Cyclocross - what the heck is CX????

so...

i was driving around running some errands yesterday when i passed by a local park. i noticed all these yellow ribbons defining a path throughout the entire park...and a bunch of guys on bikes that looked like they were racing!

well...as soon as i got home, i looked online for events at this park. i found out it was a usa cycling cyclocross event put on by some organization called tailwind.

so here's my question...what is cyclocross? i see that it goes all over the grass. but i swear...those guys were on road bikes! but...i was looking form a distance while driving through traffic in my car. can i use my '07 Specialized Roubaix Expert Compact Rival for cyclocross? would i have to modify it in any way?

thanks!

Cyclocross is a special type of bike frame and they look like road bikes, but they are a little different. They allow wider tires so you can have some tread. Different brake setup, the cable layout is different, so you can carry your bike over the obstacles, etc....

I have not spent the money on a bike, nor have I attended an event, as I am afraid I will get hooked on another thing that costs me a lot of money.

Cross is the most insane and intense form of racing there is. You give it 100% from the word go till the final bell. Spike your heart rate in the first 30 seconds and keep it there for the entirtre race. If youre not wanting to puke when you get off the bike something is not right, unless you tossed your cookies or cliff bars somewhere after the last run up.

Yes you can race on a road bike but i would not recomend it.

Well off to put the final touches on todays edition of Orrville cross.

Yes you can race on a road bike but i would not recomend it.




aw, crap!!!! cuz that looked like a BLAST!!!!!

now i have to sell ANOTHER kidney to get yet another bike. you can live with no kidney's, right?

Or go find a cheap used roadbike on craigslist/EBay, cram some 30mm wide tires onto it (alot of road frames can take the wider tires anyways though mud clearance may be a tad of a problem but never stopped anyone), and then take the bike out and trash it for all it's worth. :D

Going with a singlespeed/fixed gear bike may also provide a less expensive solution to get your CX fix (most races usually have a SS catergory).

A moving picture is worth 10,000 words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1QjxL2yBMw

Or go find a cheap used roadbike on craigslist/EBay, cram some 30mm wide tires onto it (alot of road frames can take the wider tires anyways though mud clearance may be a tad of a problem but never stopped anyone), and then take the bike out and trash it for all it's worth. :D

Going with a singlespeed/fixed gear bike may also provide a less expensive solution to get your CX fix (most races usually have a SS catergory).


ding ding ding! that might be the ticket!

i ride a small frame cuz i'm a midget...

check this out: http://cgi.ebay.com/GIANT-2003-TCX-Cyclocross-Bike-Small_W0QQitemZ260178495168QQihZ016QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

is this a good beater bike to participate in cx events? how much do you guys think this will go for by the time bidding ends?

That doesn't qualify as a beater in my world. It'll probably be in the 450-500 range when it's done. Think something like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Nishiki-International-Lugged-10-Speed-Road-Bike_W0QQitemZ300167147903QQihZ020QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem), but in your size. Add a set of cheap cross tires for 35 bucks, and your running, as long as the mud isn't too bad.

Oh definately do go and watch a race. I did and now I'm hooked. I just did my fourth race this year and am having a blast. It'll be something to look forward to at the end of summer.

Well off to put the final touches on todays edition of Orrville cross.

Dangit, i forgot all about that, I wanted to come check it out, and see if i want to try it next season!

all a cx bike has that a road bike doesn't is

more tire clearance for mud and 32mm knobbies

maybe a higher BB

cantilever brakes for mud clearance

no water bottle bosses (perhaps)

often the cables are routed away from the underside of the
top tube so it can be shouldered easier. you do not -have- to shoulder
the bike...some top racers don't, but most do for some of the runups


basically if you can put knobbies on your road bike that is all you need. I do not
think anyone can get away with slicks on grass. but with tread, you are in.

someone was describing cx to a roadie . . . "it's like a criterium in reverse. you sprint at the start, the field strings out, then you coast at the end."

Pure sweet hypoxic lactic-acid-burn hell.

Or go find a cheap used roadbike on craigslist/EBay, cram some 30mm wide tires onto it (alot of road frames can take the wider tires anyways though mud clearance may be a tad of a problem but never stopped anyone), and then take the bike out and trash it for all it's worth. :D

Going with a singlespeed/fixed gear bike may also provide a less expensive solution to get your CX fix (most races usually have a SS catergory).


Yup! here's my budget rig, did my first race Sunday and I'm hooked!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/DDYTDY/NowFG-SSCross.jpg

When this sick game came to town it was described in a local paper "like steeplechase for bikes."

Ron

so...

i was driving around running some errands yesterday when i passed by a local park. i noticed all these yellow ribbons defining a path throughout the entire park...and a bunch of guys on bikes that looked like they were racing!

well...as soon as i got home, i looked online for events at this park. i found out it was a usa cycling cyclocross event put on by some organization called tailwind.

so here's my question...what is cyclocross? i see that it goes all over the grass. but i swear...those guys were on road bikes! but...i was looking form a distance while driving through traffic in my car. can i use my '07 Specialized Roubaix Expert Compact Rival for cyclocross? would i have to modify it in any way?

thanks!

Sounds as if you were in the Ann Arbor area this past weekend? Tailwind Enterprises ran the Veterans Park CX race there both Sat & Sun.

As Ronsonic put it... it's like steeplechase on bikes. That is generally the best way to describe it. And it is sick... but then you find yourself so addicted to it... you think you're mad... but really it's just normal for us CXers. :p

Like others have suggested, if you want to give it a try look a nice used bike or affordable entry level bike. Save your roadie for the road.