Cyclocross Racing - What bike do you race?

I want to know the specs of the bikes that people on this board race. A few comments about pros and cons of specific parts would also be helpful. Here's my build:

Frameset: Redline Conquest Pro (size 48)
Group: Shimano Ultegra 10 Speed
Brakes: Frogglegs
Cockpit: Ritchey WCS
Seat: Fizik Aliante
Pedals: Eggbeaters
Race Wheels: Velocity Escapes with Tufo Flexus (Tubular, 700x32)
Pit Wheels: Mavic Heliums with Tufo Elite (Tubular, 700x32)

I like this frameset and have raced it for two years. I'm now looking for something new for 2009.

Pros
1) I really like the routing of the cables on the frameset. The rear brake cable and rear derailleur cable both run along the top tube which I like. Most bikes I see now have the rear calbe running along the downtube which could cause some problems on muddy courses. With this said though, where I race there usually aren't a lot of REALLY muddy courses where this would make much of a difference.

2) There also isn't a brace between the chainstays that could collect mud. I guess a down side of no brace could be a lack of stiffness in the rear triangle, but I don't really notice that though.

3) The bike handles very well off-road. In comparison to my road bike though, this bike handle relatives poorly on the road. It's certainly meant to be a cross bike.

4) Both sets of race wheels have been great. They are both light and easily repairable if knocked out of true. I have been satisfied with both sets of tires as well. Although next year I will be looking at picking up a set of Challenge Grifos or Fangos. Possibly some Dugasts, it all depends.

5) The Froggleg brakes are a cheap alternative to some of the more expensive cantilevers out there. They are also very light. They help me stop my bike.

Cons
1) Frame weight. I want something that weighs less. Scandium or carbon will be the material of the new frame.

2) Fork weight. The fork on the Conquest Pro is heavy. The Conquest Team came with a lighter fork but out of my price range two years ago. This would be a good upgrade.

3) Ride quality on the road. Well . . . it is a cyclocross bike, so this isn't much of a problem for me.

4) This bike is very common.

Frames I'm Considering For 2009
1) Cannondaly XTJ
2) Salsa Chili Con Crosso
3) Van Dessel Gin and Trombones

Share.

Discuss.

Frameset: '08 Specialized Tricross Pro (size 54)
Group: SRAM Red
Crank: SRAM S900 with Quarq CinQo power meter (53/39)
Brakes: Avid Shorty
Cockpit: Specialized S-Works
Seat: Fizik Arione
Pedals: Eggbeater Ti
Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium ES
Tires: Specialized Houffalize CX (700x32)

(note: pictured with Speedplay Zeros)
http://www.photoscene.com/kimandsteve/images/4337.jpg

I've only raced it once so I can't really say much about it. It routes the derailer cables under the downtube like a typical road bike, which seems kind of silly... I bought the frame at the end of last year and finally built it up only about a month ago with parts I had lying around, or were for another build. The Red is going to go to my new Tarmac SL2 that just arrived and I'll probably move a Force group over from an older bike. The crank is geared pretty high but I wanted to get power data so I put an 11-28 on it and the 39 didn't cause any problems in today's race. I wanted the S-Works Tricross but didn't want to pay the extra for it not knowing how much I would do cx. My team is sponsored by Specialized so there wasn't much consideration for other brands, but I remember seeing a Bianchi a while back that looked nice.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v414/rOOsterone4/100_2315.jpg
Frame: 2008 Voodoo Limba
Headset: Cane Creek 110...this thing rocks.
Pedals: Crank Bros Candy SL
Group: Rival Shifters, Force RD, Ultegra SL FD
Brakes: Avid Shorty 6
Wheels: Bontrager Race X Lite
Tires: Maxxis Larsen Mimo
and some random "found" parts

I love this bike, it rides so phenomenally and there are a ton of lugs to mount any cable setup that your group might require. I didnt opt for a pully to re route the FD down the top pull lugs. The crank is a bontrager race crank that i got on close out SUPER cheap, so i would likely upgrade later on to something with a GXP style bottom bracket in the future, but the crank bros isis bb is working just fine so i will most likely race that all next season. and while the new Limba has a carbon rear end, i am very happy with this setup and its weight is pretty stellar (18.6) so i have no complaints as of now.

