[Hjalti]

So who here is doing a lot of offroad on their skinny tired bikes? I tried a search, but keep getting errors like:
(Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 8388608 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 35 bytes) in /data/data01/web/html/files/search.php on line 939)


I might have a good line on a quickbeam, but since the Karate monkeys are a couple of months out, I'd be using it for my offroad stuff too (Schaffer Farms, Avalon, Mckeldin, Watershed). I know some of the icons (Rudi, MC, SSO) do this, but is it doable for us mere mortals.

Just Askin'

H

 

[riderx]

H - You are sensible enough to know the limits of your machine when off road. You should be fine. Knowing GP and Rivendell, you should be able to get some pretty fat tires in that frame. I've got a set of Mutano 44s you can borrow if they will fit.

 

[the_dude]

i've been riding my geared crosscheck with 32c's on moderate trails while my ss mtb is down for repairs. it's definately a bit sketchy, but it's doable (especially with some meatier tires), and it's keeping my jonesin' for real mountain biking to a minimum.

the_dude

 

[ParkerFly]

hey

I was out two weeks ago with a buddy on my fs gearie (9spd.) on some pretty simple trails (not pavement easy, but not techy either). We were stopping for a rest and a guy riding a- get this- fixie cross bike came upon us. Says, "hey, have you guys ridden this way (indicates with thumb)? It's pretty good." We're like "Nah", he says "well, let's go" and just takes off. Like sheep being led to the slaughter we followed him. Let me tell you, I've never had my ass handed to me for 20 miles so badly in my life. He was fast as hell. I've never seen anyone so fast. He utterly destroyed us. He picked perfect lines and never slowed down at all. It was amazing. So yeah, I'm pretty sure you can ride your cross bike offroad.

 

[necro]

I've put literally thousands of dirt miles on my crappy geared cannondale cross bike with 35c tires. I did swap out to straight bars, which made a huge difference in my descending. Can do fairly steep stuff, but when it gets rough things are bad. Teaches you to pick a good line, that's for sure.

Oh, the straight bars also let you run v brakes without a pull adapter. Worked well for me. You can put the hurt on roadies on your way to the trail!

 

[Godzilla]

I've ridden my cross bike on some of the more technical trails on the Front Range (around Denver), it's good fun unless you get into too much of a hurry. I got a bit overzealous on my first trip out and felt like both my wrists were broken by the time I finished. I just got the parts in for my new CX bike yesterday and will be selling my roadbike soon so that I can replace some road sections of my commute with singletrack.

 

[tamjam]

I might have a good line on a quickbeam, but since the Karate monkeys are a couple of months out, I'd be using it for my offroad stuff too (Schaffer Farms, Avalon, Mckeldin, Watershed). I know some of the icons (Rudi, MC, SSO) do this, but is it doable for us mere mortals.

I used to ride my Voodoo CX offroad with 38c tires, mainly Marin fireroads, and it was great going up- those 700c wheels really move -but I just had to be more careful going downhill and pick better lines. Riding my CX on the local trails is what started me down the slippery slope into 29ers. I loved the fast climbing, but wanted wider tires for downhills and more varied terrain.

Quickbeams are cool. I'd be tempted too if I found one for a good price.

 

[Debaser]

I really like my really cheap cross bike. I end up riding it a ton, including a couple times this week. Like someone said, just understand that it's going to handle obstacles and corners a bit differently than a mountain bike.

It's especially fun to hit more technical trails and watch the faces of folks who don't know what a cross bike is. A particular favorite of mine is a little section of trail on my way home that has a bunch of rock steps. Newbie's often hang about trying to find the right line - and I've shown it to them on what they think is a road bike.

 

[Polk]

My Crosscheck has seen quite a few off road miles. I have taken some pretty technical trails, but it's definitely more at home on fast, smooth trails. I have it set up with a triple mountain crank (26-38-48), Tektro mini-V's and 40mm Rtichey tires (don't remember the modle name); which all make it more off road worthy. Crosschecks have plenty of room for bigger tires, but the mini-V's are short enough that the 40's are close to the cable.

I do get a kick out the uninformed watching and pointing at the "road bike" as I motor past

 

[ShivaSteve]

I ride Schaeffer a fair bit fixed on skinnies...actually I don't even really think of it as Schaeffer anymore, since I'm usually connecting Great Seneca, Schaeffer, Hoyles Mill, Black Hills, Sugarloaf etc. with some pavement action. I've taken this setup to the Watershed as well. Get comfortable on the bike fit wise and you'll find that you can ride anything you normally ride on an MTB, albeit a bit differently...slower perhaps, or just less agressively, with more attention to flowing over the terrain, picking the right lines, finess. Different, but very rewarding. The Watershed or Gambrill...that just hurts, but it seems to hurt people regardless of what they bring to ride. And you'll have wicked fun on those dirt road rides around your place

 

[ERoman]

rock it

the cross bike of road is where it's at! If you run it tubeless (home made set-up) you can smash right over anything you want. All I can say is this- over the bars on a cross bike seems to hut WAY more than on the mountain bike.

