Check out my new CX build.
Soma Double Cross frame, Shimano 105 Black groupset, Paul brakes, Deep Vs, Salsa Bell Lap bars, Salsa cross levers, Thomson post & stem, WTB Shadow V saddle, Conti Speed King tyres, and a shitload of fun to ride.
Click the picture for a big version!
Nice ride Sekt - love the colourway.
I am going to have to start a CX sub-folder in my bike pron folder.
Fantastic Sekt!
I have been dreaming about building a CX bike… when I get back from OS I think.
Great colour-combo too!
The venerable coloured Deep-V?
Cheers guys. Definitely recommend adding a cx bike to the stable. This one’s also filling the role of long distance roadie as well as tourer. It’s a bit sluggish on the black stuff, but comes alive with a bit of gravel under the tyres.
I love the colours but I’m actually thinking about changing the wheelset. The Deep Vs are pretty heavy (I used them 'cause I’ve been wanting to do a wheel build with some pretty colours, haha) and some Open Pros and lighter tyres could drop almost half a kilo off it. Makes a big difference when it’s rotating weight, especially when I’m used to the acceleration of the track bike.
That’s something I’ve always wondered- how does a CX bike perform as a roadie? The BB is higher isn’t it, so I imagine the ride isn’t as stable as a road-road bike.
Does the Soma have pannier capabilities for touring?
I’ve never done any solid riding on a ‘proper’ roadie, so it’s difficult to compare the two. The BB is higher, but the wheelbase is a little longer as well.
The Double Cross is set up for panniers and fenders, and I made sure to get a fork that has fender mounts. Touring has definitely been a consideration. It kinda had to be really, not a whole lot of point in having a pure CX race machine in Hobart. Although we do have a Santa Cruz Stigmata hanging in the shop at the moment, which is sexy as all hell. And I’m continuing to spread the word that Tasmania is the new Belgium.
I actually got excited last night because I got to ride it home in the rain and mud. I arrived soaked and dirty but grinning like an idiot.
i just made some sex wee
thats hot I have had 3 cross bikes none of them were that good, nice work.
it depends on the CX bike. many modern builders are now dropping the bb below ‘roadie’ standards to achieve more stability in the wet/rough stuff.
the higher bb was primarily for when riders used clips and straps and the extra clearance was helpful after remounts. bunnyhops werent really prevalent (and still arent in the bigger scheme). the extra pedal clearance can be useful, but it depends more on your riding ability. having a bigger bb drop does mean easier remounts as you dont have to jump as high to get on the saddle.
its a point of some debate in the CX community (like correct CX bike sizing).
i find the longer wheelbase to be the biggest difference, but seeing as i rarely ride anything less than 28s on mine (and my alu roadie has 23-26s) a real comparison becomes kind of pointless.
i highly recommend CX bikes for a multiuse bike, pity the availability of new/used stock here in australia is thin at best. you can drive them over cobblestones/dirt and then race them on tarmac. ive found them to be an ‘easier’ bike to ride on a daily basis and the extra clearance does scream ‘fenders’ come winter.
and i agree with sekt - when you get it offroad and on easy singletrack/gravel the thing just lights up.
Any excuse to repost this photo:
Sekt: V.Nice build. It’ll be a fine tourer. If you were really keen, you could get a higher offset / lower trail fork with lowrider mounts and swap it in to tour with front panniers. (Surly fork would likely do the trick, or perhaps you could convince Soma to sell you a fork from the C’Mute, it’ll match your rims/tape too). This will avoid any heel strike due to the shorter chainstays, and balance your load better on the bike.
love it. can you please take a pic that isn’t in front of a green cyclone fence though?
two of my mates have Salsa La Cruzs, they swear by them - fav bikes in the stable.
v. nice
I’ve never thought of CX bikes as something for weight weenies…
great looking bike 
Neither did I until I started reading more about people were doing to their CX bikes.
I always thought CX bikes would be built with strong components because of the terrain they race on.
