What is a Cross bike on Strava? Your Easy Answer

If you are riding a road bicycle, it may be simple to choose road bicycle. And if you have a gravel cycle and are exploring the trails, then you may want to choose Gravel. But what about Cross? What is a cross bike on Strava?

When you’re getting your morning coffee before you bike ride, you may notice the feature when looking to record your metrics as giving different options for your bike. The options that we can look at now are Gravel, Road and Cycle.

In the past year, gravel bicycling growth has grown wonders in the sport. Many cyclists are looking to explore the trails, as with in many places like the Bay Area, there are an unbelievable amount of trails to explore like in the headlands, in our beaches and in our forests.

So if Gravel and Road bicycles are so easy to choose between the options, what would constitute a cross bicycle? In this post you will learn what typically means a Cross bike and when to select this feature. You will learn how all three options are different from one another, and why they are different.

By the end of this post, you should have an understanding of what a cycle bike is on Strava, how it differs from Cycle-Cross and when you should choose it.

What is a cross bike on Strava?

A cross bike on Strava is the grey area in between mountain bike, gravel, and road bike. This means that if the bicycle does not fit perfectly into one of these categories, it is more than likely a cross bike.

Suppose you have a bicycle with the frame of a road bike, but the wheels are made to allow for grip and traction on water, mud and snow? This would be a cross bike because the amount of power to turn the wheel (that more than likely will have knobs on the tires) will be higher than a road bike.

What if you have a fat bike? In this case you may want to choose a cross bike.

Or perhaps you have a hard tail, but you are riding it strictly on a road course? This may mean it will be a better choice to choose Cross, because it will take less power to work the wheels on average on the road course than if you are taking it on the trails.

The cross bike is the catch all for all hybrid options if your bicycle of choice does not fit perfectly into one neat bucket. This means many hybrid bicycles will fit into this Cross Bike bucket of choice.

What are other types of bikes on Strava?

The reason why there are more than one type of bicycle on Strava are for several reasons to the user. The first is that it is far more helpful for you to be suggested road bicycle courses if you are on a road bicycle.

The second and more important is for measuring metrics. Yes, you can measure elevation gain on Strava, but others are also useful. The types of tires on road bikes, gravel bikes and cross bikes will be different, causing more or less power for the rider to move the bicycle. Road being the least, and gravel being typically the most.

How else are road bikes different?

Road bikes are different in their frame, ability to take impact, and the amount of rolling time that the cyclist will have in between pedalling strokes. They are made to be more aerodynamic over time (as road cyclists like to make sure they’re very aerodynamic) and allow the bicycle to speed through terrain given the correct conditions.

Road bikes also tend to have frames that are not as resistant to impact as their gravel and cross companions.

Gravel Bikes’ frames have suspensions allowing the bicycle and the rider to absorb much of the impact they are receiving from uneven surface. The suspension and absorption of the impact causes the rider to lose some energy generated in the pedal stroke into the earth.

This is far different from the experience of a road cyclist who focuses on losing almost zero energy when pedalling through their circuit.

Gravel Bicycle’s Introduction in 2022 on Strava

In 2022, Strava introduced Gravel riding options to the sport to aid in the fastest growing arm of the cyclist hobby riding type. This was done because there are many options on trail and off trail for gravel bikers to ride and keep their bodies engaged in the sport.

This is done and helps many riders keep on the right path rather than being suggested a ride that has trails and gravel when they are looking for road throughout.

Conclusion: What is a cross bike on Strava?

A cross bike on Strava is anything that is not a mountain bike, a road bike or a gravel bike. It is the catch all that has a slightly higher need for generated power as an estimate and is used when you are not able to fit your bicycle perfectly into a bucket.

Use this when you are not exactly sure where your bike fits if it is not one of the other options. If you found this to be helpful, leave us a comment below. It takes less than the amount of time to clip in to sign up.