[road]

Say I was after something with 32-35c tyres, weighs about 10kg as opposed to my current ride at 8.5, probably a bit more upright/relaxed in riding position. If I averaged about 18mph on the way to work, what would I average for the same effort on the cyclocross bike (thinking Giant Anyroad/Caadx 105)?

I think I’ve probably just got one of those urges to buy something new but a guy at work turned up on a new Caadx and I liked it. 

Topic

[CXR94Di2]

It really doesn’t matter what
It really doesn’t matter what tyre/bike combination you are going to use. If time of journey is critical leave a few minutes earlier. What is probably more important is the effort you’re willing to put into your journey. A slower bike will give you a better workout. Then it brings into the equation do you need to arrive cool and unsweaty for work

[alansmurphy]

As per the above, riding

As per the above, riding style etc. also plays a part.

 

My commuter is my road winter bike; a Specialized Gravel Bike 50/34 11/28 with 32mm slicks. My summer is a Specialized Allez 53/39 11/28 and 25 mm slicks.

 

On my summer bike I probably roll 3mph faster and will use less energy on a flat, probably slightly quicker off the line too. However, the winter bike isn’t slow and some of my Strava PR’s are on this bike (sometimes trying to get back before the light diminishes). I also spend much less time looking down, swerving potholes etc.

 

If you’re looking for comfort and vibration dampening the quick wins are wider tyres at a lower psi and wrapping a second lot of bar tape on…

[Stef Marazzi]

I commute on my Ridley X-Bow

I commute on my Ridley X-Bow Cyclocross bike – It weighs pretty much bang on 10 Kilos. It has 28mm conti Four Seasons and 50-34 Chainrings, 11-28 Cassette. I have SKS Velo 42 mudgaurds that can both be removed in under a minute if its going to be a sunny week.

I can can do a pretty flat 10 mile commute anywhere between 17-19mph average on it.

When I take my Boardman road bike, which has fancy wheels, SRAM Rival, and Weighs about 7.8 Kilos, 25mm tyres, my speed is pretty much the same for this commute.

While the Ridley “loses out” in weight, it “gains” on its ability to be able  tocompletely “plough on through” on the commute, e.g. I’m able to cut corners, jump off kerbs, jump up kerbs, ride through rough grass and dirt patches of roads., without worrying about buckling any fancy wheels. Therefore, there is less stopping, and so my average speed doesnt drop.

The road bike is less effort and faster in a straight line, but… you have to watch out for all the road furniture, no way I can jump it off a kerb, I have to properly turn corners at junctions, etc, and truly stick to tarmac’d surfaces.

I can still keep up perfectly fine on a “club run” on my cyclocross bike, I might not be right at the front, but I wont get dropped at all, either.

For a commute, and winter club riding, the Cyclocross bike is an absolute blast. I would recommend one!

[TypeVertigo]

I ride a 2014 Giant TCX SLR 2

I ride a 2014 Giant TCX SLR 2. A cyclocross bike does not necessarily have to be more upright than a road bike; the TCX actually has a rather short head tube, and CyclingTips remarked in their review that its geometry isn’t ideal for long-haul riding.

That said, among the bikes you mentioned, the Anyroad is the much more upright, slack option. If it looks like a cross-country mountain bike that sprouted drop handlebars, that’s because it sort of is one in geometry.

Where I live, there really isn’t much of a cyclocross scene – the word is foreign to most of my countrymen. I’ve found myself using the TCX primarily as a road bike, albeit one with beefy tubing and clearance for 35 mm rubber. Indeed, it came stock with 35 mm knobby mud tires.

As a road bike, the main limitations of the TCX are its gearing and its knobbies. 46×12 as a top gear will get you a maximum 48 km/h on the flats. The tire width isn’t much of a problem; it actually helps with the rotten concrete and asphalt of Manila. The knobs introduce mid-corner squirm and ponderous steering, though. If you could get a lightly treaded 35 or 32 mm tire with minimal tread knobs, that would vastly improve mid-corner grip while retaining the capability to use the bike as a steam roller over bad surfaces.

Currently I’m using 28 mm slicks and I switched to a 50/34T crank and mid-cage rear derailleur. I don’t see the need for any more road-specific modification unless I can get 30 or 32 mm road tires, preferably tubeless. At this point, it’s only the overall bike weight that’s slowing my TCX down: the stock wheels in particular are cross-country MTB refugees and rather heavy.

[drjohn]

Markopic’s right. A fat,

Markopic’s right. A fat, slick tyre at 50psi is not slow on UK tarmac. When you hit rougher ground (tracks, cobbled streets, grassy fields) it’s way quicker than a skinny tyre especially at 30-40psi. Also, wrapping old inner tubes under the bar tape might help with the pins and needles.

