Whyte Kings Cross

Update to the above:
Thought I'd come back as this is the top google hit for the bike, have owned it for 18months or so now.
I've just spent £30 replacing the chain and rear dérailleur after the rear mech hanger snapped for no apparent reason.
It (again) bent the rear wheel which I've now trued countless times, and I weigh only 66kg - that just shouldn't happen!
And finally, as part of the repair process, I took the saddle off and somehow managed to sheer the seat-post clamp bolt thread! WTF!?
Overall, my comments above stand, I actually quite like this bike. But if you're a high mileage user, and particularly if its a winter training bike, then look elsewhere: the fundamentals are strong but Whyte cut too many corners on part quality, it adds up to a frustrating long-term ownership experience.

The main points of this review (geometry and value) are incorrect. The geometry is perfect for weaving in and out of traffic, and the cross brakes with double leavers help further - they've saved me more than once! Also, there's no bike at the same price point offering significantly better speck.

However... its certainly not perfect.
Tyres - they puncture frequently. To the extent that i've now spent £44 replacing them. Why on earth were such thin and flimsy tyres equiped on a high mileage fast commuter?
Brakes - as stated in the review, they're really not up to much. My single speed fitted with value rim breaks is better...

Otherwise its excellent, i use it for commuting and as a winter trainer and its taken me well over 2k miles in the last 9 months with no issues (other than mentioned above). However, in retrospect i wish i'd bought its more expensive sister bike the Charring Cross which comes with better brakes and a more comfortable carbon fork.

Simon

Thanks - I guess I wasn't focused enough in my criticism so it came over as unreasonable. My underlying issue really was with the review of the Cotic X, which despite what Dave said about the reviewer and Cotic's blurb, didn't reflect on a what I find to be a pretty good bike. Others do too (See Cyclist no1 review). Ok it probably wouldn't be the choice for a very serious cross racer but as a "sporty" utility bike it seems to do pretty well. I would race it if I didn't find everything to do with road bike racing in the South West utterly impenetrable and terrifying. Would be good for the HONC?

Well so far so good with my Tektro's - BB7s clearly are a better brake than either and maybe I should have stumped up an extra £40, but given what I've seen on websites, and what the guys at the LBS said there's not much between Lyra's and BB5's - they seem to suffer from different faults but both have weaknesses.

Honestly Dave, Dave wasn't giving you the hairdryer treatment, we do often respond to commments in reviews - the comment section is there for everyone to comment, even us. And we do take on board what people say. On bike snobbery, not just us, but I'd say the majority of bike journalists are brand neutral - as to what we test, well that partly comes down to what people will give us, as for what we say - well some top end bikes really are good value when you consider the work that goes in to them, while some lower end bikes aren't… and of course vice versa.

Just to add my two penn'orth on the brake question - I bought some Tektro Lyras for my Roadrat and found them a real fiddle to set up and to keep properly adjusted - the pads wore really fast too. Final straw came when I was going coming in to a corner off a descent on a wet commute in to work and I suddenly realised that a few months in they were probably worse than the V-brakes that I'd decided to replace in exactly the same spot on a rainy day a few months before. So I bought a set of Avid BB7s, transformed the braking performance superb brakes for a commuter bike.

Of course you are, its just that I wasn't really expecting the hair dryer treatment on my comments and felt a bit bruised - maybe I'm being over sensitive but I've been reading Road CC for a few years now and I haven't really seen a response like this from you. Maybe that's just my perception as I can't say I've read everyone of your posts.

If you'd have asked why I thought what I did then that may have helped.

Sorry that my comments seem to have caused offense but it was based on my experiance and perception. I haven't seen all reviews on the website but the ones I've read recently were what I based my opinion on. Maybe I'm just an idiot that knows nothing, as I'm not a professional cyclist or jounalist but I think I know what I like and what worked for me. I am dyslexic so maybe my english was just clumsy.

I thought I'd try to share my view as thats what I thought the idea of Road CC was. If that's offended anyone I'm sorry and won't bother posting again. (I did like your Jamis review by the way)

I've got Lyras brakes and a Sora GS on my Cotic X (another utility crosser Road CC seemed to dislike)and they seem to be extremely competent in doing the two things they have to do - changing gear and stopping me! I had the Lyras recommended to me as they are lighter than BB5s, work better and have a prettier disc rotor!

OK I've never ridden or even seen this bike, so I can't really judge on the rest of the review but I can virtually guarantee that any review of a bike on Road CC with Sora kit will be a bad one. Whilst the changes are sometimes pretty clunky it does what it should do and doesn't F*ck up unlike some of the more expensive and "reliable" GS further up the food chain. I've never got my head round the hatred off the thumb changers and the "difficulty of changing from the drops" - no one seems to find this an issue with Campag!

For the record I love my Cotic, reminds me of when I first started mountain biking with a steel rock hopper with stiff forks. Whilst I guess some new crossers may stink as there's now a lot of them about, there seems to be a bit of a general backlash in the press against utility cross bikes at the moment, especially those from smaller producers - Very glad I wasn't put off by the Road CC review. I do really like Road CC but I’ve been a bit disappointed that some of the more recent reviews as they are starting to drift towards bike snobbery. My impression was not helped when I met a reviewer who thought Mavic Ksyriums were "pretty agricultural" when the most expensive wheels I've ever owned were Aksiums.

That’s said Dave A’s review of the Jamis Quest was pretty accurate (bnt I’ve got one of them too and he liked it!).

Tried one of these when they visited On Your Bike and found the steering so slow and unresponsive. When I gave my feedback, they said that's what the user would want!

"even compared to the not-exactly-aggressive Specialized Tricross that I swapped for the commute"

That's a very relaxed Cyclocross bike! I've ridden both a Focus Mares cross bike and the Tricross, and the difference in handling is huge. That's not to say one is bad, they are just very, very different. I have to say I can't imagine someone would want a Cyclocross style bike that is even more relaxed than a Tricross.

As a note on value, my Mares was £850 two years ago and came with mostly 105 (except cranks) group.