Bike Profile: Kari Studley’s National Championship Redline Conquest Pro SS Singlespeed Cyclocross Bike

by Jordan Villella

Kari Studley (Redline) is best known as a singlespeed cyclocross champion, having won the 2009 Single Speed Cyclocross World Championship (SSCXWC) as well as the 2012 Singlespeed National Championship. On Wednesday, Studley successfully defended her singlespeed title, racing her aluminum Redline singlespeed cyclocross bike that she has worked together with Redline in testing and refining to be the little-known Conquest Pro SS as it is called today.

Cyclocross Magazine took a look at Kari Studley’s Nationals-winning Redline Conquest Pro Single right after her race. Redline’s singlespeed-specific Conquest Pro SS frame is made from R6 Alloy, a material choice that keeps the price and weight reasonable ($599 for frame and carbon fork). The Conquest Pro SS features a CT Carbon fork with an alloy steerer.

Studley is the first to win a National Championship on Challenge’s new Team Edition tubular casing.  The Team Edition tubulars from Challenge are made from an all-cotton casing, said to give them a superior ride quality due to their very supple casing that’s similar to Dugast tires. They’re not yet available to the public, but we spotted them on Brady Kappius’ Stevens bike in Vegas, and we’ve been riding them with positive results – stay tuned for a full review. Studley opted for the Challenge Team Edition Limus tubular for the sloppy conditions, glued to FSA SL-K carbon tubular wheels. The FSA SL-K wheels feature a 50mm deep carbon tubular rim. The SL-K rims feature a wider 23-millimeter profile, which has become popular in the road and cyclocross scene.

Studley rode a 40×18 gear ratio, saying, “I knew it would come down to the hills, and I wanted to ride the hills.” The strategy paid off, as Studley recalls, “Coming up the first hill,  I was in second spot, the girl started running, and I just rode it.”

The rest of the bikes is no frills, with a SRAM Rival crankset, and Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals. Kore’s wide-profile Race+ cantilever brakes are Studley’s stopper of choice and match to the overall color scheme of the bike, and are listed at just 129g per wheel. For the muddy conditions, the wide-profile design certainly helps provide lots of pad and mud clearance.

Check out Redline’s Conquest Pro SS and other singlespeeds in our comprehensive ’cross bikes directory.

Kari Studley’s Redline Conquest Pro SS Singlespeed Cyclocross Bike Photo Gallery: