Considering a Steel Cyclocross Frame

[JeremyCannon]

I am looking at getting a steel cyclocross frame to race on in the fall and was wondering if you guys had any thoughts. It’s going to be a custom build kit, so its only about the frame itself.

Here is what i’m looking for in order of priority:
Cyclocross Race geometry
Steel
Disc Brake Mounts
A Good paint job

The two that i’m am looking at are the All City Macho Man Disc and Surly Straggler, but i am open to other suggestions.

Here is a little info about the two:

Macho Man Disc(Size 61):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]6293[/ATTACH]
Frame: 612 Select ChroMoly steel. Double butted down, top, and seat tubes. Externally tapered, ovalized, and dimpled chain stays, tapered seat stays.
Fork: 4130 ChroMoly tapered fork blades, lugged crown and matching dropout.

Reach: 40.5 CM
Stack: 63.3 CM
Chainstay Length: 43.5 CM
BB Drop: 7 CM
Head Tube Angle: 72.5
http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/macho_man_disc

Surly Straggler(Size 60):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]6294[/ATTACH]
Frame: Surly Straggler, 100% Surly proprietary 4130 CroMoly tubing. ED Coated. TIG-welded. Double-butted main triangle
Fork: Surly Straggler, 4130 CroMoly, disc only, lugged and brazed. Sloping crown with threaded eylets, tapered and butted curved blades with mid-blade rack eyelets, dual dropout eyelets

Reach: 41.1 CM
Stack 60.1 CM
Chainstay Length
BB Drop: 7.1CM
Head Tube Angle: 72
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/straggler/geometry

Do you have any thoughts between the two, or other frames you think i should look at?

Topic

[hozn]

@JeremyCannon 91823 wrote:

If i go the shimano route, since 105 5800 is here, would it really be worth doing Ultegra anymore? I still might go SRAM anyways.

I guess it depends on how gentle you plan to be to your bike. If you get EP on the groupset, then 5800 probably makes sense; if not, you can probably find 6800 cheaper. My 5700 levers served me well; I crashed a lot in the woods on them so they were pretty beat up. I have Apex now on that bike, which feels like the right decision. Especially after spending $100 in plastic parts to fix my Force lever.

Weight may be significant in cx, but I wouldn’t count grams on groupsets — or at least don’t make that the decision-making factor. (Saving 3-4 lbs on a frameset seems like a sensible move, though.)

If you want to go crazy with equipment, do it with the wheels/tires (go tubular).

[vvill]

Yeah, CX racing (especially muddy/dirty courses) is known for being tough on parts – esp rear derailleurs, so you may not want to spend too much on the groupset. You can always upgrade a part of a groupset if you have specific preferences, e.g. Ultegra shifters with a 105 derailleurs and cranks.

Since 105 and Ultegra are now both 11 speed yeah there probably isn’t too much difference – I agree if were serious I would spend more on wheels/tires. You will see the vast majority of serious CX racers on tubulars (and probably canti brakes still, though that may be changing).

[Author]

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