The 2015 Cyclocross National Championship is long over, but with the next season slowly creeping up on us, we are excited to keeping an eye on the bikes that propelled athletes to victory last January.
This year, not only did the Junior Development Team of Boulder Cycle Sport find the paths to victory during the 2015 National Championships in Austin, but the Masters also had a phenomenal showing. Pete Webber defended his title at Austin, Brandon Dwight soared to victory in the Men's 40-44 race, and Kristin Weber took the Women's 40-44 race.
All three are not only members of Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo, but were the ambassadors of the cyclocross team as well. All three are also no strangers to the top step of the podium, with Webber and Dwight having each bested the other for a Nationals win when their age groups overlap, and Kristin Weber finding the stars and stripes jersey in 2014 at Boulder. Need another similarity between the three? All of them were riding the same model Focus Mares CX 0.0 Disc in Austin while equipped with SRAM's CX1 drivetrain.
Pete Webber's 2015 Cyclocross Nationals winning Focus Mares. © Cyclocross Magazine
We have looked at the Focus Mares Bikes periodically throughout the season, giving their cantilever-specific model a review in Issue 27 (you can see a sneak peek of that review here), and later giving it the 2015 Editors' Choice Award for Best Mid-Range Cyclocross Bike.
Today, we offer a special Championship-winning bike profile in that we compare all three winner's bicycles with one another in a side-by-side shoot-out.
Make, model and drivetrain components were not the only similarities of the three rides. All three athletes also rode with Zipp 303 Firecrest tubular disc wheels installed with Clement PDX 700x33. Although there is the possibility that Weber and Dwight had shared a team wheelset (or a personal one with each other), Pete Webber's own 303s are labeled with a personalized decal similar to his top tube.
Most glaring difference is the MRP chainguard that Webber used on his single chainring drivetrain, while Weber and Dwight both ran their CX1 chainrings without the extra insurance policy. Less obvious is the minor difference in chainring selection, with both Webber and Dwight using a 42t chainring while Kristin Weber uses a 40t chainring.
Webber and Dwight don't use a visible cycling computer while racing, while Weber has a Garmin 500 connected by a SRAM computer mount.
All have Zipp Service Course SL equipped cockpits and seatposts, although Webber is the only rider of the three who uses the Setback model. Not only does Dwight use the standard seatpost, but his saddle is positioned slightly forward relative to the bottom bracket.
Weber uses a Specialized Phenom Expert while Dwight employs a Specialized Phenom Comp, the former which is 16g lighter and $30 more. Pete Webber, on the other hand, uses a Fizik Arione CX Carbon saddle.
Pedals were also a matter of taste to the three riders, with Webber using the Time ATAC XC 8 Carbon pedals, while Kristin Webber was able to match the white of her saddle with Time ATAC XC 6 pedals. Dwight, on the other hand, used Crank Bros. Eggbeater 3 pedals.
More info: focus-bikes.com. Use the arrows to navigate through the images, and check back for more 2015 Nationals bike profiles (we’ve captured each winner’s bike!)
Webber provides a name on his frame and wheels. © Cyclocross Magazine
