Cyclocross - new cross build (rookie)

i have been riding all my life but this last weekend i started my first cross build

i am starting with a cosmetically beat (paint damage only) older bianchi cross bike wearing a newish curt goodrich fork. i probably over payed, but i really fell in love with the frame (my first road bike was a bianchi) and it was cheaper than a cross check (or other steel frame)

here is what the build will look like:
centaur bb
centaur cranks (8spd 42t ring)
chris king 2nut headset
ritchey wcs post
selle italia slr saddle
threadless stem adaptor (i know, i know)
weyless 31.8 aluminum/carbon stem
weyless 31.8 aluminum bars
weyless carbon bottle cages
crank brothers eggbeater sl pedals
tektro brake levers
tektro cr720 cantilevers

wheelset:
record front hub
white industries eno rear hub
dt swiss 1.2 rims
competition db spokes


i realize the bike is kind of a mix or parts, but everything in bold was already owned (and some of it free)

nothing wrong with a frankencross build!

i continue to mutate my 93 Giant steel frame 'hybrid' and it's getting more 'dialed' in to some degree as i dial myself a bit! remember, the engine is mainly you, but yeah, a light bike can make big differences.

thanks.

i dont care (much) about weight. i am just wanting something fun and reliable. italian steel just seemed like a plus :) even though it's a frankencross build, i thing the overall appearance is going to look alright and the fit should be about right. its probably a tad tall for cross racing, but the overall fit should be close to my road bike with a few noted exceptions:

2cm less reach
2cm less bar drop
2.5mm shorter cranks

not so much a franken build anymore. the bar/stem setup worked and looked like garbage.

it is being replaced with a proper deda bar/quill stem combo. it should look stellar with the frameset.

since its a single speed build , weight should be reasonable, by all the parts that are not there.

I substituted a Tange Steel top nut when I built up my CK headset,
the tange nut has an O ring around the stem, to reduce moisture entry.
And with steel lock Nut I can tighten it with the big crescent wrench.

Just hope your seat-rail clamp mech is up to being jumped on repeatedly..

since its a single speed build , weight should be reasonable, by all the parts that are not there.

I substituted a Tange Steel top nut when I built up my CK headset,
the tange nut has an O ring around the stem, to reduce moisture entry.
And with steel lock Nut I can tighten it with the big crescent wrench.

Just hope your seat-rail clamp mech is up to being jumped on repeatedly..

i am actually in process of buying a ck top nut. i got a free chris king grip nut but it has no provisions for a brake hanger so i am converting it to a 2nut.

i have a campagnolo record carbon seatpost available for the build but i opted to go with the older aluminum ritchey due to its larger clamp and double bolt system. ive seen it on cross bikes in the past and its listed as a mountain bike post:

http://www.ritcheylogic.com/dimg/thm/t448_343062361aec03ec21126926d720911d.jpg

can you still get those silver ritchey posts? It looks great.

EDIT: 70+ dollars...I'd get a Thomson, even as much as I like Ritchey

can you still get those silver ritchey posts? It looks great.

EDIT: 70+ dollars...I'd get a Thomson, even as much as I like Ritchey

i got a black one (same color as bars/stem/rims/hubs) for free.

IMHO, the 2 bolt side by side can still shift angles , not bad for road riding, but tandem bolts are
by the counterforce of each other's tension , a more solid method.

2 bolt Campag worked real well , though saddle profiles have moved downward to make those not as good a match.
Great with Leather saddles though..

Race face invented an interesting low profile clamp, 1 bolt clamps the rails in place , the 2nd one clamps the angle

Anyhow , the week after the race is all about tearing the bike down cleaning and rebuilding it again, so lots of chances to tweak stuff ..

That's all fine and good...but show us some pictures! As a fan of both cross and C&V bikes I would love to see it.

That's all fine and good...but show us some pictures! As a fan of both cross and C&V bikes I would love to see it.

I'm not sure late 90s is C&V but pics will come in time.

That's all fine and good...but show us some pictures! As a fan of both cross and C&V bikes I would love to see it.

here is a cellphone pic of today's progress. still needs cable, bar tape, cross tires, and a lock ring on the headset:

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/sscx/2010-11-20154748.jpg


edit: the freewheel is not here yet either. it is currently running fixed.

waiting on lock ring and bar tape:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/bike-random/DSC01112.jpg

Looks great! I've been looking for one of those frames myself.

