# Cyclocross bikes - let's see them!



## kuna (Feb 25, 2005)

Now that cyclocross season is here, I wondered if anyone out there might want to share pictures of their vintage cyclocross bikes...


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

I'm not sure that this qualifies as vintage, but oh well. This is one of the later Bontrager CX bikes (probably around '96 or so).


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

This really isnt a cross bike but I certinally could use it for that. '92 Bianchi Project 5, lugged Tange Ultimate tubbing, 72/73 angles, all XT build with WTB dirt drops and 8 speed bar end shifters. There is room for 50mm tires! One of my favorite rides. Call it a 28'er


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## rutteger (May 6, 2005)

Two sweet 'crossers.

The salsa stem on that bianchi makes me feel a little dizzy though 

Here's one you might be interested in. Not mine but sold recently at a cycle jumble in the UK.










Klein cross bike. Reckon it's probably an adept with drops on. Not sure as Klein ever did a pukka 'crosser.


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Salsa P10 stem !!!! Setting up dirt drops is way different that normal road drop bars. It may look odd but the fit is perfect to be in the drops 100% of the time. There are past threads on this forum about setting up dirt drops.


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## rutteger (May 6, 2005)

kb11 said:


> Salsa P10 stem !!!! Setting up dirt drops is way different that normal road drop bars. It may look odd but the fit is perfect to be in the drops 100% of the time. There are past threads on this forum about setting up dirt drops.


I'm not knocking it.....


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

It is indeed an odd looking setup. The most common error in setting up dirt drops is not getting a high enough stem. Salsa is the only one who made one that works that I know of, besides the rare Potts and C'ham stem.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

kb11 said:


> It is indeed an odd looking setup. The most common error in setting up dirt drops is not getting a high enough stem. Salsa is the only one who made one that works that I know of, besides the rare Potts and C'ham stem.


There's quite a few others that made them as well. Nitto comes to mind:
http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/handlebars_stems_tape/16007.html

I prefer the look of this style to the high-rise Salsa. (assuming you have a threaded headset)


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## jts628 (Apr 6, 2004)

It's still hard for me to think of any bike with ergo or sti as "vintage," but I suppose 8 spd, Campy OR, and a threaded HS all qualify these days. Set up in summer road trim, but knobbies go on this weekend.


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## Lutarious (Feb 8, 2005)

*MMMmmmmm....*



laffeaux said:


> I'm not sure that this qualifies as vintage, but oh well. This is one of the later Bontrager CX bikes (probably around '96 or so).


How big is this thing of beauty, and when can I buy it from you?


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Make him an offer he cant refuse


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Lutarious said:


> How big is this thing of beauty, and when can I buy it from you?


It's a Bontrager "large", which gives it about a 58cm top tube. I bought it with commuting in mind (my old commute route in the bay area was 1/2 paved and 1/2 dirt), but my new commute is all paved. As a result it sees more winter miles on my trainer than it does anything. 

I have a newer Rtchey CX that I use at the CX races. That bikes sees a lot more miles.

P.S. There's a certain web site that specializes in auctions that currently has the exact same frame in "medium" (57.2cm top tube) listed. It has the Steelman fork option also (just like mine).


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## 95bonty (Oct 6, 2004)

*please don't post that Bonty cross pic again*

...I had a small CX identical to Laffeaux's...and i sold it, worst mistake I ever made.


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## floibex (Feb 7, 2004)

... bontrager cx, sometime I will have one.
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another example of "typical" bontrager  
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uuuuhhhh! classic double seat stays, fillets, some lugs  

chris it's your turn!

ciao
flo


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

floibex said:


> uuuuhhhh! classic double seat stays, fillets, some lugs


That's a nice one! Much earlier than mine.


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## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*Salsa Stems: Mandatory?*

Just curious 

Here's my Alan. The frame is plenty vintage...'84 I think. It's built with a mix of vintage and semi-vintage Campagnolo parts.
I'm pretty sure I've logged more trail miles on this than the rest of my MTB's put together over the last 2 seasons.
Skinny tires+ high pressure+semi-rigid frame = a lot of fun!


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## Lutarious (Feb 8, 2005)

*Where did you find that bike?*

I think I used to own that exact frame. It's like 60 cm or bigger, yes?


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## GonaSovereign (Sep 20, 2004)

laffeaux said:


>


You win. That bike is amazing. I rue the day I said no to a medium ~95 Bonty CX.
What's the biggest tire you can run in the back?


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

GonaSovereign said:


> What's the biggest tire you can run in the back?


That's the Achilles Heal of the bike. A 32mm tire is really the limit. If the wheel is complete true and you don't ride in mud, a 35mm would likely barely fit. I tried 38mm tires, but the knobs drag. 

For a race bike 32mm is fine, but on trails a little wider would be nice.


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## GaryHill (Jan 22, 2005)

Here's my Bonty, looking rather similar to Laffeaux's:










Lovely ride despite being a little big for me, unfortunately I'd barely had it for a year when it died on the very last mile of a 100 mile epic:










So now its hanging in the garage whilst I wonder about bodged repairs.


