Cyclocross or adventure bike?

[jimmi t]

Hi. New to the forum, thought it would be a good place to get some advice. I'm currently looking to buy a new bike. I have a nice road bike and mountain bike and I currently use a aluminium trek as a commuter. Due to current circumstances I find the main time I get to ride is my 8km commute and I get out for an hour every lunch time. I live in the yorkshire dales surrounded by lovely road and nice bridleways. Most of the time I stick to the road as I'm on the trek however sometimes I'll drive in and bring my mountain bike so I can get the bridleways however I always feel that the hassle of taking my bike in and then the inevitable washing and polish after (I like to keep my nice bikes spotless) is more effort than what I get out of it which is why I'm thinking of upgrading my commuter to a cyclocross or adventure bike as I'd then have a nicer bike to commute on and then i can mix up road and bridleways on my lunch. Here is where I need the advice, I was swaying towards a cyclocross bike as the bridleways and tracks can get pretty muddy and i kinda assume that it would handle better in the more technical sections than an adventure bike which I assume is better suited to more endurance and less technical riding. Am I right in that assumption? The main draw of an adventure bike to me is the mudguards eyelets which most racey cyclocross bikes dont have. Is there any decent ones out there that don't require eyelets as I'd like to have some for the commutes. In summary I think I'm better getting a cyclocross bike as that's more suited to the terrain and type of riding I'll be doing and I can always look into an adventure bike in a few years when I might have more time to go on longer mixed terrain adventures. Any advice or opinions on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
J

 

[Tangoup51]

CX bikes are supposed to be focused on the off-road Racing aspect.
Adventure bikes are not built for such a specific use, they're more general purpose; cover every scenario - but on the same playing field.

You'll often if not always find that at the low-mid tier CX bike range; they are commuter orientated, so things like mudguard/pannier eyelets are built into the frame and what not - At which price point, it suits your needs well.

However don't be fooled, they are different in nature - as I said above, adventure bikes are basically CX bikes without the "racing" aspect, so you'll tend to find them with more relaxed geometry and full pannier capability; for more touring/adventure purposes.


But you know, you should really play with your tires and tire sizes (if you already haven't.)
You can turn your road bike into a bridleway stormer with the right tire size. 28-32c.

- Oh and, yes, while CX bikes can handle more technical terrain than an Adventure bike it all really comes down to three things. 1) The price you pay for each bike. 2) The tires it has on it and 3) Whether you want to cruise over the technical sections or Blast across it with all your strength. - At which point, i'll leave you to conclude those choices.

 

[Saluki]

I have a CX bike and I love it. It's my go to bike when the weather looks a bit iffy, I'm somewhere new (or old) and want the option to go up cyclepaths, bridlepaths etc if I want to. It still goes like stink on the road (Marathon Plus tyres for the summer months). Best buy ever, IMO. I've done more miles on the CX over the last couple of years than I have on the roadie.

 

[pclay]

A cyclocross and an adventure bike are pretty much the same thing.

 

[tribanjules]

I put rubino 35s on my cx and it goes like stink on roads and i still bomb down stone tracks. Just put mudguards on bdfore the weekend but they clog offroad...... cant win them all !

 

[jimmi t]

thanks for all the replies, i know what you mean about wanting it all and not being able to have it lol i can see why people end up with so many different bikes. think its going to come down to either going for a cx bike with nobblies so i can make the most out of the tracks and bridleways and matched with some big gears it might take me more effort but i'll be able to shift on the road too. or i go for an adventure bike that is more of a do it all bike that would give me mud guards etc and will still be suited to the terrain i ride but maybe just not quite as much as the cx. one of the main things that ive been thinking with the mudguards as tribanjules pointed out is there gonna get full of mud when i'm offroad. and some of my local tracks do get very muddy in the winter. which is why i thought about an cx bike in the first place. in answer to your questions tangoup51, i am probably more likely to be blasting through and over stuff than taking it easy as i'm usually pretty limited to an hours lunch ride or at the most a few hours on an eve or weekend so i tend to go pretty full on. so i'm swaying towards the cx bike and thinking that maybe in a few years when i may have more time for longer adventures and an adventure bike. in terms of the bikes i've been looking at a planet x xls but building it up myself and putting a ultegra crankset with 50/34 and 32/11 on the back. however i do also really like the look of the on one space chicken and again would probably build that up with similar spec. any thoughts or recommendations? again thanks for all the replies and usefull info.
j

 

[MacB]

If I wanted to do this then I'd buy a bike and a second wheelset with knobblies to leave at work. I like larger tyres so I'd be looking at the 29er/monstercross end of the scale, but that's a personal thing. For what you describe I like the sound of a Monstercross, you can run fast slicks for the commute and then whack on the level of knobbly you need at lunchtime. As it wwould be disc brake then the swap should be straight forward. Only other decision is gearing, I'd be tempted to use a separate cassette and chain for the offroad wheelset.

