Cyclecross Crank and brakes and gears and handle bars

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i_r_beej

Hi

[QUOTE]I am new to cyclecross do I need to buy a compact crank for my cross frame?
Not really. Typically you'll find 38/46 on CX cranks-- so standard road BCD

have a road triple and a mountain bike triple which would fit the bike.
You really only need a double. You'll probably have some chainline issues with a triple crankset.

Could I change the chain rings on the road triple to for the 50 38 pattern?
Yes. But 50 sounds somewhat big. Maybe 46 would be better for off-road/cyclocross racing.

What size chain rings are the best?
Se above...

What size cassette are the best, 8 or 9 speed?
Both would be fine. I feel that 10 speed is still a bit too delicate for off-roading and CX racing. There are many who think that 9 was a bad move and that 8 was best.

Can I use Scott AT4 handle bars?
Sure. Just about anything will work. But you'd be best served by some drop bars. I recommend the flared drop bar by On-One: The "Midge" bar.

Are disk brakes better than the cantilever brakes?
Discs provide a performance advantage in wet and/or muddy conditions. I have a bike with hydraulic disc brakes. I have another with cantilevers. I see no real advantage to discs other than the slight edge in wet performance and reduced maintenance.

slopvehicle

gcl8a

If you already own the stuff, then try it and see how well it works for you. Don't spend money on what's "best" when you have no idea what may work for you.

vanwaCX

My question, and it's a local one, i_r-- will 44/29 with an 11-34 cassette be too low? I wanna tool around the region on short tours and occasionally hit Forest Park's doubletrack. What do you recommend?

I'd say that 44/36 or 44/38 would be a better match to an 11-34 cassette. Cross guys go riding in Forest Park on 42 single rings with 12-27 gears all the time. Most mortals would like a slightly smaller chain ring though.

A 29-34 gear is pretty darned low.

i_r_beej

My question, and it's a local one, i_r-- will 44/29 with an 11-34 cassette be too low? I wanna tool around the region on short tours and occasionally hit Forest Park's doubletrack. What do you recommend?

Well, that set-up won't be too low... for climbing trees! :)

But yeah-- you'll find that it is rather low. Especially for road riding. Get a couple of new chainrings (44 or 46 and a 38 or 39) and you'll have a nice broad range of gears.

When I go up in Forest Park I can crank up most of Springville road in my 38-26. I get off and run a couple of the steeper sections... although I'm not sure that's really easier. Ha! :D

If you ever see an orange Poprad with a blue and pink shark on the handlebar-- wave and say "Hi!" It probably won't click in my feeble mind, but it'd be fun anyway!

Anacrust

I am by no means an expert or even partake in cyclocross racing(I've only had my bike for about a week and i'm using it more as a commuter), but from what I've heard; officially disc brakes are not "allowed" in the cylocross circuit. So if you want to race, I wouldn't suggest disc brakes. I don't understand why disc brakes are not allowed though.

SaddleBags

Hi

I am new to cyclecross do I need to buy a compact crank for my cross frame?

I have a road triple and a mountain bike triple which would fit the bike.

Could I change the chain rings on the road triple to for the 50 38 pattern?

What size chain rings are the best?

What size cassette are the best, 8 or 9 speed?

Can I use Scott AT4 handle bars?

Are disk brakes better than the cantilever brakes?

thanks for the info

Use what you got first. When I built up my cx bike, I had an extra ultegra 10s triple in the parts bin. I removed the chainrings and replaced the outer with a chainguard, replaced the 39 middle with a 42 and removed the granny. I run a 1x10 with a 12-27. 42t seems to be a popular setup if you run a single up front.

Disks are much better than cantis for pure stopping power but are not allowed in racing. If you commute in wet areas or don't plan on pinning on a number on race day, they can't be beat.

M_S

thanks for inadvertantly pre-answering my future-question. I've got a set of cranks on my soon-to-be-complete Cross Check project that have 44 and 29t rings. I've been wondering what "typical" Cyclocross gearing is for chainrings...

My question, and it's a local one, i_r-- will 44/29 with an 11-34 cassette be too low? I wanna tool around the region on short tours and occasionally hit Forest Park's doubletrack. What do you recommend?

When I was riding in Forest Park I used to use a triple, simply because it was what I had. It was wa too steep (50-42-30) on the top end (I never use the 52 off road). The 30 with a wide range Sram mountain cassette in back could climb pretty much anything, but frequently it felt to small. I'd say if you're using a mountain cassette, it leaves you a little more room for error up front. For extended hill climbing off road witha road cassette I probably wouldn't want anything but a triple.

A 48/36 sounds about right. If you just wanto spin up with less effort (an I know how steep some of those fire lanes are, trust me) a 32 mightbe in order. It's always nice to have one ring you spend most of your time in, though. For me a 40 would be that, if I could work it in somehwere. It's nice not to have to shift up front more than necessary, particularly if you are using barcons.

Anyways, this thread is now way off topic. Sorry OP :o

To the OP: It seems to me that most cross racers don't use anything larger than a 48. Whether you use something lower (or even higher, say a 50) may depend on whether the bike will be used mainly for pavement or dirt, ad potentially on how sloppy the courses are in your area, if you're racing. Also, drop bars are the norm, though if you really hate them you can use your flat or risers. Just ditch your bar ends.

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