bkwentz

I am looking to consolidate my bike collection a bit. I have moved from a largish home in the midwest, with countless trails and paved county roads to enjoy on all sorts of bikes, to a tiny closet in Philly. I no longer have an entire room to devote to storing bikes and misc accessories. I have already ditched my hard tail mountain bike and am in the process of selling my older, too small, Kona Kapu.

So I am looking to get a decent cross bike on the cheap. I currently have a Bianchi Castro Valley(changed the wheels and ditched the generator hub) which I love, but as a 1x9, it is not well suited to faster road use. It also does not have the cable guides to make it a double up front.

I've been watching craigslist and Ebay, but to no avail(I ride a 34inch stand over comfortably. It seems that size bike appears for sale less often). I would like to keep the price below $1k, closer to $800 if possible. Where is the best bargain in this market? I can wrench, so cleaning up and upgrading a few year old bike is doable. I am willing to spend a little bit more if the increase in quality justifies it, but I don't count grams and I don't win races. I intend to use this bike for commuting and recreational riding(road and trail), and if time permits, I would love to try my hand(legs?) at cyclocross racing.

Currently I am most interested in the Windsor Cyclo from BD. Seems like the best components list for the price. I am planning to swap things, wheels, saddle and such fairly quickly, but figure it will work for now. I realize they are heavier than some other options, but a few pounds hardly matters when you are a 200lb recreational cyclist.

Does that seem like a reasonable bike to get, or should I just deal with the 1x9 on a bike I already like? Is that money better spent elsewhere? Also, is a frame with disc mounts something I should be looking at or are they unnecessary?

knobster

Don't think you'd find a better price on a bike than BD. The Motobecane and Windsor are decent bikes from what I've heard. You say you can wrench so you have that base covered. I think for road riding, you'll definitely miss the second chainring in the front. You may even miss having a standard double if the rides are really fast. I wouldn't worry about disc brakes though, but I wouldn't pass them up either. I'd love to get something like that BD Moto Ti framed Outlaw with discs or a Lemond Pomprad disc. Both sweet bikes.

RT

I did 25 miles today on my 1x9 crosser with a 44t front, 11/26 in the back. Aside from long descents, I don't need more than 44t, but would want no less. 48t would be nice, but that would make ascension much more difficult. New bikes are very seductive, so when I'm in the mood to shop for bikes I just go ride my 1x9

How big is the ring on your bike?

Translation: Stick with what you've got, maybe upgrade the wheels or just the tires for adaption to road.

bkwentz

I am currently using a 42 11/26. It is great off road. For tooling around town it is fine. For long flats or any downhill pavement it is a bit too slow. In Kansas, not having a double would be silly. Here in PA, it seems a bit more doable.
That said, I am certain a new bike is a solution in search of a problem. I've just got to find that problem.