[Closed] Monstercross... Let's see yours (and setup advice required)

[i]Tried CX bikes twice, they weren't for me,[/i]
You mean you realised you did not have the skill to ride a cx bike!
Get a phat bike proper monster cross 🙂

tried it, would love to do it properly. Played with ugly sticks to get the bars right. It rode, brilliantly. It just looked hideous.

Ive still got a hankering for a "monserpetamine", but still no sign of one from Mr. B. Richards. Lazy arse.

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This:

<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7567842568_af4306ac1f_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="phone 035">

or this:
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/15932386556_68650684df_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="december 004">

and would quite like to try this:

<img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9283934402_ee53d04c3c_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Experimental rigs 9-12 002">

I'm a great lover of monstercross bikes, I feel they are the most versatile bikes, great for long days in the saddle on anything from road to trail centers, but also tough enough to not worry about the stuff you would on a CX bike (but also love my CX bike)

I'm currently building a frame specifically for use as a monstercorss, it is going to have a 585mm ETT and I'm just under 6ft. I have worked out I should need between a 90mm and 110mm, 6deg stem. (with my woodchipper bars) (it's a 29er too)

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This is the CAD I've made for it, and you can follow the build [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/carbon-frame-build-no3 ]here[/url]

[img] [/img] This is the bike that confirmed that monstercrossing was for me, 26er wheels, shockingly bad fork (flexy and had about 10mm travel) but great fun and surprisingly fast. It was a 17.5 inch scott hardtail frame and used a 80mm 30deg stem for size reference.

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I then transfered the bars onto the hardtail frame that I built, to use as a singlespeed, with 425mm forks it had a 72deg head angle so was very twitchy, but was a great laugh and very capable and I set quite a few of my fastest bits around cannock on it. For reference I used the same stem and bars as before.

As for gears I will be running 2x10 on my new build and the front derailleur pull ratio difference can be got around with clever cable routing. I will be running a shimano set-up so going for an 9s XT rear mech.

My old singular arty pic 😉
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Surly cx with 1.8 bonty tyres on
[URL= http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/firestarter4075/14082009081.jp g" target="_blank">http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/firestarter4075/14082009081.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

On the swift i went for a 90mm stem with higher rise which had the effect of shortening the reach. Tbh at 5'9" it was still a bit long.

Ive just ordered one of these i hope will be perfect 🙂
[URL= http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/firestarter4075/Mobile%20Uploads/9403440436_2d2d5d459e_zpsg2zprclv.jp g" target="_blank">http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/firestarter4075/Mobile%20Uploads/9403440436_2d2d5d459e_zpsg2zprclv.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

You mean you realised you did not have the skill to ride a cx bike!

😆

To be fair, less to do with the lack of skill, more the fact I kept forgetting the limitations of the tyre width. Offroad both I had were incredibly capable, way more so than you would expect.

Get a phat bike proper monster cross

I [i]may[/i] or may not already have a pair of WTB Scraper 27.5+ rims and Trailblazer 2.8" tyres on order already, and know that they'll fit in the frame I'm planning to build! 😉

I'm a great lover of monstercross bikes, I feel they are the most versatile bikes, great for long days in the saddle on anything from road to trail centers, but also tough enough to not worry about the stuff you would on a CX bike (but also love my CX bike)

Precisely my take on it. The more time I spend on a road bike, the more I realise that for anything except full on offroad, I prefer Drop Bars for the various hand positions they offer. But I much prefer larger tyres for the terrain they allow me to ride.

I'm currently building a frame specifically for use as a monstercorss, it is going to have a 585mm ETT and I'm just under 6ft. I have worked out I should need between a 90mm and 110mm, 6deg stem. (with my woodchipper bars) (it's a 29er too)

The 29er frame I'm looking at has an ETT of 595mm in Medium, or 580mm for the small. The medium is what I'd ride normally as an MTB, the small ETT sounds more usable with drops and a "not too short" stem, but still quite long. Also, the medium has a still quite short 17" seat tube, the small has a 15" seat tube which means I'd have loads of post showing!

I have a Bonty Privateer frame in the garage that I bought on a whim that is currently hybridised with 700c wheels. Could be the basis of a frankencross build if you're interested. It's got disc tabs and a carbon fork

I just tried to ride them like an MTB offroad and the limitations of 35mm tyres came into play all too often.

Current KM build, though it has a higher-rise stem now:

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But you ride a MTB like it's a road bike. No wonder you struggled.

Not once in 20 odd years of MTBing have I been accused of that once! MANY times I've been accused of riding a road bike like it's an MTB mind...

