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Road bike to cross bike conversion
Hi team. I'm doing a 70 mile ride in a few weeks where approx half of it will be along the thames bike path (gravel and bumpy) and the other half on road. I do have a full suspension mountain bike but it's not very light and hard work on the road. So was thinking of converting one of my old road bikes. So is there a massive difference between a cross and a road bike, I won't have any mud to contend with but do they have a different geometry or stronger components or can i just stick some nobbly tires on it?
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6 comments
as above, just fit the biggest rubber you can fit in the frame, i've ridden the Kew -> Weybridge section of the path and you'd be fine on fat road rubber, a bit jarred but fine, maybe find some tyres with a bit of puncture protection just in case
they're often a bit wider but road rims are getting wider too. they're not necessarily any stronger: fulcrum are using the same rim for the CX version of their new wheels as they're using for the road wheel.
cheers dave - will be breaking out the tyre levers
the main issue will be tyre clearance - you might not be able to fit big tyres in, simple as that. it's worth taking it along to your bike shop to see how big you can go. if you can squeeze a 28mm tyre in then you'll be fine on a towpath, no need for knobblies in my experience. even a tough 25mm tyre should be fine
is there any difference in the rims? Are cross rims tougher?
A big difference on a cross bike and road bike is going to be the braking system. Canti's v sidepulls mean a big difference. Although on the towpath that should not be an issue.