The fork is much lighter, looks great and should provide a more compliant ride. To save some weight and to add mid-blade fork rack mounts, I replaced the Origin 8 fork with a new Surly Cross Check fork. A Thomson Elite seat-post is held by Surly seat-post clamp. The handlebars needed to fit the off-road personality of the build, Salsa Moto-Ace Woodchipper handle bars improve rough surface stability and work well with STI levers. A Deore SGS rear derailleur completes the drivetrain. Tiagra STI “brifters” and a front derailleur for triple were installed. This was matched to a 12-27 nine speed cassette.

So I installed a Shimano Deore “Trekking” crank-set with 48, 36 and I installed a 22t small chainring. I was hoping to use a Shimano 105 triple crank-set and build a 3x10 drivetrain, but the arms on road crank with external bearings won’t clear the chain-stays. Disc brakes would have been nice, but they limit racking options, add weight and would require a pricier wheelset. Rim-brake touring wheels are also budget friendly, I found a new set of 40 spoke Velocity Dyad on Formula high flange hubs for about $130 delivered. The Tektro 720 brakes are good performers at a great price. I wanted to keep costs low, so I decided on cantilever brakes. The paint was very good, with good color and as tough as most automotive finishes. The welds are skillfully done, but less smooth than my Soma. The frame arrived and I was surprised at the quality. The geometry in the largest size is a good fit for me. These sell out quickly and are prices at about $200 for both the frame & fork. It took a few weeks of searching, finding a frameset wasn’t easy. The frame-set is a bit heavier than a Surly Cross Check, the rear drop-outs and the fork are extra strong & heavy and a little overbuilt. The rear-entry horizontal rear drop-outs will permit single-speed, IGH and derailleur drivetrains.

With room for 700x50 tires, disc or cantilever brakes, Road or MTB rear drop-out spacing.

The frame was ideal for my budget Monster-cross build. I finally took the plunge and purchased an Origin 8 CX700 frameset after noticing a review on the road bike forum, see.

What can a Monster-cross bike offer that a Cyclocross bike doesn’t already provide? I expect that a Monster-cross bike will deliver improved tank-like durability and a more forgiving ride on rough trails & roads. I already have a Soma Double Cross as a Century bike, but with a Carbon Fiber fork and road bike wheels and gearing, the Soma was might not last much longer if exposed frequent use on dusty trails and salty winter roads. I’ve wanted a rugged Cyclocross bike for off-road and winter use for a couple years.

Origin 8 cx700