This is a valid point but many brands CX bikes are less of the high bottom bracket/steep angles of years past. Specialized Crux is a good example.
What these bikes won’t have is the comfort/compliance features that some of the gravel bikes have. Or the ability to handle bike packing loads well, etc.
If you are looking for a bike to race gravel in the spring and CX in the winter, there are quite a few nice race bikes out there that do well on a CX course but have bottle mounts and clearance for 45s or 50s during the gravel season.
I am pretty happy with my TCX for gravel races but prefer to take something else out for a leisurely overnighter in the Cascades.
Anyone have a SuperX with a dual sided power meter on it?
I’m having trouble working out confirmed fitments and would like to hear from / connect with folks that have fitted something on their SuperX.
I’m aware that the P2M makes a spider to fit Canondales Hollowgram cranks though I’ve also seen that spider clearance to chainstay is tight.
I’ve seen some photos online of Quarq 11sp setups (i.e. Ted King’s set up on some occasions) but can’t figure out the setup as it seems the sram cranks aren’t offered in the Cannondale offset.
(Biased opinion, coming in late, but hot, or MMDV) Well all those extra “E’s” you keep putting in there have to weight something. I’ve had Clement and now Donnelly tires for 7 years or so, and have never noticed their weight… the MSO I have left has close to 7000 miles (mostly front) of all terrain rides on it. It’s not gone done yet, but it is relegated at this point.
Sure, I’ve raced CX on lighter tires, but that’s more about tubelessness (that OG MSO isn’t tubeless ready) and pliability rather than weight. Maybe because I’m 195lbs on a 20-22 lbs bike, I don’t worry about the claimed 0.69 difference in rotating weight.
But I’m 100% for 2x for the type of gravel rides I [used to] do. Versatility of major parts/gruppo is more important than the more easily changed tires.
Been riding a cx bike with force cx1 for the last 4 years. it does well in gravel races but with a 48 single ring and 11-36 cassette some climbs get kinda grindy.
Building a new gravel bike (gravel specific frame) with a mix of grx Di2 and DA Di2. (I’ll run a DA compact crankset if there’s frame clearance)
Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on using the following ;
Dura Ace C40 tubeless wheels, not as wide as some dedicated gravel wheels but proven for cx at least (couldn’t find anything about riding them on gravel)
Don’t know if that bar will be too stiff to ride on a gravel bike. A lot of the races I do have decent amount of pavement and I’m pretty confident riding just about anything on any terrain. I want to make a gravel bike that will feel quick on the road and also handle gravel with ease.
@stualp, I’ve just completed 2mos on a 3T exploro and am shocked at how much like a road bike it handles. I’ve been riding 32mm slicks waiting for a set of Maxxis Riddlers to arrive but I’ve been super impressed so far.
I feel I was looking for a similar setup as you - ability to handle gravel in a race or ride situation plus not a slug in a road ride situation. Though I haven’t tried many gravel bike setups, seems like the Exploro fits the need. I’d buy it again.
I got 4iiii’s to fit single sided to my hollowgram cranks, it works a treat. If you’re after double sided I would seriously consider Favero Assioma and do the hack. My son has the old Favero Bepro pedal hacked onto Xpedo cx
Still running a mix of Ultegra and 105, but I have the parts to convert to GRX en route.
Right now-
105 Shifters
TRP Spyre cable brakes
Ultegra F/R Derailleurs
FSA Crank
Stages Power meter
Niner RDO Seatpost (HUGE IMPROVEMENT)
Fizik Cockpit with 44CM Cyrano R3 Bull Bars, R3 120 Stem, Ultra Kush tape
Fizik Antares VS Saddle
I have two sets of wheels,
DT240S with Stan’s Grail Aluminum Rims I run 32-38c Cross tires on
Stan’s Hubs (original) with lightbike carbon 650’s I run 45c Gravelking SKs
The only thing I’m not totally stoked with the bike overall is that it still has QR axles. Not that I really WANT thru axles, but the industry is rapidly going that way.
I’ve been looking at the Terra for a while to use it mainly on road but also do some backpacking trips, gravel ride and (very) amateur CX races. What do you think of it after 6 months? Thanks
I love it! I ended up selling the 40/60 wheels and replaced them with 50/50 wheels. It feels fast on the road and is good fun off-road, although you might want to change the stock tyres in the OEM wheels depending on what your local terrain is like.
It’d be worth trying one for a ride if you could as the sizes are a bit funny - I’m just under 6 feet and I’m on a medium frame, could take a large but I don’t really like being stretched out on the bike as I have long legs and short torso for my height. If I was on any other Orbea I’d definitely be on a large. I may consider a slightly longer stem and layback saddle but certainly I’m doing 100k on the road with no issues.
I’m thinking about taking off all the mechanical GRX I have and putting on electronic. Any opinions on GRX Di2 vs Sram Force AXS? 1x or 2x?
It’s really hilly where I live plus there is a lot of road to cover when attaching dirt sections. I really dislike the mechanical GRX 2x I have. The hoods are too bulbous and the shifting is clunky to me.
I’ve got GRX Di2 on my Open UPPER, and the levers are by far my favorite I’ve ever used. The little hook feels great to hold onto, and the braking is so great, so much so that I am debating buying another set of them to throw onto my Allez. Absolutely recommend!
I’m about to build a gravel bike and I’m going 2x as I want the GRX levers, but GRX 1x doesn’t offer enough range yet. Plus I can reuse my Stages Power Meter with 105 or GRX crankset…
I originally thought they looked fugly but the more I look at them the more I like them and I’m sure they feel really good in your hands. I have Ultegra Di2 on the road bike and I love the hoods.
My 2018 SuperX Apex. I’m really surprised how solid the group set is. I bought the bike for the color scheme and wanted to throw a force 1 on but I never saw the need.
Wheels are Hope RS4 hubs on bontranger paradigm elite hoops. Stages Gen2 (could be better but hey…) on the left crank. Really happy with the bike. Love how it feels and rides and I enjoy every minute on it.
