[Closed] What CX bike with disks and a full mudguard option?

Pinnacle Arkose. There should be some kind of widget that defaults that in. Ok it's not race cx geometry but I doubt that's really going to be the difference between you winning and losing.

Caadx 105. Brilliant for the money. Mine is primarily used as the OP less the racing. Masses of clearance for guards, wheels a bit weighty and Promax Renders relatively unknown but all work fine.

Your both missing the point. Neither of those has a mudguard mount at the point where the brake calipers should be, hence you can't add full guards. I''d narrowed my choice to a Caadx 105 or giant tax before I discovered this.

Ridley X Bow Allroad?

[img] [/img]

*No idea what it's like.

@Kryton. If that's the conclusion you reached, try again 🙂 The CAADX has normal mounting points in the usual places. Mebbies you missed them in online pics as they are quite discrete.

CAADX back to no1 choice 😉

Really? I appreciate it has eyelets but does it have a bolt through the fork?

Bregante - while googling that Ridley I found an X Bow 10 105 on offer....

Might be a bit over budget if you need all new parts, but the Kinesis Pro 6 has proper full guard mounts. I like mine as a road bike, and with kit pulled off my old ride it didn't cost insane amounts to build up.

Oh I see. I accept my schooling in the way of mudguards. 😳

Yes and braze ons on the chainstay and seatstay bridges. You can rush out and get one now 🙂

Ok I found a pic with the "hole"in the seat stay bridge. Does the front Guard mount "up" into the crown of the fork then - like sks chromoplastics would need?

Edit. Oh but BB30.

Norco Threshold ?

I have an A2... love it.

I'm riding a Surly Straggler with 1.75inch Schwalbe Marathon Extremes and full SKS 45mm wide mudguards. Brilliant.

Not going to be competitive in a CX race but it can really handle the rough stuff!

Neither of those has a mudguard mount at the point where the brake calipers should be, hence you can't add full guards.

Thanks jameso. Evans have an Arkrose 3 in lime green in budget. Can you confirm if it doesn't have the brakes on the tops as per the pics, and that I'd be fine to slap so,e 25's tyres on for road?

Whilst the Arkose does not have a bolt through the fork crown it does have an (arguably neater) braze on position directly underneath at the bottom of the steerer. Better position for the rear calliper than the cannondale imo too.

The mounts for mudguards are threaded bosses on the inside of the CAADX fork. The vast majority are sold with full length mudguards fitted.

Boardman cx? Not as "on trend" as the Arkose but mine has SKS Bluemels fitted.

I fitted those horrible rattly fiddly bastard SKS mudguards to my CAAD-X once. ONCE!
Give me Crud ones any day (although maybe not on the CAAD-X).

Had no problems with the BB30 since I regreased it.

Can you confirm if it doesn't have the brakes on the tops as per the pics

You talking about chicken levers?

horrible rattly fiddly bastard SKS mudguards

I claim user/home mechanic error there. SKS don't ever rattle if fitted competently. Which is not hard 😉

Can you confirm if it doesn't have the brakes on the tops as per the pics, and that I'd be fine to slap so,e 25's tyres on for road?

I'm also looking for a £1k (C2W friendly) 'adventure road bike' that'll take full length guards, however I also want to fit a rack - I know the Pinnacle has rack mounts, but does the CAADX?

I'd not seen the CAADX before - now rapidly moving up to the top of my list.

The Marin Lombard Elite also has full guard mounts. Mine has SKS Commuters fitted but if you do actual CX on them they get broken very easily by sticks/branches etc. I'll be switching to another solution, maybe full metal, when winter comes.

£800 too at realcycles.

http://www.realcycles.com/m37b0s199p6384/MARIN_Lombard_Elite_2015

[img] [/img]

Sorry been away from the 'does a CAADX have proper mudguard mounts?' thread for a few mins getting ready to......go and ride it 🙂

It has a standard bolt through fork, nothing unusual or fancy. It takes the standard mudguard tab on the back of the fork crown and the hole through the fork is not threaded.

