Difference between cyclocross and 29 inch mtb?

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In article <[email hidden]>, Chris Hansen

Quoted message said:

Hello,

The two types of bikes I'm considering buying is a cyclocross and a 29 inch mountain bike with a
rigid fork. I was wondering, besides the handlebars, how are they different assuming similar tires
and gearing?

_ Take a look a the Surly Cross Check and the Karate Monkey. The big difference is length of the
back chain stays. This makes a difference in climbing steep trails, on the Cross check you have to
stay seated to keep traction on the back wheel. On a shorter stay bike like the KM, you can stand up
while climbing and still keep traction.

Quoted message said:

If you put road tires on the mountain bike and maybe aero bars it should be fine on the road
shouldn't it, maybe little heavy?

_ Definitely heavy and probably not as much fun on long rides. The short back chainstays will make
the ride somewhat harsher. Handling might be a little tricky if you're into fast road descents. Dirt
Rag magazine had an online review of the Karate Monkey you might find useful reading.

Quoted message said:

Can you think of any pros or cons for each? I haven't decided yet if I like the drop handlebars and
I like the triple chainring that most cross bikes don't seem to have.

_ The chainring can be easily fixed. The cross-check comes with a triple crank, it just doesn't have
the 3rd ring installed. You can also put flat bars on most Cross bikes, but that's extra money. I
have my Cross Check setup so I can switch between flat bars and drops in about 5 minutes.

_ Doing dirt descents with drop bars is tricky, particularly if the drop bars are excessively low.

_ Lastly, I'd say get a cross bike if you're interested in long road rides, get the 29'er if you
interested in more technical dirt rides. For dirt/fire roads it's a toss up.

_ Booker C. Bense

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"Chris Hansen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

The two types of bikes I'm considering buying is a cyclocross and a 29 inch mountain bike with a
rigid fork. I was wondering, besides the handlebars, how are they different assuming similar tires
and gearing?

Which cyclocross and which 29'er are you considering? Let me guess: The Trek X-01 and the Fisher X-
caliber. Am I close?

Quoted message said:

If you put road tires on the mountain bike and maybe aero bars it should be fine on the road
shouldn't it, maybe little heavy?

Yeah, the 29'er will be heavier. Swapping the fatties for skinny tires will drop a bunch of weight,
though. You'll notice.

It may steer like a cow, too, since the 29'er geometry is set up for big, fat tires. Putting skinny
tires on it will alter the fork's "trail", which noticeably affects handling feel. It will ride OK -
not unstable or anything - but it will feel strange. Also, since virtually all MTB's have at least
4" travel shock forks these days, you are very likely to notice some pogo-ing in the front end,
which does eat pedaling energy. You'll notice that, too.

Of course, it's entirely possible that your bike will be specifically designed to handle well with
either fat knobbies or skinny street tires. It's possible to "split the difference" at design time.
Test ride the bike with skinny tires and fat tires before you buy it, or buy it from a shop that
allows returns. If you're lucky, the bike will even have a lockout for the shock fork, essentially
converting it to a rigid fork at the flip of a switch. It's a very nice feature. (Some Manitou forks
can be upgraded by adding a fork lockout switch.)

Quoted message said:

Can you think of any pros or cons for each? I haven't decided yet if I like the drop handlebars
and I like the triple chainring that most cross bikes don't seem to have.

Hmm. You don't mention anything about off-road riding. Can I assume that most of your riding is on
the road? If so, then go with the cyclocross bike.

Tell us more about how you ride and where you ride so we can offer better advice.

Rocketman

Quoted message said:

Which cyclocross and which 29'er are you considering? Let me guess: The Trek X-01 and the Fisher
X-caliber. Am I close?

I test rode the karate monkey. It was faster, smoother and nimbler than I am used to. I was also
looking at a couple of cross bikes including the LeMond PoPrad, the Bianchi Axis and the Surly Cross
Check but haven't had a chance to test ride them.

Quoted message said:

Hmm. You don't mention anything about off-road riding. Can I assume that most of your riding is on
the road?

Tell us more about how you ride and where you ride so we can offer better advice.

Rocketman

I also like to go off-road riding. I didn't mention it because I figured the mountain bike would be
fine off road and the cross bike maybe a little less at home.

I talked to a guy at a shop yesterday that offered to build me a karate monkey with a rigid fork and
also road tires and aero handlebars for longer road rides. With fat tires and different handlebars
it should be good for off-road and general commuting.

I'm excited about this bike but I would value people's input.

Thanks.

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In article <[email hidden]>, Chris Hansen

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Which cyclocross and which 29'er are you considering? Let me guess: The Trek X-01 and the Fisher
X-caliber. Am I close?

I test rode the karate monkey. It was faster, smoother and nimbler than I am used to. I was also
looking at a couple of cross bikes including the LeMond PoPrad, the Bianchi Axis and the Surly
Cross Check but haven't had a chance to test ride them.

Quoted message said:

Hmm. You don't mention anything about off-road riding. Can I assume that most of your riding is
on the road?

Tell us more about how you ride and where you ride so we can offer better advice.

Rocketman

I also like to go off-road riding. I didn't mention it because I figured the mountain bike would be
fine off road and the cross bike maybe a little less at home.

I talked to a guy at a shop yesterday that offered to build me a karate monkey with a rigid fork
and also road tires and aero handlebars for longer road rides. With fat tires and different
handlebars it should be good for off-road and general commuting.

I'm excited about this bike but I would value people's input.

_ I've never heard anything bad about a Karate Monkey. I think if I could have demo'd one I probably
would have bought it. All the 29'ers I tried had suspension forks which are IMHO too much of a
compromise for road riding. I bought a Surly Cross Check, either way I'll think you'll be happy.

_ Check out this article

dirtragmag.comarticle print.phpOpen ↗

So far the Cross Check does just fine on everything I want to ride off road. It does require a bit
more finness both up and down, but I love blasting along fire roads...

_ Booker C. Bense

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- wheel and tire selection is probably still limited for 29inch wheels
- you can put any handlebars and stem combo on the bike that you wish. In fact, you should customize
this setup, as fit is so important.
- the 29" wheeled mtn bike with road tires, rigid forks should be very close in weight to a
cyclocross bike. Big difference is component selection, and frame material weight. More $$$ gets
you a lighter bike.
- try to simplify and use a 2 chainring setup up. Get a larger cluster in back if you need more
range, or a smaller ring in front. Try going to 1 ring in front. Simple, no front deraileur. You
aint gonna use 21 gears anyway. Chain cross wears out the chain anyway. You only "need" about 4-6
gears anyway. Unless you are racing.

recommended bikes: Surly Karate Monkey Surly Cross Check Lemond Poprad Independent Fabrications
Planet X (cross bike...high dollar, but sweet)

Steel frame is gonna be more comfortable than a spine rattling aluminum frame.

[email hidden] (Chris Hansen) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

The two types of bikes I'm considering buying is a cyclocross and a 29 inch mountain bike with a
rigid fork. I was wondering, besides the handlebars, how are they different assuming similar tires
and gearing?

If you put road tires on the mountain bike and maybe aero bars it should be fine on the road
shouldn't it, maybe little heavy?

Can you think of any pros or cons for each? I haven't decided yet if I like the drop handlebars
and I like the triple chainring that most cross bikes don't seem to have.

Thanks.