I have a Bonty Privateer frame in the garage that I bought on a whim that is currently hybridised with 700c wheels. Could be the basis of a frankencross build if you're interested. It's got disc tabs and a carbon fork

Sounds nice, but funnily enough, building your new road bike for you has got me looking at the P-29. Can still get the older, sliding dropout version for a knockdown price and it's tempting me!

Define Monstercross for me. Is that just drop bars and tyre width > 35mm?

Not once in 20 odd years of MTBing have I been accused of that once!

MIght try 700c wheels on my Genesis IO SS which already has carbon rigid cross forks. Soma Sparrow bars and a 100mm stem. I'm about your height and ride a 19" frame - so pretty log with pseudo-drops because I didn't want to change brakes. I'd go shorter and longer stem, personally.

I was thinking of going 2x1 next year.

You've seen it before, but here's another picture

[img] ?width=600&height=600[/img]

Finished 16th in the last central league race and it rode just fine despite the mud cammo 😉

Colin,

That's how I chose to define it after I tried some 40c tyres on my Salsa.

[img] ?oh=af8c92b8565d4d59962a9a10165a5f44&oe=557039A6[/img]

Unfortunately this encouraged me into some silly rocky terrain and resulted in a broken frame 🙁

So from now on I'm not calling it 'monstercross' I'm calling it 'gravel' 8)

MonsterCross you say?

Here's my new FrankenCross

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It looks silly, weighs 24lbs and rides so smoothly, it's fantastic

Semi-Monster then?
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that's barking and brilliant, John.
Love it.

I wish I didn't like that FrankenCross as much as I do!

Stoner's bike has made me do a little sick in my mouth.

Nasty.

My first monster cross was a van dessel WTF which was a true monster cross, but unfortunately it cracked but the new ones have addressed this issue. Now riding a All City macho man disc with 700 x 40 tyres, this feels more like a off road tour bike. I run 2 x 10 speed using a xt front mech dual pull front mech. The chain set is a SRAM 40,26 I think. Have fun.

Here's my new FrankenCross

Huh, how about that: crazy forks plus crazy bars equals looks sort-of right for some reason.

Nice work! 😀

Ontor what bars are they -
Woodchipper?

Got a cx and wondering if I make my (rigid) singular swift a monster or get the singular gryphon.

Can't believe the question hasn't been asked - whot tyres?

Function is so much more important than form when designing a bicycle.

It doesn't really matter what it looks like, so it might as well be mind-bendingly hideous. Like, actually give people a twinge of blinding visual sciatica to look at a picture of it.

And once we're over that hurdle, we might as go the whole hog and decide that function isn't all that important either. It doesn't really matter what it does. Just build terrifyingly ugly cyclocross bike by battering a redundant mountainbike paraplegic with shallow drop bars and a throbbing erecto-stem. And then give it green rims. Perfect.

Have words with yourselves, for god's sakes.

😯 😆

Stoner - Member
that's barking and brilliant, John.
Love it.

CaptainFlashheart - Member
I wish I didn't like that FrankenCross as much as I do!

mintimperial - Member
Huh, how about that: crazy forks plus crazy bars equals looks sort-of right for some reason

BigDummy - Member
Function is so much more important than form when designing a bicycle.

Why thank you, it's built with a Travers titanium Rudy 29er frame, Lauf Trail Racer forks, Brooks Cambium saddle, Ison Genetic Digest Bars, plus the 3 x 9, Thompson seatpost, BB7's and Stans Flow wheels off my old Niner.

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It is magnificently hideous. I salute it. 🙂

Stop tempting us John, that frankencross is the berries!

One day a custom Ti 29" with lauf forks shall be mine! Just needs an IGH or P1.18 with gates carbon drive for fit and forget convenience.

Love that, john! Bars are noted, they look like a nice shape.

Makes mine look a bit staid! Singular Peregrine with Salsa cowbells, mtn BB7s and Tektro levers, TT500 10spd bar-end shifter, single ring Zee chainset. Thunder Burts.

Slightly gopping amount of stem spacers, but through luck or subconscious judgement, I've managed to hide them here:

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I'm guessing you'll have spotted the nearly eight year old thread [url= http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/i-beg-you-more-monstercross-355649.html ]on mtbr[/url]? If that doesn't answer your questions I'll need a lie down somewhere. Huge arguments about the definitions too.

I've fiddled a bit. Firstly with a prototype On One 'adventure bike' frame. It was a bit small for me but apart from that and some odd cable routing was ok.

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/30189432@N00/6847762661/ ]Wouldn't say it was a looker though.[/url]

I played about with it and changed the stem, etc and got it better in the end but it was still too small for me.

