[tjayk]

are there any ss crossers out there? i plan on racing ss this fall, and it is my first time doing cyclocross. i don't want to be bothered with maintaining a geared bike, and i enjoy the simplicity. i've been riding fixed for a while, so i figure this should help, as i can spin like a mofo thanks to hills w/out coasting.

my main question is about gear ratios. what is a good gear ratio for cx racing? i live in southern wisconsin if that helps at all. cx races are mostly flat though anyways, right? i was thinking 40-18 or 42-18.

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[xlntRider79]

42-18 might be good for "road race on grass" type courses, but it might be a bit steep for courses that include mud, snow, or twisty turns that require constant acceleration. I ran 42-20 last year and did well in the B races. This year I'm running 38-17 in the A's...we'll see how that works out.

[Lithuania]

I competed in my first cross race on sunday in baltimore and I used a 42x18 and thought it worked well. I am not much of a spinner though so it suited me well. It can definitely wear you out because there are times where you get to such a low speed that you have to use a lot of power to get back up to speed instead of spinning back up.

I say just go ahead and use what you got and make changes later if you think you need to. We can make suggestions all night long but the reality is only you will really be able to determine what gearing you are comfortable with.

Good luck and have fun.

[tjayk]

I say just go ahead and use what you got and make changes later if you think you need to. We can make suggestions all night long but the reality is only you will really be able to determine what gearing you are comfortable with.


thanks for the replies. i guess you are definitely right about that - i suppose i'll have to do some trial and error. the problem is i'm not sure if i'm a masher or a spinner anymore, as now i like to do both depending on what/where i'm riding. i'm gonna have to buy a new chainring...

[lunacycle]

In case you haven't read it, here's an entertaining article on Sheldon Brown's site regarding singlespeed cyclocross (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlecross.html).

[bward1028]

the real question is, is there anyone around doing fixed gear 'cross? i think i'm going to give it a try this season on some courses.

[flargle]

You'll see people doing fixed gear cross as sort of a novelty act. It'll get you attention, if that's what you want.