Some More Details

Intent Revisited

To continue where I left off on my first post, I’m building two bikes with an eye towards a third... 

The first machine (which this blog is really about) will be my cyclocross bike that I intend to race this season.   This bike will also serve as a training and off-road ride throughout the year.

The second bike will be an all-purpose urban assault vehicle of sorts, based on a cyclocross frame with flat bars and disc brakes for my wife.  The third bike is my dream cyclocross rig (Ridley X-Fire) which really won’t present itself much in this blog other than errant ramblings on how much I lust for one.

Dissection of My Cheap CX Bike

So, I’m building a cheap cyclocross bike.  The word ‘cheap’ is being relegated to the final build cost and should not reflect the overall quality of the bike build (think: inexpensive, affordable, and reliable).  I will include the caveat that some components will likely be a compromise, but I will only make sacrifices on parts which are easily replaced later on (i.e. stem, seat post, brakes, and wheels).  I will avoid compromising on parts which are really keys to the reliability and performance of the bike (i.e. drivetrain, headset, shifters/brake levers).

Cyclocross Bike Targets

My intention is for the finished bike to meet the following criteria:

-         Built from all new components

-         Uses a modern 2x10 drivetrain

-         Easily built with basic bike tools

-         Weighs under 23 pounds

-         Total cost of $900 or less

The first three are a given, but I’ll be happy if I am within 10% of meeting the bottom two criteria.  Next post is the frame I have chosen, how I determined a size, and why I bought what I did.  Yes, I have already bought it and will reveal all next time.  Stay tuned.

-Chris

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My Cheap Cyclocross Bike

Welcome to My Cheap Cyclocross Bike blog.  The title gives you a hint at what you are about to be subjected to reading.  I will be building a high quality cyclocross bike built with new parts for as little cash outlay as possible, and I will document everything I do right here.  I will go through my decision making process for everything I buy.  I will show you how I source what parts and from where.  I will also show you my actual costs including taxes and shipping where applicable.

Why Am I Doing This?!
To put it simply, because I barely have a budget and I want the best possible 'crosser for the money.   I could go out and buy a pretty cheap, complete cyclocross bike like a Motobecane, Nashbar's CX, or I could convert an older used road bike, but that's not what I want.  The reason I am not doing that is because I just don't see the long term value in those econo-built bikes and I believe that I can build my own modern bike for similar cost, but with much higher quality components.  Really, I have nothing against those other budget bikes, but it's not the path I'm pedaling right now.

Goals
I really want a Ridley X-Fire.  But right now, that is not going to happen.  My budget is about half of what a X-Fire frameset alone costs.  My target is to build the complete bike for $900 or less and have it built in time for the Syracuse Grand Prix Cross on October 16, 2011.  If I can't get it together within this 2 month window I'll have to resort to racing my ancient hardtail Haro MTB.  I really want to avoid that.

Some Further Explanation
I have a secondary reason for building my own bike rather than buying one off the shelf.  Building my own bike allows me to pick components that I can eventually migrate to a better bike down the road.  For example:  I might choose a very cheap shifter/brake set for now but also buy an expensive brake set like Avid's Shorty Ultimate.  When I can finally swing that X-Fire frameset, I can stick the Shorty Ultimate brakes onto that build.

The thought here being that some components will stay with the cheap bike and become a backup/training rig to complement my (eventual) Ridley.  I will go into more detail later on, but I am actually building two CX bikes right now, with an eye towards a third dream bike later on.  To understand more of what I am doing, you'll have to read the next post!

-Chris