Then I stuck some drop bars on my Inbred. I think that makes it a drop barred 29er rather than a monstercross.

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/30189432@N00/12277171074/ ]Dropbred[/url]

Much better but the forks were too short so low BB and steep head,etc.

I like the look of twinklydave's drop barred TD1

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/markawhale/16717602358/ ]Mark Whale's picture[/url]

Ive still got a hankering for a "monserpetamine", but still no sign of one from Mr. B. Richards. Lazy arse.

Indeed. Though I think it might be 650B- now 😉

downshep - Member
Stop tempting us John, that frankencross is the berries!
One day a custom Ti 29" with lauf forks shall be mine! Just needs an IGH or P1.18 with gates carbon drive for fit and forget convenience.

Forget the belt drive, I've been there, done that had the long walk back and I'll never go back, the 12 mile walk back to the start of the ride put pay to that, chain drive for fit and forget.

Heard a couple of negative stories about belt drive systems. What causes them to fail?

Johnclimber, how much does that ludicrous leaf spring set-up weight in comparison to a Sid world cup? Honestly?

how much does that ludicrous leaf spring set-up weight in comparison to a Sid world cup?

[url= http://www.laufforks.com/lauf-trail-racer/ ]Lauf[/url] say theirs weighs 990g.

[url= https://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/sid-xx-world-cup ]SRAM [/url]say a SID World Cup is 1346g

Lauf 990g
SID WC XX 29" 1485g
(both claimed weights)

Edit; Beaten to it. Is the lighter SID for a smaller wheel?

The Laufs weighed in on my wife's cheapy digital kitchen scales with the full stearer not cut down at 1005g.
So the 990g is about right on calibrated scales.

Have you seen how strong they are?

No wearing parts, no stiction, no need to service, up to 60mm of travel for under 1kg what's not to like?

Plus you can't see them when you are riding so if you think they look ugly it won't be you who's looking at them.

They are designed to absorb the ride and take the trail buzz out of riding rigid. So an upgrade from rigid forks or for those on suspension who want to lighten up but don't want to go to fully rigid.

If you want an all mountain fork look elsewhere but for most UK riding they are perfect, get them on a nice Ti frame and it will ride all day every day.

I eat my hat then.

Sort of.

Maybe not the yellow for me then!

Love that Peregrine - always fancied one of those.

Not sure if it counts, but this is my Fargo.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Went out on it the other day, and yeah, I think I 'get' it..

[IMG] [/IMG]

Very nice Teetosugars

downshep - Member
Heard a couple of negative stories about belt drive systems. What causes them to fail?

Downshep, email me, my address is in my members name link clicky thing.

Not mine, a demo bike but I had good fun on it!!

[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2874/8754516839_a7c76590de_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2874/8754516839_a7c76590de_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ekBbRv ]Genesis Fortitude Race Monstercross[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/37582372@N07/ ]scottgolfgti[/url], on Flickr

and a vid: https://flic.kr/p/ekBbGH

@singletracksurfer
Ragley Luxy bars. they're ace and W - I - D - E

Thanks ontor will have myself a look at them as they look ideal.

Firestarter - how did you find the swift set up for monster ride duties?

Wondering if I convert mine or get the singular gryphon. I have a cx as well but want something a bit burlier and comfier.

Cheers

Really.
I've ridden with you twice and both times you minced like the meat filling in a cottage pie.

I can mince with the best of them at times I'll grant you, but having spent a lot of time with many of them recently, roadies in general are a different breed!

Can't believe the question hasn't been asked - whot tyres?

Not gonna give too much away just yet, but if I do it, you'd probably call it a Big Fat Moster Cross Bike, or something to that effect! 29er frames with lots of clearance are what I've been looking at, and you may look to WTB for their latest tyre offerings... 😉

My latest in a long line of things which might loosely be termed monstercross

[img] ?oh=bd1d1b8ac5a2c4f8f0bc6f4a5e4fcb9c&oe=55B57DBF[/img]

ST surfer - as long as you can make a Swift work for you in terms of length then they do very well with drop bars. In fact the very first ever proto Swift was designed so that I could ride it with either drops or flats.

[img] [/img]

Dugast pron there.
Yum

What bars are on the gryphon Sam?

I've been meaning to build one for a while and I've just had the perfect excuse!
I want to build the girlfriend a nice MTB and the TT length should be perfect for me with drops :).
She gets flat bars for summer, then I claim it back for winter duties (with drops).

I got to the point this winter where the MTB got put away, I couldn't be bothered with the cleaning and maintaining only to wear stuff out for the sake of a short mudbath ride. The Crossbike turned into the winter road bike this winter.

