Best cyclocross bike under £1000 and other CX chat

Yes, see your point. A quill to ahead is another example where it is very noticeable.
However, the degree of noticeability must be pretty low when increasing the size of bottom cup alone. Why not go the whole hog and increase the whole steerer as the 1 1/2 steerer/stem interface must benefit by a tiny amount too?

Thats next years improvement. Gotta keep sales rolling.

(it would also mean ditching a massive market of 1 1/8" stems)

1 1/8 stems are for luddites

Thanks guys, feel educated on the mysterious tapered steerer now :)

My SystemSix has one- one of the first (if not the first) bikes to come with the tapered steerer.

Stiffest road bike available, at the time.

This was 2008, however.

Apparenty no longer stiff eh?

It's made of inferior carbon

And has metal in it. FFS Cannondale! What were you thinking?

And has metal in it. FFS Cannondale! What were you thinking?

Yeah, making considered material choices without prejudice. When they could just mould the whole thing from plastic and save £££s.

Twats.

anyone got a 56cm cyclocross bike sittin in the shed they might want to get rid of?

I've got a 54cm Dolan multicross frame with alpina carbon fork I could be persuaded to part with, depending on your height it might be advantagous to downsize for a 'cross frame. I'm 5"9' and I ride a 52cm Crosslight with a 120 stem

Could work, although I find that downsizing creates headtube length problems (too short) leading to massive spacer stack or 45 rise stem. Not helped by cross bikes usually having a higher BB than a road bike.

Sorry, not trying to ruin your selling prospects...

Picked the CAADX up on friday. Been on a couple of rides so far. Initial impressions are good despite somewhat carppy cantis. Anyone doing the Rapha cross race at Alexander Palace on the 23rd?

I got an email from Hope- their V2 cable to hydraulic brake adapter should be available for sell before Christmas.

I got an email from Hope- their V2 cable to hydraulic brake adapter should be available for sell before Christmas.

The V2s look well nice. I'm edging towards getting some M4s. I love Hope brakes.

It's going to be interesting seeing what they price the unit at, and what rotors/calipers/hoses/V2 come in at for the complete system.

I'd pay £300 for the whole lot, I think, but that would be the top limit- and only then because it would be a Christmas present.

It's going to be interesting seeing what they price the unit at, and what rotors/calipers/hoses/V2 come in at for the complete system.

I'd pay £300 for the whole lot, I think, but that would be the top limit- and only then because it would be a Christmas present.

Depends on what the levers are worth. But braided cables, floating rotors, calipers, and levers. Come to around £340. So if levers are £120 the pair, and the unit £80, you'll be OK.

I'm not sure how much out'n'out power you need CX'ing. But my Mono Mini pros weigh feck all, and work brilliantly. I would have thought these would be a better option (now mini X2). They're about £40 more per wheel. But they come ready blinged.

(SuperStar components do cheaper floating rotors)

Out and out power is not required at all for CX. I see the only advantage to discs for CX being the more consistent braking as not dependant on clean rim/pad.
Plus they look better, but nobody would be using them just for that reason would they :-)

So the smallest, lightest discs would be more than good enough.

The mono mini pros are the lightest, and least powerful of the Hope line-up. I've even gone as far as running them with 160/140mm discs on the 29er, and still feel they're plenty powerful enough for my needs. The real pay off is modulation.....

...and the fact that the floating rotors look like disc saws.

The real pay off is modulation.....

...and the fact that the floating rotors look like disc saws.

And mud clearance

Raced in the wet with the TRP cx9's on Saturday night, the seemed to be prone to clogging with grass and I could hear them rubbbing. However the power they delivered even in the wet was pretty impressive however a bit more moduation would have been nice, other than mud clearance I can't see a massive case for disks. The power provided by mini v's is more than adequet, unless discs provide the holy grail of power and modulation

Discs should give more consistency. Less difference between each use of brakes so can gauge late braking distance more easily as not affected by how much mud is on the rim at any time and whether brakes are going to work to full potential.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread57672.html#post2431112

cheap frame & fork

USE hydraulic convertors, you're doing it right!

Cable to hydro converters: expensive solution looking for problem I reckon. Even the cheapo tiagra cable pull disc on my airnimal has more modulation and power I could ever need. BB7s FTW.

Steve you got a link to the story on those?

Howard, do you not find that you need to adjust cable discs practically every ride?