CX - Cyclocross Bike
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We wanted to create the ultimate cyclocross race bike that offers unparalleled performance and customisation at its price point. Customised paint, graphics, contact points, drivetrain, wheels, tyres, tape and much more come as standard. As with all Forwards bikes, we’ve not compromised with specification and reliability, so only the absolute finest parts are present. The specification is the result of 2 years testing, racing and development. Its performance and finishing details are polished as you’d expect from us.
When you ride a Forwards, you’ll know it’s a bike that’s been built with passion for perfect performance, by people who love riding. And we do love riding our bikes.
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Your Forwards bike is designed for you, which is why you can choose one of 215 colours.
We’ve chosen a colour here for our feature build but we ask you to imagine it in your own choice of colour. After all, thats what a Forwards is all about, imagining and realising your very own dream bike.
Our bikes are not restrained by factory paint. Every single one is truly individual.
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Our bike graphics are tastefully subtle and feature 30mm tall ‘Forwards’ on the main down tube and the model name on the back of the top tube, 30mm wide. All CX models with factory paint have FFR (Forwards Factory Racing) on the inner side of the left hand chain stay and is 10mm tall. They also have a small Union Jack on the back of the seat tube to mark that they are assembled by hand, here in the UK.
You can also choose the graphic colour to compliment the chassis colour from a selection of 215.
CX Carbon Frame & Forks
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Our chosen frames are manufactured with a specific mix of Toray T700 and T800 carbon fibre. T700 and T800 is a suitable mix for the stresses and strains of a high performance cyclocross race bike and balances reduced weight and performance without compromising strength and comfort. The frames are EPS moulded and EN tested.
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The integrated taper headset offers precise handling and steering with aesthetic perfection. It features silky smooth sealed bearings that can be easily changed.
Smoothness and reliability is not compromised with integrated cabling.
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Hoses and cables are integrated into the main frame without headset integration. We’ve chosen this approach over fully integrated to allow beautifully smooth steering performance and an ease of maintenance. Critical on a CX race bike.
Components.
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Exceptional reliability was what we wanted with the drivetrain so we didn’t compromise at all. Gearing is offered by the stunning Shimano GRX 1x Di2 or mechanical groupset. We can customise gear ratios and crank lengths to suit your requirements.
E-tube and hoses are fully integrated into the frame. The E-tube junction box is mounted under the stem on a dedicated bracket. The system buttons can be customised as standard with Di2.
All mechanical builds feature an ‘end to end’ gear outer from the shifter all the way through the frame to the rear mech. This reduces contamination of the inner gear cable and vastly reduces friction caused by cable stops.
The CX can be built with either close or wide ratio 1x GRX systems.
Rotor cranks and power meters are upgrade options.
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We wanted this to be perfect as bottom brackets can be a total pain, so we’ve specified the threaded BSA-68 standard for our bottom bracket to ensure reliability and precision.
The design incorporates a full 68mm lightened aluminium bottom bracket sleeve which is bonded into the carbon fibre frame.
We have specified a Praxis Works BSA68-24 bottom bracket for superior performance and reliability. We have been using Praxis Works BBs across our fleet of bikes for many years now and have been extremely happy with the performance of them.
Bottom bracket maintenance is exceptionally cost effective as you can simply change the bearings rather than the entire unit.
We also offer a Enduro 2437 ABEC 5 Angular contact bearing upgrade.
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Braking is performed via the Shimano GRX STI levers and callipers through to the XTR centre lock rotors. You can choose from 140mm or 160mm.
Contact Points.
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The CX is perfectly aligned with all our bikes and is fitted with Pro components. We have specified Pro LT handlebars and stem for the CX. We have also specified our signature steerer chimney to allow the steerer to pass through the stem to allow optimal strength at this interface.
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We’ve chosen the Pro Stealth Performance Saddle after extensive testing and they are available in 2 sizes.
The size will be confirmed as part of our included bike fit.
Wheels & Tyres.
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The CX is specified with the Hunt 4 Season Disc Wheelset (1588g) as standard and we offer a number of upgrade options.
Hunt Alloy SL Disc Wheelset (1443g)
Hunt 35 Carbon Aero Disc Wheelset (1357g)
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Vittoria Terreno 700x31c, Dry, Mix or Wet Foldable UST Tubeless options are available.
We have chosen the 31mm wide tyre as they measure up to within 33mm for UCI races on our chosen wheels which are 19mm wide internally.
We offer and recommend tyre liner usage with tubeless and we use Vittoria liners ourselves.
Attention to Detail.
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Our CX bike feature stainless steel allen key bolts and washers with the length matched to the application area on the bike. We also use additional stainless steel locking washers in key areas to prevent accessories shaking loose.
Our bikes feature a stainless steel seat bolt and lock washer to prevent rusting in this area.
We became a little obsessed with the rubber plugs for blanking the unused holes in the frame left over from using a 1x groupset and source our own for a far superior fit. We also have a specific rubber blank for under the BB for the unused cable guide and for the unused holes in the forks.
Bottle cage colts are blanked with light weight plastic screws. Stainless steel fittings are provided for mounting a bottle cage for summer cross racing.
All of our bikes are fitted with Bike Shield at the time of manufacture to protect the paint from chips and scratches in certain areas.
This is on the underside of the down tube, top of the chain stay and small patches over the disc brake calliper mounts.
We have also added additional protection to our CX bikes due to the harsh conditions they face and the movement of the rider in these conditions.
