Yep, SRAM does that. Pop the seals off, knock the mud out, flush with WD40, regrease. The bearings on mine seem to be a standard type, but I’ve never got round to trying to replace them.

Also if you’re jet washing after a race and then not touching it for a week, try to give the pedals a quick spin every day so that they don’t get a chance to seize up.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I decided to strip the jockey wheels down last night, more or less as as pdw says. They went from locked solid to free spinning with a bit of work. I’ve put them back together with oil rather than grease as I think it was the grease/mud mix that was the problem. I could see it happening again so looking for a long term solution.
Will stick with the oval ring for the next event as it may have been the jockey wheels causing the chain drops.
sb88 – I sympathize. YCCA’s are really addictive! I’ll be at York. Should be a bit less muddy as there’s no woodland bits.

Bushes could be a good idea, any power loss through the drivetrain isn’t going to be the result of the different bearing type! Think i’ve got 4 rides on my Apex mech, jockey wheels are also going the traditional Sram way already.

Plean was really good btw, you would’ve enjoyed the course. It was minging but not sloggy. Unfortunately it was minging enough that the teeth on my chainring were buried by halfway making me drop the chain and have to clean the bike before I could get going again!

[/quote]

Replaced my SRAM GX jockey wheels with Shimano 105, I think bushes are definitely the best solution for cross

Yeah, I saw the photos, it looked great!

That run up looked tough though, and the running has definitely been my downfall this year.

Definitely can’t make Strathclyde next year (wife has wrangled us a free stay in some posh hotel in St Andrews, the hardship!) but might hold out for Superquaich rd 1.

Otherwise I’ll have to gracefully concede to the better man (for this season 😉 )

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/nationaltrophy/article/20171206-nationaltrophy-Race-guide–Round-five-of-the-2017-18-HSBC-UK—Cyclo-Cross-National-Trophy-in-Bradford-0

Anyone else doing the trophy race at Bradford tomorrow? Just got to a hotel nearby and the car park is sheet ice.
Should be scared but instead I’m so excited. Hoping for an epic ‘cross experience in the morning.

Hillingdon today. Gevenalle shifters and min v brakes were great.

Appropriately named bike too!

Tough day out eh? Warming up at 9am I thought it was going to be basically dry and quick, but no by 10.15 we had standard Bradford again 😆

Great course in the summer and the winter. You can get up the hill so long as you don’t go nuts with the mince pies 🙂

Matt Lewis

I think that the Filthy cross round is in Monmouth and it has BC points attached. Plenty more races and then the summer series kicks off in May. Cross across the year.

Matt

Jon Moyle the organizer has been saying great things about the new venue at Monmouth. It’s my hometown too so I could cycle there!

Lets pester Jon on Sunday at the champs.

Matt

Jon puts on some great races. That was a cracking circuit last Feb. Looking forward to the champs just trying to avoid booze until after the race!

Watched some racing from Belgium on Eurosport last night… That was just BRUTAL ! It just baffles the heck out of me how they can ride like that, with that power, lack of grip, ruts, mud and are still absolute BEASTS ! Madness

Good hard course Thom. I had a few beers! Pretty impressive that you managed to race this year at all considering that crash and nasty injury. Impressive stuff!

I use an inner blank ring on my 1x set up to stop the chain shipping inside. I’ve not had a problem with it going arm-side.
I can’t see why it wouldn’t work with an oval ring too.

Cheers and hope the whisky does the job for you.
NYE race is cancelled but the later races are still on according to Jon M.

Central’s Lovelo Crossmas round lived up to expectations, with loads of sloppy mud (rained on race day) to add to their famous bridge, and also a “snow hill” where they cut a track through all the piled up snow. Three weeks off the bike (diving in Cozumel 8) ) has put paid to my fitness so it was a fun race, but my lowest league position (offset by racing in full elf costume). Thankfully I banked 8 consistent races before the break (best 8 count) and it looks like I might end up top 5 overall this year which I’d be stoked with (battled to come 10th last year). Munqe Chick has the Senior womens’ league wrapped up so is also racing the holiday excess off for fun.

Saturday is the last Central round at Corby, Glebe Park Destroyer of Mechs (20+ in 2015 😯 ). Then we’re off to the Boxing Day Cross at Kenilworth which is a cracker (swoopy mtb style course with a climb on a closed road and a natural bowl that all the local residents come out and spectate/cheer/heckle) and trying to get myself race-fit in time for the Nationals.