# cyclocross into a road bike?



## gvmhlal (Jan 9, 2010)

i have a barely used cannondale X7. im trying to avoid buying a road bike. is it possible for this type of a bike to be modified into a road bike, ie tires, brakes, etc? or is it not even worth my time and effort? 

thanks for any input


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Change the tires and ride it.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

change brakes?


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## jrm (Dec 23, 2001)

*Work on the fit*

to make it comfortable. Some 28s or 39 @ 120 psi will do it. Maybe a compact crankset


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## gvmhlal (Jan 9, 2010)

forgive the ignorance...what is 28 or 39??


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

+1 on change tires and go ride. I plan to race my cx bike this spring/summer in crits. Should be more than capable.


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## SlowJoeCrow (Sep 3, 2009)

gvmhlal said:


> forgive the ignorance...what is 28 or 39??


shorthand tire sizes, 700x28c or 700x39C tires. For road I would lean towards 700x28 or 700x32 for a little less weight and rolling resistance. 
Also consider lower gearing with a 12-27 cassette and/or a 34 tooth inner chainring. I have a Redline Conquest Pro and the combination of a 12-27 cassette and 36T inner gives low gears comparable to a road bike with a 34/50 compact crank and 12-25 cassette. I also have a 11-28 cassette like a 2010 Redline which gives even lower gearing but I haven't tried it yet.


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## gvmhlal (Jan 9, 2010)

it currently has 700x35C tires...do the brakes need to be changed (currently disc)


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

With discs you can easily switch tire sizes as the pads connect at the rotors and not the rims, so you don't need to adjust for tire clearance. Put some 25c Conti 4000 GP tires on there and you'll be good to go. I rode with a fast group this weekend and this time hung to a pace line at 40kph. I now have a double century next weekend, and maybe a total of 5 centuries for the month of January. W00t! I would adjust the tire pressure to your weight. 120psi is great for some big guys, but actually slower for smaller guys as it can make the ride harsh and every bump and pothole rattles through the bike. I run about 90-100psi. A compact crank is a good place to start.


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## BikeFixer (May 19, 2009)

Just run it with some 700x25 like everybody else said and you'll be fine.


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

i'm going to run my singlecross with 23 tires


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

LOUISSSSS said:


> i'm going to run my singlecross with 23 tires


For road use. I hope you don't expect to race cross with a slick 23. Very few courses where that would be do-able unless you want to run alot.


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## cogswell23 (Aug 15, 2007)

jrm said:


> to make it comfortable. Some 28s or 39 @ 120 psi will do it. Maybe a compact crankset


There's really no one who should be riding 28mm tires at 120psi. Let alone 39s (and who makes 39mm tires anyway?).


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

krisdrum said:


> For road use. I hope you don't expect to race cross with a slick 23. Very few courses where that would be do-able unless you want to run alot.


yes the slick 23s will be for road use only. i will keep the stock tires for when i take it for trail usage, but then again i have a mountain bike for that =\


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## fightnut (Oct 20, 2009)

Hope you don't mind me piggybacking on your thread.

I'm picking up a used cyclocross bike tomorrow (2009 Jamis Nova Pro). However, this will be mostly used for road riding. I'm fortunate that it's coming with an extra set of wheels that I can just put road tires on, which will make switching back and forth easier.

So my question is, if the wheels currently have 700 x 32c cross tires on them, what is the skinniest road tire I can mount on these wheels?

Thanks in advance.


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## de.abeja (Aug 27, 2006)

the skinniest you can find will fit.


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## quattrotom (Jul 15, 2006)

That's not necessarily true. Some cross bikes come with heavy duty 700c rims that are a fair amount wider than traditional road rims. The Salsa Delgado is a good example. 

For these slightly wider rims, I wouldn't recommend less than 28mm tires, but then again - I find riding 28mm tires to be the ideal choice for casual road riding regardless of rim width. 

The simple rule is that the width of the rim should be *NARROWER* that the stated width of the tire. Do not put a 23mm racing tire in a 23.5mm wide rim. 

After road racing for a number of years, my wife and I have hung up our racing bikes and now use cyclocross bikes for all riding (except MTB). I'm 6'4 and 190lbs and love riding on 28mm and 32mm tires for the comfort and no longer feel 'guilty' for not riding super skinny tires. 

EDIT... my wife's cross bike came with Alex G2000 rims (http://www.alexrims.com/ - go to cross/trekking). You'll see that these rims are stated as 23.3mm wide. It's pretty much impossible to seat a 23mm racing tire on those rims. The gold standard for road rims is the Mavic Open Pro which is 19.6mm wide.




de.abeja said:


> the skinniest you can find will fit.


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## Crack Monkey (Apr 19, 2007)

quattrotom is correct. Find out who made the rim and look it up online - if it's around 21mm or less, you can fit 23mm tires (standard "road race" size).


