How to Get a New, Name-Brand Cyclocross Racer for Under $1,000

There was a time when a new, competitive cyclocross bike cost about a grand or less. But, like everything else in competitive cycling, the cost of entry is going way up. A newbie-level cyclocross bike has gone from about $900 eight years ago, to $1,600 now.

If you aren't a serious 'cross racer, or maybe you just want to try it out, you can explore the used market, but that's always a pain in the ass. I have a better way to go:

This, here, is a guide on how you can build a cyclocross bike with new parts, for under $1000.

But first, there's a few thing you'll need to think about before getting into this.

1. You'll need to put away your pride. We'll be entering some unorthodox territory and some people might be repulsed at first for various snobby reasons, but it'll work, trust me.

2. You'll have to tell the bike shop to suck it up. They're going to try to talk you out of this. Don't listen to them, they don't know what we know.

3. You might need to do some tinkering with fit and odd parts that I haven't mentioned, according to what bike you choose as your base stock.

OK, now you're ready for the secret: many hybrid bikes are just cyclocross bikes with flat handlebars.

Here, check out the geometry between the Trek Zektor 2 (hybrid) and the Trek Crockett (cyclocross bike). I'm not picking Men's Trek bikes because I approve of them or am advocating for them, they just have an easy website to steal screenshots from.





Which one is the hybrid bike? I bet you can't tell, even if you're a bike geometry expert. I'll give you a hint, it's the one on the right. I think. I forgot to mark the .jpg file after I took the shot.

Anyway, a hybrid is designed for big tires, fenders, and mud clearance. It's over-built for durability, and the parts are chosen for low price and reliability, all things you want in a cyclocross race bike.

So let's make this:

Into this:

It's actually easy.

In the case of the Zektor Hybrid, you'll need 3 things:

1. Drop bars I found these for $35:

2. Sora Shifters. The Zektro has a 2x9-speed Shimano drivetrain, so the new Sora Shifters will work fine. If you want to save money, go with Microshift, they work on the same cable-pull ratio as Shimano. $70-$100, depending on sales.

3. Brake Calipers. The Zektor comes with hydraulic disc brakes, but Sora and Microshift only come in cable-actuated versions. If you want to avoid disc brakes, you still might have to do some modification junk because most hybrid bikes come with long-pull linear brakes that don't match the pull of the road shifters. A "Travel Agent" by Problem Solvers will fix that.  $120 for discs or $20 for linear-pull brakes.

or

. 

The last part is labor. Many bike shops will throw in the labor for free if you buy the bike and all the gear there. Otherwise, you're looking at $50-100. Or! You can do it yourself, which I recommend because in Cyclocross you'll be replacing or overhauling cables and bearings after every muddy race.


Now lets do some math:
Zektor: $660
Road Bars: $35
Shifters: $100
Brakes: $120
____________________
Total: $935, before tax


$935 ain't bad for a race-ready bike with disc brakes that you're going to trash over years of racing.

Granted, the Zektor is not, nor ever will be, as nice as the Crocket. You do get more bike when you pay more money. But still, I'm not dishing out no $1600 for a bike I'm going to drag through mud and over rocks and trees twice a week at races, and a bunch more times in practice. It's not in the spirit of cyclocross to spend a lot of money on gear that might stop working by the end of the season.

So there you go: get a nice, cheap hybrid with road geometry, and convert it. Use the money saved on replacement parts, entry fees, and EPO treatments.