Aznman

One of the main differences between cyclocross bicycles and other long distance bicycles is that the bottom brackets are higher off the ground and the chain-stays are shorter in a cyclocross frame.

What this leads to - and I've heard this in a consistent basis - is that the cyclocrosses are better for short, high maneuver biking but are not really good for endurance rides like gravel-grinders/road bikes are.

For those who did long touring with cyclocross bikes, what were your experiences? Do they contradict (entirely or somewhat) the common wisdom listed above?

J.Higgins 

Hmm...

I used to have a '97 Bianchi Volpe, which was Bianchi's (rather lame) attempt at a CX bike. I commuted with it every day, 17 miles each way. Its turned out to be a nice-handling and comfortable bike. I can't tell you what the BB height was, but I'm thinking that the Volpe was a better all-road-all-rounder than a straight-up CX for sure. I only carried a rear rack with a gym bag bungied to it, so for being loaded I can't say how it handled. Overall, it was a fast bike and had quick handling, but it did not look like the chainstays were overly short.

This isnt much, but I hope it helps you.

djb

Ive done long touring with a couple of bikes with higher bb's, a cross bike (ish) a Specialized Tricross, similar to the Volpe I believe, as well as a couple of mountain bikes with higher bb's--and I never once thought about how the bb height had any effect, so in my experience, it had no effect whatsoever.

now what IS more important is gearing, a true cross bike will not have gearing low enough for your average tour situation, ie the weight you will carry , and this WILL be a pain in the keester for you.

you won't give a rats patootee about the bb, but there's a very good chance the gearing will have your knees crying uncle and making things hard and uncomfortable for you. (my opinion of course)

if you have a specific bike in mind, let us know.

Tourist in MSN

I have never owned a pure cyclocross bike, but my expedition bike has a very high bottom bracket which does not bother me at all. On that bike, my pedals are a bit higher when I am off road, less likely to catch on stuff.

But for on pavement, there is no advantage to a high bottom bracket because you are usually coasting when you go around tight corners when on a bike tour so you are unlikely to scrape your pedal on the pavement with a lower bottom bracket. That said, I however have scrapped my pedals on pavement while cornering on lower-bottom-bracket bikes when riding around home - not touring.

I have three touring bikes, chainstay lengths are 445, 450 and 466mm. I find all work ok, but I use panniers what allow me to adjust my pannier hooks fore and aft.

manapua_man

I've gone touring with CX bikes before.

The only major problem I think OP might run into is fitting racks, but bikepacking gear is a thing and works pretty well if you plan on going light anyway. Some bikes like the CAADX have provisions for racks and fenders that more race-oriented bikes usually don't, though you can fit racks like the Axiom Streamliner.

Gearing isn't that big an issue IMHO. It's not that big a deal to get a deralier extender, larger cassette, or smaller chain ring(s) up front.

reppans

Pannier weight (distributed low and evenly) tends to have a stabilizing effect on most bikes. It's also just what you are used to - I ride a small-wheeled folder that makes my gravel bike feel like a truck... no problem doing long days on either.

fietsbob

Not a pure race CX bike , but most buy a bike which is basically a touring bike with a little lighter frame tubes.

Commuter bike , hybrid with drop bars , not really a competition cyclocross race bike ..which doesn't even have a bottle boss,

water bottles un needed for a 2 mile lap race that only lasts an hour at most...




.....

checoles

If you can bikepack on a cyclocross, you can tour on one.

Saying that, people tour on Unicycles, so go nuts.

Aznman

Thanks for the sharings! I probably won't go touring sometime in the near future since I still have a lot of building up to do.

However, at least I am now confident that the observation of cyclocrosses being the better all-around bicycles (when compared with gravel-grinders) is quite accurate.

fietsbob

Its just a bike , 'gravel grinders' are just a group ride on unpaved surfaces..

Tourist in MSN

I still am not really sure what a gravel grinder is, but I am assuming that a gravel grinder likely has more room for a wider tire.

fietsbob

If you are going on a tour on the bike you have, you are bike touring..

LeeG

Cyclocross bike is like a road bike with some geometry differences but neither one is designed for moderate load carrying if that's the kind of touring you're talking about. . Depending on your weight, the specific cross/GG/sport tour bike and wheels you might make a fine tourer out of it. The problem with making general statements about classes of bikes and uses is that a particular rider and load can make one bike less than optimum for touring while another rider and load with the same bike can be well suited for touring.

When I was young and light I did most of my fast touring on steel road bikes, less than 15 lbs load. Endurance was a function of my conditioning not the bike. One bike was a British road bike with lax cross like angles and low bb. One was an Italian road bike with steep angles and high bb. I rode with 28mm tires.

Now that I'm old and fat I have different bikes and posture on the bike but I'd say the Cross Check I have would make a great medium/light load touring bike but is not well suited to heavy rear loads at all. The CrossCheck would have been a much better touring bike than those racing bikes.

I also have a 26" wheeled LHT which can carry a heavy load but is surprisingly nimble with a heavy load.

LeeG

your general statement may be accurate but irrelevant when applied to specific bikes, rider, loads and roads.

tmac100

When all is said and done, you can tour with any bicycle... I read the story of a fellow riding a single speed across Australia S to N in the late 1800s.

A single speed! Over 100 years ago!

Get bicycling, and away from your keyboard...

pdlamb

FWIW, the year after my TransAm, I met a guy in my town with a (very nice) Surly Crosscheck and panniers. Turns out he'd just got back from his own cross-country trip. IIRC he'd built it up with good, low gears. He had a great trip!

robow

Personally I'm not sure if it's safe to tour on a cyclocross bike. For instance, I just finished a week of touring down in Arkansas on mine and couldn't sleep at night, since I was kept up worrying whether my bottom bracket drop was inadequate. Then silly me, I checked the specs online only to find that my cyclocross and a Surly LHT have exactly the same BB drop.
Whew, am I relieved.
Btw, the meth heads didn't get me either, so Squeezie you can't have my Ortliebs just yet. On the other hand I did stumble upon some of the finest pulled pork BBQ I've eaten in a long long time in the middle of nowhere ...Yum

. by robow 77

skimaxpower

My ~2010 Bianchi Volpe is a fine touring bike. Room for 35x700c tires plus fenders. Cushy ride. Chainstays are tight but provide adequate heel clearance.

waddo

As is often said, any bike is ok. I toured on a mountain bike. Now I have a LHT. What's the difference? Basically the handlebars.