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## tashi (Apr 11, 2005)

quattrotom said:


> ...
> The simple rule is that the width of the rim should be greater that the stated width of the tire. Do not put a 23mm racing tire in a 23.5mm wide rim.
> 
> ...



Backwards? Rim should be narrower than the tire, not wider.


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## quattrotom (Jul 15, 2006)

Thanks - not enough coffee yet apparently.



tashi said:


> Backwards? Rim should be narrower than the tire, not wider.


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## bamacrazyy (Feb 25, 2009)

What are you planning to use it for? Touring, commuting, group rides, general use? I put 25's on mine for road, but am going back to my Marathon supremes (700x32) for better ride and traction.


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## Crank-a-Roo (Mar 21, 2003)

There are plenty of people who commute in 'cross bike and I do it as well. The 'Cross bikes are perfectly at home on the road and on the dirt.


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## CurbDestroyer (Mar 6, 2008)

I've seen many people race CX bikes on the road. I've raced mine plenty of times with good results. Having said that, I also like a stem with 0 rise, and traditional bars. If you have a stem with rise, and CX bars, such as  Salsa Bell Lap, you might be too high.


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## Alx (Mar 22, 2007)

Just find whatever road tires you like and put them on, that's what's so cool about cross bikes is that they're so versatile year round. I use mine to train, commute, don't really race but I'm sure it could handle it. Don't think about it so hard and just get some road tires and ride it.


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## Lazy Spinner (Aug 30, 2009)

I posted this on another thread. 

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...prestige-25682

Unless you need a super light climbing rig or the better stopping power of road calipers, a CX frame will serve you well both on and off road.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*if it has a 48T big ring*

swap to a 50, toss on some skinny tires and you are done


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## Crank-a-Roo (Mar 21, 2003)

I ride 28 for better cushioning.


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## killsoft (Oct 17, 2005)

Crank-a-Roo said:


> I ride 28 for better cushioning.


+1

If you're going to do group rides, depending on your chainrings, consider a cassette that starts with 11.

KS


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## Alx (Mar 22, 2007)

Lazy Spinner said:


> I posted this on another thread.
> 
> http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...prestige-25682
> 
> Unless you need a super light climbing rig or the better stopping power of road calipers, a CX frame will serve you well both on and off road.


Article not found!


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## EvilScience (Oct 16, 2005)

killsoft said:


> +1
> 
> If you're going to do group rides, depending on your chainrings, consider a cassette that starts with 11.
> 
> KS



:thumbsup: All good advice. A 'cross bike while not as light or aero as many roadies is plenty versatile. I just finished the second 100+ km ride of the season on my trusty Jake the Snake. 23 tires, 11 tooth small cog (even with the 48 tooth big ring this is ok at speeds up to 30 km/h or so. Toss on the 700x35 knobbies in the fall, and its back to racing.


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## quattrotom (Jul 15, 2006)

Others have pointed this out, but I think it's needs to be reiterated...
53x12 is almost identical to 48x11.

In addition.. 46x11 is actually a harder (faster) gearing than 53x13. Anyone that thinks 46 or 48 x 11 is too easy is unlikely to be considering a cross bike and cross gearing for road riding. 

The math is simple - divide the chainring (48) by the cassette cog (11) and you have how many rotations of the tire of each rotation of the cranks. A ~10% change in a chainring (48 to 53) is the same as a ~10% change the other direction at the cassette (12 to an 11).


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## Lazy Spinner (Aug 30, 2009)

Sorry that link didn't work. The story was recycled on Cyclingnews.com yesterday.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features...-bbox-bouygues-telecom-colnago-cross-prestige


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## EvilScience (Oct 16, 2005)

quattrotom said:


> Others have pointed this out, but I think it's needs to be reiterated...
> 53x12 is almost identical to 48x11.
> 
> In addition.. 46x11 is actually a harder (faster) gearing than 53x13. Anyone that thinks 46 or 48 x 11 is too easy is unlikely to be considering a cross bike and cross gearing for road riding.
> ...



That certainly explains the improvement in my road speed since switching to a cassette with an 11T cog. I should have thought to do the math...


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## brblue (Jan 28, 2003)

Don't wish to hijack the thread, just curious - do double pivot road calipers really stop better than cantis? (I dare not to think they stop better than mini-v )

don't have any bike equipped with cantis yet..
thanks 
brblue


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## thebluesky (Oct 3, 2009)

So I modified my Jake the Snake 

*Chain*: Shimano 105 288g * Modified:* KMC X10SL 228g
*Pedal:* Shimano M505 Clipless 415g/pair *Modified: *Shimano PD-A600 285g/pair
*Tires*: Continental Speed King Cross 700x35C 540g * Modified:* Contintal Ultra Gator Skin 622-23 220g
*Innertube*: Q-tubes 700-35 144g *Modified:* Continental Race 28 Light 76g
*Saddle:* WTB Rocket V Comp 256g *Modified:* fi'zi:k, Arione 225g
*Seatpost: * KONA RD *Modified:* PRO VIBE 195g
*Seat clamp:* Kona Clamp 25g * Modified:* BBB 19g
*Cantilever Cyclocross Brake: * Kore Race 129g * Modified:* Avid, Shorty 6 – cantilever 157g

