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Used to ride road bikes pre mtb - at least 15 years ago...
Had a quick spin on my old one that has been languishing in the shed for years, and thought about commuting on it.
Now, problem is, I like my commute. It's 14 miles of country lanes, cycle tracks and forest / quarry singletrack. Not very tempting to leave the peace of the woods for the tarmac main road, is it.
So, would a cross bike fit the bill?? I think it might - but have never really looked at / understood crossers
Are they just road bikes with different components??? (ie brakes wheels tyres etc??)
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and yes, I am aware that this is a numpty question that could be re-framed as are DH bikes just XC with bouncier bits
'Crossers have different brakes and tyres, more mud clearance and lower gearing. And tend to come with proper rack and guard mounts too. Good commute bikes and they can handle a bit of singletrack - search for that Scottish bloke's vid that was on the front page a few weeks back.
You can convert a 'cross bike to an OK road or touring machine, but tyre clearance will flummox you if you try and turn your road iron into a 'crosser.
Its basically a road bike with more clearance (for bigger tyres and mud), mildly nobbly tyres, brakes that give lots of clearance in case of mud, slightly lower gearing and more relaxed frame angles. Apart from that everything else is pretty much interchangeable.
Cyclocrossers also tend to have fixings for Cantis / Vee brakes whilst your road bike frame will have fixings for caliper brakes.
Cross bikes smell of wee, road bikes smell like roses.
Crossers have a higher bottom bracket as well
[url= http://www.3peakscyclocross.org.uk/ ]CX gives you the chance at tackling this www.3peakscyclocross.org.uk![/url][img] 
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He he I've entered that, fingers crossed I get in.
You'll smell of wee you big pansy!
I know but it's up North so no one will notice.
If your bike can fit 28 mm tyres and the off road is more gravel track than rocky then I think you will be fine, I take my road bike on easy bridleways, gravel paths, toe paths e.t.c all the time with 25 - 28 mm tyres. Normal spoked wheel though (open pro rims) none of this low spoke count rubbish.
that video
You can get away with a hell of a lot on a road bike. We did that Rapha Hell of the North on/off 100K sportive and everbody was fine on road bikes.
oldgit - when are they releasing the entry list? [cough] oops.
You mean the accepted entrants? gotta be a week I guess. Are you up for it then?
hmmm.... yes. Best lose some weight I reckon.
Cool.
I'm trying to get a little group together just in case we need a little help up there, even if it's just someone to look after a spare bottle of water.
that videoI see that and raise you
- who needs a cross bike?
I'd go hybrid, personally. They are nice. Hybrid being not too different from a crosser with flat bars. But they tend to include pannier and mudguard bolts etc.
[url= http://www.3peakscyclocross.org.uk! ]http://www.3peakscyclocross.org.uk![/url]
What size tyres have they got on that pic - is it the angle as they make my 35c look small ?!
Hybrid always implies unable to ride / learn to ride on drop bars to me.
Or unwilling to. I much prefer flat bars in traffic. Although I also ride a road bike so know how to use and set up drops. Plus the brakes are better on the hybrid.