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## holden (Jul 27, 2004)

*Lower seat tube shear*

Was that common on Bonty's?

There was a Race on ebay where the owner mentioned Race Lites having BB shell related failures (close to the damage above).


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

holden said:


> Was that common on Bonty's?
> 
> There was a Race on ebay where the owner mentioned Race Lites having BB shell related failures (close to the damage above).


Ouch!! The bike looks great in the first pic anyway. 

I just checked mine. No cracks/breaks there yet. I don't know if it's common or not, but mine is still structurally sound.


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## RobynC (Feb 14, 2004)

1996 Rock Lobster "aragosta verdi." This is really more of a cross/touring bike. Tange Prestige. I know the geometry may look a bit weird, but the bike fits me perfectly. This is is a one-off, totally custom frame and not part of the "regular" production run. This is the first frame made by Paul Sadoff in 1996. The project will be complete when the whole thing is green!


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## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

*It is all about the salsa stem*

Unsure of the year Kelly Cross, with a 1" threaded Kelly fork
Mix and match of retro and new, including

Titus mountain cranks, circa 95
XTR Cantis, circa 95
McMahon Ti post, circa 98
Campy brake levers, unsure of year, but they can be run aero (as the are) or non aero, and have a lever throw adjuster in the slot on the front of the lever
Salsa Stem, of course, NOS
New Shimano Wheels (a trade, not my first choice), Ritchey tires, XTR derails, dura ace 9 speed thumbies, On-one Midge bars.

Currently out on loan to a friend for commuting purposes, should have been returned since the cross season is already upon us. Probably I'll be swapping some vintage Topline cranks for the AC's, just cause.

Maybe a better pic if I ever get the darn thing back.


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## bestmtb (Oct 19, 2004)

*Mountain Goat Route 66*

This is my baby!!!


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

bestmtb said:


> This is my baby!!!


VV, when did you get that!?


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## pisgahproductions (Jan 25, 2004)

I'm really suprised by all the Salsa stems! I have one, too. I'll post a pic of my 97 lugged Torelli with Salsa, soon.
~E


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

*My RockCombo.Does this count?*

No skinny tires on this one.I found a Salsa stem recently,like the stems on the Kelly and Rock Lobster shown here and I'll be installing it on my bike. Back in 1987,I fitted some wide cross tires on my Scwinn Madison track bike and gave it a spin on my high school's dirt oval.It worked great with the fixed gear and no brakes but the second I hit a bump...whoa,clearance problems big time.Fun!


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## HoSS (Dec 24, 2003)

WooHoo, here's mine. It's a tad unfinished but I'll fix that soon enough.  Anyone want to buy a Cross Check?


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## GaryHill (Jan 22, 2005)

laffeaux said:


> Ouch!! The bike looks great in the first pic anyway.
> 
> I just checked mine. No cracks/breaks there yet. I don't know if it's common or not, but mine is still structurally sound.


It looks on mine as though it may have originally had a roller for the front mech that was subsequently ground off by a previous owner so I think there's some fatigue or other damage relating to that which caused my problem


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## vdubbusrider (Jul 28, 2004)

*quite a few bontragers on this thread.*

you certainly cant say Bontragers are rare huh 

since taking these photos my Bonty now has nicer wheels and grafton CX cranks.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

GaryHill said:


> It looks on mine as though it may have originally had a roller for the front mech that was subsequently ground off by a previous owner so I think there's some fatigue or other damage relating to that which caused my problem


Bummer. My pulley mount is located just below where the brake in your tube is.


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## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Not necessarily vintage, made in late '96. Thought I should continue the Salsa stem theme though. What is vintage and highly sought after by a few WTB freaks is the 1" WTB cable hanger nestled within the headset


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## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Dang, almost forgot I've got this old beast. I made the frame and fork - lugged with a set of Tange #2 tubing - at the bike shop I used to work at in '90. It originally had a set of TA cranks on it - which now that I think about it, need to go back on.

Campy aero rims w/ old Specialized sealed bearing hubs
Suntour XC Pro cantis and rear derailleur
Suntour indexed barcons
Ibis drop bars with Specialized stem
Stonglight roller bearing headset
Suntour XC seat post with Turbomatic seat

I couldn't afford a Bontrager at the time and thought "what the hell" I'll just make my own. The crowning touch on the frame is the seat stay caps which are Masi-esque. Brian Baylis (he used to work at Masi's frame building shop in Carlsbad, CA) came to the shop one day when it was parked out back and asked if that checkered cross bike out back was a Masi. Obviously, he didn't look _that_ close at it


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## sylvain (Mar 19, 2004)

Yeti's Seth "Bubba" 's crosser:










Top guy - races the bike too.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Very cool bike Mike. I'd like to make my own some day.

How many people hailed you down for a cab ride when you were on that thing?


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Eric, your buddy Ed Litton has some Tange Prestige tubesets that you can build up


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## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

laffeaux said:


> Very cool bike Mike. I'd like to make my own some day.
> 
> How many people hailed you down for a cab ride when you were on that thing?


Thanks. No one. Most people were too repulsed by the yellow and black checks.

