Omnium CXC (Track Dropouts)
Build 17/30
Material and Manufacturing quality 5/10
Paint and Finish 8/10
Weight 4/10
Back when the Omnium CXC was a €400 tracklocross beast with massive tire clearance and disc mounts, I picked one up to get a feel for it. Several years after that first article, a few things are worth adding. When it comes to materials and tubing, don’t expect anything fancy. This bike is built to last, staying as far away from performance-driven design as possible. It’s honestly very heavy, and the full steel fork doesn’t help, bringing the frameset to a hefty 3.7 kg. Paint, however, has always been a strong point for Omnium. The finishes are durable and consistently tasteful, with a wide range of options, from bold metallics to simpler, more understated colors.
Ride 25/30
Geometry and sizing 8/10
Versatility 10/10
Handling and comfort 7/10
It’s designed to be a comfortable bike, but with geometry that leans slightly more aggressive than your typical touring setup. Not surprising, considering the CXC originally started life as a fixed-gear bike. That’s likely why it felt a bit mushy to me, especially when compared to more traditional track frames. Still, that’s probably the trade-off for a bike that genuinely tries to do it all: gravel, tracklocross, touring, and more. With sizing ranging from X-Small to XX-Large, finding the right fit shouldn’t be an issue.
Value 19/30
Price 6/10
Availability 7/10
Used Market 6/10
Now retailing at €865, the Omnium CXC is in a very specific niche of steel bikes that can do a lot of things based on a single frameset. It's still significantly cheaper than a Crust or a Rivendale, and probably your best option if you're living in Europe. As of recently, the CXC V3 features a threaded axle and adjustable dropouts, so even if fixed gear is still an option, it will be likely harder to convert than before. Thankfully, you can still sometimes find the earlier versions secondhand, but they are less common than the now very common V3. Also, since these are extremely popular in the European messenger crowd, most of the ones you'll find online have seen countless turns and thousands of kilometers.
SSS Factor 6/10
I really like the time I had with mine, but fixed gear and disc brakes don't go well together in my opinion. You'll be better off if you build it as a single speed or a geared bike, but then is the CXC the option making the most sense?
