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Expert: Sheldon Brown - 5/26/2003


Question
what is the difference between road bike and a cyclo-cross bike.  Are the drivetrain components interchangeable and are they the same?

Answer
The term "road bike" is generally used to describe a machine primarily built for racing.

A "cyclocross" bike is theoretically made for cyclocross (off road) racing.

Cyclocross bikes look like road bikes at first glance, but they usually have wider tires, and the frame has lots of clearance to permit the use of wider tires.  For the sake of the wider tires, cyclocross frames have lots of room for wider tires, which "road" bikes generally don't.

Cyclocross bikes also generally have a wider range of gears, especially on the low end.  Cyclocross bikes are very similar to touring bikes, and some models can't quite decide whether they're cyclocrossers or tourers.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_r.html#road

and: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_cn-z.html#cross

All the best,

Sheldon  

Bicycle Repair

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Sheldon Brown

Expertise

I am a bicycle mechanic, educator and journalist.I can provide technical help with most types of bicycles.I`m also quite experienced as a Webmaster and photographer. Please don't ask me about stationery exercise equipment, only real bicycles.

Experience

I've been a bicycle mechanic off and on for many years.I taught bicycle mechanics for several years at the Boston Center for Adult Education.I have written a great many articles for bicycle magazines.I have an extensive bicycle-related Website,see:http://sheldonbrown.com/articles.htmlI own 30-odd bicycles, some of them very odd indeed!I also worked for several years as a camera repairman.

I'm mainly self taught.

You can learn more about me at:http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html http://sheldonbrown.com/bicycle.html http://sheldonbrown.com/music.htmlhttp://sheldonbrown.com/photography.html

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