Best cyclocross bike under £1000 and other CX chat

I'd be interested to compare the performance of this mod to the standard set-up I have. What kind of cable housing did the bike ship with, Ed?

Just your common garden shimano, it felt exactly like a cantilever brakes, originally as described earlier, it's either feel too spongy or to grabby, it's almost impossible to dial it in perfectly, the travel agent made such precise adjustment a lots easier.

Now time to fit the back one in, the good thing about having the barrier adjuster near the handlebar is that I can adjust it easily on the move.

If I find £250 down the back of the sofa for the Hope Hydro setup you can have my BB7/Goodridge cables/problem solver.

I've got a travel agent kicking around - I've just had no need to fit one. I was going to use it to run a V brake on the rear but I don't feel that I need to now.

Just your common garden shimano, it felt exactly like a cantilever brakes, originally as described earlier, it's either feel too spongy or to grabby, it's almost impossible to dial it in perfectly,

Avid reckon you need at least compressionless housing - I didn't think Shimano standard cabling was compressionless? That may explain the spongeyness.

Well, I think it's standard, the difference I can see is that it's grey rather than black.

Still need to sort out the cable a bit but it work perfectly well for now, will do it properly once the new handlebar arrived (Salsa Cow Bell 3) and installed the bar-end shifter/SRAM S500 levers.

If I find £250 down the back of the sofa for the Hope Hydro setup you can have my BB7/Goodridge cables/problem solver.

Well, it's a good thing you didn't buy the Di2... right?

Just read this whole thread and am now a little obsessed with that Cannondale CaadX 105 Cross bike... Y'bazdads!

The CAADX is indeed a very nice bike, I sold one to a lady yesterday with £250 off it's original price (2011), I don't think I had held a lighter CX bike than the CAADX that cost less than a grand.

if you can find one in your size and still in stock, don't just stand there and gawp about.

O RLY.... rubs beard

Leave my beard alone.

The CAADX is indeed a very nice bike, I sold one to a lady yesterday with £250 off it's original price (2011)

I have Evans to thank for getting mine in at £750 too. Bargain.

2012 retails around £1100 which seems steep next to the Boardman.

^^ I'd be interested to see how those dualbangers perform.

Its dual bangers FFS.

Now I've gone and punched 'double bangers' into goole, at work. Disc brake calipers we not high on the list.

Thank feck its lunch time.

I'm looking into the Hope Pro2 EVO / No Tubes ZTR Crest 29ers wheelsets to replaced the ridiculously heavy Alex/Deores wheelset I currently have, what's the general take on them? spec wise it seemed very good, hell, the weight appear very reasonable as well around a little over 1600g for a pair (claim weight 785g F 905g R).

785g front, 905g

They'll be amazing, I'm sure. Go tubeless too.

Those deore-alex wheels are bomb proof commuters. So I would'nt be too quick to get ride of them. I had a similar pair last me a years of daily abuse, trail riding, and nordic winter riding.

Where would you get them, Ed, or would they be a custom build? I was looking to hand build something on to Pro2s later this year.

Alex/Deores are fine but servicing the hubs is a pain.

And what tyre choice have you got with them?

(ignorant about these rims)

oh you can buy them OTP which is useful.

oh from 25c to 38c generally, I'm partial to wide rims.

Hutchinson do 2 nicce tubless CX tyres.

http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/catalogue-route.php?fiche=bulldog-cx-tlr.php&univers=4&pid=20

http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/catalogue-route.php?fiche=piranha-cx-tl-ready.php&univers=4&pid=19

I'd need a 25C slick as my CX bike spends most of its time as my winter trainer (and currently commuter)

Stans Alpha (17mm internal width) would be ok I'd have thought. Although they have a braking surface you don't need. They come with 32 or 36 disc friendly holes.

Otherwise Crest Alpine which are a bit wider (21mm I think).

Stans Alpha (17mm internal width) would be ideal I'd have thought.

Currently on the Alex G2000 rims, it's 17.1mm internal width (23.3mm external), but I want to run wider tyres like on the Mavic A319 (25mm external) which is perfect with 25c tyres.

The Crest seemed to fit the bill perfectly at 21.1mm internal (24.4mm external).

Would work with this?

Wiggle | Hutchinson Atom Tubeless Road Tyre Road Race Tyres

I read that for the Alpha (CX/Road rims) Stans recommend non-tubeless specific tyres saying they actually work better than the Hutchinsons (go figure).
I think I read that on their site/blog.

I've no idea if that applies to the mtb rims though.

Hutchinson do 2 nicce tubless CX tyres.

http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/catalogue-route.php?fiche=bulldog-cx-tlr.php&univers=4&pid=20

http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/catalogue-route.php?fiche=piranha-cx-tl-ready.php&univers=4&pid=19

I thought tubeless + CX was still a bit of a horror show?

I thought tubeless + CX was still a bit of a horror show?

this^^^^^^^^^^^^

If you're using the bike for cycloX and running tubeless at low pressures there's still a lot of problems with 'burping' - even the UK rep for Stans won't run tubeless on his CX bike [he does run them on his road and MTB tho]

I thought tubeless + CX was still a bit of a horror show?

I'm asuming Ed is'nt going to be jumpin on and off his bike to race over fences.

XC style riding on 35mm tyres, on 25mm rims at lowis PSI should be fine, no?

Which rim would be the best for both 32-35C CX tyres, and 25C road tyres- the Crest?

Or is that rim too wide?