# Hi, heres my take on CX bike... any thoughts.



## Si_ (16 Mar 2013)

Hi all . new tothe forum, returning to pedal power after a long lay off.

i have built myself up a wee "special" that i've nicknamed "mojo"

frame is a carrera subway mtb ltd disc only 18 inch
alexritchey rims from a boardman CX 550
kore drops
race face stubby 60 mm stem.
2x9 speed transmission which was a mix of what i had hanging around inthe parts box
avid bb5 road disc stoppers.
WTB comfort zone saddle. (had it for year it just kinda fits)

linky to a pic
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...1550581812176.556244.630732175&type=3&theater

som as the spinny bits all wear out, whats the consensus on a good CX 2x9 drive train. do most people use road or MTB derived stuff? (i use 170mm cranks cos of my old knees)


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## Andrew_Culture (16 Mar 2013)

Facebook is being a silly billy and not showing the photo


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## Si_ (16 Mar 2013)

hang on ... 











and my favorite snap


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## Si_ (16 Mar 2013)

tis one of those odd ball bikes. thrown together and it just seems to work. i've had proper top end MTBs and spent loads on kit, yet this bargain basement parts bin special makes me smile. 

still gonna spec it up though... so .. suggestions on best cx kit to get would be great ..


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## cyberknight (16 Mar 2013)

Me Likey 
I am almost considering doing similar to my much maligned freecycle MTB, i would need a drop bar and 3x7 shifters to bodge it up.


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## Si_ (16 Mar 2013)

she had a few teething probs, wrong brakes before i got the road ones, still running a triple front chainset cos its a cheap riveted thing. and my original stem was ridiculously long...

trying to find a triple road lever is a nightmare. (unless you have ready cash) i seem happy at 2x9 for now.. thinking of running a 38 48 front end when i get sorted, which should give me enough range with an 11 32 rear.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (16 Mar 2013)

Why is your saddle pointing towards Australia?


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## Si_ (16 Mar 2013)

lol, its not, the back of the bike is up on a rock. the saddles flat ..


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## monkeylc (16 Mar 2013)

like it matey..


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## RecordAceFromNew (17 Mar 2013)

Si_ said:


> she had a few teething probs, wrong brakes before i got the road ones, still running a triple front chainset cos its a cheap riveted thing. and my original stem was ridiculously long...
> 
> *trying to find a triple road lever is a nightmare. (unless you have ready cash)* i seem happy at 2x9 for now.. thinking of running a 38 48 front end when i get sorted, which should give me enough range with an 11 32 rear.


 
Don't think the problem is just about the cost of the levers. With the subway which is a flat bar bike with mtb bits you will find Shimano road triple brifters won't pull enough cable for the front mech to index the front rings properly. You can change the front mech to a road unit to deal with that, but then you will have to watch out for its range of travel since road and mtb chainsets are designed for different chainlines. There are various ways to deal with the challenges but none simple. This is a link to part 1 of a 6 part article of one person's experience.


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## Howard (18 Mar 2013)

Si_ said:


> trying to find a triple road lever is a nightmare. (unless you have ready cash)


 
Look for the first generation 5600 / 6600 shifters - they were designed to operate both double and triple chainsets and so are reasonably common. They would have been more common if the mechanics had set them up properly


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## ayceejay (18 Mar 2013)

If it is your intention to ride in the conditions depicted in your photos you might want to have a look at a single speed set up.


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## Howard (18 Mar 2013)

I agree - single speed in the kitchen is preferable to geared.


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## Si_ (18 Mar 2013)

ayceejay said:


> If it is your intention to ride in the conditions depicted in your photos you might want to have a look at a single speed set up.


 thiking of an alfine system eventually though at present cost is prohibitive


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## Mr. Jaggers (19 Mar 2013)

Si_ said:


> hang on ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am new to cyclocross so I can not really comment on the bike build but I know a thing or two about photography and I really like this last picture.


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## Lee_M (19 Mar 2013)

Mr. Jaggers said:


> I am new to cyclocross so I can not really comment on the bike build but I know a thing or two about photography and I really like this last picture.


 
would have been better with a little bit of fill flash, and without chopping the seat off

oh, and without the burn out from the sun


whoops sorry, wrong forum


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## Si_ (19 Mar 2013)

Thanks guys! The picture in question was cropped from a larger shot, taken with my google nexus phone camera. Its not been edited in any way other than the crop, but it sums up that days ride perfectly. The two outdoor shots above are actually taken in aproximately the same place, give or take about 100 yards, on the same track, three weeks apart.


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## Rob3rt (19 Mar 2013)

Si_ said:


> Thanks guys! The picture in question was cropped from a larger shot, taken with my google nexus phone camera. Its not been edited in any way other than the crop, but it sums up that days ride perfectly. The two outdoor shots above are actually taken in aproximately the same place, give or take about 100 yards, on the same track, three weeks apart.


 
So you had 2 chances to get it right, in camera and then when cropping and you still got it wrong?  Just teasing, who cares about the photo, the bike is "interesting"!


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## Star Strider (23 Mar 2013)

I am amazed to see a set of vistalites still working, the battery pack on mine died years ago.


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## Si_ (24 Mar 2013)

aye they dont last too long now. maybe an hour or 90 mins tops .. but still awesome ...


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## Star Strider (26 Mar 2013)

I thought they were awesome, then I found £15 LED torch that peed all over them.


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## Si_ (26 Mar 2013)

lol, im looking at an upgrade soon ... 

they are to be fair getting a bit long in the tooth.


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## Si_ (26 Mar 2013)

anyone used one of these? 

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=87981

love hope stuff of old, so this look nice and shiney and its avaialbe in red too !


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## Star Strider (27 Mar 2013)

They are a well made light but they have an exceedingly annoying low voltage cut out which is not what you want if you are caught out at night on the trail, it also makes using anything but brand spanking new rechargeables difficult.

Fine for urban use, not so much for rides when you may be further away from home.


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## Richard A Thackeray (6 Apr 2013)

Can I just make an observation?

if you do decide to ride cross on it though, you may find that frame a bit small to carry comfortably on your shoulder, as the top-tube slopes so much


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## Si_ (8 Apr 2013)

aye, fair one but it works for moi, always had MTBS with sloping tt's (kona, univega etc) and shouldered them no probs. mind you i admit the vistlite aint in an ideal spot.. lol


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## choddo (9 Apr 2013)

Si_ said:


> she had a few teething probs, wrong brakes before i got the road ones, still running a triple front chainset cos its a cheap riveted thing. and my original stem was ridiculously long...
> 
> trying to find a triple road lever is a nightmare. (unless you have ready cash) i seem happy at 2x9 for now.. thinking of running a 38 48 front end when i get sorted, which should give me enough range with an 11 32 rear.


By coincidence, I've got an unused triple Ultegra 6703 shifter (without the lever or hood) in the garage, let me know if you're interested. It was a warranty replacement that I was too impatient to wait for. Have no idea what to ask for it though. The replacement I paid for was about 130 iirc.


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## Andrew Brown (12 Apr 2013)

nice ride i think


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## Moss (26 Apr 2013)

It's a grand job you've done on that bit'sa CX looks showroom condition. Very nice! Cost much all told ??


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