For a fast all weather commuter tyre the 28mm Conti GP4000S is one choice. They are huge! They appear more like a 32mm and would not look out of place on a CX bike. For a cushy luxurious alternative I would go with Grand Bois Cypres, Compass Bon Jon or Rivendell Jack Browns. Tan sidewalls . Mmmmmmm………

I used to ride my PX Uncle John with a long, “slammed” stem and skinny tyres and it wasn’t much different to a road bike I got later. Using knobbly 35mm Conti Cyclocross speed (small block) tyres has definitely slowed me down but they do look the part. I can also now cart my 3yr old son around on the back and take my daughter around moderate MTB trails. I can even partake in a CX race! I merely adjust tyre pressure as befits the occasion. Ultimately it’s like riding in a Series III Land Rover. Slower, high driving position, and a bit quirky. Recommended.

 

 

[Jack Osbourne snr]

bendertherobot wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Marathon Supreme ARE fast. But if you want getting towards road tyre rolling resistance then the Vittoria Hyper Voyager are a great choice.

Having ridden both, I wholeheartedly agree. The Voyager Hypers are great… Even in comparison to the Supremes which are excellent tyres for fast commuting.

As for the original question… I am faster on my fat tyred fully loaded Boardman CX on my daily commute across Glasgow than I am on any of my other bikes.
Out on the less rough country roads the opposite is true.

[bendertherobot]

Marathon Supreme ARE fast.

Marathon Supreme ARE fast. But if you want getting towards road tyre rolling resistance then the Vittoria Hyper Voyager are a great choice.

[Markopic]

Chris James wrote:

It’s all about the tyres. 35 mm tyres are slow, but the same bike with 100 psi 23 mm tyres will roll like a road bike. 

35mm does not mean slow. Modern 35mm tires (Schwalbe Marathon Supreme with Evo compound, tubeless setup) have rolling resistance in the range of proper road tires. On poor quality tarmac you can go faster with 35mm pumped to 50-60psi than 23mm at 100psi. Try larger tires, you will be surprised.

[bendertherobot]

I have three Dales. A

I have three Dales. A Supersix, on 35mm wheels with 25c tyres. A SuperX in road mode it wears 28c 4 Seasons and has shallow rims. And a CAADX in road it wears 28c Vittoria Rubino and has shallow rims. 

The Supersix is fastest. The other two can be within a mile or so over an hour. 

The Supersix would be awful off road simply because of its tyres and brakes. 

The others are pretty versatile. 

[Chris James]

It’s all about the tyres. 35

It’s all about the tyres. 35 mm tyres are slow, but the same bike with 100 psi 23 mm tyres will roll like a road bike. As far as the aerodynamics are concerned you can just bend your arms a bit more. 

[Griff500]

Like somebody else said, “it

Like somebody else said, “it depends”, but in my experience, after tyres, geometry/setup makes a big difference. Much more so than weight. I have 2 race bikes with near identical geometry frames, both on slicks, one bike alloy with fairly relaxed setup, the other carbon, 3Kg lighter and aggressive setup, with the bars about 3 inches lower than the alloy bike. Living in Scotland, my rides are hilly and windy, and I too average around 18mph, with on average, 1mph (5%) difference between the carbon and alloy bikes. I’m a bit of a data geek, and scrutinise and compare every segment (need to get out more!). Much as we all like to brag about how our lightweight bikes “fly up the hills”, the biggest time gain with the carbon bike is on the flat, and into wind. Cycling into the wind it is noticeably easier on the carbon bike due to its setup, just as on any bike it is noticeably easier on the drops than the hoods. So I could have achieved most of that 5% gain by dropping the bars on my alloy bike (saving £2.5k in the process)

Back to that “it depends” thing. If your commute is on the flat at a fairly steady 18mph, then you might not notice much difference. If it is hilly and the 18mph average is actually a 10-30mph range, then you will definitely notice a difference at speed. 

Whether you actually want to commute into a city with aggressive head down attitude? Well that’s another question.

[HalfWheeler]

It’ll be slower, for sure,

It’ll be slower, for sure, but who cares? Cross bikes are f**kin awesome!

[Grahamd]

I used my Boardman CX on the

I used my Boardman CX on the road last year for many miles and found it great, once I changed the tyres. The weight made climbing slightly harder compared to my road bike, but not as much as you might imagine.

[Markopic]

Best answer is: it depends. I

Best answer is: it depends. I think that difference in speed between road race and cx bike is certainly there, but it is difficult to judge how much it matters in real world. I have two bikes, one carbon with pretty much race geometry and Continental 28mm tires, other aluminium cx with Schwalbe marathon supreme 35mm tires. I commute around 20miles every day, and with both bikes I can manage that distance within 1-2 mins difference. On climbs with good road surface difference is maybe significant, but I can climb perfectly fine on cx bike. Also it is difficult to compare times directly due to weather conditions, head wind can be much more significant than difference between bikes. I have also noticed that cx bike with larger tires is much faster on poor road conditions than race bike. I would say do not worry about the difference, test ride bike before buying and buy only if the geometry fits you fine.

[Anonymous]

Check the geometry.  Some CX

Check the geometry.  Some CX bikes are ‘shorter’ and more upright than some road bikes: my Boardman isn’t and on 25c Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech it rolls very nicely.  Knobblies would obviously make a big difference.

 

If it’s just the vibration on the hands you’re trying to avoid… try simply putting bigger tyres on your current bike?

[Author]

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