This is on the underside of the top tube for carrying, outside of the chain stays to protect from heal rub, inside of the forks and rear stays for debris rub.
| Forwards CX - Specification | ||
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| Component | Shimano GRX 810 1x11-speed | Shimano GRX Di2 1x11-speed |
| Frame | 100% toray T700/T800 UD carbon fibre mix for balanced strength and weight saving using EPS molding process | 100% toray T700/T800 UD carbon fibre mix for balanced strength and weight saving using EPS molding process |
| Custom Paint Colour | Choice of 215 colours, factory painted | Choice of 215 colours, factory painted |
| Custom Graphics Colour | Choice of 215 colours, factory flow transfers under clearcoat | Choice of 215 colours, factory flow transfers under clearcoat |
| Forks | Carbon | Carbon |
| Headset | 1 1/8” to 1 1/2” | 1 1/8” to 1 1/2” |
| Headset Spacers | UD carbon | UD carbon |
| Steerer bung | Compressor | Compressor |
| Bottom Bracket | Praxis Works BSA68 with ABEC-5 Bearings upgrade | Praxis Works BSA68 with ABEC-5 Bearings upgrade |
| Lever & Calliper Assembly Left | ST-RX810-LA GRX | ST-RX815 GRX Di2 2-speed STI |
| Lever & Calliper Assembly Right | ST-RX810 GRX 11-speed STI | ST-RX815 GRX Di2 11-spd STI |
| Sprint Shift | NA | NA |
| Front Derailleur | NA | NA |
| Rear Derailleur | RD-RX812 GRX 11-speed | RD-RX817 GRX Di2 11-speed |
| Chainset | FC-RX810 GRX | FC-RX810 GRX |
| Chainring Options | 40 or 42T | 40 or 42T |
| Crank Length Options | 170/172.5/175mm or 165mm (600) | 170/172.5/175mm or 165mm (600) |
| Cassette | CS-M8000 XT 11-speed | CS-M8000 XT 11-speed |
| Ratios | 11-40 or 11-42T | 11-40 or 11-42T |
| Ratios | Close ratio gear options available | Close ratio gear options available |
| Chain | CN-HG701 Ultegra / XT M8000 with quick link | CN-HG701 Ultegra / XT M8000 with quick link |
| Di2 Battery | NA | BT-DN110 Di2 |
| Junction Box | NA | SM-EW90-A E-tube Di2 Junction-A, 3 port |
| Cables | Shimano | eTube |
| Brake Callipers | BR-RX810 flat mount | BR-RX810 flat mount |
| Rotors | XTR/Dura Ace RT-MT900 | XTR/Dura Ace RT-MT900 |
| Rotor Sizes | 140/160mm | 140/160mm |
| Handlebars | Pro LT | Pro LT |
| Handlebar Options | 0 degree 40/42/44cm | 0 degree 40/42/44cm |
| Stem | Pro LT | Pro LT |
| Stem Options | 60/70/80/90/100/110/120mm | 60/70/80/90/100/110/120mm |
| Seatpost | Carbon 180g 27.2mm | Carbon 180g 27.2mm |
| Saddle | Pro Stealth Performance | Pro Stealth Performance |
| Saddle Sizes | 142/152mm | 142/152mm |
| Wheels | Hunt 4 Season Disc Alloy, 1588g | Hunt 4 Season Disc Alloy, 1588g |
| Wheel Options | Yes | Yes |
| Sealant | Orange Seal 100ml x2 | Orange Seal 100ml x2 |
| Tyre | Vittoria Terreno 700x31c, Dry, Mix or Wet Foldable UST Tubeless | Vittoria Terreno 700x31c, Dry, Mix or Wet Foldable UST Tubeless |
| Tyre Options | Yes | Yes |
| Axle Front | 12 x 120 x 1.5 | 12 x 120 x 1.5 |
| Axle Rear | 12 x 171 x 1.5 | 12 x 171 x 1.5 |
| Bartape | BBB BHT-16 - Gravel Ribbon 3.5mm or BBB BHT-14 2.0mm | BBB BHT-16 - Gravel Ribbon 3.5mm or BBB BHT-14 2.0mm |
| Hardware | SS Allen Bolts, Washers and Spring Washers with black plastic M5 racing blanks | SS Allen Bolts, Washers and Spring Washers with black plastic M5 racing blanks |
| Anti Rattle | Capgo 1m | Capgo 1m |
| Forwards CX - Geometry | |||||||||||||
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| Size | Size mm | SC | O | HS | HC | F | OT | WB | FC | RC | G | Reach | Stack |
| XS | 490 | 75 | 520 | 110 | 71 | 400 | 45 | 1007.3 | 590.6 | 425 | 64 | 376.8 | 534.3 |
| S | 520 | 74 | 534.7 | 130 | 71.5 | 400 | 45 | 1007.3 | 590.6 | 425 | 64 | 376 | 553.3 |
| M | 540 | 73.5 | 545 | 140 | 72 | 400 | 45 | 1008 | 591.3 | 425 | 64 | 377.8 | 564.5 |
| L | 560 | 73 | 560 | 160 | 72 | 400 | 45 | 1018 | 601.2 | 425 | 64 | 381.6 | 583.5 |
| XL | 580 | 73 | 575 | 180 | 72 | 400 | 45 | 1033.3 | 616.5 | 425 | 64 | 390.8 | 602.5 |