It has BB30 which I was/am very wary of. Mine's done a couple of thousand miles since last autumn and is still OK. I regreased it recently as the non drive side (oddly) was a bit clicky. All silent since.

The CAADX does have proper rack braze on mounts.

I should be on commission 🙂

Just ordered a CAADX. It'll get a rack on it too. Will require a bit of spacing due to the caliper placement.

Looked at TCR, Synapse, CDA. Wanted something lighter than previous Equilibrium and Vaya (which were almost indistinguishable).

I claim user/home mechanic error there. SKS don't ever rattle if fitted competently. Which is not hard

They do when the stay mounting point breaks. Which it will.

For me the CAADX has two things to improve if you're looking to throw money at it. Wheels and brakes.

The stock wheels are perfectly good just a bit heavy. I changed to Kinesis Crosslight's. The brakes again are perfectly fine but I came across some Spyres cheap and fitted those. There's really no need to do either, I just caught a nasty dose of upgradeitis.

[i]I claim user/home mechanic error there[/i]

Probably, but ok, I exaggerate. Still not as silent and simple as the Cruds.

Which it will.

Well I'm waiting....25 years and counting (if you include using them when they were called Essge).

SKS are the gold standard for mudguards. The mounting points last for years if fitted correctly. By then, you'll be happy to change. If they're fitted badly, they fail earlier.

Yikes, now I'm torn.

a) Never owned a Cannondale, everything else has better brakes
b) Like the Lime green & weight of the arkrose
c) Like the look of that Lambard but would prefer 105 over SRAM
d) At a stretch (my actual budget was the £839 TCX), the Arkrose 4 in blue with hyro's on sale at £1050 is looking awesome...
e) Prefer the stealth / black look

Edit: those pinnacle colours will clash with my red club kit...

Plus1 for Boardman CX Team
With all the offers and discounts at Halfords
can be had for £600-£700 (down from £900)
Definitely has guard mounts.

The TCX (if you can live without the guard mounts) or the £1050 Hydro Arkose would be my top choices from your list.

As it happens I have a brand new 105 crankset which would go straight on the Arkrose 4 as well...

I'm very nearly convinced, if only is was a bit duller in colour.

Was riding my Arkose 4 last night with upgraded 105 crankset, other chaps on a Tripster and a Kinesis, proper Gnarmac night.

It's a fantastic bike, you get used to the colour. I don't feel an urgent need to upgrade anything.

Have you looked at the PDW mudguards that Charlie Bikemonger has on sale, they look like a superior product?

TCX, TCX, TCX!!! 😉

You do know the TCX has full guard capability don't you? It comes with clips (solid clips) and fittings to allow full guards to be attached.. Just in case you'd missed that in the spec.

Mine came with a full set and I sent them to a guy on here who'd lost his, I wasn't going to use mine.

Just thought I'd point that out.

Arkose takes full SKS guards, mounts at the stays and bridge / under-crown fork eyelet. BSA BB also.

Apology accepted 🙂

They're great bikes, very versatile and nice to ride. I use mine for commuting once a week (30 miles each way) as well as general faffing about on. Also been used for a half iron man and blatting around the whinlatter red trail, albeit the latter result in a pinch flat front and a midge attack.

bikebouy - Member
TCX, TCX, TCX!!!

You do know the TCX has full guard capability don't you? It comes with clips (solid clips) and fittings to allow full guards to be attached.. Just in case you'd missed that in the spec.

I have missed it - do you have a link?

SKS are the gold standard for mudguards.

No, that's Gilles Berthoud. A far superior product.

Well I don't actually have a link, just going from what gubbins came with my bike and then asking the guys what they heck they all were.. But all the clips and giggles come in a very stout carry bag with full instructions and lighting clips too, bell and IIRC a spare headset grip bolt for the OD headset.

The clips themselves are very strong screw clamps, two for the chainstay, 2 for the seatstay and one for the BB area. Fit around the stays and screw tight in a clamp. Mine were a fetching shade of blue to match the bike 😆 The lighting clamps were black, one for the seatpost one for the bars, sturdy is the word for these things.

