Cyclocross
- silentbutdeadly
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby silentbutdeadly » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:25 am
Failing that a mate just picked up a Merida cross bike with disc brakes for a grand...he raced it last weekend in Adelaide for the first time and came back raving.
My own cross bike is being converted to drop bars for the first time (it was built as a flat bar commuter) soon...and despite the cheap ($180) Scott frameset and Neotech wheelset ($200) it cost me way more than a grand to build (SRAM Rival group). So an off the peg option is a good one.
- toolonglegs
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby toolonglegs » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:43 am
Already thinking about what to change on my bike. The main thing will be a set of tubular wheels. They would be a kilo lighter than what I ran last season and will allow me to drop from 35 psi that I ran with tubes down to 28'ish.
Can't wait for the season to start... last season I was 104kgs and not so fit, still managed mid pack in most races ( usually 50-60 starters )... bit better on flatter tracks. But this year I will be 15kgs lighter and a hell of a lot fitter... no more getting lapped for me . Just need to practice my starts and sharpen my elbows as the starts are so aggressive!.
- jules21
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby jules21 » Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:37 am
what a ball though, it's pretty funny sliding around everywhere with everyone. obviously i am less ambitious than TLL
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby alchemist » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:32 pm
http://mwmtb.com/wp/2012/08/prestige-results/
http://www.marathonmtb.com/28/08/2012/h ... ross-wrap/
For those in Brisbane your turn this weekend
http://mudstersoftheuniverse.blogspot.c ... endar.html
Get on it!
- silentbutdeadly
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby silentbutdeadly » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:48 am
You reckon? I'm fairly sure that you wouldn't want to be lapped either!! I certainly don't....not that I can do much about itjules21 wrote:.....obviously i am less ambitious than TLL
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby thecaptn » Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:51 am
Is cyclocross mountain biking on a drop bar or road biking off road?
- barefoot
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby barefoot » Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:35 pm
Another cheap option to avoid a big chunk of your conversion cost is to go singlespeed.silentbutdeadly wrote:My own cross bike is being converted to drop bars for the first time (it was built as a flat bar commuter) soon...and despite the cheap ($180) Scott frameset and Neotech wheelset ($200) it cost me way more than a grand to build (SRAM Rival group). So an off the peg option is a good one.
I bought my On-One Pompino to use as a commuter. It cost me $700 a couple of years ago... more recently, they've been offering the framesets for ridiculously cheap ($150 frame / $50 fork or thereabouts?), and now the fixie fad is dying off there's really cheap singlespeed wheelsets and cranksets to be had on eBay and elsewhere. They're not real flash, but neither was the low-end gear I got on mine. No shifters, no derailers... that's a whole heap of cost (and maintenance) deleted. No reason you couldn't do similar on a salvaged frame - depending on the rear dropout spacing, to some extent.
I've now done two Dirty Deeds races on my On-One (both at the Brunswick velo, last year and last weekend). That requires me to strip my rack and mudguards off, replace the tyres, and put on a low gear. I'm still working my gearing out... finding that the Brunsiwck mud requires lower gearing than I would have thought. I ran 38:18 last year (and walked a lot of mud), 32:16 this year, and wished I'd gone 32:18. The mud was all rideable for me this year, but would have been less exhausting in an even lower gear.
Racing against riders on geared bikes, I was surprised by how rarely they were shifting anyway, and how little speed difference I had with the same geared riders on different parts of the course. I'm talking about the middle-runners in B-grade... things might be different for other cohorts of riders. The same rider might be a bit faster on a geared bike than a single, but there's still good racing to be had either way... just that on a singlespeed you're racing against a slightly slower bunch of people.
The guys I was tussling with tended to take a bit of a break to catch their breath on the fast paved sections, so they were riding no faster than the low-effort-fast-spinning I was doing on the same sections. I tended to lose a bit of ground in the mud (taking longer lines to stay on firmer ground so I could keep my momentum up and avoid having get off the bike), and making up ground on the dry grass and paved hills.
tim
- silentbutdeadly
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby silentbutdeadly » Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:02 am
I have been noting with interest the Pompino/Pompetamine frame prices recently but I can't decide whether I'd prefer to have a SS cross or an SS monstercross option. The local conditions combined with unrealised/unrealistic ambition says monstercross to me more than another plain old cross...of late, the Singular Gryphon sings to me...
- grasshopper
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby grasshopper » Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:05 pm
It's the remount that hurts if you miss.__PG__ wrote:The dismounting scares the hell out of me though!
- toolonglegs
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby toolonglegs » Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:26 pm
+1... I stuffed up one last year and it really grazed up the inside of my thigh, luckily missed the important bits or the race would have been over!.grasshopper wrote:It's the remount that hurts if you miss.__PG__ wrote:The dismounting scares the hell out of me though!
By the end of the season I was riding nearly all the obstacles... not quite as fast as some though.
- Mulger bill
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby Mulger bill » Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:22 pm
Shaun
London Boy 29/12/2011
- JustJames
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby JustJames » Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:56 pm
It's nice in here.
Love that big screen TV, and awesome selection of beers in the fridge too.
http://pedallingcharm.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- Mulger bill
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby Mulger bill » Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:19 am
London Boy 29/12/2011
- toolonglegs
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- toolonglegs
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby toolonglegs » Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:29 pm
Which means time to strip the road bike and put everything onto the CX bike, also build up the winter bike... although I am tempted to turn the cx bike into a 9 speed as the old stuff changes so much better when covered in mud!.
