# Poll: How Practical are CX bicycles for light touring?



## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

By light touring, I mean load not exceeding 20lbs. Road will be sealed, but may include small percentage of flood or heavy traffic damages.
The CX bicycle would be traditional type that have provision to attach at least rear rack. 
Typical CX bikes would include
1. bianchi volpe
2. Masi CX Comp
3. Fuji Feather CX+
4. LynskeyPerformance Cooper CMT / CX
5. Surly Crosschek

Comments are much welcomed.


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## n2deep (Mar 23, 2014)

+1 for the Surly Cross Check,, Great light touring bike, the ford truck of bikes, not real pretty but will do anything.. (Racks F&R, Wide Tires, Triple Up Front, Upright Stance/Comfort) This bike is also not so heavy that you can't have fun on the pavement. For the money,, nice bike..

BTW, There are some other great bikes on the list..


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

I don't have much (barely any really) experience with CX bikes or light touring but every CX bike I've ridden felt more responsive than I'd want for touring. 
I'd definitely make sure you are okay with the handling.......otherwise a CX bike is probably a great choice.


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## smcnees (Aug 5, 2008)

One thing to pay attention to is the gearing the the manufacturers put on CX bikes. Most come with 36/46 which may be too low (or maybe just right) for long rides.


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## 2:01 (May 10, 2010)

Less than 20lbs? I'd use ANY bike you're comfortable on.


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## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

Thanks for all responses, both votes and comments. Pls keep them coming.
BTW the list is to give sample of CX bikes, but certainly not limited to these models. Simply, any CX bike with suitable anchor for rear rack or both front and rear rack.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

Recommended based on your carefully worded criteria... if the bike comes with rack mounts and you are only carrying 20#, you're good to go. The only (significant) benefit of a touring bike over a commuter-oriented cross bike is going to be the extra fork rake and ability to carry a front load; the other differences are minor as a commuter-oriented cross bike is already halfway to being a touring bike. The biggest differences are going to be gearing and components... hell, Kona started frame-sharing their Sutra (touring) and Rove (gravel) bikes this year.

A dedicated race CX, especially one with the Euro style (higher bottom bracket and shorter top tube) would be less than ideal for touring. Such a bike is unlikely to have rack mounts.



smcnees said:


> One thing to pay attention to is the gearing the the manufacturers put on CX bikes. Most come with 36/46 which may be too low (or maybe just right) for long rides.


46t would be fine on the flats for touring purposes. I've seen plenty of people put a triple with a 46 or 48 big ring. I have a 46 on a commuter in Illinois and it's a good gear if you aren't trying to keep up with a fast-paced club/group.


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## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

headloss said:


> Recommended based on your carefully worded criteria... if the bike comes with rack mounts and you are only carrying 20#, you're good to go. The only (significant) benefit of a touring bike over a commuter-oriented cross bike is going to be the extra fork rake and ability to carry a front load; the other differences are minor as a commuter-oriented cross bike is already halfway to being a touring bike. The biggest differences are going to be gearing and components... hell, Kona started frame-sharing their Sutra (touring) and Rove (gravel) bikes this year.
> 
> A dedicated race CX, especially one with the Euro style (higher bottom bracket and shorter top tube) would be less than ideal for touring. Such a bike is unlikely to have rack mounts.
> 
> ...


Velo Orange Grand Cru 50.4bcd Crankset MK II 170 mm would be a good replacement with, particularly with 46t-30t chain rings.


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## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

Gear inch for30x36 isn't shabby








Nether is the top speed for 46x12


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## n2deep (Mar 23, 2014)

headloss said:


> 46t would be fine on the flats for touring purposes. I've seen plenty of people put a triple with a 46 or 48 big ring. I have a 46 on a commuter in Illinois and it's a good gear if you aren't trying to keep up with a fast-paced club/group.


For light touring a triple (48/36/24) with a 11/28 or 11/32 cassette works great,, it will get you up most of the hills and modest speeds on the flats.. I would definitely go for the triple up front !! We ride the GAP in PA often and its really flat. However, five feet off the trail it gets hilly and you need a small gear to venture into town.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

n2deep said:


> For light touring a triple (48/36/24) with a 11/28 or 11/32 cassette works great,, it will get you up most of the hills and modest speeds on the flats.. I would definitely go for the triple up front !! We ride the GAP in PA often and its really flat. However, five feet off the trail it gets hilly and you need a small gear to venture into town.


