Cyclocross - new to cyclocross

i am a fairly experienced cycler and the world of cyclocross has caught my eye. I have been lookin around this subforum and have been seeing a few brands come up a few times (ie bianchi velope, kona jake, giant txc, tricross, van dessel, etc) and i have been wondering what would be a good beginner bike for someone who wants to do some fast paced riding in. also, if u are from around the bay area: what is the cyclocross scene like? i know zero people that do it so i really know next to nothing about the sport as a whole.

the bay area has a huge scene.

http://www.pilarcitos.com/2007Cross.htm

http://www.cyclo-x.com/

all the bikes you metioned could make a good beginner bike. you just have to find one that fits your needs (rack and fender mounts? super lightweight? low budget?) and above all one the fits your body. i've said it a million times but a bike is never a good deal if it doesn't fit right.

i am a fairly experienced cycler and the world of cyclocross has caught my eye. I have been lookin around this subforum and have been seeing a few brands come up a few times (ie bianchi velope, kona jake, giant txc, tricross, van dessel, etc) and i have been wondering what would be a good beginner bike for someone who wants to do some fast paced riding in. also, if u are from around the bay area: what is the cyclocross scene like? i know zero people that do it so i really know next to nothing about the sport as a whole.

Redline Conquest, Jamis Nova, Surly Cross-Check

and major manufacturers have nice cross bikes, trek, cannondale, specialized, fuji, etc.

I would look for mud clearance, comfortable shouldering, fender/rack eyelets if that's of interest, and gearing appropriate to what you want to do (stay away from standard road racing gearing for off-road use)

welcome to CX- it's awesome!

thanks for the replies, so far from what im reading it sounds like im going to love it
when you say stay away from standard gearing im assuming that you mean to go for lower gearing? or am i wrong

i think standard road gearing is a two ring 53/39 up front and roughly 11-25 in back. Most cyclocross bikes are 50, 48 or 46 for the big front gear and 34 or 36 for the small one, then in back its 12-25 or 12-27. Some bikes have a mountain bike rear end that go up to 32 (bianchi?). 46/36 up front seems common, the idea is that if you're going so slow (uphill most likely) that you need a super low gearing, you're better off running with the bike instead of riding.

In my comparison of bikes, running the pedals at 120rpm gave a top speed between 37 and 44mph depending on the gearing combination. I guess its unlikely to get going that fast before you have to slow down for something on a cross course? whereas on a road bike you could have long downhill sections for high speeds.

Standard road gearing with a 25 cog in back actually works fine for cross racing. You'll spend the majority of your time in the little ring. You might wish for a gear somewhat lower than 39/25 once in a while, which is why a lot of people (like me) use a 12-27 cluster, tho I actually use a single 42 ring for racing.

One strategy that seems to make sense is to have two rings, but very closely geared, like say a 36 and a 44, and basically use one or the other depending on the course. Fast, "grass-crit" style course, stay in the 44, a really muddy sandy mess of a course, stay in the 36.

Standard road gearing with a 25 cog in back actually works fine for cross racing. You'll spend the majority of your time in the little ring. You might wish for a gear somewhat lower than 39/25 once in a while, which is why a lot of people (like me) use a 12-27 cluster, tho I actually use a single 42 ring for racing.

One strategy that seems to make sense is to have two rings, but very closely geared, like say a 36 and a 44, and basically use one or the other depending on the course. Fast, "grass-crit" style course, stay in the 44, a really muddy sandy mess of a course, stay in the 36.

I also use a 42 x 12-27. that gives me a speed range of something like 4.5 to 28+ mph until I spin out.

it's not that 53/39 can't work- but the large chainring size jump is slower to shift and most riders wouldn't use or need the large ring.

according to this page:
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/BOSS.cfm
tim johnson uses a 46/42...
sven nys 48/39...
lars boom 42 single
barry wicks 46/42.

so, 46 or 48 seems to be enough for even the best pros. or even 42 for the current world champ.
(at least in his U-23 race, the last WC was super fast)

For the majority of riders, I think a 38 or 39 single might even be better than 42T.

marc

Hey, Sven uses the same chainrings I do. So either I'm really damn fast or I got the cogs of hope.