Best cyclocross bike under £1000 and other CX chat

An XT rear mech, 38t chainring and a 11-30t cassette should provide almost the same range as I currently have with 34/44t chainrings and a 11-28t cassette, though obviously with bigger jumps but I think I can deal with that.
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Why use an XT mech? You can use a 10 speed short cage road mech with an 11-30 no probs.

You shouldn't have much problem if you went for a singlespeed chainring without ramp and pin (which cause chain to derailed without a derailleur.

Don't listen to Ed.

It work on the MTB, why would it not work in CX?

Because the MTB derailures have clutches in em

But Mr Dennis can't use a modern mtb derailure with his shimano shifters.

On-one currently doing a modern Ti. Disc crosser for 1500 quid kitted out with rival and tubeless rims. On the assumption that the frame is a quality item that's a good price.

PX titanium frames are made by Van Nicholas, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one is too (and therefore pretty decent).

I'm tempted as I'm in the market for a new cross bike. However, it's got SRAM and BB7 which I don't want, and at nearly 10 kgs is a bit of a tank (and I've got one of those already). I really don't like the head tube either, nor the restriction on only being able to use MTB chain sets.

I'm still coveting the Giant TCX SLR2, which should be back on sale by the end of next month.

i still really like my tcx slr 2. handles great, fits me well, really like the carbon seatpost flexibility. would buy that bike always again!

however, mine weighs 9.5kg with complete sram rival group, trp hy/rd brakes and half light wheelset with xt hubs.

Andy - Y u no like tapered headtube?

As far as i can tell there's no restriction on the chainset. It has a 110 bcd road chainset as standard and the bb is BSA. 9.5kg is respectable with most of the dorrah going on the frame.

The 12-32 cassette and compact rings is dumb though.

Frame only is £999.

"We designed this for a mountainbike drivetrain. We are running 42/28, with a 49.5mm chainline (between the middle rings). Weve also considered a 39/26 for lower speed pure offroad use. A road 46/36 or 50/34 will be too close to the frame and should not be used due to having a chainline 3-4mm narrower (which would take lots off the tyre clearance)."

From here.

As for tapered head tubes, I just don't like them, purely on aesthetics.

Weird - the full bike is speced with a road chainset.

One of those pages is wrong ;)

Whatevs, my airnimal is speced for an mtb chainset but 6700 ultegra clears the chainstays (although SRAM does not).

They can't make up their minds what chain set it comes with anyway, as it states a SRAM S1000 in on bit of the copy and then lists a SRAM S350 in the full spec.

the frame is very overpriced if the complete bike is only £1499

Eh...it's a four bolt mtb chainset in the photo. That's very strange.

Re the price - I guess they don't make any money on frame only so they price it out. Makes the full bike look like better value.

i still really like my tcx slr 2. handles great, fits me well, really like the carbon seatpost flexibility. would buy that bike always again!

however, mine weighs 9.5kg with complete sram rival group, trp hy/rd brakes and half light wheelset with xt hubs.

You've got the large I'd assume (from seeing your other bikes)? I've read elsewhere that the M/L, which is what I'd get, comes in at 8.7 kgs without pedals.

yes it's the Large one

I'm asumming they dont want to go bigger than 28t on the little ring.

I'd be tempted to dump the front mech and run 40 : 11-28. Not exactly fast on tarmac. But I wont get impatient riding 40:11 to a trail, and 40:28 will get up me most gravel hills.

SRAM 1X11 group at US nationals

Well the crank is pretty...

Alan Dorrington, aka crossjunkie, has been running an Absolute Black single ring setup and is very positive about it here;

http://crossjunkie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/absoluteblack-single-ring-set-up.html

I'm tempted.

Running SRAM he could have just put a proper - type 2 - derailleur on it. But yeah that's cool. If you don't have that option it could be a goer.

Shows I'm over geared with 39 12-28.

Also, on that On-One ti. frame:

It's been designed primarily to run an MTB crankset and full builds will come with this. However I am running a 46/34 chainset a la peaks, with a small spacer.

1x2.5mm spacer is ok but only works on Shimano or FSA cranks. Not SRAM, as SRAM chainline is fixed by the way the axle is held by the non driveside cup.

Makes a lot of sense to run one ring only. That long gear cable doesn't.

If I was going to buy a(nother) Ti cross frame, I'd get Burls to do one to my specification.

Makes a lot of sense to run one ring only. That long gear cable doesn't.

On the 'dale? SRAM road rear mechs need a long cable loop so that the cable isn't angled as it enters the adjuster.