Frameset: '08 Specialized Tricross Pro (size 54)
Group: SRAM Red
Crank: SRAM S900 with Quarq CinQo power meter (53/39)
Brakes: Avid Shorty
Cockpit: Specialized S-Works
Seat: Fizik Arione
Pedals: Eggbeater Ti
Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium ES
Tires: Specialized Houffalize CX (700x32)

(note: pictured with Speedplay Zeros)
http://www.photoscene.com/kimandsteve/images/4337.jpg

I've only raced it once so I can't really say much about it. It routes the derailer cables under the downtube like a typical road bike, which seems kind of silly... I bought the frame at the end of last year and finally built it up only about a month ago with parts I had lying around, or were for another build. The Red is going to go to my new Tarmac SL2 that just arrived and I'll probably move a Force group over from an older bike. The crank is geared pretty high but I wanted to get power data so I put an 11-28 on it and the 39 didn't cause any problems in today's race. I wanted the S-Works Tricross but didn't want to pay the extra for it not knowing how much I would do cx. My team is sponsored by Specialized so there wasn't much consideration for other brands, but I remember seeing a Bianchi a while back that looked nice.

I do like the Specialized but if I went that way I would definitely have to go carbon, which would put it out of my price range. In any case, how do you like the geometry? The bik is definitely sharp. How much does it weigh with the current build?

I do like the Specialized but if I went that way I would definitely have to go carbon, which would put it out of my price range. In any case, how do you like the geometry? The bik is definitely sharp. How much does it weigh with the current build?

it weighs about 19. I wasn't making any effort to reduce weight, the SRAM red is just a fluke. The geometry took some getting used to, coming from road. The slacker angles and long wheelbase and higher cg makes for strange cornering; it doesn't really want to lean into a corner on the road like my road bikes but it was surprisingly easy to handle in the grass and dirt. I'm getting used to it... Slowly.

Apparently only three people on bikeforums race their cyclocross bikes! What a shock!

I raced a Surly Xchek this year

My setup is actually pretty similar to jonestr's.

56c Crosscheck frame and fork: Great ride and Amazing versatility. In the off season I've got it set up with 45c Panaracer Firecross 29er tires and I'm riding mtb trails with it. King headset for ballin' status.

1x9 Setup. Ultegra Brifters, 105 rear derailleur.

42t Salsa Chainring on FSA Gossamer Cranks with mega exo bb. Using a Salsa Chainguard and a Thirdeye chainwatcher. Still haven't dropped a chain yet.

Bontrager Racelite Wheels during the season, low spoke count had me scared but they never came out of true. Maxxis Mimo in the front, Michelin Mud in the rear.

I have spds on it, and they worked well enough when dry. Total pain in the arse when it was muddy.

Upgrades for next season:

Mavic Reflex tubs laced to Ultegra hubs
Eggbeater pedals


And I sorta figure when I finally do start racing A's I might treat myself to a more raceworthy setup and relegate my Cross Check to pit duty.

I also race a redline conquest pro. I think its a fine frame... I think I kind of fall in between their sizes. The one down side of mine is the fork... seriously sometimes I am scared of how flexy it is.

I don't know what suggestions I have for you. I have have been using a set of easton EC90 slx wheels. They are very nice and solid.

I have also considered the salsa or van dessel frame. In fact, aside from a few differences, I pretty much could have written your original post.

This year I'm racing an 05 Poprad with a set of Mavic Equipes. Set up with a 1x9 (105 &XT) .

Next year I'll be racing a Cannondale but the comps are still in the air.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/carlfreddy/IMG_0929.jpg

2009 Trek XO-1
Shimano 105
Avid Shorty 4's with rim wranglers and swiss stop yellow pads
Bontrager bars and stem
Thomson seatpost and San Marco Concur light saddle
Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon Aero's with Tufo Elite 700x32s

For next season I'll be upgrading to a lighter cockpit; Bontrager Race X Lite stem and Race Lite bars.

Yes, I work at a Trek store.

EDIT: I really love the way this bike handles, but I feel like the fork is the weak point. I'm considering switching to a different fork.

http://home.mchsi.com/~ipocpresident/bike_016a.jpg

Kona Jake the Snake Easton Ultralite Aluminum
Ritchey Carbon Comp Fork
Campy Veloce Shifters
Syncros Crankset (34/42)
Ultegra Cassette (12-25)
Topolino C-19 Wheelset
Shimano Brakes

The bike served me well this cross season, and I will be racing it again next year, maybe a few small changes, like the switch to tubulars, but overall I am very pleased with it.

Frame: Custom Steel
Fork: Alphaq cx20
Shifters:06 Centaur
Rear Derailleur: Veloce
Ft: Centaur compact
crank: FSA Gossamer 46/36
Casette: Centaur 13-16
Bars: FSA Omega Compacts
Stem Ritchey WCS 4-axis
SP: Ritchey Pro
saddle: Arione (needs to be replaced, I cracked the shell in my last race)
Front wheel: KinLin TB-25 tubular/DTswiss 240/Wheelsmith spokes/20h
Rear: Mavic Kysrium ES Tubular
tires: Vittoria XG 209tpi
brakes trp eurox

Next year i'll have two identical bikes (custom steel again)(my pit bike was pieced together with spare parts this year) I'll probably upgrade to 11speed on my road bike so my record parts will go onto my A bike and the parts I have now will go to the spare bike. Probably run one bike as a double and the second one as a single.

