Cyclocross - first cross race today

it was awesome. super muddy, it poured rain the last 2 days. raced it singlespeed, geared at a 36-16. raced in mens C, finished 14 of 27. im addicted, now i have 2 loves: SS MTB racing and SS CX racing!

Congrats, which race was it?

evo cross, in wrightstown PA. the first race of the mid-atlantic CX series.

How'd that gearing work out for you? I'm planning on running 42-18 for my first ss cx race next weekend. I've raced geared for a few years, but never on a singlespeed.

it worked well for this race, because it was super muddy. on a drier faster course id want a taller gear. next one i think im going to run a 36-14 fixed.

Fixed cyclocross, awesome. I've tried some cyclocross dismounts on my fixie, it seems like it would be alot of fun in a race. I would think that you would be at a disadvantage as far as high-speed dismounts, cornering, and bunny-hopping are concerned, but it still sounds like a blast!

I raced my single speed cross bike last weekend. Did well in the B races. The ran a 44/18 gear in thick, wet grass, heavy sand and hardpack dirt. The gear was perfect and except for the sandy portions, never wanted a lower gear. I actually ride faster than I did last year with the regular bike. People are asking me why I'm faster this year. I tell them that all I did was buy a single speed and have been riding on that for several months with road tires. It has made me stronger.

lunacycle should do well with a 42/18. Wouldn't want to try it on a fixie, though. The technical decent dismounts would be disastrous for me.

Wish they had more single speeds, here, I'm lonely being the only one.
Hex

Well, I've officially joined the fringe. I ran my 42x18 gearing yesterday, in the B race, on a fairly flat and fast course. The gearing seemed just right. I didn't feel like I was at a disadvantage to the geared riders. The one phenomenon that I noticed during the race is that the geared riders would shift down for the slight uphill sections, whereas I had to stand up and hammer. I tended to gain on the geared riders during those sections. Also, I passed about four or five guys who had thrown their chains -- Not an issue with the singlespeed setup. It seems like singlespeeding forces you to maintain your speed and momentum throughout the duration of the race. I noticed that the geared riders started spinning lower gears towards the end of the race. I managed to pass three or four riders during the last two laps, because I was forced to maintain the same cadence, while they had slowed down somewhat.

I can hardly wait for next weekend's events. We have races scheduled on Saturday and Sunday for the next two weekends. Hell, I might even start training. ;)

What set up are you using to go singlespeed? Frame with horizontal dropouts, eno hub or the eccentric (sp) bottom bracket? I ride a singlespeed for my commute, but my cross bike has vertical dropouts. Trying out my first cross race next week and would be interested in running singlespeed.

What set up are you using to go singlespeed? Frame with horizontal dropouts, eno hub or the eccentric (sp) bottom bracket? I ride a singlespeed for my commute, but my cross bike has vertical dropouts. Trying out my first cross race next week and would be interested in running singlespeed.

None of the above...

I converted my old GT cyclocross bike with vertical dropouts. I bought an 18t Surly bmx cog, which fits on the splined freehub of my existing rear wheel. I bought a stack of aluminum cassette spacers from my LBS, and reused the lockring from my old cassette. I had to use the existing 12t cog as a spacer in order to get the old lockring to work. I was already using a 42t single ring up front with a Third Eye Chainwatcher on the inside, and a Spot chainguard on the outside. I put on a new chain with a half-link, so I could get the chain tension as tight as possible. Then I installed a Rennen Rollenlager chain-tensioner to finish the job. The rollenlager bolts to the derailleur hanger, and is also attached to the QR skewer. There's no spring tension, so you don't have to worry about loosing your chain, provided that you use the shortest chain length possible (which is why I needed the half-link).

The cost of the conversion: $30 cog, $16 spacers, $55 Tensioner (including shipping), $7 chain (cheapo KMC), $2 half-link. Grand total: $110 + tax.

None of the above...

I The rollenlager bolts to the derailleur hanger, and is also attached to the QR skewer. There's no spring tension, so you don't have to worry about loosing your chain, provided that you use the shortest chain length possible (which is why I needed the half-link).
.

Wher did you source the "rollenlager"?

It seems like singlespeeding forces you to maintain your speed and momentum throughout the duration of the race. I noticed that the geared riders started spinning lower gears towards the end of the race.

this is exactly why i race singlespeeds exclusively....MTB and CX. gears make you weak ;)

Wher did you source the "rollenlager"?

Direct from the source: http://www.rennendesigngroup.com/