Hey Ken, I know where you can get these decal panels for your urban project


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

That would look cool on an Urban Tandem


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## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

kb11 said:


> That would look cool on an Urban Tandem


Uber urban tandem


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Hey, I didnt know you were a torch wielding brass melter. 

Looks nice. Are those 20" wheels?

Oh, hey I know a shop down near you where you can get more of that yellow and black checker tape. PM me for info.


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## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Hey, I didnt know you were a torch wielding brass melter.
> 
> Looks nice. Are those 20" wheels?
> 
> Oh, hey I know a shop down near you where you can get more of that yellow and black checker tape. PM me for info.


LOL - 650c - tough to find cross tires though  We did use our fair share of those checkers. Brass melter - you betcha! It's amazing what a nice powder coat finish will do - and yellow/black checkers to draw the eye away from the lugs


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## OFSFrank (Feb 29, 2004)

My Waterford X-11 in blue flame. King 1" threadless headset. Paul 130mm track hubs, Velocity Aeroheats w/ DT spokes. Thomson post, Salsa stem, Salsa bar, Avid shortys w/ Shimano 2finger Canti levers. Kenda skins, and some doggy Sugino cranks till I stumble across something worth buying.


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## scholzj (Feb 27, 2005)

Here is mine and my roommate's bike. Mine is a miyata quickcross (bright green) and his is an older miyata (dark green). My bike has a hodge podge of componenets including an ond dura ace rear derailer and a 600 front. It has a truvative hossfelt crank and avid shorty 6 brakes. I love the frame, it is accually half aluminum and half steel.


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

HoSS said:


> WooHoo, here's mine. It's a tad unfinished but I'll fix that soon enough.  Anyone want to buy a Cross Check?


You punk, I was bidding on that too.


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## OldManBreezer (May 2, 2004)

sylvain:

Have you any more pictures of that beautiful Yeti - Seth "Bubba" 's crosser? cause I think im in love!


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## jpo (Jan 15, 2004)

Here is my beloved screwed and glued aluminum Alan. Set up as with a single ring with 8 in the back. In picture it has road tires on it. 

John


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## fishy (Jan 2, 2004)

*Not strictly retro, but it is lugged steel and looks retro. ;-)*

Waterford X-22, XTR M900 cantis, Ultegra drivetrain, Wound-up fork. Reynolds steel.

EDIT: Eww... sorry for the pic display. Not sure how to position it correctly. I just uploaded them and they turned out like that. Can someone help?


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## moonter (Oct 14, 2004)

fishy said:


> Waterford X-22, XTR M900 cantis, Ultegra drivetrain, Wound-up fork. Reynolds steel.


That is stunning. One of the nicest looking bikes I've seen posted on here. Congratulations.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

*Man,that is a hot bike!*



fishy said:


> Waterford X-22, XTR M900 cantis, Ultegra drivetrain, Wound-up fork. Reynolds steel.
> 
> EDIT: Eww... sorry for the pic display. Not sure how to position it correctly. I just uploaded them and they turned out like that. Can someone help?


I guess I need to buy a real cyclo-cross bike after seeing all these sweet thangs displayed here.


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## kuna (Feb 25, 2005)

*Thanks for sharing*

Sweet listing of bikes, but was also hoping to see the very rare (does it exist?) Chris Cross from Fat City Cycles. I have seen it in a catalog, but that is about it.


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## EL_MATADOR (May 7, 2004)

HoSS said:


> WooHoo, here's mine. It's a tad unfinished but I'll fix that soon enough.  Anyone want to buy a Cross Check?


Are you serious about selling the Cross Check? If so, next question - is it still available?
And if so, what size? Can you e-mail me?
Thanks. EL_MATADOR


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## HoSS (Dec 24, 2003)

Yep, it's still available. Check your IM.


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## ACM_HH (4 mo ago)

fishy said:


> *Not strictly retro, but it is lugged steel and looks retro. ;-)*
> 
> Waterford X-22, XTR M900 cantis, Ultegra drivetrain, Wound-up fork. Reynolds steel.
> 
> EDIT: Eww... sorry for the pic display. Not sure how to position it correctly. I just uploaded them and they turned out like that. Can someone help?





fishy said:


> *Not strictly retro, but it is lugged steel and looks retro. ;-)*
> 
> Waterford X-22, XTR M900 cantis, Ultegra drivetrain, Wound-up fork. Reynolds steel.
> 
> EDIT: Eww... sorry for the pic display. Not sure how to position it correctly. I just uploaded them and they turned out like that. Can someone help?


Ok, mega longshot in reviving this old thread, but as I can't seem to direct message the poster, I thought I'd post up here. I was just googling to see if anyone else has a bike similar to mine (Waterford X-12, orange with cream panels) and lo and behold, I happen upon this stunning example. Who knows if this chap still has this bike, I still have mine. While looking through the pics I noticed a familiar decal on his wheelset from Hilton Competition Wheelsets! Geoff Hilton built my wheels as well for my X-12. This was in Hamburg, Germany back in 98 maybe. Anyway, if Fishy is still on here, let me know. Just a massive coincidence to have such similar bikes and wheels built by Geoff. Cheers.


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