 

[tribanjules]

There are more robust options for mudguards than are more like mtb thpes that leave more clearance

 

[Racing roadkill]

If you're competing in a CX race, or event, get a CX bike, if not, go for a gravel / adventure bike.

 

[jimmi t]

If I wanted to do this then I'd buy a bike and a second wheelset with knobblies to leave at work. I like larger tyres so I'd be looking at the 29er/monstercross end of the scale, but that's a personal thing. For what you describe I like the sound of a Monstercross, you can run fast slicks for the commute and then whack on the level of knobbly you need at lunchtime. As it wwould be disc brake then the swap should be straight forward. Only other decision is gearing, I'd be tempted to use a separate cassette and chain for the offroad wheelset.

i like this idea, having a different wheelset with knobblies and different cassette at work for when i go out at lunch, however when you say mostercross do you mean a cx bike that can be setup with big tyres and offroad gearing?

 

[MacB]

i like this idea, having a different wheelset with knobblies and different cassette at work for when i go out at lunch, however when you say mostercross do you mean a cx bike that can be setup with big tyres and offroad gearing?

Yep basically a 29er version of a cyclocross as it has drop bars, this would take up to 60mm tyres as opposed to a standard cyclocross that is built for 33mm and probably takes up to maybe 40mm. Nothing to stop you running skinny slicks in a big clearance frame for the road commute. What you can't do is run big knobblies in a frame with skinny slick clearance only.

But those are my preferences if you don't want such large tyres then there are a lot of standard cyclocross and gravel bikes to choose from.

As it's a commuter and fun lunchtime machine then I'd have a 1x gearing setup, so a closer spaced cassette on the commute wheelset and and wide range one for the lunchtime set.

 

[damj]

Possibly right off track here, but how about a hybrid? I'm the next northern county away from you, so similar terrain. My endurance bike will probably be stored away at the back end of November, then out will come my flat bar, 38mm tyres 'fast as' hybrid just about all terrain.

 

[Hacienda71]

I ride a CAADX on the bridleways near me and it is great fun. It also goes well on the road and has mudguard eyelets despite being a proper crosser. I can't help thinking that adventure/gravel bikes are just a marketing creation of the bike industry to sell more bikes to the "must haves" If a cx bike is too aggressive just wack a shorter stem on with a bit of rise.

 

[jimmi t]

Yep basically a 29er version of a cyclocross as it has drop bars, this would take up to 60mm tyres as opposed to a standard cyclocross that is built for 33mm and probably takes up to maybe 40mm. Nothing to stop you running skinny slicks in a big clearance frame for the road commute. What you can't do is run big knobblies in a frame with skinny slick clearance only.

But those are my preferences if you don't want such large tyres then there are a lot of standard cyclocross and gravel bikes to choose from.

As it's a commuter and fun lunchtime machine then I'd have a 1x gearing setup, so a closer spaced cassette on the commute wheelset and and wide range one for the lunchtime set.

Yeah I like the sound of that although I'm still not convinced by the one by gearing as surely it's better to have a 2 by that gives me bigger gearing options. Unless I'm missing something and you can get one by gearing with a bigger than 42 tooth chain ring? Also could you show me an example of the sort of bike you mean as like you say most of the cx bikes I've seen don't take tyres that big.
Cheers
J

 

[jimmi t]

Possibly right off track here, but how about a hybrid? I'm the next northern county away from you, so similar terrain. My endurance bike will probably be stored away at the back end of November, then out will come my flat bar, 38mm tyres 'fast as' hybrid just about all terrain.

Totally get your point and I do have a hard tail MTB that has slicks on but I use that as my family rides bike as it has connections for child's seat and trailer and also I just find the gears don't have enough top end due to the smaller chainset. So I'm thinking a separate bike that's more suited to mixed terrains and nice and light is the better option.