Have to have a think.
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby chriscole » Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:51 pm
Wondering what people's thoughts might be regarding choices for a first CX bike, which initially will be getting 90% of its use as a speedy but hopefully more-robust-than-my-road-bike commuter and recreational beast, but will find increasing use in CX racing in the fullness of time. Absolutely want disc brakes, but unsure about the cost/benefit ratio between an alloy frame & carbon forks versus full carbon.
Options that have particularly caught my eye are:
Cannondale SuperX Hi-Mod Disc (carbon) ~$6,000
Cannondale CAADX Disc Ultegra (alloy) ~$2,200
Specialized CruX Expert Carbon Disc (carbon) ~$4,000
Specialized CruX Comp Disc (alloy) ~$2,200
Felt F3X (carbon) ~$3,900
Felt F65X (alloy) ~$2,000
- silentbutdeadly
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby silentbutdeadly » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:51 am
...but then the old school beardie in me thinks that the deal being offered by Planet Bikes in the UK at the moment is hard to pass up. Their Kaffenback bike- full steel frame and fork, BB7 disc brakes, SRAM Force transmission and FSA crank, weighs in around 10.8kg - delivered for under $1,500
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby Chris249 » Tue Oct 23, 2012 4:12 pm
All that means, to me, that unless you are already quick, the bike is of little relevance in your finish placing. I also note that on the Sydney course, which is allegedly pretty hard handling-wise, every race seems to see a couple of mechanicals or crashes involving fast vets. So unless you are flush with cash, I'd tend to look at cheaper options that will cause less angst when the inevitable crashes occur.
Personally I went for the cantis to save 900g on my daily commuter/CX bike, and so far I'm very happy with the option. If I need extra stopping power in the wet then I have already made BIG mistake, IMHO.
Como Vivente road 2009
Principia track track 2014
Cervelo P2K TT 2003
Merida CX4 2010
Concaeio road
- toolonglegs
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby toolonglegs » Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:45 am
But then where I was riding has quite a lot of river ( round at least ) stones which isn't like the grass and mud I will be racing on.
Set up the bike like last year except with Ksyriums all round this time... also run very thick bar tape for my big hands. After a few minutes riding I dropped the stem a cm as I felt way to high. Apart from that it felt ok... although the front brake cable was slipping and will have to fit another new one now.
The only changes will be made when an order from c r c arrives next week... getting some Swiss Stop green ghp pads as my TRP ones are getting a bit trashed and I tried shimano ones but they didn't bite as well... plus the normal front wheel chatter is still there but it didn't seem to bother me last season. Also going to try some Continental Cyclo X Race Folding tyres as I can run any width I want. I set up my bike with in the rules last year with 32's but think 35's could help a little bit more.
Now need to just get the body feeling better!... wish I had spent some more time on the mtb getting used to the tight corners and hard pinch climbs!... riding the roadie all the time is certainly not using the muscles in the same way .
Bring on Saturday... temps are dropping fast and should be about 6c and light rain ... winters coming!.
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby chriscole » Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:10 pm
Buying a Specialized CruX Disc Apex or a Cannondale CAADX Disc Ultegra in the coming fortnight.
It'll be commuting, then taking part in some actual cyclocross next year and onwards. I've never used clipless pedals before. My current intention is to find some comfy/runnable MTB shoes and clipless pedals. Being a pedal newbie, logic has suggested to me that I want something which clips in from both sides, is easy to get into and out of, and preferably has something of a platform for non-clipped purchase when leaping back onto my bike and possibly not quite getting the cleats into the clips immediately (i.e. something I can pedal for a few revolutions on with a random part of my shoe until I navigate the cleats into the binding).
Crank Brothers Candy (seemingly Eggbeaters with a little platform), Acid and Mallet (bigger platforms) pedals look sexy, but a lot of online reviews are unfavourable in terms of durability (i.e. most bending/breaking/exploding after one or two gentle kisses from a rock here or there).
Shimano XTR, or Deore XT (PD-M980, PD-M780) or similar were suggested by the guy in the local bike shop after sorting out the bikes themselves.
Any thoughts, suggestions or tales of woe or awesomeness would be greatly appreciated...
Oh, and whichever shoe/pedal combo I choose for the CX bike will also carry over... I will buy a compatible set of pedals for my existing Giant Defy carbon road bike (in order to use the same shoes with both bikes).
Cheers!
- toolonglegs
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby toolonglegs » Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:29 pm
Big black clouds outside... 5°C max temp today and raining non stop... can't wait to get muddy this arvy!. Going to take two bikes, warm up / check out the course on my mtb and then put it in the pits as a spare, leaving the CX bike clean for 50 minutes of torture.
- baabaa
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby baabaa » Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:36 pm
- Pravda
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby Pravda » Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:36 pm
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Puegeot Aneto 105
Kona Jake the Snake CX
- toolonglegs
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby toolonglegs » Sun Oct 28, 2012 1:47 am
Will post my very short race report over in the race report thread.
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Re: Cyclocross
Postby chriscole » Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:50 pm
Now can someone please organise some CX races in Canberra???
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