5 Reasons to Choose a Cyclocross Bike, not a Road Bike

Modern bikes have been categorized strictly, including road bikes, cyclocross bikes, touring bikes, etc. Recently, cyclocross bikes are sold well and different from road bikes. It is quite flexible both on road and through mud, which can obstruct the road bike. It is built for speed because it places you in an aggressive position and gives you the lighter weight than that of a mountain bike. Otherwise, your positions of hands can also have multiple choices with drop bars. So what are the exact reasons why you should choose a cyclocross bike? Here I have 5 reasons to share with you. Cyclocross Bikes

Multiple Functions
Someone says that CX bike is a bridge between the road bike and the mountain bike, so it can also be described as a hybrid of off-road and on-road performance. Originally after the road racing season ended, riders turned to lightweight racing bikes called as cyclocross bikes, because it is suitable for you to ride both in bad and wet weather. However, if you go out with a road bike on rainy days, you may suffer from the dirt caused by the weather much more. CX bikes also belong to a sort which highlights the needs of competitive cyclocross riders nowadays. Cycling with it would be an exciting change as opposed to regular road racing.

Steering Tube
It is taller than that of road bikes, which means you can sit more upright. With a more angled tube, the front wheel will be more guided. So you can be distracted less easily. Imagine you are riding a road bike, is the tube not stable enough for you? Many people buy a bike with the original purpose: stability, no matter how rough the terrain is. Calmer steering will help you realize that. You can even cycle with a heavy handlebar bag on your cyclocross bike.

Brake
It is usually disk or cantilever which is used traditionally on the cyclocross bike. Either provides you more consistent cyclocross bikebraking power when you are in a wet condition as opposed to a simple piece caliper brake system that most road bikes traditionally possess and fits around the wheel nearly in a horseshoe shape. If you use a set of road bike calipers, they won’t work well in a muddy condition. It is possible that the caliper brakes are blocked up with mud because the clearances between a caliper brake and a tire are too tight. It will hold back you by forcing you to stop and clear the entire gunk. Due to the weather which you cannot choose according to what you desire, CX bikes are designed to use a different style of brakes. They offer more mud clearance for you to reduce the chance of being blocked up with mud. The brake of CX bike will fit every side of your bicycle rim on special brake bosses which protrude towards the outside from the frame. The bosses are a key difference between the two kinds of bikes, so you’d better cycle with it in long tours.

Geometry
cyclocross bikeOwing to the geometry that has already been designed by touring bikes, the cyclocross bike is suitable for leisure riding on or off road eminently. Bikes are similar; however, some key difference can bring the better experience. When it comes to the frame, there are many differences between the two. The first, it is shorter than that of usual a road bike, which means your riding position, can be more relaxing in long non-stop trips. The second, it has cabling either internal along the top tube or outside of it. The third, it strongly resembles those of traditional road bikes and is made for rough conditions even once-in-a-while bumpy roads. The fourth, out of the muddy or grimy occasion, you can shoulder your bike. So it is more reliable for you to carry some luggage. What’s more, some people now may have headtube-shocks on the frame. And it is possible to have the bike with a single chain ring, so it’s possible that the CX bike is without brazing on front derailleur mount. With the geometry of a CX bike, you will get a particular bike.

Tire
The clearance of cyclocross bikes is in the fork where the wheels go through the frame and bigger than that of road bikes, which means you can accommodate thicker tires and larger guards to ride in poor conditions. A typical tire diameter for a cyclocross is about 32mm. Thicker tires can be off-road knobbly to keep the traction in unexpected terrain and give you softer feel on the road. There can be a tread pattern on the tires which is designed to offer grip while racing. And you can get specialist mud tires for cyclocross or something that is designed for performance and offer you a compromise to tackle potentially poor conditions. They are wide enough for trails, so your wheel has less chance of getting wedged. Everything will still work. People design cyclocross tires to adapt to the surface you’re riding on; while people designed road bikes for rolling quickly on the road with high air pressure levels inside so they built the bikes with minimal tire clearance for better aerodynamics and less weight, which may cause trouble when you are in muddy condition and so on.cyclocross bike

If you want to go a little bit off-road without suspension, a cyclocross bike will give you the best feeling. With larger tire clearance and stronger off-road brakes, you can even enjoy cycling in mud, snow or dirt. What’s more, the bike has longer chainstays than a road bike do. Generally speaking, road bikes are fond of staying in dry and paved conditions, although a once-in-a-while puddle is allowed. You’d better use a cyclocross bike with which you feel right and suitable instead of a bike with an assortment of metal and non-metal bits to cycle.