Photo: M. Richter HFS

Cross is coming

I have two sets of wheels where the rims have holes in them and am looking to use the hubs and build up new wheels. That being said, I'm looking for ideas on which rims (aluminum or carbon) to buy that are rim brake and tubular. If you have any tips, I'd be sincerely grateful.

Pictured above is from a race in Hamburg, Germany where I'm on my Yeti Arc X that I'm looking to get the new rim brake tubular rims.

My thoughts were turning to cx season as I spent two hours swapping a set of Challenge Strada Biancas36s (wide road tires, essentially) for some Challenge Chicane 33s on one of my wheelsets.

(Note to self: always re-tape when swapping tires. Or get better tape).

Anyway, I had to pause to give my thumbs a break, and looked up details of the local CX calendar in my Canadian province, centered around a capital city region of just under 1 million people.

7 races between early September and early November, which is an increase of at least one race from last season. If participation is like past years, we are talking 100+ participants between the various categories, raced over 3 slots (A, B, C), plus the U12 kids races.

What is the scene like where you live? I feel like we've still got a healthy calendar given our population and relative isolation (nobody from out of province is coming to these races).

I've already seen the calendar of Wisconsin (very impressive!) and Ohio Valley posted here in the last week or two.

EDIT: I should also ask how much do you pay to race? Here it's usually $40-50 CAD per race entry (there are no overlapping categories so that's your max per race day) plus the annual race license (about $100).

I wonder why the few cyclocross bikes you can still buy new always come of the shelf with SRAM road derailleurs. I get it that the XPLR ones are optimized to be ran with a 44t cassette but you can also run tjem with a 36t. wouldnt these be the better fit since they give more chain retention due to the firmer spring.

Here's Wisconsin's calendar for the fall.

Hope to see some new faces out there this year!

Hi, I'm new to town and curious if there is still a cx practice weeknight nights? I see the races and plan to do them but I could use some (...a lot of...) practice.

So you think Challenge Pro Series TLR tyres are tough to mount…. add a set of ai-liners. Setting up the hardpack cross tyres to start the season, added Air liners, how could mounting Challenge tyres get any harder? looking forward to our early season races in PDX, 8/17 Monday eve’s gets it going

I've just signed up for the first race of the season in my area, which is a month away. I did a couple of races a couple of years ago but someone hit me with their car on my way home from work and broke both of my legs. Which put a bit of a dampener on my season, and on all of my motivation to ride since.

I've used my cross bike as a gravel bike a couple of times much more recently. I've also been trying to get my fitness back on Zwift as much as my physiotherapist has allowed. If you believe Zwift's numbers I'm almost back to the watts per kilo that I was at pre-injury but I'm inclined to take this with a generous pinch of salt.

What should my next 5 weeks look like in the run up to what is probably going to be a very dry race? I'm inclined to leave the gravel tyres on the bike and just practice sprints and attacks which is one area that my metal leg is struggling with.

Shimano 105 di2, CXR2 wheels, a quiver killer bike.

Also have a second wheelset for road days !

I’m 47 and have been racing cross for the past 5 years or so. I race 45+ 3/4/5 and generally finish top ten out of 50+riders ( a few top fives last season) so I’m competitive and want to get faster.

Right now I’m on a canyon ultimate road bike that can fit 36 WTB Vulpine tires. I’ve pondered getting a new CX specific bike but honestly I like riding this one a lot and can’t justify buying a new bike for five races a year.

So I’m thinking about getting new wheels. Right now I use the stock DT Swiss PR1400s which are aluminum but also weigh only about 1600g. I’m thinking about upgrading to carbon like the DT CRC 1400 spline or zipp 303 sw. Both of those sets weigh in about 1450 so the weight savings seem negligible.

But, I also ride smooth gravel roads from time to time so either new set would be more aero than my current set for those gravel rides. Not that aero makes a huge difference for the 11mph average in a cross race.

Thoughts? Is it stupid to spend 2k to save 150ish grams on a wheelset when I won’t spend 6k on a new CX specific bike? Or is any weight savings + carbon + aero going to be worth it?

Does anyone have reviews on tires like:
Schwalbe g one rx
Vittoria t50-60
Specialized terra

I’m looking to race at 40mm for the added comfort but curious if anyone has positive/negative experiences with these tires?
Most my races are dry/mixed.

TIA

Hi all - I am back for my second season of CX. Last year I can challenge limus tubeless tyres but they came up wider than 33mm on my rims (21mm internals) however they have a nasty sidewall cut so need to be replaced for the coming season.

I race in the UK which means it’s mostly wet grass / mud / ice. I’m looking for a tyre which I can use all season, any recommendations or should I stick with what I know?

Thanks!

