Best cyclocross bike under £1000 and other CX chat

I'm only allowed one bike a year.

Sadly I may not get this one as I got a custom frame on the way and the Genesis does more than enough for everything.

Right, who's racing? Here's a list of London / South events, pinched from Cyclechat.

29 August 2012 Open Event – South London Go-Cross League #1 – Bethlam Royal Hospital
05 September 2012 Open Event – South London Go-Cross League #2 – Herne Hill Velodrome
12 September 2012 Open Event – South London Go-Cross League #3 – Bethlam Royal Hospital
16 September 2012 LL Rd 1 – Fowlmead CC – Fowlmead Country Park, Betteshanger, Near Deal, Kent
19 September 2012 Open Event – South London Go-Cross League #4 – Herne Hill Velodrome
23 September 2012 LL Rd 2 – Lee Valley Youth CC – Redbridge Cycle Centre (Hog Hill)
30 September 2012 LL Rd 3/Sussex League Rd 1 – Preston Park Youth CC
07 October 2012 LL Rd 4 – Arctic Premier RT/Herne Hill Youth CC – Herne Hill Stadium
14 October 2012 LL Rd 5 – Charlotteville CC – Guildford Spectrum
21 October 2012 LL Rd 6 – VC Deal – Fowlmead Country Park, Betteshanger, Near Deal, Kent Richard Wood
27 October 2012 Open Event – Muddy Hell Cyclo-Cross – Herne Hill Stadium
28 October 2012 Open Event – Rapha Super Cross – Alexanrda Palace
04 November 2012 LL Rd 7/Sussex League Rd 2 – Brighton Excelsior/VC Jubilee – Stanmer Park, Brighton
11 November 2012 No Event – Protected Date
18 November 2012 LL Rd 8 – San Fairy Ann CC – Reed Court Farm, Chainshurst, Near Maidstone
25 November 2012 LL Rd 9 – London Phoenix – Gunpowder Park Stuart Lockyear
02 December 2012 LL Rd 10 – Addiscombe CC – Penshurst Off Road Cycling – Grove Road, Penshurst, Kent.
09 December 2012 Regional Championships
16 December 2012 Available Date
22 December 2012 Open Event – ViCiOUS Velo Double Cross – Herne Hill Stadium
23 December 2012 LL Rd 11 – VC Londres – Herne Hill Stadium
27 December 2012 LL Rd 12 – Gemini BC – Footscray Outdoor Activity Centre – Footscray, Sidcup, Kent
01 January 2012 Open Event – VCL Madison Cross – Herne Hill Stadium
06 January 2013 Available Date
12/13 January 2013 No Event – Protected Date
20 January 2013 LL Rd 13 -Team Darenth – Wilmington School
27 January 2013 Available Date
03 February 2013 Available Date
10 February 2013 London Team Champs (incorporating Sussex League Rd 3) – Crawley Wheelers – Haywards Heath

Mainly CXL for me. Easier from north London.

Central and Wessex for me. Looking forward to 30 min drives to races instead of 10 hour round trips on the train.

There are some odd sized bargains here including Crux Elites for £699.

Neither <£1000, nor a Raleigh, but I think this is quite nice.

Looks a bit rich (Red? Thomson? Rotor Cranks? Bottle mounts?) for a race machine, but yeah, looks nice.

Personally I'd go alu or carbon to keep the weight sensible then use basic components for durability. But I guess if you can afford to replace £200 red mechs every other weekend knock yourself out :)

Bottles and tyres make me think it's a road-n-trail type bike rather than a racer.

I'd have gone for q rings and bigger tyres (they look like 28s).

It's think it's an off season set-up. I know as soon as the CX season finishes in Australia, I'll be swapping out my 'cross tyres to some Panaracer Pasela's in 32c and putting my bottle cage back on. After buying a steel 'cross bike, I have no need to ride my steel road bike anymore. CX bikes are perfect for year round ridjng.

As for alu vs carbon vs steel... If I was getting a Hufagel CX frame, I'd be getting steel too.

Also, pretty sure the same guy own's this...

Entering Notts League for the first year.
A little nervous.

Its a good league

And its Notts & Derby

This is important to remember as they can be a partisan bunch in the East Midlands, not like us mild mannered accepting types here on LFGSS.

Also the Derbyshire based races are much better than those in overthere where the tossers are from.

NDCXL tends to get massive fields, supposedly there were more than 170 S/V/W in the race I did, getting gridded is a huge help otherwise it can be a long wait standing around at each bottleneck. Bramcote Park (round #8) has loads of grass banks and singletrack if you need somewhere to train.

Cheers both, well aware that its Derby also...
I'm not free on the weekends to race before the 5th round, so practice evenings will be good- and its near the house.... which means I won't really be in the league- just event by event- I guess.

not flouro enough.

wagwan with those hoods!?

^ Hydraulics? Shape is driven by the integrated master cylinder.

looks expensive to replace when you hit the trees as often as I do.

I say trees, it is often the same tree, each lap.

My top tip for this season is ride faster, fall off less.

hydraulics should allow you to slow down before that tree

more of a steering issue. You know the old adage about look at where you want the wheels to go rather than at what you want to avoid. I stare at the tree thinking there's that bloody tree that I keep hitting. Consequently, I hit the bloody tree. Every lap.

For those who know the course, it is at Darenth, just after the sharp right through the woods. Camber section with that bloody tree in the middle of the course.

oh I know this. I have to force myself to look into the middle of gaps when I want to ride through them.

I actually gave up cycling a while back when I realised blending in with the Kent countryside and trolling CX riders was way more fun.

Me, yesterday.

I will be riding three pimples route early Saturday morning. Would be happy to have some company.

Tempted. What time / where?

Tried and failed to get in to the three peaks this year : /

https://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/bike-rides/london-to-brighton/london-to-brighton-off-road.aspx

anyone interested in doing this?

^ In.

^^ Yeah why not. I've ridden to Brighton off-road before, it's a laugh.

That looks like a nice ride. I'm itching to get some serious miles on the 29er. Shame I'm in the wrong fecking country.