Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

ha! strange time for such an article.

Indeed, anyone who read that yesterday, thought it looked fun and wanted to have a go has a long wait.

Shopping for my first 'serious' cross bike for next season.

Old bike had pretty decent clearance at the seatstays / bottom bracket, but would always clog in that region (particularly between brakes and seatstays). As a result, my main criteria has been clearance, but.. is it the case that switching to discs (removing canti arms and straddles from the equation) would make a bigger difference than having more clearance?

In a word, yes.

I had no real issues with clogging all season on my Giant. Occasionally I'd get a build up around the front mech but I've rectified that by fitting a single ring and removing the front derailleur. Initial rides with it are positive, it's amazing how clean the drivetrain remains without having the front mech clogging it.

You have the TCX tho? No brake bridge?

Conditions at Summer Series Round Four Herne Hill would put an end to your optimism - my chainring picked up so much mud the chain stopped catching the teeth and fell off :)

@owlz you should also get a TCX.

I do, and no brake bridge. I'm this close to pulling the trigger on a TCX Advanced too.

I'm this close to pulling the trigger on a TCX Advanced too.

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Forum multibuy?

Focus Mares CX 2.0 has a lot going for it. Although imagine trying to buy a second set of 142x12 RAT compatible wheels.

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Is it the TCX that has the weird cable run locations. A guy from my club has a Giant and the cable eyelets(?) for the brakes make the cable go through the inside of the fork and inside the chain stay.

Which seems nuts.

As seen here (not his bike):

Why is it nuts? The front cable guide is a little odd, but it works well enough. I don't think anyone has quite got the hang of front cable routing for cx (and road) disc forks.

The rear is fine, keeps all the cables out of the way and stops mud building up on them.

The rider I know has said that the mud clings to the front cable as it's directly in the arch of the fork, minimizes clearance quite a bit. Plus the cable outer has nearly been worn away where he has gotten buildup during a race. Not sure about the rear end, but I presume it's a similar story when you get build up on the wheel, it's likely to wear at the outer?
I don't have a TCX, so can't speak for them all. Just his experience with it. Great looking bike though.

As for routing, my PX SLX routes the cable outside of the arch, with guides down the back of the fork. Seems pretty optimal?

Optimal is inside the fork. For teh CX essential aeros, obvs.

Don't like the routing? Buy a stick on cable guide and change it :)

I think we've finally found what Duct Tape was created for.

Duct tape, referred to as "...good old-fashioned American gray tape..."[34] was used by the Apollo 17 astronauts on the moon to improvise a repair to a damaged fender on the lunar rover, preventing possible damage from the spray of lunar dust as they drove

If it's good enough for NASA it's good enough for CX

I've upgraded mine to hydraulics, and the cable routing with them seems less prone to clogging. I had one race this season where the front clogged, at Hog Hill just before Christmas, but that was a mudfest and it was easy to unclog as I ran large sections of the course.

The rear cable goes inside the rear chain stay, then exits 3-4 cms before the brake caliper. I've never had any issues with it clogging there.

Rapha cross ride on Saturday...there will be heart shaped chocolates! Because Valentines Day.

http://pages.rapha.cc/clubs/london/club-rides#ride01

I took a picture

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@Scoot. Haribo auf rheinische Art?

Benedict Campbell's "For The Love Of Mud" is on at the Barbican next month, with a Q&A with him as part of the show;

http://www.barbican.org.uk/film/event-detail.asp?ID=17830

whoa

The world champ took the Superprestige title as well in his first pro season

I had a good race yesterday

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I think that EPO is affecting more than just your blood...

Love the bars. Might give that a go next season.