I need to make some space hence why selling some bits on here, but probably also needed get rid of a bike too. Have my eye on a cx bike and think it'll do everything o want.

Anybody not actually own a mtb at present and regretted getting rid of it?

No I don't just have a CX bike.

I do however have two bikes. One is a single speed and will take up to a 35mm tyre, the other is a rigid geared '29er' and will take up to 2.3 (maybe 2.4) on the rear, larger on the front. I ride these both on and off road with varying wheels/tyres.

If you are getting rid of an MTB and getting a 'do it all' bike to replace it I would seriously consider something like a Fargo or equivalent that will enable you to run an MTB width tyre if you want or something narrower on road. Also if you go for a 'CX' bike look at the more 'adventure'/gravel orientated ones that enable a 42c tyre. It just means you have the option to put more air under you and take on rougher terrain.

Also it depends what sort of MTB riding you do. I'm not really into mega-tech type stuff and rarely visit trail centres. It's more Bridleways etc. and just dealing with what I encounter as best as I can (i.e. badly) on whichever bike I'm riding.

If you're a mtber, a cx bike won't be enough.
I've ridden mine loads and have experimented with different tyres etc but it's no mountain bike.
Sure, you can ride some relatively tame off road stuff but it's not the same.

If you only ride, Sustrans paths and fire road it'll be fine but for anything else, you'll be disappointed.

I use mine as a winter road bike, tourer, gentle summer xc riding and generally exploring. For this, it's excellent.

recently somehow ended up with a cannondale cx bike........riding it offroad on anything remotely rough was terrible. shaken to bloody bits.
a nice light xc mtb is perfect for the 1 bike. something like a Cube 29 Ltd. light as a road bike, and takes a 2.3 tyre for offroad.

How about getting a monster CX instead of a traditional one of you're unsure?

Echo what Ton says.
Out of all my bikes, my Scott scale 29er is probably the true all-rounder.

cheers for replies, it has helped. :D

I know I'm not as experienced as the other guys here, but, I have a Ridley XBow which was fine for light off road stuff and got me interested in off road riding, then I bought my KTM 27.5 hardtail. Since buying the KTM, the Ridley has been relegated to road use only.

Dan_K: I use mine as a winter road bike, tourer, gentle summer xc riding and generally exploring.

+1 to this. Just recently got a Genesis Croix de Fer (I put a shot of it up on the Postman's been thread) basically for just the above set of riding conditions. My commute for example includes 6Km of canal tow path for which it's ideal. I've always viewed CX bikes as being closest to what in days past was called "a bike", that is something that did just about everything, but mountain biking as we now understand it didn't really exist then. Once you get on terrain that is technical and more suited to an MTB then it's the narrow drop bars that become the limiting factor - you could replace them with a flat bar with bar ends and you'd get better handling but even then the geometry might not be quite right.

So, IMO, anything up to and including forestry roads/estate tracks/old cart tracks and it should be fine.

My gravel/adventure/gnarmac/CX/allroad bike (Pinnacle Arkose 2) is my most used bike as its my commuter, shopper, kid trailer puller

So if I really truly HAD to keep one bike, it would be the Arkose, as it's my most practical. I would be a great shame though and I'd really miss a mountain bike. For 99% of my needs it's fine.

Anything too rough is a bumpy affair though, and isn't much fun for long distance. Bigger tyres would help (came with 40's but I'm running 32's), but for the few rides I did off road with the 40s on it was still bumpy on really rough tracks. The reality is that most of my riding is on the road or relatively smooth tracks and paths

For proper offroading a rigid MTB would be much better

+1 for the fat tyre CX / gravel bike options.

I really love the do-it-all of my CX bike ... UNTIL this year's BB200. it was perfect (ok, pretty good) for everything on bb200 EXCEPT the rocky boulder strewn descents. I deduced it would have been easier to throw it down some of them and walk down after it. my hands took an absolute battering on the drops.
on reflection I really should have put 40mm WTB Nano Race on it and Ian's handlebar setup looked much much better. (Er and should have had clean discs and new(er) pads on.)

will def aim for a hardtail 29er for next year but my CX remains my go-to for everything else up to dry weather road biking / commuting when the fast roadie comes out to play. if i had o have only 1 bike I'd keep the CX over all others.

I've got a mtb and a cx both ss if i had to have one bike it would be the cx bike or a monstercross bike like a fargo or something like that

If you need a do-it-all bike - look for steel adventure/gravel bike which can take 40c tyres. Most CX bikes are race oriented, so not that comfy for long rides. I had a Cannondale CX and rode BB200 - it was hard, switched to custom Genesis Croix de Fer and it's much better off road, still good enough on road or touring.