A few things:

- I would strongly consider changing saddles for something more robust. The rails on the SLR bend real easy. I know several CX'ers who have bent them, even with good mounting technique. I, myself have bent one riding road, when I accidentally pulled out while accelerating on a poorly maintained road and went down


IMHO, the 2 bolt side by side can still shift angles , not bad for road riding, but tandem bolts are
by the counterforce of each other's tension , a more solid method.

I just gave away one of those Ritchey posts. It was a pain to adjust because it would shift while tightening. Every time I went to adjust the fore/aft, I would lose my pitch adjustment. It was pretty much guaranteed that you wouldn't be able to loosen those bolts without the pitch changing. Still, I prefer it to non-micro adjust posts. Also, I am a bit like the "Princess and the Pea" where bike fit is concerned.

[QUOTE=fietsbob;11805435]Race face invented an interesting low profile clamp, 1 bolt clamps the rails in place , the 2nd one clamps the angle

I have those on two of my bikes and I love them. The design is brilliant. They are easier and faster to adjust than event a Thomson. The design allows them to be quite light, while still durable (they are standard equipment on the Giant Trance mtb, for example). Best of all, they have setback. I use that post on my bikes which require a setback post, and a Thomson on non-setback fitments. Best of both worlds.

Can't wait to see pics of it in action.

Cool, mine's kind of similar. And my phone picture is even worse than yours.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/6170/58428486320773359710.jpg

Looks great! I've been looking for one of those frames myself.

A few things:

- I would strongly consider changing saddles for something more robust. The rails on the SLR bend real easy. I know several CX'ers who have bent them, even with good mounting technique. I, myself have bent one riding road, when I accidentally pulled out while accelerating on a poorly maintained road and went down



I just gave away one of those Ritchey posts. It was a pain to adjust because it would shift while tightening. Every time I went to adjust the fore/aft, I would lose my pitch adjustment. It was pretty much guaranteed that you wouldn't be able to loosen those bolts without the pitch changing. Still, I prefer it to non-micro adjust posts. Also, I am a bit like the "Princess and the Pea" where bike fit is concerned.

Can't wait to see pics of it in action.


thanks for the complements. i am in love with the frameset. i have a soft spot for bianchis (first road bike) and always wanted a celeste one. i am also a big fan of the fork. curt does a great job:
http://www.curtgoodrich.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/crown-drilling.jpg
http://www.curtgoodrich.com/

your advice on the saddle is noted. i was already concerned about this and have a selle italia nitrox on standby for cross riding. the slr will probably stay for "normal" use. the bike is sort of a dual purpose build and will see road/city time as well.

ive actually not had any issue setting the saddle at all. you just have to tighten the bolts down in an alternating pattern. if i end up not liking the post i will probably replace it with a race face or miche supertype. they are a single bolt design, but seem very stout and have a safety mechanism to retain the saddle in the event of a broken bolt.



Cool, mine's kind of similar. And my phone picture is even worse than yours.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/6170/58428486320773359710.jpg

do i spy a garmin? mine will have one soon...

rat fink, i should ask, what do you know about these frames? it seems that they were a higher end frameset in their day but other than that i havent found much info.


for future reference, do you know if the ti or vanox rails hold up better? my nitrox is a mid level mtb saddle with steel rails, but i have a few other options i may be able to execute.

No garmin, just a light for commuting. Your fork is sweet.

rat fink, i should ask, what do you know about these frames? it seems that they were a higher end frameset in their day but other than that i havent found much info.

Not certain, but it might be an older Reparto Corse. Looks like one of the Italian made frames, anyhow.

Not certain, but it might be an older Reparto Corse. Looks like one of the Italian made frames, anyhow.

It is both of those things but it is the later tig welded version.

rat fink, i should ask, what do you know about these frames? it seems that they were a higher end frameset in their day but other than that i havent found much info.


for future reference, do you know if the ti or vanox rails hold up better? my nitrox is a mid level mtb saddle with steel rails, but i have a few other options i may be able to execute.

I actually don't know a whole lot about that frame. They are nice, though. Bianchi seems to have been one of the first major companies making a large volume of actual cyclocross frames. I wonder how similar their bike's geo is to current 'cross racing frames, and how it evolved.

As I understand it, Selle Italia saddles with the Vanox rails are the toughest. They are generally inexpensive and the rails are more robust. Even so, it's quite possible to bend those, too.

ive actually not had any issue setting the saddle at all. you just have to tighten the bolts down in an alternating pattern. if i end up not liking the post i will probably replace it with a race face or miche supertype. they are a single bolt design, but seem very stout and have a safety mechanism to retain the saddle in the event of a broken bolt.

If you could get it dialed in, that's great. I would just leave it. The post is durable, so no concerns there. I guess I'm just sensitive.