How to build a cheap cyclocross bike

Another Cyclocross season is rapidly approaching. It seems like every year the buzz and excitement keeps growing with the die-hards and with new folks wondering what all the hype is about. The only downfall with trying a different cycling sub group is getting a bike to use. Some guys are fortunate enough to have a bike they can borrow or they use a mountain bike for their first go at racing cross. This is all fine and good, however, there is another way to build a competitive cyclocross bike without the big investment of buying a new or good used bike.

Somewhere around the mid to late 80's, the bike industry came out with the "Hybrid". These bikes were really just beefy road or touring type frames with fatter 700c wheels and tires with a mountain type handlebar. Most mid priced models and up had chrome moly or aluminum frames with a ridged fork. There are literally tons of these bikes in the used bike section of bike shops, garage sales, ebay etc. that can be purchased cheap!

A good example of a solid platform to start with. The older models like this have a shorter headtube and more conventional non-compact frame geometry plus the ridged forks. Most of the current bikes are no good for cross conversion due to super tall head tubes with suspension forks that give the bikes a super upright position and short seat tubes that make it hard to run with the bike on your shoulder if needed.
This is my co-worker Jeff's Bianchi hybrid to cross conversion. I think the only new pieces that he purchased were the quill to clamp on stem adapter, brake cable stops for the canti brakes,and chain rings. He already had used shifters and derailleurs from his old road bike, and traded or purchased used wheels, cranks, and the handle bar set up.


All in all, a sweet ride for less than a $200.00 investment!

This is the bike I started racing cyclocross with a few years ago. It's an old schwinn hybrid frame that I converted. Once I was hooked on cyclocross, I purchased a new Redline and I now use this bike as a rainy day commuter.