Comments on: Who Does “Monstercross”?

By: munge

munge — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:40:28 +0000

I don’t buy the idea that monstercross needs drop bars at all! It’s not a legal CX bike anyway, and straight bars are disqualified more for tradition and, supposedly, safety rather than performance on multiple surfaces. Someone else suggested “hybrid” but that could be anything–a road bike with straight bars and cantilevers, maybe. I feel that if you’re not competing and you’re more on dirt than road, straight vs. drop is a matter of personal choice. On my Fuji Cross Pro frame I put a straight bar and 45mm tires. There’s little mud clearance, so it’s only good if the surface is dry. Wish there was a scandium frame that took 45mm in the rear, with a little clearance, but not as heavey as a true niner. And yes, I feel weight is very important, esp. for portages (so please don’t give me a hard time about losing weight).

By: MG

MG — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:27:42 +0000

So true… The original La Cruz was probably a bit more of a “true” MonsterCrosser than the current iteration.

Ross was thinking about a 29er before 29ers existed when he penned the original La Cruz, it sounds like…

By: Zep

Zep — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:08:17 +0000

The original, CA-made, Salsa La Cruz might be one of the very first of the MC species. Mine, which is a regal 10 years old, will easily fit a MutanoRapor in back, and (shock) will fit a 52c Nano in front. Heck, if the chainstays were ~ 5mm longer, I’d be able to fit a Nano in back, as well.
What was Ross thinking back then? A CX frame that swallows huge tires, is fender-compliant, uses a wacky mix of Reynolds, Columbus, and Tange tubing (w/ a 1″ top tube), and is stuffed with clever details? Crazy bastard….

By: mg

mg — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:40:21 +0000

I Do!! My Salsas can fit up to a 44c MutanoRaptor, which is Monstercross enough for me. That said, I’ve been running the venerable 34c Hutchinson Bulldog/Pirana combo on my La Cruz lately, and enjoying its speed and compliant casings when grindin’ out the gravel.

It’d be sweet if the bike had just a touch more clearance, and I could fit something like a 1.8 Jones XR in there… That’d be ultra sweet, but it’s just a little too big for the La Cruz. I need to start hoarding MutanoRaptors now that they aren’t making them anymore…

By: Goatshell

Goatshell — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:20:11 +0000

Riding my singlespeed full time has put my geared frame to the side. I’ve been thinking of rebuilding it as a monstercross with a compact road crank and a mountain cassette. I’ll still be a cross bred Monster though. Using gripshift and riser bars witha rigid fork and maybe some SB 8′s or Nano’s. Just want a good gravel rider with some potential for singletrack. Drops may be in the future.