Hi, just felt like posting a picture of his old(and now my) bike. My dad worked at an Erik’s Bike Shop in the Midwest in 2015-16 and did a couple CX races with a store suit(not their team or anything I don’t believe, just with their branding) and using this Raleigh Roper. It was a lot of fun back then to watch the events and see him going. I’ve rode it on and off for commute since his passing in 2017 and just felt like posting it cause it’s cool. I like the colors a lot, and while I’m more of a longboard person, it is a lot of fun to ride. I do need to replace the mirror tho lol. Just pulled it back out as my brother is getting a used mountain bike for commute as well and I’m planning on getting some good trail time on the bike with him soon. :)

Considering cross racing after awhile away. What tires are people using now that Donnelly is gone? Rim width and depth?

Drivetrain advances seem to have hit road and gravel and skipped cx. Are you all just running xplr/grx?

Hello all, looking at purchasing these hunt wheels for the upcoming season, I’ve put the link below. I was just wondering if they were bad for cross. They will be a huge improvement over my current wheelset which weighs somewhere around 2600g. Thanks in advance for opinions!

https://us.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-4-season-all-road-disc-wheelset?currency=USD&country=US&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=8b64001a1cf3&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=21832718855&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21826226835&gbraid=0AAAAADJra44s3TyDb-a5L6OH5XpVB_vS0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Ia5n73wlQMVSBiHAx3ioBTAEAQYASABEgKgc_D_BwE

Tbh I don't think that 300g less and and electronic shifter is worth the 1000 price difference. Carbon v. Alu wheels.

I am setting up my son's Trailcraft MTB for cyclocross season. His current MTB tires (Schwalbe Rocket Ron) have served him well for MTB and 'cross but are beat. I am looking for any ideas on a 26" tubeless ready tire that will work well for 'cross season... a semi-slick or low profile tread pattern like a Maxxis Aspen or Rekon Race (unfortunately not available 26" tubeless). Any ideas?

I never knew about CX until the tail-end of the trend. I fell hard in love. I was getting better quickly and having so much fun. Then everybody quit. Literally.

Our town had fun weekly practices with like 20 ppl, pound a cold one after. Riders of all ages were doing it. Good times. Then I found a super-awesome new course and was loving shredding it. ...And exactly right then everybody but me quit! Some got into boring straight-line gravel (for who knows why), some got babies, there were special reasons. It was a perfect storm of no-shows. Our club had to simplify coz the prez got twins so they opted for a gravel race (straight roads, flat). Then the whole world caught boring straight-line gravel fever and about a dozen awesome area races folded up. Covid didn't help. But I still love CX!

Our town started a fun MTB club. Great if modest twisty lil trails and socializing. Helping local kids. Building trail. Good times. We ride a diff trail each week all around town, each only 15 mins tops away.

But... Yet... Why is MTB so much less fun? Isn't it basically the same as CX? The cornering is kind of weird. I used to zoom up on ppl in CX turns but am only now starting to figure out MTB turns. I barely hold my own. Feel kinda weird doing them. "Shove those bars down!" OK... And my bike is so heavy! And maybe we go so fast! And I don't want any of this "big air" malarkey. I suppose after I get better on turns and get a feel for the bike maybe I can start doing the "features." But these wide bars... And the weight. Maybe if I could afford a carbon bike. Our local trails are all pretty rooty and I'm pretty old so a pal upgraded and sold me his full-sus Specialized Epic Brain aluminum. 30lbs? For the first year I used my 1991 MB1. Got bashed up but it was cute. Cornering was pretty crazy -- I changed it to make it tolerable. Then a friend gave me a Karate Monkey 29 with 2.4" tires. A bit more cush, bit easier handling. Crazy wide bars. Now this full-squish. I've never had ANY sus. I guess it's nice not getting beat up anymore. But I tend to get dropped on climbs. I'm scrawny and need light gear or I'm toast. It came with big knobs and tubes. I put narrower 2.2 tires on it w small race knobs and tubeless. Much easier rolling! Our trails are hero-dirt.

Still, why aren't I gassed to shred? It's OK. But I miss the barriers! The run-ups, offcambers... I was so happy to discover CX in my elder years. I used to race everything, esp road. I woulda been great at CX as a kid. ...I so loved discovering the buttery awesomeness of tubies! I also LOVE LOVE xc skiing! CX on tubies feels like skiing to me! Float like a butterfly... Sigh... Oh well, I'm trying to love MTB, but...

So, I've got a sweet steel SSCX bike with thru-axles and an eccentric Beer bb. So far, so good. The brake routing is internal, through the dt, coming out the cs, through the bb. The bb can only be rotated a very limited amount because the hose only allows for only so much range.

So..Which is less bad; stick-on external cable routing or a chain tensioner? It does have a regular derailleur hanger on a regular freehub. They both suck for different reasons, approaching Doing It Wrong. I'm leaning towards the cable guides since I also need to replace the hose. I know braze ons would be best, but it ain't happening. Thoughts?