We gave you a quick preview of the new 2013 Raleigh RXC Pro Disc cyclocross bike from the 2012 Sea Otter Classic yesterday, but today we’ve got more details, photos, and a video profile of the new 2013 carbon cyclocross bikes from Raleigh, soon to be raced this afternoon at the inaugural cyclocross races at Sea Otter.
Raleigh adds a RXC Pro Disc model to the RXC line, while the cantilever brake RXC and RXC Pro models return for 2013 and receive mostly the same components as the 2012 models.
All three models inherit some updates for 2013 to the RXC frame, including a tapered steerer, a switch from BB30 to PF30, and updated graphics. Throughout the entire Raleigh cyclocross line, Easton cyclocross forks are replaced by either Raleigh’s own beefier carbon fork or forks from Enve Composites, and an ENVE Composites fork graces the RXC Pro and RXC Pro Disc, while a Raleigh carbon cyclocross fork handles front wheel duties on the RXC. The RXC Pro utilizes an aluminum FSA Energy Cross crankset, SRAM Red rear derailleur, Force shifters and Cole carbon clincher wheels, while the RXC will be powered by an FSA Gossamer crankset, SRAM Apex shifters, Rival rear derailleur and Raleigh’s house wheels.
On the RXC Pro Disc frame, Raleigh pulled out all the stops, while still keeping an eye towards versatility. Raleigh included removable covers on the internal cable ports to allow for Di2 wires, hydraulic brake lines, standard cables, or a solid cover for singlespeed use via an eccentric bottom bracket in the PF30 shell. While SRAM components dress the cantilever-stopped RXC and RXC Pro, Shimano outfits the top-end RXC Pro Disc with an Ultegra Di2 drivetrain, CX70 crankset and new CX75 mechanical disc brakes. Steering duty is taken care of by an ENVE Composites bar, stem and disc fork.Raleigh’s Brian Fornes walks Cyclocross Magazine through the new RXC carbon cyclocross bikes:
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Raleigh didn’t skimp on wheels for the RXC Pro and RXC Pro Disc, and had a custom set of Cole carbon clincher wheels spec’d on both bikes.
The RXC Pro Disc bike uses 135mm rear spacing, while the RXC and RXC Pro remain with 130mm rear spacing. With Raleigh’s tube-to-tube construction, two entirely new frame molds aren’t needed to change the brake mounts and rear spacing, making this type of bike project more affordable, but we’ve long thought it should be possible to design a dropout that could adapt to 130 or 135mm rear wheels.
Pricing for the 2013 models was not yet available, but the bikes should be available in dealers in about a month. Stay tuned for more details and photos on other new 2013 Raleigh cyclocross bikes.
Photo Gallery of the 2013 RXC Carbon Cyclocross Line: