'The Cheap Bike' even possible??

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Permalink Reply by Adam Clement on June 29, 2012 at 9:59pm

Cheap bikes are a very attractive proposition especially for a 'cx bike.  When not at the races a cheap 'cx bike makes a great commuter and who wants to leave an expensive bike locked up outside work or a bar.

I work for Retroshift so my recommendation for a good component for a build might be biased but this is hard to beat.

http://retroshift.com/store/products/cx1/ - $139 for a complete 1 x 9 or 1 x 10 shifting system and can be bought new from your local bike shop and with a $24 crash replacement policy.  Cheap!

Think CX Magazine has a review next issue.  Can't wait to see what they think.

Adam

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Permalink Reply by Mike Wahlin on July 2, 2012 at 4:32pm

Thanks Adam -- the 1 x 9 or 1 x 10 shifting system looks awesome.

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Permalink Reply by Cyclocross Magazine on June 30, 2012 at 8:57pm

Hey Mike, we can definitely tell you it's possible - having put it together slowly over a year...and it held up pretty well, and not unlike an out-of-the-box bike, there were of course some parts we'd rather swap out but overall it was a pretty raceable machine. There are so many nice bikes available today that those with funds don't need to go that route, but it's proof that you can do things cheaply and it's also a great learning process, esp. for people who haven't built a bike from scratch before.

Let us know if you need any more help. We're thinking of having some contest to give it away to a needy new/young racer. Any ideas out there?

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Permalink Reply by Mike Wahlin on July 2, 2012 at 4:40pm

Great to know the time-line you used, and yes, the building from scratch idea is great.  Hmmm, I wonder what a good contest would look like.  Something like send in a picture of your current bike --> 'held together with duct tape' and write a short entry on why you could really use a cyclocross bike.  You might even consider publishing the entry in the magazine.  Other thoughts on a good contest?

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