Setting up a crosser?
- Thread starter john
- Start date
Go with saddle a touch lower than on road bike and if possible bars a little higher as you want to be able to brake comfortably from the drops - in fact you might want to spend quite a bit of time in the drops in general (don't think that suicide levesr are the answer either :evil: ).
Oh, and goes without saying that you want lower gears although a 53t ring offroad would be proper big boy 'core.
Oh, and goes without saying that you want lower gears although a 53t ring offroad would be proper big boy 'core.
As said above, the gearing will be a bit more off road than road ratios - I use a 12-27 cassette and 39/48 rings.
I run my bars and saddle height the same from road bike to cross bike, the right position is always the right position. I guess it depends if it's for racing or you want a little more cruising comfort though.
I'd recommend having the levers slightly higher on the bars than on the road bike though, for a bit better control when riding on the hoods - which you will probably end up doing a lot.
I run my bars and saddle height the same from road bike to cross bike, the right position is always the right position. I guess it depends if it's for racing or you want a little more cruising comfort though.
I'd recommend having the levers slightly higher on the bars than on the road bike though, for a bit better control when riding on the hoods - which you will probably end up doing a lot.
cross bike set up
always use a stem a 1/2 cm or even 1 cm shorter than your road one, so that you are sat further back over the back wheel. you cannot set the saddle height with reference to a road bike, as the soles of cross shoes are twice as thick as road ones so if anything the saddle is higher. also the height of the handle bars should not be set up with reference to a road bike, as the front forks are longer on a cross bike. use any reference from the top of the saddle and measure down to the top of the bars.
mark the seat post and stem with tape and then spend time moving things up down back and forward till you get comfortable, its a black art and I still have the same measurements from the 70's, hope this helps.
always use a stem a 1/2 cm or even 1 cm shorter than your road one, so that you are sat further back over the back wheel. you cannot set the saddle height with reference to a road bike, as the soles of cross shoes are twice as thick as road ones so if anything the saddle is higher. also the height of the handle bars should not be set up with reference to a road bike, as the front forks are longer on a cross bike. use any reference from the top of the saddle and measure down to the top of the bars.
mark the seat post and stem with tape and then spend time moving things up down back and forward till you get comfortable, its a black art and I still have the same measurements from the 70's, hope this helps.