 

[Godzilla]

the cross bike of road is where it's at! If you run it tubeless (home made set-up) you can smash right over anything you want. All I can say is this- over the bars on a cross bike seems to hut WAY more than on the mountain bike.

So you've run ghetto tubeless on your CX? I was wondering how this would work with a lower volume tire. What size tire are you running, any issues? Any insight for someone who is already running the setup on 1 MTB, but has not done it on skinny wheels?

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[ERoman]

poor boy style

'm rockin the poor boy especial....Ritchy tires with a home made liner and the Bontrager Super Juice....35-40 psi on 35s....not a flat on the trail yet....even raced 'em to a win for the last "B" race of my career.

 

[terminaut]

So who here is doing a lot of offroad on their skinny tired bikes?
H

I've ridden my cross bike on just about all the local trail systems and even a 24-Hour event. It's one of the more enjoyable ways to hit the trails, IMHO.

 

[Roger___]

All the time

I love riding Foresthill Divide and the Connector on my Sycip CX SS. Bike rips single track.

 

[Kam]

the cross bike of road is where it's at! If you run it tubeless (home made set-up) you can smash right over anything you want. All I can say is this- over the bars on a cross bike seems to hut WAY more than on the mountain bike.

eric...please elaborate on your tubeless cx/set up...that sounds really sweet. i gotta try it sometime.

are you using a 26" tube on the rim, mount the tire with sealant and the air and trim the excess??? what tires are you running and what pressure???

as for off road cx riding....IT'S FUN. i run my cx 44/22 it's a pretty tough gear to run for ME some of the rides i do. my typical weekday ride is about 15 miles with steep fireroad climbs and bump st decents. nothing rocky, so pinch flats are a big thing i worry about (though if you live in a rocky area, this should be a biggie for you). i run my 700x35 kenda kwiks at about 75 psi, i'm about 175. the good thng about the 44t ring up front is that 44/17 is a good fixie ratio for me.

i found that the two cantis i have used sucked for off road use though....they are the avid shorty 4 and some nos tektro cnc'd cantis (alot like the onza h.o.). i got a set of paul comp neo/retros coming in soon....that should make riding the cx alot funner.

also, make sure your fork is up for the riding. and, i find it helps alot comtrol wise if you have a wider cx bar, and if you bars are level. if you get really serious about riding off road on the cx, check out the on-one midge bar...that thing is the cat's meow!!!

the skinny @ss velocity aerohead rims i have are holding up ok too....which is a big surprise.

here is a pic of my ride. it's eno'd and now has a set of the 05 dura ace cranks and the midge bars.

<img src=https://gallery.mtbr.com/data/mtbr/500/234616loressteelman.jpg>

 

[ERoman]

oh yeah

Yup...a few layers of Velox to build up the bed for easy inflation

Ritchy Cross somethingorother....cheap wire bead but the guy who hooked me up uses folding tires....35-40psi, If I don't hit the rim a few times a ride then there's too much air in 'em

 

[OneGearGuy]

I was out two weeks ago with a buddy on my fs gearie (9spd.) on some pretty simple trails (not pavement easy, but not techy either). We were stopping for a rest and a guy riding a- get this- fixie cross bike came upon us. Says, "hey, have you guys ridden this way (indicates with thumb)? It's pretty good." We're like "Nah", he says "well, let's go" and just takes off. Like sheep being led to the slaughter we followed him. Let me tell you, I've never had my ass handed to me for 20 miles so badly in my life. He was fast as hell. I've never seen anyone so fast. He utterly destroyed us. He picked perfect lines and never slowed down at all. It was amazing. So yeah, I'm pretty sure you can ride your cross bike offroad.

great story.
did you ever get his name or find out where he is from (besides another planet )?

my next bike will have to be a CX machine. SS, of course.

GG

 

[oldskoolboarder]

I almost ride my CX exclusively...

In fact, my Il Pompino set up for CX is my communter/trainer/trailer puller/trail bike. I also use my IF Planet X on the trails, which used to be ridden on my Stumpjumper which was sold last year.

 

[stonedead]

I've been riding my Kelly cross bike with 32c tires and beefy wheels on fire roads and trails, while I've been waiting for my Waltworks. It's works great as long as you stay aware that you're not on beefy tires. I slapped a Midge bar and a riser stem on it, which helped even more...