What kind of bike?

[Jenny]

I am new to bike riding and I just discovered Cyclocross via google (saw it on this site and wondering what it was) WOW! Looks like so much fun!
I am probably getting ahead of myself conscidering I am totally out of shape and new to riding.. but I can see myself wanting to do this down the line.

I am curious, what kind of bike do you need to do this? I assume my Specialized Ariel wouldn't cut it?
Can you use Cyclocross bikes for just road biking once the season is over?

Thanks,
Jenny

[Owlie]

It does look like fun, doesn't it?

Cyclocross bikes look a lot like road bikes (drop bars and all that), but have wider tires and a few other tweaks to make them mud-friendlier. Some have disc brakes. IIRC, Specialized makes the Crux and Tricross. Giant has the TCX, and there are others (Surly Crosscheck, Redline, etc). You'll have to do some more research if you truly need a WSD bike, because there aren't that many WSD cross bikes out there.


And yes, you can absolutely ride them on the road--just swap the tires out. Also good for winter because they can take studded tires--good if you live in the frozen north. If you're only going to have one bike, a CX bike is probably a good choice!

[zoom-zoom]

I have a friend whose primary bike is a custom Seven in titanium...she swaps out tires for road or off-road riding. My dream bike would be pretty much the same sort of concept, except with disc brakes (since the brakes commonly used on CX brakes don't stop well on the road from higher speeds). I'd have 2 sets of wheels--one mounted with slicks and 1 mounted with knobbies. It's a pipedream for now, but maybe in 3-5 years it would happen. It would be kinda cool to have one perfect bike.

[SpeedyChix]

I am new to bike riding and I just discovered Cyclocross via google (saw it on this site and wondering what it was) WOW! Looks like so much fun!
I am probably getting ahead of myself conscidering I am totally out of shape and new to riding.. but I can see myself wanting to do this down the line.

I am curious, what kind of bike do you need to do this? I assume my Specialized Ariel wouldn't cut it?
Can you use Cyclocross bikes for just road biking once the season is over?

Thanks,
Jenny

Warning: CX is highly addictive Seriously, it's a blast. Beginner races often allow riders to use mtbs w/o bar ends. Road bikes are a challenge due to tire width limitations. If you were to get a cross bike, just swap out tires and run it on the road. If I was to own a single bike, it would be a CX bike.

[zoom-zoom]

If I was to own a single bike, it would be a CX bike.

This is what I tell all my friends who are interested in cycling. Get a decent CX bike and a 2nd set of wheels mounted with slick tires...and swap them as needed.

[limewave]

This is what I tell all my friends who are interested in cycling. Get a decent CX bike and a 2nd set of wheels mounted with slick tires...and swap them as needed.

My first bike was a CX bike, it was great for learning to road ride. A little sad I got rid of her (she's under a fellow TEers care now).

[kamikazejane]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cross bike. I picked up the Specialized Crux Expert Force back in May and sing nothing but praises. I picked up a spare set of used Zipps off ebay and mounted road tires and use my cross bike set up with road tires for long distance rides. It's a little more sluggish in responding then my road bike but I am looking forward to riding this winter while everyone else is stuck in the gym

[zoom-zoom]

...I am looking forward to riding this winter while everyone else is stuck in the gym

Studded tire rides are fun! The only thing that stinks about Winter riding is how godawful braking is with icy rims. Someday all my bikes will have disc brakes for this reason!