I race a Pinarello Cross bike. It has Ultegra and MOst stuff on it. The only upgrade I have done is added some different brake pads.

Next year, I plan to upgrade to tubular tires and wheels.

My specs...

Frame: Jamis SuperNova 2009 54cm
Fork: Easton EC-90X
Wheels/Tires: Mavic Ksyrium SL clincher, Mud2/Jet
Shifters/Der: SRAM Rival 2009
Brakes: Avid Shorty 6
Bars: Bontrager Race VR
Stem: Ritchey Pro 4-axis
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Saddle: Bontrager
Cranks: FSA Gossamer 36/46

I'll be changing over to a single ring setup next year using DA 7800 cranks.

Apparently only three people on bikeforums race their cyclocross bikes! What a shock!

This is the bike I race in the A's on.

Frame = Steelman, eurocross (custom)
Components = Chorus/Record 10 speed mix (I don't feel like listing individual parts)
Wheels = Arrowhead tubulars with Tufo's, and Record hubs
Fork = Alpha-Q

i race a ridley crosswind with a zornyc fork. xt canti's, ultegra ten, carbon 4za cranks (isis bb), coda hubs laced to sun me14a's. i race with michelin muds or ritchey speedmax's.

i love this frame! it's really light, though my fork and wheels are pretty heavy. i love the fit (61) and the geometry. it handles great. i really like the super high bb.

another scandium frame to consider is the la pierre. my friend races one with a wcs fork and absolutely loves it.

Apparently only three people on bikeforums race their cyclocross bikes! What a shock!

Dude, it's the Holidays and people are prob burnt out from a full road and cross season. My guess is that the last thing they want to do is hang out on the forums all day...

I took this season off, but for the past two seasons I rode a Redline Conquest (older model before they added disk tabs) with a Ritchey fork, 105 all around, Avid 6's and Ksyrium Elites with Mimo's. I think it was like 24 lbs or something like that. I wish I can say the bike held me back...

I think one of the coolest aspects of cross racing is the variety of builds you see. I rarely see stock bikes.

I want to know the specs of the bikes that people on this board race. A few comments about pros and cons of specific parts would also be helpful.Your mom.

Comments about pros and cons of specific parts would be entirely inappropriate.

Your mom.

Comments about pros and cons of specific parts would be entirely inappropriate.

huh?

2008 Guerciotti Cross Force (50cm, 52cm top tube, 5'5", 130#)


Stella Azzura Cross Fork (exact same fork as the stock Guerciotti fork)
FSA headset
Bontrager Select stem, 100x17
Easton EA70 Pro bend bars
American Classic seatpost
Selle Italia SLR XC saddle
Guerciotti seat clamp
SRAM Rival compact crankset, 170, 34t stock ring, 40t Sugino big ring
SRAM Italian BB
Ultegra 12-27 cassette
105 9-speed shifters
105 double front derailer
XTR mid-cage rear derailer
Salsa Cross bar-top Levers
Deore LX cantilever brakes w/ Kool Stop Salmon pads
Xero XR-1 wheelset
Maxxis Raze 700x35 tires
Third-eye chain watcher


This bike replaced a Redline Team Scandium that got bent when I was hit by a car.
It's heavier by a pound and a half (Redline was 3# WITH the fork) but much stiffer.
It's very stable in the downhills but the stiffness seems to make me bounce on some
of the undulating terrain (even with tires down to 28psi).

The 40t ring made a big difference for me this season. I could stay in it most of the
time during races and only needed to be in the 34t ring on really long sustain climbs.

The 105 shifters aren't as precise as the Dura-Ace on my roadie but it worked. It
would probably help if I cleaned and lubed them more frequently.

The Xero XR-1 wheels have stood up to my third season of racing (though admittedly
I only race half-a-dozen races a year plus training) with only a tiny bit to true once.

The Maxxis Raze tires have been great all around tires. They worked well on the only
wet, semi-muddy day we had and worked superbly on the dry days (just keep the
pressure lower).

click pic to enlarge
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2148/2997491722_d2c3e99eb0.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2148/2997491722_ac50028923_o.jpg)

So I'm new to the cx world and forum... does flargle ever make any sense?

Generally yes, but not in a very constructive manor. If you can filter through the hate there are some nuggets of info.

My mom? Nice. Bored because second grade is out for Christmas break? Fool.

