[gonedownhill]

I have long fancied a cyclocross bike, and have been looking around for one lately after my Raleigh Record sprint got nicked a few weeks ago. My criteria are that it needs to have mudguard mounts, hydraulic disc brakes and preferably a bit above entry level groupset for about a grand. That alone is a pretty tall order, however there are a few bikes about:

Whyte Dorset  – has the TRP HyRd brakes and old Tiagra.

Pinnacle Arkose 3 2016 model which has full hydraulic 105

Planet X London Road with full hydro SRAM rival.

All the above are £999. At the moment Evans have a Genesis Croix de Fer with old Tiagra and HyRds for £720.

 

All of them look like decent bikes, however the problem is that I am 6’6″ tall and none of those bikes come in a size larger than 60cm. My Raleigh was a 64cm and my Sunday best bike is a 64.5cm Canyon with a stack of 645mm. I am not the most flexible and have my Canyon set up to be pretty upright with about 35mm of spacers.

 

Alternatively I can get a Kinesis 5T disc frameset in a 63cm size for £500 and build it up myself. Back of an envelope calculation looks like I can get the new Tiagra groupset for £230 from Ribble, pair of HyRd brakes for £180, some fairly basic shimano or fulcrum wheels for £100-130 and would then be going over budget to get a few bits like tyres, handlebars and a stem that I don’t have at home.

 

So my question is do you think my proposed build is a better move in that the frame would fit better, or should I save a few hundred quid and some time and go for one of the off the peg bikes?

Topic

[gonedownhill]

Pauljamesbanks [at] gmail.com
Pauljamesbanks@gmail.com

[the infamous grouse]

it is the disc version, and

it is the disc version, and it’s GREEN!

[tallentino rossi]

Can i ask whether its the
Can i ask whether its the disc version of the Kinesis crosslight? and what colour is it please?

[the infamous grouse]

aye, still have it. whats

aye, still have it. whats your email address?

[gonedownhill]

the infamous grouse wrote:

i’ve a 60cm kinesis crosslight 6 frame i could sell you ..

 

You still have this frame for sale mate?

[gonedownhill]

the infamous grouse wrote:

i’ve a 60cm kinesis crosslight 6 frame i could sell you ..

Bit on the small side, but go on how much and where are you based?

[hucko003]

The Arkose looks a good deal

The Arkose looks a good deal – full 105 for price looks great! Only thing is though if you are planning on racing CX, you would probably need to buy a new crankset – 46/36 instead of the 50/34 

[the infamous grouse]

i’ve a 60cm kinesis

i’ve a 60cm kinesis crosslight 6 frame i could sell you ..

[HIGHTOWER]

I have the same problem and

I have the same problem and am also quite fancying a cx bike.  This list is useful:

 

Bikes for Tall Cyclists: Road, Gravel, Touring, Commuter In XXL XXXL 62, 63, 64cm+

[gonedownhill]

Simon E wrote:

Whether the build is better than buying a complete bike is really down to which you think will fit/suit you best, we can’t tell you which is best.

Have you considered the Genesis CdA (size XL)? Giant don’t sell an XL sized ‘cross bike but do have XL sized Defy.

 

Yeah thought people would say that!

 

If anyone has any thoughts on the bikes I’ve listed would be grateful to hear them.

The Genesis looks good but again they only go up to 60cm. That said the stack looks pretty large so should be able to get a fairly upright position. Going to try and test a Croix de Fer at the weekend, although saying that I’m leaning towards building the Kinesis at the moment as it’s more fun that way.

 

Ta for comments.

[Simon E]

Whether the build is better

Whether the build is better than buying a complete bike is really down to which you think will fit/suit you best, we can’t tell you which is best.

Have you considered the Genesis CdA (size XL)? Giant don’t sell an XL sized ‘cross bike but do have XL sized Defy.

[gonedownhill]

Apologies to two who replied

Apologies to two who replied above, I wrote all the text in the summary box!

[CXR94Di2]

Build if you’re practical.
Build if you’re practical. Bikes are simple but some folk don’t just get it. The most important point , correct frame size, then a bolt on job with whatever spec you want/afford

[Man of Lard]

How tall? 

How tall? 

[Author]

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