Loading ...Spectating the Classics with a Top Cyclocross Racer
July 31st, 2008 Filed Under euro-file, racers, rider diary
Cyclocross Magazine reader Greg Nelson sent us his story of watching and riding the classics in Belgium with one of the top ‘cross racers from America.
How I lost a saddle or came to love the cobbles
If you bend over your handlebars: a close inspection of the cobbles reveals a thick gooey layer of mud over blocks of granite mounted half-hazard in the thick mud of Flanders. If you stand up to pedal, your tire simply rotates in the mud, sliding sideways into the other crazy cyclists packing the Tour of Flanders course the day before the real race. Mud dripped off my shoes and spattered my glasses. I had sucked in enough mud to coat the walls of my lungs, so coughing seemed a good idea. So did walking. I climbed off my bike and started walking up the Koppenberg. Me and about a few hundred other cyclists.
The Koppenberg is perhaps half a kilometer in total length, but exceeds 20%. I walked most of it. In the mud. See the theme yet?
Jack Maris and I landed in Brussels early Friday, April 4 and marched down to lower levels of the airport to catch a train to Oordenarde, Belgium. Although the ticket guy failed to mention that the train left in 4 minutes, we managed to shrug off the flight fatigue to jump onto the train just moments before it pulled out of station.
We were off to meet Jonathan Page!
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New Product Spotlight: Challenge Grifo XS
July 30th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross technology
We’ve been reporting for a while about the trend of bike parts going to white this season. TRP magnesium brakes, Ritchey WCS components in white, the Redline Team’s saddle, bar tape, and stem, and Titus and Ellsworth’s new ‘cross frames, just to name a few. It’s an odd color for ‘cross, but apparently it’s the new black.
Now you can add Challenge tubulars into this fashionable category, with their new white tread Grifo XS tubular cyclocross tire. It’s similar to the company’s Grifo SS tire, with a file tread down the center complimented by small shoulder knobs, but has a softer compound white rubber tread and a black protected sidewall. Donn Kellogg from Challenge says while the tread and rubber makes the new tire ideal for icy conditions, it’s also a great tire for grass courses such as Cross Vegas.
This is one of several new tubulars from Challenge to hit the scene this season. Other manufacturers are following suit, with Tufo, Schwalbe, and Vittoria working on or releasing new tires. (See our exclusive preview of the Vittoria’s new EVO XM tubular posted July 26th.)
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Cutting the Fat Part III - Small Ways to Save Weight
July 29th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross technology, editorial
Jeremy Burlingame is obsessed with lightweight ‘cross bikes. He continues the “Cutting the Fat” bike-diet series that we featured in Issue 1 and 2 with an online installment below. Follow his path to light bike nirvana but do so at your own risk.
In the first two of the weight saving corner that I so humbly occupy here at Cyclocross Magazine (see Issues 1 and 2), I talked about how to lose some major weight from your bike. If you didn’t read those articles contact Cyclocross Magazine and beg them to sell you a copy of each.
For this third installment, an online edition, I thought I’d highlight some of the common ways in which creative and obsessed cyclocrossers have saved weight from their rigs. They included cutting something that is unnecessarily long and making it shorter or removing things from your bike you don’t really need.
Chopping your unused seatpost
Many people have seatposts that measure 350mm whereas 200mm or more of that is under the seatpost clamp, inside the frame. A general rule of thumb is [More…]
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Cyclocrossing Across the Country
July 28th, 2008 Filed Under editorial, rider diary, training
New England ‘crosser Scott Rosenthal has taken ‘cross to a new level. 40 days ago he started a cross-country journey on his ‘cross bike, aiming to ride from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Boston, Massachusetts. While he’s long had dreams of riding across the country, invitations to weddings in Montana and western Massachusetts made him realize it was possible to do so this summer and ride his bike to the weddings.
We’ve been following his progress through Scott’s emails and pictures, and from his online journal. He says it’s been a great exercise on bike handling and of course been great for his fitness and base miles. We have a few pictures and favorite excerpts from his trip below:
Day 6:
I left Tonasket and set out for Wauconda Summit after an extra early wake up. Apparently the town info center has such nice grass because they have highly effective sprinklers beginning at 6:30. So my shady spot under the tree was not as great as I had hoped. I took all of my gear off the grass and then took advantage of the sprinklers. I was THAT GUY who washes himself in the town park sprinklers. [More…]
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Building Up a Cyclocross Bike, Part by Part
July 27th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross technology
Cyclocross Magazine reader and ‘cross newbie Chris Cowan discovered ‘cross after last season, and decided he’d build himself a bike late this spring to get comfortable on it prior to his first ‘cross race. It’s up and running finally, and he’s shared his experience with us so that all of you in the same boat can learn from his trials and tribulations.
My First CX Bike Build
About a month ago my wife gave me the green light to buy a new steel frame for my road bike. The original pitch to my wife was I would buy a new frame and cannibalize the majority of the parts from my current setup. Little did she know that giving an inch would result in me taking several hundred miles. My simple road bike upgrade turned in to a FULL CX bike build.