- surly crosscheck frameset
- 42 up front with two chain guards
- 10sp ultegra in the back
- ultegra bar-end shifter (index)
- avid v-brakes
- cane creek brake levers
- maxxis raze tires
- salsa delgado rims
- time atac alium pedals

Far from ideal race rig since it was intended to be a commuter but I don't think equipment matters much in the C's compared to the engine. Not sure if I should just get better wheels and tires or build up a new frameset (keeping the drive train.) We'll see how the next 9months go.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/carlfreddy/IMG_0929.jpg

Yes, I work at a Trek store.



haha so do i, thats why i have that ****ty Race crank with a crank bros isis BB :lol:
...and a lemond seatpost
...and a race lux saddle
...and bontrager bar tape

had to save somewhere

Apparently only three people on bikeforums race their cyclocross bikes! What a shock!

or those are the only 3 people who want to show their bikes in this thread instead of the "show us your cyclocross bike" thread & talk boringly & unnecessarily extensively about the "pros & cons" of them.

or those are the only 3 people who want to show their bikes in this thread instead of the "show us your cyclocross bike" thread & talk boringly & unnecessarily extensively about the "pros & cons" of them.Nonsense. If you RACE your cross bike, then of course you'd want to post endless details about your RACE bike on the RACE forum.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/carlfreddy/IMG_0929.jpg

2009 Trek XO-1
Shimano 105
Avid Shorty 4's with rim wranglers and swiss stop yellow pads
Bontrager bars and stem
Thomson seatpost and San Marco Concur light saddle
Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon Aero's with Tufo Elite 700x32s

For next season I'll be upgrading to a lighter cockpit; Bontrager Race X Lite stem and Race Lite bars.

Yes, I work at a Trek store.

EDIT: I really love the way this bike handles, but I feel like the fork is the weak point. I'm considering switching to a different fork.

Now that I have some time I can comment more extensively on what I like/dislike about my bike.

When I initially sat down to order my bike I looked at my X-Y measurements from my road bike and did some number crunching; I found that I could run a shorter effective top tube and still get the same position on the bike by running a long stem (with the added benefit that I'd look SO PRO in the process). This also gave me a shorter wheelbase (though the wheelbase on my 'cross bike is longer than my road bike) and in general a more compact fit on the bike.

The only drawback was that by running a smaller bike the head tube was shorter by a significant amount, so I end up with spacers, but I can live with that (I've lingering neck issues from a 2004 automobile wreck that broke my C5 and C6 vertebrae and put me in a halo for 3 months).

As far as the geometry of the bike is concerned, I would prefer a steeper HTA than 72.3* (my road bike rocks a 74* HTA) but I was presently surprised at how responsive the bike handles. Though I suspect this is due in large part to the fact that the frame is stiff. Seriously stiff. Bonejarringly stiff.

Which leads me to the first of my only 2 beefs with the bike. Aluminum is just ridiculous for a 'cross bike. Give me carbon any day. Sucks that Trek or Gary Fisher have no plans for a carbon 'cross frame (I work at a Trek Concept store so I can't, in good conscience, ride a different brand of bike. Plus I can EP Trek/Gary Fisher :) ).

My second beef is the fork. Its heavy, and jacked up. The front end is sky high on this bike. I'm considering a new fork for next season, which will effectively change the entire geometry of the bike. Rest assured I'll be doing some serious research before I do anything like that.

So the only things wrong with the Trek are (1) the frame and (2) the fork.

So the only things wrong with the Trek are (1) the frame and (2) the fork.

You're good at making blanket statements and missing the point.

Nonsense. If you RACE your cross bike, then of course you'd want to post endless details about your RACE bike on the RACE forum.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Nonsense. If you RACE your cross bike, then of course you'd want to post endless details about your RACE bike on the RACE forum.

Isn't that a direct contradiction of your previous post in this thread?

I have mine about 90% spec'ed out, 0% done...waiting on the frameset from the manufacturer. Many of the parts are coming off of my road bike or mtn bike, and/or parts laying around that were upgraded or didn't fit my wife when her bike arrived.

Frame: Cannondale CAAD9 (waiting)
Forks: EC90x (waiting)
Bars: Alpha Q (came with wife's bike)
Stem:Thompson (from mtn bike)
Post: Thompson with setback (from mtn bike)
Brifters/RD/FD/cassette/chain: '09 Rival (transferring from road bike)
Crank: FSA Gossamer BB30 (will purchase for cx bike)
Brakes: not sure yet
Wheels: Haven't decided yet, tubular for sure
Seat: Terry zero-y (transferring from road bike)
Pedals: Candies (old mtn bike)

Hopefully I can get this project done before skills training, and definitely before Brecktocross on September 20. Plus, I am itch'n to ride...kind of bored with road biking right now. :(