Time Flies

I’ve promised Part 2 of how I chose my Nashbar X Cyclocross frame and I want to go into the geometry and the theory behind how I sized the frame, but that will have to wait for now.  Since time is ticking by this fall and I am in the process of looking for a new job, getting things buttoned up for the winter around the house, and riding when I can… I just wanted to include a brief update for today.

Critz Kermis

I will be racing the Critz Kermis tomorrow at Critz Farm in Cazenovia.  This will be my first CX race and obviously I do not have my cheap cyclocross rig ready to go yet, so I’ll be humping my old Haro mountain bike around the course for 40 minutes in the Mens Open class.  Bummer, but it’s my current reality.

Parts List

I don’t have everything I need yet, but I will list what I have, sans details and pricing.  But all of this stuff was bought on the cheap from either Nashbar or Pricepoint:

• Nashbar X Aluminum Cyclocross Frame
• Nashbar Carbon Cyclocross fork (aluminum steerer)
• Cane Creek 40 Series headset
• Tektro front cable hanger
• Tektro seatpost clamp/cable hanger
• SetteVenn seatpost
• Raceface Cadence stem (120mm)
• Raceface Cadence bars (42cm)
• Vuelta Corsa HD wheelset
• FSA Gossamer Compact Road crankset w/BB (36/46)

Obviously there are many more components yet to source, but I’m still on track for meeting my sub-$900 criteria.  For the most part, I have the rest of the drivetrain figured out, but I’m up in the air on brakes still.  I’ll price these parts out and offer an explanation for my decisions in future posts.

My Cheap Cyclocross Frame: Part 1

One Word: Nashbar

Whenever I think of high quality bicycle parts at ridiculously low prices, my first thought is always Nashbar.  So Bike Nashbar was my starting point in researching frames and components, and I bought myself their self-branded Nashbar X Aluminum Cyclocross Frame.

Why Nashbar?

I have been buying parts from Nashbar for the better part of 15 years from their catalogs, online, and I have even been to their brick and mortar outlet store in Canfield, Ohio.  They have been selling high quality unbranded bicycle frames for many years.  I even have an aluminum hardtail MTB frame that I bought from them years ago (that I unfortunately have never built up, but that is another story).

Now that I’m done sounding like a commercial for Nashbar, let’s get to the frame.  As I mentioned before, I actually bought two frames.  One for me and one for my wife, but I will detail my frame.

Unpacking the Nashbar X Cyclocross Frame

I bought the $99 Nashbar X Cyclocross frame in size small (more on sizing in Part 2).  The box says Made in Taiwan, and as is the case for most bike frames, it’s probably made in the same factory and assembly line as many other name brand bicycles.  It was well packed in a thick cardboard box.  The frame itself was bubble-wrapped, but all possible contact points were protected with extra foam padding taped and zip-tied into place.  The rear derailleur hanger, cable guides, and other pieces were packed in a separate plastic bag taped to the frame.  Brake posts were also well protected with plastic caps.

Inspecting the Nashbar X Cyclocross Frame

After unwrapping the frame, I looked it over and found no scuffs or scratches.  The Nashbar X Cyclocross frames come in a standard solid flat black paint job with a (cheesy) ‘X’ decal on the steering head (I will be removing that).

The head tube and bottom bracket were both clean and free of paint.  Both have a nice clean machined surface on the flats.  I haven’t measured either tube for squareness (flat, edge to edge around the diameter), but I will trust that they are sufficiently square enough to directly install the headset and bottom bracket (BB) bearings without compromising bearing contact or preload. 

I will note that the threads on the bottom bracket did have some chips left in them from machining.  I carefully cleared them by hand with a cloth and paint thinner.  The chips could’ve been flushed out better from the factory, but the threads all look good and I don’t foresee any problems with threading in the BB bearings.  Really, it’s just a minor inconvenience.  For an otherwise beautiful frame (for only $99!) I cannot complain at all.

In Part 2, I’ll go into more detail on the Nashbar X Cyclocross frame and I will elaborate on my sizing and geometry considerations.  Stay tuned.I

-Chris