I've got a spare set (unused) Smart Sams that came with my bike, never going to use them if you are interested FOC...

ok, I've contacted Giant to ask.

But the Pinnacle has Hydro's and full carbon fork albeit for a £200 premium....

Gold standard sks?? Bah... pdw are very very good far superior to sks and with various sales around at the min only a couple of quid more than sks

How are these other mudguards better?

In every way over the sks. Better fittings. Made of metal. Rock solid. I use mine offroad and they still dont move

SKS are known for breaking where the stays attach. I'm tempted by the PDWs or Dia Compe metal fenders to replace mine, which snapped in two when a stick went up the inside of them. Generally, though, I'd agree- SKS are the best plastic guards I've fitted or used.

How are these other mudguards better?

Both the PDW and Berthoud guards have the stay mounts on the outside, which means the water flows down the inside of the guard properly. They both look better (Berthoud are high polish stainless, great on a classic steel bike).

Always check bottom bracket height when looking at CX bikes.

For example, the Ridley that was linked on the first page. This might not apply to the new ones but the older (canti) ones had high bottom brackets. The knock on effect was to make the bike very tall, tall enough that you needed to buy a size down, which meant a shorter top tube and longer stem to get the thing to fit correctly.

Edit: those pinnacle colours will clash with my red club kit...

I'd have thought that lime green or blue would go really well with red. Colours that clash with red tend to be things like pink, orange or purple...

Not seeing any point in upgrading my SKS...

Not seeing any point in upgrading my SKS...

You will when they crack across the stay mounts.

I have an Arkose 4, with SKS longboards.

I needed a new set of these after somebody ran into me - http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sks-secu-clips-for-front-mudguard-stays-per-pair-prod666

Otherwise they have been fine.

Hydro brakes are awesome.

But, you will need a 105 chainset/bb - the FSA ones are made of slightly hardened butter.

ransos - Member
Not seeing any point in upgrading my SKS...
You will when they crack across the stay mounts.

27 years, not happened to me yet. I do fit them properly of course!

Now would I be correct in saying that the Giant is more "race" than "road" and the Pinnacle is the other way around?

For example, the Ridley that was linked on the first page. This might not apply to the new ones but the older (canti) ones had high bottom brackets. The knock on effect was to make the bike very tall, tall enough that you needed to buy a size down,

27 years, not happened to me yet. I do fit them properly of course!

It's a common failure mode. Are you seriously suggesting that this is because most people haven't fitted them properly?

I know what he means stato. I tried a ridley cx a few yrs back and to be able to just stradle the crossbar and not crush my plums meant i had to pick a size with a tiny ett. And im pretty normal sized id say

I know what he means stato. I tried a ridley cx a few yrs back and to be able to just stradle the crossbar and not crush my plums meant i had to pick a size with a tiny ett. And im pretty normal sized id say

Being able to stand feet flat on the floor in front of the saddle with 'room to swing free' is a relatively modern desire, I guess it's come from MTBs. In years gone by road bikes (and therefore cx bikes too) all looked like the below. Truth be known I can't think of a time when I've wanted to stand like that. Standover is overrated imo.

[img] [/img]

TCX Race or Road?

Erm..

Mines Race deffo. But then thats why I bought it, and really I can't comment as such because my only experiance is this my version. Generally speaking the only thing I have to offer is just check the dimentions and angles which are on the Giant site to see if any angles change. The Adv I have is (TBH) arse up head down you'd expect that. However I could soften this up but I'm not going to.
What I can say is there are a LOT of headset spacers in Std mode, must have been at least 60mm worth to play with on mine. If, I say IF (and pretty sure they are all kitted out the same) then you'll get 60mm of steerer spacers to dial in. As for the stem, think they all come in at 100mm, mines a 0deg but can't offer up what the TCX1/2 alloy models come with but I'd guess 3 or 6deg. I was offered a change of stem length FOC from Giant when I bought mine and I opted for a 110mm on the Medium frame I have.