Sure. I was responding to another poster that questioned if there was enough high gear... low gear is a different animal. On the low end, a 24t up front is quite extreme but a nice option when a bike is loaded down with +50# of gear. I'd be content with 34t if I wasn't carrying much weight on the same hills you mention. I'd rather have at least a 30t though, which is easier to get from a triple (although Sugino makes a compact double that will take a 30t or smaller).


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

I've toured on a Volpe and a Travelers Check (Cross Check with S&S couplers). I think they are great for touring. Both have a triple and I didn't use front panniers. I built the Travelers Check with components from a Long Haul Trucker, and then sold the LHT frame. It's a Trucker Check with a triple. 

I prefer the handling of the cross bikes over the touring bike. Fuji Touring handles nice as well. It's slower and more stable than a cross bike but not as much as a LHT.

It looks like Surly is bringing back the Travelers Check.


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## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

Thanks Art853. Very informative feed back.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

Art853 said:


> I prefer the handling of the cross bikes over the touring bike. Fuji Touring handles nice as well. It's slower and more stable than a cross bike but not as much as a LHT.


I tend to think of the LHT on the very extreme side of the spectrum. I ride a 520 and it's a nice handling bike unloaded; it's a little twitchy at walking speed but otherwise all around a comfortable and spirited ride. Granted, it wouldn't feel appropriate on a cross course, but it's not a tank or anything.


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## kjdhawkhill (Jan 29, 2011)

any of the metallic bikes with braze-ons on the seat stays and at the drop outs will be fine. 20lbs is quite light, I have commuted with a load heavier than that on an aluminum bike with a carbon fork.


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## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

The last two voters opted for "*Can do, but not practical*". May we have your view on this please? It would be interesting to hear why CX bikes are not practical. I'm all ears.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

I think it's practical. So I shouldn't speak for people who say "can do but not practical", but I am guessing they would recommend a more touring-oriented rig, which is more heavy/sturdy, less maneuverable (less twitchy), in other words built a bit like a tank or a truck, and has easier gearing, front and rear rack, third bottle cage mount, maybe disk brakes etc. But other than that, a bike is a bike and CX bike can do as good a job as any other type of bike outside of touring bikes of course (certainly better than dedicated carbon frame road racing bike, or MTB or time trial, fixed gear, beach cruiser etc.)

I personally don't think it matters, especially if you keep the weight reasonably low. You can get away without front panniers (just rear rack) if you don't have eyelets for front rack,and even if you really care a lot about proper weight distribution, you can get away with sizable handlebar bag and rear panniers just fine.

If you have a compact and (*or) wide range cassette, like 12-28 or 12-32, you should be able to scale most steep gradients by spinning, and the reduced weight helps. Less of an issue if you plan to ride flatter roads.

Most importantly if you already have CX bike anyways, or plan to use it for other purposes (like commuting, riding trails/gravel or even racing cyclocross), that may be more important than having a dedicated touring bike for carrying "full" load.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

Are you in Thailand? I have no idea of the road conditions there. Hills?

I have a rack on my now somewhat dated road bike, and have used it for commuting, touring, shopping, pleasure rides, towing a trailer, and even towing my nephew on a tag-a-long bike. I do feel a little flex in the rear end with heavy loads (I think), but otherwise it seems fine. 

I like the idea of a slightly beefier bike, and a CX or Hybrid bike seems like a great compromise. Disc brakes might be nice.

Anyway, get the gearing you desire, and the bike should be great.


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## wheelinthai (Jul 27, 2014)

CliffordK Thanks for your input.




CliffordK said:


> Are you in Thailand? I have no idea of the road conditions there. Hills?
> 
> I have a rack on my now somewhat dated road bike, and have used it for commuting, touring, shopping, pleasure rides, towing a trailer, and even towing my nephew on a tag-a-long bike. I do feel a little flex in the rear end with heavy loads (I think), but otherwise it seems fine.
> 
> ...


Yes I live in Thailand. While I can climb non-stop most hills in Thailand on my 7.9kg road bike with 50-34crank and 12-25 rear cassett, I'll definitely have 25 gear inch or less on my light tour bike.


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