*EXTRA :*
*Sigma Sport Rox9 Computer
* Bottle cage BBB-(Speed Cage) 42g
*Lezyne Road Drive pump 90g


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## coachjon (Feb 6, 2008)

i use my jake for commuting/road riding/cx racing

23mm slicks for the road. thats all i change. even run my eggbeaters and mtn shoes on the road


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## SlowJoeCrow (Sep 3, 2009)

I'm doing something similar with my Redline. I put on fenders and some spare road bike wheels with 700x23 tires, although I'm thinking of getting some 700x28 or 32 tires for a better ride. I'm taking it for a century this weekend and if it pans out my road bike is going on craigslist. BTW the road wheels are Easton EA50s which are common cyclocross wheels as well.


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

my Tricross Singlecross is strictly used for road riding. Here is what i did:

-Flip Stem, stock position had too much rise
-new wheels, upgrade from stock alex crap wheels to Mavic OP w/ formula hubs & DT comp Spokes
-new tires, Conti Ultra Race 700x23 (220g/ea) Keeping stock tires for long, flat hardpack trail rides.
-new tubes, Needed smaller tubes to fit 700x23c tires.


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## seppo17 (Dec 7, 2008)

50t chain ring, and a set of 700x23 slicks.

I just raced my redline with that setup in a cat 5 road race last weekend. Finished 6th out of 50. Don't think the bike made any difference.


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

Can all of you guys post some pics of your Cyclocross (geared or SS) Bikes? i'd like to see what you guys have done and maybe copy some of your style =]


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## black_box (Jun 7, 2008)

quattrotom said:


> That's not necessarily true. Some cross bikes come with heavy duty 700c rims that are a fair amount wider than traditional road rims.
> EDIT... my wife's cross bike came with Alex G2000 rims (http://www.alexrims.com/ - go to cross/trekking). You'll see that these rims are stated as 23.3mm wide. It's pretty much impossible to seat a 23mm racing tire on those rims. The gold standard for road rims is the Mavic Open Pro which is 19.6mm wide.


Hmmm.. I'm running the Alex ACE-19 with conti GP4000s tires (23mm). The 23.3mm width is the outer braking surface, right? the interior on the G2000 is 17.1mm and the ACE-19 is 17mm. I'm light (135 lbs) but should I consider changing these?


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## justinb (Nov 20, 2006)

On a related tangent, any recommendations for frames that are a little more road oriented in their geometry and accessories? I'm thinking something light, aluminum, lower bottom bracket, two sets of bottle cage mounts. Right now the Chili con Crosso and the Voodoo Limba are the list, just based on previous good experience with Salsa and Voodoo products. What else should be on that list?


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

coachjon said:


> i use my jake for commuting/road riding/cx racing
> 
> 23mm slicks for the road. thats all i change. even run my eggbeaters and mtn shoes on the road


Yep, that's all you really need to do. 

I bought a Fuji Cross from Colorado Cyclist years ago and wanted to commute on it. I quickly realized that those bumpy cross tires really slowed me down on the pavement, so I put on a different set of wheels with 700x23 tires. 

I could never get those crappy canti brakes adjusted right and finally broke down and installed mountain bike V-brakes with a travel agent. I know ... the horror. They did work a lot better, but not as well as good old road bike brakes. 

After a while, I began to feel like one of those guys you see riding on the bike path with a mountain bike outfitted with slicks and an earo bar. I was barely ever "crossing" on the bike and ultimately decided to sell it. Cross bikes have a slightly different geometry that's not as comfortable to me as a standard road bike. 

Its kind of like a hybrid bike that is sold as having the benefit of being able to go on and off road -- but in reality doesn't do either very well. It'll work fine on the pavement, but a road bike will work better.


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## BCJek (Apr 7, 2006)

Road tires [25's or 28's] on my Kona Jake the snake. Fenders for winter commuting. I took off the extra brake levers [Tektro RL 721] as I rarely, if ever, used them. Mine is a 2008, and I switched to 2009-style brakes [Tektro CR720's actually].

I'm happy.


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## Mdeth1313 (Nov 1, 2001)

I built up a scott team cross frame for commuting/winter/foul weather. The steel touring frame's geometry was just not aggressive enough for me. This thing does it all.


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## jrm (Dec 23, 2001)

*Dont knock it till youve tried it*

it makes for a great ride..


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

i flipped the stem on my tricross and it makes for a much better geometry for road riding. the stock orientation of the stem had too much rise and i wasn't aero dynamic enough.


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## gregwjs (Nov 9, 2007)

Did 164 miles on the road on mine last weekend. Here it is:


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