My first priority was to find a frame that would be versatile enough that if I tried racing CX and ended up hating it I could still use the bike for things like group road rides, pulling the kids around in the burley and some off road buffoonery. I knew I wanted a steel frame and I didn’t have enough money to get something custom. I had few choices: Surly Crosscheck. Salsa La Cruz or a Soma Double Cross. I went with [More…]
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New Product Spotlight: Vittoria Evo XM Tubulars
July 26th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross technology
Cyclocross Magazine paid off a paparazzo (with just a free subscription) to capture a spy quick photo of the very first Vittoria Evo XM Tubulars, a new, aggressive-treaded model to join Vittoria’s existing XG and XN tires. Although we do not know what XM officially stands for, the “M” may as well stand for “Mud” as the new model features taller, larger knobs, and looks to match up well with the popular Dugast Rhino tire.
The XM model will be available with the company’s Corespun K 290 TPI casing, which is a polycotton mix combined with Kevlar, and will feature a black side wall and a puncture-resistant latex tube. It is expected to be available shortly after Interbike.
For more info on Vittoria’s XG and XN tubular ‘cross tires (XM info not available yet): www.vittoria.com
We’re dedicated to being the first to bring you news of all new ‘cross products. To ensure you get the latest news, subscribe to our RSS feed or our now-daily email alerts (via the form on the top right of our page).
Want to geek-out on more ‘cross tech? See our other cyclocross tech articles here: http://cxmagazine.com/category/cyclocross-tech.
Got a new cyclocross-worthy product in the works? Let us know.
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The Dirty Kanza 200 - Get Your ‘Cross Base Miles Done in One Day
July 25th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, racing
While most ‘cross racers are just starting to dust off their ‘cross bikes after several months of neglect, some racers are dusting off their ‘cross bikes after completing some recent, long, epic ‘cross rides and races. In part 1 of our enduro-cross series, Lelan Dains of team HighGear tells Cyclocross Magazine about his race experience at the Dirta Kanza 200, a 200 mile race held on May 31, 2008. Dains finished the event 16th overall out of 68 starters. (Photos by imdesigngroup.com)
According to former pro racer Davis Phinney the Tour de France would be a lot easier if it were held in Kansas. Well, I guess he’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still upset at the reference. The TdF would be easier if it were held anywhere, so why throw Kansas under the bus? Oh that’s right, Kansas is flat. Wrong. What we lack in feet above sea level, we make up for in wide open, rolling hills.
Another myth, which is slightly more universal, is that ‘cross bikes hibernate in the summer. Just because the season is over doesn’t mean the ‘cross bike is done for the year. And to prove that point Midwesterners have devised events in which the ‘cross bike has become the weapon of choice. Enter the gravel grinder. These, typically, one-day ultra-endurance events are some of the most grueling races around.
The Dirty Kanza 200 is one such event. [More…]
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Avoiding Injury - Getting Ready for Mounts and Dismounts
July 23rd, 2008 Filed Under Issue 1, print_archives, training
It’s nearing that time of year when ‘cross racers are dusting off their ‘cross bikes and doing a few drills. Don’t start off the season on the wrong foot with an injury caused by repetitive drills of motions you’re not used to like remounts. Contributing author David Perez has got some easy stretches to make sure you don’t suffer any setbacks before the racing has even begun. (This article was originally published in our premier Issue 1.)
The start of the cyclocross season always brings renewed energy to any rider. Many of you have already been racing the road or mountain bike circuits while others are coming off of other sports such as triathlons. Jumping back onto the `cross bike brings into play a whole new set of mechanics that we must once again master. Mounts, dismounts, barriers and adverse weather conditions are common components of cyclocross and can lead to some very unique cycling injuries. In these articles, I will provide you with treatments and preventative measures for injuries typically seen in this sport. For some of you this material will build on existing knowledge from previous injuries. For the rest of you, if you implement some of the suggestions outlined here, it may be the difference between a pain-free season and one ruined by dealing with difficult injuries.
So, in this christening article we will address one of the more common (and painfully obvious) choices [More…]
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CrossVegas Details Released - Industry Race Added
July 21st, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, racing
July 21, 2008 (Boulder Colo.) The wait is over for CrossVegas fans looking for details about the cyclocross race that has become the highlight of the Interbike show week. CrossVegas.com has been revamped with complete information about the September 24th race in Las Vegas.
Among the most awaited information has been the “Wheelers and Dealers Race,” an industry insider’s race that will kick off a full evening of racing on the first evening of Interbike. CrossVegas partner Brook Watts explained “We’ve laid out full details of the Wheelers and Dealers race on the site so the floodgates will probably open when Online Registration begins on August 1st.” Categories for the 30-minute race include Men, Women, Media, Manufacturer, Retailer and Distributor. “Bragging rights and commemorative medals are at stake, this may be as hotly contested as the Elite races,” said Watts. [More…]
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Get Your Pen Ready - Contest #3 is Coming!
July 20th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news
We’re still finalizing the details and confirming a few great prizes, but our Contest 3 is coming, and it’ll be a fun one. Get your creative juices going, we’re awarding the best ‘cross poets in our Cyclocross Poetry Contest. Maximum two entries a person. Great prizes await our favorite poems, including TRP brakes, Challenge tires, Schwalbe tires, 1×9 Design T-shirts, and BBG Bashguards.
Stay tuned for official rules and deadline.
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