I'm doing the Chicago Cyclocross Cup race on sunday at Montrose Harbor. Any other chicagoans want to race in the singlespeed category? Also, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on whether to use clip or clipless pedals. I can't really figure out which would be better, since I've never raced cyclocross before.

Info here:
https://www.chicrosscup.com/

I emailed the organizer to find out if it was okay to race without brakes (like if it was allowed), and he said that it's not only okay but it "sounds bad ass." I guess no brakes is still fairly new to the world of cross.

P.S. If you want to do it and need cheap cross tires, I bought mine for $15 each and they seem to work fine. They're WTB "All Terrainasaurus." All you guys with actually nice fixes probably don't have clearance for them, they're 700x32, but a fat 32.

Dismounts should be -real- interesting.

I'm planning on racing SS on Sunday on my Orange One from the Milwaukee Bicycle Co. I'm hoping to race both the C's and the SS class. Depends on if my ride can stick around until the second race. Hopefully we won't be "cursed" with nice weather like we've had for the Wisconsin series. Kind of dissapointing to not have at least 1 'Cross race in some slop.

I don't think the dismounts will be as tough as the remounts.

New? I highly doubt it is legal. They claim to follow USCF rules. At best you'd need a front brake.

I don't have any brakes that will fit around a cross tire. Plus, the organizer said it'd be fine. I thought the same thing too - that it would be against the rules - but apparently it's okay.

I'll look for the Milwaukee Co. bike. I'm on an old Trek.

id say run clipless pedals. much easier to get out of for dismounts, and easier to get back into on re-mounts (is that the right word?)

I will second the clipless pedals or just a set of spiky mtb platforms.

A lot of cross races that fall under uscf rules also have some 'home rules'. If the guy said you don't need brakes than go for it. Truth is you rarely use brakes in cross anyway; however situations that you do use them you very well may need them. Like a steep 15-20% grade that goes for about 100ft with a wall at the end on mud. You will probably have to dismount for something like that but all in good fun I am sure.

Good luck- my concern stems from the fact that the organizers hire actual race officials for USCF events- and organizers and officials may have very different ideas about interpreting rules.

I raced in a crit where a bunch of guys had folded their numbers- something illegal- and nothing was said at all. A few weeks later I was chastised for just having a crumpled/wrinkled number (something I ALWAYS do so it doesn't flap in the wind). On the other hand, I've raced crit series where we were expected to reuse the same number for 6 weeks- which are always crumpled. You get the idea. I'd be really angry if I had to travel any distance and was turned away at the line.

On the other hand, some officials are oblivious- and allow people to wear strange kits, have frame pumps, etc... and might not even notice a lack of a brake.

No worries, it's Chicago! It does seem like it would be more fun/ridiculous if there were some steep ass hills though.

Yeah, I sort of have the same concerns. I haven't raced in a USCF event ever, so I don't know about how the official procedures play out at the actual events - from what you're telling me, it sounds pretty specific to each one. I've heard cyclocross has a fairly relaxed atmosphere so I'm hoping it'll just slide. Thanks for the heads-up though. Luckily it's a five-minute ride from my girlfriend's place so I don't have much to lose by showing up.

I wish I could go. Everybody take lots of pictures!

At the cross race in Golden Gate Park (www.pilarcitos.com), the winner of the Men's C class rode on brakeless fixed gear. He kicked butt against all the geared riders.

Paraleisure - good luck in the race!
Stick around for the pink messenger bag this time.

Update - Paraleisure took 1st place for the Fixed Gear class, b/c NO ONE ELSE in the field had the steel cahones he did to race fixed. Yeah, there were single speeds, but they coast and have brakes. Nice job Paraleisure! And from my vantage point, he had a blast.

A few pics (note - ImageShack gives out free pop-ups! Sorry. If you don't like it, buy me a server):




(I really dug Paraleisure's choice of gear. The only other kit worth mentioning was a Santa Claus in the Women's class. Sweet!)

Seems awfully pleasant for CX.

Way to go.

Paraleisure - way to go, pretty badas.s doing it brakeless. Did you get to find out how you stacked up against the singlespeeders?

[165] - try www.photobucket.com for no popups, although it doesn't do the cool thumbnail thing.

thx ryan_c...could have used your help emptying the flask today.

sounds like a good time for trial lawyers. are they making you sign a waiver, or do ya think you could maybe turn a profit off of this?

have fun, be careful, and all the rest of that maternal jazz

-rob

um...what the hell?

That was "surreal". Haw!

last time I polished off a flask, there were NO waiver and no trial lawyers! At least not until later...

you sure enjoyed that flask, i would have shared but would have felt bad for taking your jacket AND booze.

as for paraleisure, you have large balls, and i think your girlfriend didn't like my friends and i due to our heckling, which was directed at another person and not yourself wait, we did heckle you a little, but the bad words were reserved for others

My GF loved you guys... and heckling is an official sister sport to CX, as far as I can tell. Plus rolling slowly into a ditch and nailing your crotch on the top tube deserves something...

The race was great. I had such a stellar day yesterday. After the race we went to the science surplus store up at Milwaukee and Foster and I bought a couple telephone speakers to make headphones with. And several crazy awesome science/industrials tapes to wrap on the bike.

Thanks for posting the pics 165. Next up, fixed brakeless Paris-Roubaix. Cobblestones!

Para-
PM me your email addy - I have more

Second to last! I recommend that anyone doing singlespeed CX use a gear around 42x18 or even 42x19, instead of the 44x16 I was using. Grass make pedal turn heavy.