That any help?

convert - Member
Standover is overrated imo.

or, what's the benefit of having a top tube 3ft above the ground?

A bit bikebuoy yes. So, for the same money:

a) Dale: Worst brakes, worst wheels, CX chainset, nice looks, 105, Alu/Carbon fork, middle option for guards
b) Giant: Ok cable brakes, 2nd worst wheels, best colour, CX chainset, 105, Alu carbon fork, clip on guards only

c) Pinnacle, best wheels, Hydro brakes, road compact chainset, Carbon/Carbon fork, full guard mounts, shocking blue.

The pinnacle wins on value TBH, and especially as my brief is 80% winter road 20% CX rather than the other way around. But why do I feel I'd be selecting an "Evans" bike?

or, what's the benefit of having a top tube 3ft above the ground?

True - and I guess that's why things changed. However, if for a CX bike (used for actual CX) you think a high BB is a good thing (I do) which means your Top tube is a bit higher than normal it's not the end of the world. Compact frames don't really work too well for CX as its much harder to easily shoulder quickly.

What I don't like are CX bikes with a high BB but a short head tube. It makes a sensible position really hard to achieve especially if you have long legs for your total height.

Perhaps on road convert but i like a bit of bollox room on a cx tbh 🙂

Perhaps on road convert but i like a bit of bollox room on a cx tbh

Maybe I'm just a bit deficient 😆

Perhaps 😉

I'm quite tempted by the Arkose 5 -

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkose-five-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec071309

Looks good for the money (currently £1200), but the colour is a bit minging. Dull grey with a rather dodgy splatter effect. May go see if I can see one in the flesh as I can't find a good picture online anywhere.

Oooh. The 'dale is available a Pedelon allowing for some "freebies" with podium points.

Christ, this is starting to hurt my head.

kryton57 - if you want something for training and stable in the winter have you considered a genesis criox de fer?

I got one last year and has improved my fitness no end, when I get on the carbon race bike I feel like I'm going to take off.

Ok its steel and a bit heavy and the spec isn't amazing, but its solid and has a bit of kudos to the cyclist in the know.

some good deals out there.....

http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m117b185s862p15220/GENESIS_Croix_De_Fer_20_Adventure_Cross_Bike_2015

Erm..

Evans choice is not a Bad choice is it. Ok so it's their own brand, but you are limited with Budget and the Akrose is a really good bike. I see lots of them over this side of Town coming in/out of work, set up as you would set them up and TBH a lot of them will be used exactly the way you are intending to use it.
All look very solid and good looking bikes, all great value aren't they. Has to be a reason for that.. I thinks it's a great combination of Value and Quality.
Something you shouldn't be too sniffy about, you will look like a lot of Guys riding them, but thats OK isn't it, you'll be doing what they do with it afterall. Hell some wear baggies too so don a pair of those as well and hey, you could all do a dance around a pole flinging your arms in the air on a mid summers day. You're going to look similar to a lot of Guys riding any of the other choices you've shortlisted.

Evans are everywhere in Town, pop in, take a look.
Giant are everywhere in Town, pop in, take a look.
Cannondale are in shops in Town, pop in, take a look.

If I had my CX'er up here with me you could have a blast on it, trouble is you'd end up wanting one and your budget doesn't stretch to that, but you would get an idea of fit/shape.

If you're using it more from road surely a racier CX bike like the TCX would be a better option that a tootlier Pinnacle with more relaxed riding position?

If it helps it took me 4 months to choose a new riding to work bike at this price point, and even then I'm not 100% happy with my selection given the competition. And we never even heard the end of Jamie's 10 month saga!

My Diverge takes full guards.

🙂

Fwiw the ridley bb drop is 1cm less than the caadx. I am having this issue a bit as trying to decide on a cx bike for similar purposes but do have the short legs, long torso issue.

