally agreed upon.
Well I am a bike slut and have fingers and toes amounts of bikes. If I could only have or afford one bike I would probably keep either one of my cross bikes or a fixie. I have a Matt Chester single speed crossbike that could be fixed if I wanted to, so that would probably be the one. I think a cross bike would be a crumby main bike if you were only a tri dude. I have raced a cross bike with aerobars and didn’t have any problems with it. The reason I have so many bikes is I like to use a proper bike for the race and love single speeds. So I have two and three of all types of bikes.s
I knew if I posted this idea someone would point out something terribly obvious that I’d failed to consider. Your point about gearing is an excellent one. Cheers.
But there’s not really a “standard” for 'cross bike gearing. I’ve seen some with 53/39 and maybe a 12-27 cassette (pretty much a road setup). The Trek XO-1 I bought a few years ago came with a 50/39 (non-compact) crank and a 13-26 cassette. After getting back into riding, I found it geared a little too low so I swapped the 50 for a 52, and it was fine (for me). I put road tires on it, clip-on aero bars, and did a few triathlons on it. After about 5000 miles, I replaced the drivetrain with 9 speed Ultegra (12-25) and a triple crank. I rarely use the small chainring, but it’s nice to have a granny gear as a fallback for a few places I ride.
I’ve done everything from commuting to double centuries to HIMs on that bike; it has more miles on it than my other three bikes combined.
Agreed, whenever I get on a plane to somewhere and I am not racing, my Ritchey Break-Away Cross comes with me.
Easily gets me to places on the road AND on trails and I don’t have to worry about public transportation or hitching a cab.
I have even raced a Crit on it in rural France. It was quite a sight, or so I was told.
what you really want is what is known to 29er riders as a " monster-cross " bike. here is probably the pinnacle of the concept, as done by the inventor of the modern 29er:
yer basically looking at a slightly relaxed 'cross bike, with clearance for full-size off-road tires. you cannot really go mountain biking on a 'cross bike very well ( this from a guy who has raced off-road on drop-bar bikes for over 20 years ). a monster-cross bike trully gives ya everything.
FYI, a TitanFlex Cross model–code named Golgotha–is under development. We’ll see how well it races this season before going into production. One design objective echoes the versatility sentiments expressed in this thread.
