Best cyclocross bike under £1000 and other CX chat

I can see why SRAM may be better suited to cyclocross as the whole lever doesn't accidentally move to one side...............................but I still like the old 105 5600 and Ultegra 6600 as they were like sewing machines in comparison to the new stuff. I haven't had much use from the 6700 on my Ribble yet, so can't really give feedback.

I'd imagine that the cyclocross bike in this line up (Roux) will be under a grand

"7005 aluminium frame, Shimano Sora 18-speed drivetrain, Tektro Lyra disc brakes, a carbon fork and Maxxis Raze tyres"

http://road.cc/content/news/71734-roux-bicycles-launch-nine-models

OT: the G8 with the swing arm fork is a bit wild to say the least.

Look very 90's, when people don't know how to make a suspension work I reckon.

That fork is by Suntour.

The fork is, according to Suntour, 1400g and has 30mm of travel.

Hmmmm.

Or have a steel fork with enough rake to absorb the vibration.

amazing how technology evolved.

So, let's make bikes heavier again..........................................why?

Fitted the SRAM RIVAL front mech to my Boardman today. What a difference it makes. Easy shifting, but still not as good as the old Shimano 105 5600 or Ultegra 6600.

Why didn't you get the latter? or is there's compatibility issue I'm not aware of?

Money, really.
The old Shimano is just that, old. It's very very slick, but now about 3 or 4 years old and hard to find new.
I have Ultegra 6700 on my Ribble. Very precise shifting, but not so "sewing machine" smooth as the old version of both (I've had both on my older bikes) Many reckon the hidden cables may increase resistance.
I got the SRAM front mech for £10.00 off ebay, very light use and not bad for their 2nd to top groupset parts. I wouls like to try a RIVAL equipped bike to see if it's worth upgrading, or just get some well proven 105 5700 when the time comes. Also toying with the idea of Di2 for the Ribble and moving the mechanical Ultegra across as well, but it depends upon funds next year.

What surprised me the most is that the MICROSHIFT front mech weighs 108.2g, just 6g more than the RIVAL.

That's pretty good, just a shame the performance isn't so.

Have to says my Microshift rear derailleur (MTB) work exactly as it intended, my only dislike is the lack of barrier adjustment.

I think I have to get over my Shimano favouritism as SRAM seems to work very well. It must be good if most of the pro teams are using it, or so it seems. Judging from things I have read it appears that Shimano brakes work better than SRAM though.

I'm certainly impressed with the new bike overall, especially the gears and discs brakes, which at last seem to be getting better by the day. Mind you, 8 days and 150 miles are early days yet.

I'm just after some wheels now, found some cheapies at 1800g, and some discs so I have a spare set for the off road tyres.
Do you know if ARTEK are compatible with AVID BB5?

I think I have to get over my Shimano favouritism as SRAM seems to work very well. It must be good if most of the pro teams are using it, or so it seems. Judging from things I have read it appears that Shimano brakes work better than SRAM though.

Well, SRAM are paying lots of money to have those teams ride their equipment, and it's done a lot for their profile in road groupsets. 2013 Red does seem impressive, though, and they're clearly working hard to address the issues they've had, particularly with front shifting.

I am also a big fan of 6600 though. I transferred my groupset from a bike that I didn't originally set up and when I did it all myself it all worked incredibly well. 6700's nice but it definitely lost a certain solidity. Maybe more in finish than actual performance.

Look everybody... A bike!

Though sadly not under £1000

Jesus H. Fuck! so it is!

Where? Can't see it on the work's 'pooter.

^^ Sorry, that was a somewhat random tired post. I kept checking the thread to find it had become the worlds longest front derailleur discussion.

On that subject though, are you not better off with a single front ring for cyclocross?

A popular setup is a single (42 or 44t) front with bashguard and dogfang or double bashguard. It is very reliable and using a wide rear cassette means you are not losing out on gear options, but does exclude you from the great front deraileur debate.

Anyway, Campag.

Sram now do a Force varient of their WiFli rear mech.

I'm running 36/46 at the front and 11-32 at the back, and to be honest the 36T inner is totally superfluous.

Makes sense when the cyclocross bike doubles as your training bike.

As far as the derailleur debate, I'm going to vote for spending a minimum of 2-3 hours faffing about with it until it works properly.

I liked the 46/36 on the CX9, but did run out of gears downhill. The 50/34 is better for commuting as much of my ride is flat (Portsmouth), but the 34 is TINY, so I may make that a 36 again.
For commuting a double front ring makes perfect sense.

http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/hasirin/imgs/e/3/e3a82f20.jpg

Ninja landing craft ^

That's homely

what has happened to the rear brake cable routing on the Fuji?