I think a monstercross setup would be perfect next winter, drops, fat tyres, Exposure Dynamo, mudguards, 1x10 or SS. Pothole eating, winter ready, simple setup, which can go offroad and keeps the best bike from getting wrecked.

Rik - they are Salsa Cowbells in the widest they do - a 50 I think. A nice 'all rounder' type bar, not as much control as say a Luxy off-road, but much nicer on gravel/road.

Not mine, but I liked it when I saw it -

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Sam have you tried Jones loop bars on your bikes - what did you think?

Recently imported one of my bikes from Oz.

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8562/16619057750_737513abf1_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8562/16619057750_737513abf1_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

My 29ers have almost all had dropbars. It seems to make sense for them.

[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2761/5815154075_7806059efc_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2761/5815154075_7806059efc_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4099/4928949859_452ee59212_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4099/4928949859_452ee59212_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

This one is more monstrous than most

[url= https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6047/6312103918_5d405a04d5_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6047/6312103918_5d405a04d5_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

The only problem is that to get the bars in the right position, you need a ridiculous amount of spacers.

Sam has it right on his Gryphon with the longer headtube. I should have bought one of those instead of the Swift and Peregrine.

And i was just about to buy a cx bike!

I now really want to build one of these. Just wondering what sort of frames people use for these, i would be trying to get all the parts off ebay/forums so nothing too exotic. also would you use road bike or mtb gear setups?

Thanks in advance

I may or may not already have a pair of WTB Scraper 27.5+ rims and Trailblazer 2.8" tyres on order already

Where have you ordered those from? I need exactly that for a project I'm working on

One of the first prototype Gryphons.

Great fun and quite a capable bike.

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3144/3083218444_afce122168_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3144/3083218444_afce122168_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5GsiqG ]2008_1102penmachno0026[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/18504429@N00/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

This thread is quite inspirational.

I have a couple of old frames in the garage and I had various plans to assemble some form of poor man's Cx machine, but now I'm wondering if something a bit more monstrous might be in order... Hmmm.

Genesis Fortitude. Too long to enjoy with drops hence a stupidly short stem. Next size down with drops would be purrfect:
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Mate's Peugeot with my Marin Hamilton:
[img] https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6Pyt5vr4PYA/UnbliuZ5ZCI/AAAAAAAAF_0/sjxN4jRJOJU/w1023-h577-no/IMAG0088 [/img]

Is there some unwritten rule that says if you have one of these you have to fit shit Avid Cable brakes?

😕

Avid cable pulls are great, it's not for all mountain riding you know.

Rik - they are Salsa Cowbells in the widest they do - a 50 I think

Must be 46cm, that's the widest they do Sam..

JohnClimber - Member
Avid cable pulls are great, it's not for all mountain riding you know.

I agree, there's nothing wrong with the Avid cable brakes.

Some folk fit crap cables and then wonder why their brakes are no good though.

Is there some unwritten rule that says if you have one of these you have to fit shit Avid Cable brakes?

They are to sniffed at, terrible things... 😆

just, if you're going to spend all that money on those bendy folks, and then fit those brakes...

They are to sniffed at, terrible things

[i]they work really well when they're set up right.[/i]

and yet still blow goats compared to even mediocre hydro...

hey ho, none so blind that shall not see, I'll leave you to it. 😀

Yes that's right nick because i have no experience of any other brakes on any of my bikes.
One things for sure they piss all over any Avid hydro brake. Not that that's difficult...

and yet still blow goats compared to even mediocre hydro.

Your brakes are filled with water? No wonder they are mediocre

singlespeedstu - Member
"They are to sniffed at, terrible things"

Terrible mechanic warning

That's the conclusion I come to as well. My BB7s work as well as any of my hydraulics. It's all about decent cable setup. How you translate the leverage from your handlebar to the calliper is irrelevant if you eliminate wasted movement.

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650x50C. Maybe not monstercross but works as well as any large-tyred CX bike ime over the last year.

Did 740 miles on it over 4 1/2 days last Sept, mainly road with some pave, dirt tracks etc, camping along the way with some lighter road tyres on -
[img] [/img]

Must be 46cm, that's the widest they do Sam..

IIRC they are 50 c-c across the ends. 46 is some bizarre c-c measurement across an expected hood position.

Just looking for a new bike and come back to looking at monster cross style bikes as they seem to be able to do everything I am after, currently have a Cube Cross Race Disc '13 and really like the idea of a Salsa or Singular.

Which frameset would be best? I am 6'3"...