Weight reduction is really high on a lot of riders lists - they must have weak shoulders…
its a fair point, but if you pick your bike up enough times and you begin to wish it was even a few grams lighter 
also remember that all top riders run a pit or ‘B’ bike so if something starts to go wrong they can just swap bikes and get it repaired mid-race by their trusty mechanic.
so you need tough, light parts… :roll:
BSNYC is onto it: :evil:
there is little doubt that cyclocross has entered the consciousness of the trendy cyclist. Really, any form of cycling of which there are pictures from the 1970s containing people in hairnets, wool jerseys, and sideburns is going to capture the trendy imagination. (“Hipsters” don’t like mountain bikes because the discipline was not yet fully formed aesthetically in the '70s.) Right now we’re in the phase where most “hipsters” will state their intention to try cyclocross, but won’t actually do it, preferring instead to incorporate the word into existing forms of “hipster” cycling (such as in this “urban fixlocross” race, whatever the hell that means) or else to simply look at the bikes and pretend to understand them, just as they did with the word “track” five years ago. We’re also on the cusp of the next phase, which is the “add a 'cross bike to your stable phase.” The “hipster” cross bike slots in neatly between the track bike and the vintage road bike, and it’s also completely tarred and feathered in a way that only a “hipster” can manage.
Haha yeah, great timing with that one.
As for the weight weenie stuff… Cross is similar enough to road racing that it makes a big difference. It’s all weight that has to be pushed up to speed, so lighter wheels and tyres make a big difference. Look at a few cx photos and you’re sure to spot a few Zipps on the pro bikes. Jumping on the CX bike after my (relatively) light track bike, the wheels feel like a couple of lead weights. Swapping over to some Mavic Open Pros and lighter tyres will drop almost half a kilo off the overall weight of the bike, and that’s a huge difference when it’s being taken off the wheels.
So yeah, that’s my reasoning behind it!
I took the bike out on the regular wednesday mountain bike group ride tonight. Three hours of climbing steep rocking fire trails, fumbling through tight single track and descending off camber slopes was definitely interesting. Not the ideal terrain for it by any means, but it was good fun, and I appreciated the skinny tyres on the long ride home. Three hours in the saddle has left me stuffed though, definitely gotta get over the winter slump!
Try DTSwiss 1.2s… good compromise on the weight and suitably strong.
How do you find the contis? i’m running vittoria cross xgs and once you get the pressure right (lower is better) they are amazing on softpacked singeltrack
Sekt, that is awesome. After the enjoying the shit out of the Ghettocross im forming plans for a "regular’’ cross bike right now. In regards to tyres I’d highly recomend the ritchey speedmax cross
http://www.ritcheylogic.com/dyn_prodfamily.php?k=98784
The close tread pattern down the middle helps it roll quite nicely on tarmac just be ready for the buzz when you lean them over. Prob not the gratest on mud but really how much of that do we have?
Jeremy
Nice build Misha - I run the same tires on my ss cross bike and thought they were pretty good on the commute and for the psychocross race.
SW
The Contis are heavy but really good apart from that. I put in three hours with the wednesday mtb group last night and they held up really well. I’m running pretty high pressure (probably around 65 last night) and managed to make it up some super steep fire trails covered in gnarly sharp rocks. No pinch flats (thank god), and the traction was spot on. The singletrack stuff was pretty rough and they avoided washing out on all but the loosest sections.
The Vittoria Cross XGs are actually the next on my list to try out. The weight is good and the tread looks pretty nice too. We have a lot of rocks down here so I’ll have to see how a lighter tyre holds up. Ideally, I’d like to avoid riding too much stuff with sharp rocks, it’s not as fun as the smooth stuff.
I’m a Mavic man til the bitter end, so the Open Pros are the rim of choice.
Valo: The Ritchey’s look good, but in in Hobart and they’re not ideal for the terrain down here. Centre tread traction is pretty vital given the steep and loose nature of a lot of the roads, tracks and trails around here.