Jamie bought a TCX 1 Alloy in white (2014 model in the sale).. and as far as I can remember he was really happy with it, mentioned a few things about riding position once he'd gotten it, but he kinda scuttled off and clearly doesn't want to come out and play with the big boys now 😕

Don't know if it's worth seeking that thread out K57? perhaps it is, sure there were the same questions/meandering thoughts on it as yours.

Here are the angles, direct off Giants site...

TCX Adv1 (Mine)

SIZE HEAD ANGLE SEAT ANGLE TOP TUBE REACH HEAD TUBE STACK CHAIN STAY WHEEL BASE STANDOVER HEIGHT
cm Degrees Degrees cm cm cm cm cm cm cm
XS (49.0) 71.0 74.5 51.5 N/A 11.5 N/A 43.0 100.8 76.3
S (52.0) 71.0 73.5 53.0 N/A 13.0 N/A 43.0 101.4 78.0
M (54.0) 71.5 73.0 54.5 N/A 14.5 N/A 43.0 101.9 80.3
M/L (56.5) 72.0 73.0 56.0 N/A 16.0 N/A 43.0 103.0 82.1
L (57.5) 72.5 73.0 57.5 N/A 17.5 N/A 43.0 104.0 83.2

and

TCX SLR Alloy @ £1029
SIZE HEAD ANGLE SEAT ANGLE TOP TUBE REACH HEAD TUBE STACK CHAIN STAY WHEEL BASE STANDOVER HEIGHT
cm Degrees Degrees cm cm cm cm cm cm cm
XS (49.0) 71.0 74.5 51.5 N/A 11.5 N/A 43.0 100.8 76.3
S (52.0) 71.0 73.5 53.0 N/A 13.0 N/A 43.0 101.4 78.0
M (54.0) 71.5 73.0 54.5 N/A 14.5 N/A 43.0 101.9 80.3
M/L (56.5) 72.0 73.0 56.0 N/A 16.0 N/A 43.0 103.0 82.1
L (57.5) 72.5 73.0 57.5 N/A 17.5 N/A 43.0 104.0 83.2

Sorry ^ thats all gobbledygook so I've just extrapolated the Medium and look... it's the same size/geo on both frames..

TCX Adv1 (mine) Medium:

SIZE,HEAD ANGLE,SEAT ANGLE,TOP TUBE,REACH,HEAD TUBE,STACK,CHAIN STAY,WHEEL BASE,
M (54.0) 71.5 73.0 54.5 N/A 14.5 N/A 43.0 101.9
STANDOVER HEIGHT
80.3

TCX SLR Medium:

SIZE,HEAD ANGLE,SEAT ANGLE,TOP TUBE,REACH,HEAD TUBE,STACK,CHAIN STAY,WHEEL BASE,
M (54.0) 71.5 73.0 54.5 N/A 14.5 N/A 43.0 101.9
STANDOVER HEIGHT
80.3

How about Specialized AWOL 2016 for £1k.

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Specialized/AWOL-Bike-2016/88NA

Bikebuoy I have - and the bike is replacing - a Defy in M/L. So I know it fits me in the same size. If I had some evidence that full length guards will fit on that TCX, I'd buy it now. I can't see that clip on race blades are long enough for people behind me either.

The Akrose is better value, but not so good a frame and I'm struggling with the bright colours.

Edit: Message from Pedalon recieved - no guard mounts suppled with the TCX

Just watched a race blades install vid. Maybe I can cope.

AFAIK you can fit guards to a TCX, there's photos of one on the bikeradar forums with guards fitted using the kit the frame comes with.

Back to mudguards now I'm back in from my ride 🙂 Metal mudguards? Are you mad? What a din. And 'better in every way' but I note no details forthcoming...

I've used SKS (or ESGE as they were) since the early 80's and have never snapped one or broken a mount. After 30 years, I had the rivets holding the rear seatstay bridge mount in place fret their holes bigger than the rivet heads on the rear of a pair which meant new guards. I mean, bloody hell; 30 years! I was so cheesed off I had them replaced under warranty.