😀

Been mostly training for time trials here, which is the complete opposite from repeated hard on/off efforts and close quarters racing. I’m expecting CX to be both a humbling and vomit inducing experience!

I’ll be doing NWCX as well, also in vets. Going to try and do the full season, best laid plans and all, be good to get to some new venues.
Splitting V40 and V50 sounds like a good idea – there were 150+ on some of the more popular tracks last year – first lap could be quite steady as there was just no room. Also works well for me as my kids do U8 and U10, just for fun, so it could get a bit hectic sorting them all out and then lining up myself straight after.

Need to get gluing in good time this year. Rolled a tub at Heaton park due to a rushed glue job after a night out on the ale 😳

Am tempted to split racing duties between the CX-ed Superfly and the Charge, mostly because I think it will look awesome with some spikey CX tyres on it

Whilst I think the plug frame would be great for the job, I’m not sure about my skinny little legs powering a 42/16 through gloop!
Fortunately, i’ve also got a Boardman CX which has the luxury of gears. Its set up as a road winter trainer right now, but wont take long to reverse that.

Having been out the night before I couldn’t face the wrath of wife so did hill repeats instead. Also bike was wearing very worn Ralphs – sounds like I made the right choice!

Mrblobby.

Last night at Dalton was great, last week was damp and slightly slippery buylt until now I’ve mostly been wiping dust not mind off. For what’s its worth I had two big offs two little offs and a lot of back and two wheel drifting. It’s was carnage at the front on the first lap. I was gridded second row and probably 12th into the first corner, by not falling off I was probably 5th at the end of the second lap, lots of fallers. (I then started falling off too and slipped back)

Great series that Marks put on. Next week could be interesting if it stays wet, the lines are pretty cut up now.

The wessex rounds in the winter are usually a longer less twisty lap than that but probably a similar spread of abilities over bigger fields.

we actually made it to Dalton and recce’d some of the lap. Sadly I was on full file treads and was sliding absolutely everywhere. On Monday we drive to the Alps for 2 weeks road riding, and my username is testament to my multiple previous for ruining holidays with injury so we sacked it off to be on the safe side. I know mud is an integral part of CX but the underlying ground at Dalton is actually really hard (I have a scar to prove it). Doubly annoying as I ‘wasted’ a front-row grid and Tuesday’s 4-up TT was cancelled due to too much grass on the course 😯

Anyway, if you enjoyed sliding around in mud then you’ll love ‘proper’ CX!

Probably mentioned earlier in thread but keep an eye out on FB as Mark is hoping to put on a 2hr night race after this series ends if the RAF allow it.

Well done MrBlobby! A great start and sounds like you enjoyed it.

It’s amazing what difference the conditions make. In previous years, racing on my MTB, a slippery course would transform me from bottom 20% of the seniors to top 50% just like that. I was running Rons as low as I could without them coming off the rims and just riding around folk.

Once you get a combo that you’re happy with- people better watch out 😀

Thanks CH, bring on Wessex!

I was originally thinking PDX. Now thinking I might be better off with a Limus or a BOS 😕

I’ve gone for Baby Limus this year…

i’ve stuck my Mavic kysirium elites on my cx bike this year, hope they’re up to the job, first thoughts are they will be, but I’ll find out this weekend….

ferrals, judging by some of the strava and facebook comments I wasn’t the only one falling off a lot! Think it was a perfect storm like scenario for really slippy mud. 25psi for my tubeless MXP, think I could have probably gone a fair bit lower. I’ll likely pick up some PDX for the new wheels.

Quick PSA for any luddites like me still running tubes, I was struggling to find 35mm latex tubes in stock anywhere but Sprockets Cycles in Ayrshire apparently stocked up for the season so they have plenty, fill yer boots! 8)

Would you expect good results re-glueing cross tubulars? I have a limus that have only had a season on it, the tyre looks fine, not 100% sure on the basetape though. It has a lot of dirt and dried glue on it:

Thinking a good scrub with soapy water, rinse, dry it off and glue it up.

First race in the CXNE series yesterday. After a pretty bad race two weeks ago in a summer-cross race where I went out way to hard, and a less than ideal week of prep, I made a point of starting steady, and increasing intensity over the 40 mins.

Ended up picking off quite a few riders, and got 20th, out of 70 odd riders. I’ll take that, given I started more than half way down the field, and confident I can build on that over the next few weeks, with some good training blocks planned.

Enjoy! I’m still struggling to find suitably muddy trails to train on near Edinburgh, something I never thought I would say!

Thinking about riding up and down some tractor tracks in a field somewhere discrete…

Just picked up some cloth rim tape to go with my new latex tubes, they were already beginning to migrate underneath the stock plastic tape on my wheels..

P.s. Newbie question, how would one use a warm up balm?

I had a blast! Wasn’t muddy, slippery grass, great twisty course, I went the wrong way twice so lost a few places with my mistake, no dismount features, didn’t come off, raced smart over the last 2 laps and picked off 3 riders. I love the SS for CX racing as my local MTB riding doesn’t really accommodate it. Good work Striking Bikes for putting the show on!!!

Saw that course yesterday, thought it looked ace apart from the road/hardpack section. And it rained to soften everything up too. Sadly the Circuit race did not go up the hill.

I made the mistake of commenting on the start line I didn’t puncture or have mechanical all last season – and had a puncture on 2nd lap … no spare bike meant end of race.
The course was good. I kept hearing people describing it as ‘technical’ and ‘mtb-ie’, but I guess those mean different things to different people. Not the fastest course, which kinda suited me because I tend to go into red too early on courses like that anyways.

If results in vets is anything to go by; it looks like a 1 man show already this season … the winner was miles ahead of even the 2nd finisher (who in himself is a superb racer).

Last year was a relatively dry season for x – this year I predict it’s gonna be a tough wet season.

£18 entry though …

I made the mistake of commenting on the start line I didn’t puncture or have mechanical all last season – and had a puncture on 2nd lap … no spare bike meant end of race.
The course was good. I kept hearing people describing it as ‘technical’ and ‘mtb-ie’, but I guess those mean different things to different people. Not the fastest course, which kinda suited me because I tend to go into red too early on courses like that anyways.I punctured on Sat in the NW series [compression puncture of a new tub F absolute FS] but got away with it as it was quite early on, just before the pits and I had brought spare wheels. I always bring them, but was thinking beforehand it was a bit of a pointless ritual – puncture after a few laps, well round the course from the pits and I think I’d just retire.
Felt like a tough course at Hoghton tower – was cornering like bambi on ice all day, so need to get the CX eye in.

This is one of the biggest gains from using tubulars – you just ride it flat to the pits. It’s not pretty and you’ll lose some seconds but it’s not a race ender like flatting a clincher.