I just saw a bit of cyclocross racing on the adventure show. Why does it still exist in these days of mountainbikes? IIRC the CX races exclude mountainbikes as they are quicker to ride so why do folk still race CX?
Skinny tyres and drop bars with rubbish brakes and you have to run sections with your bike.
Are they all mad or am I missing something?
You are missing the required stupidity/self mortification gene :o)
It's huge in Belgium, lots of fans and lots of money!
I doubt a CX bike would struggle to keep up with a MTB. Infact, wasn't there a bit of a whinge when 29ers were accepted under uci rules, as CX bikes were quicker than an MTB on a non techy course
It's huge in Belgium
ie a place without mountains, and consequently full of grumpy people 
I'd be very surprised if mtbs are faster on the same course, used to do a few CX races on my mtb and strugled to keep up with folk who I could beat in an XC race.
Pount of them is that you go fast, it's a competition (which is enough for many folks) and they're a lot cheaper/less time consuming than a XC race.
"IIRC the CX races exclude mountainbikes as they are quicker to ride "
you mostly recall wrong, most CX races happily include MTBs, apart from posh UCI/World Cup events, and a CX bike will be far far quicker than an MTB on a CX course
Why? Because they've got skinny tyres and drop bars with rubbish brakes and you have to run sections with your bike..
its a discipline.
"exclude mountain bikes as they are quicker to ride"
On a typical cross course, I think a cross bike would be a lot faster, certainyl not slower than a mountain bike. You wouldn't benefit from a mountain bike's wider tyres, suspension or better brakes.
Skinny tyres are great in mud and cross courses often have tarmac sections. Good brakes aren't really needed, although decent frogleg cantis are pretty good. The drop bar position just lets you pedal harder.
They're not nearly as rubbish off-road as you might think. The big wheels, skinny tyres, drop-bar position and big gears just make you want to go very fast.
"most CX races happily include MTBs"
Whereas quite a few mountain bike races exclude cross bikes because they are quicker.
The point is it is 1 hour of hard core exercise having a great work out, you know what time it's all over. You do it through the winter when it's minging and most courses have good facilities (bike wash, showers .. oh and how can you forget cake and tea!).
i can't stand them but I can see why folk do, gets your skills up .. mud on skinny tyres! and some good cardio work out!
Mind despite hating them I was still Welsh Junior CX Champion (years ago) and I don't think I've done a race since I won!!!!! shows how much I hate them! Why run with your bike when you can go downhill super quick I say!!
gingerflash - Member"most CX races happily include MTBs"
How long's it going to take SFB to start banging one about the three peaks.... 
Now tandems on the other hand, don't stop properly, turn like a barge..........
3 peaks isn't your typical cross race though is it?
Ah - the bit of telly I saw was a CX race on Mull and it certainly looked to me that an MTB would have been well quicker on that one. An atypical course perhaps.
I started offroading on what was basically a CX bike so I know how they ride.
Paul - the tandem stops quicker than anything I have ever ridden or driven - far quicker than a solo MTB as you can't go over the bars and you have all that weight on the front wheel. Quicker than a normal car, quicker than a superbike (by the "seat of the pants" testing method)
Turning I give you. Its OK at speed but the GT hairpins are sloooooooooooooow to get round
Why not?
How long's it going to take SFB to start banging one about the three peaks
water under the bridge, but some CX rides do indeed exclude MTBs, possibly to appease 'landowners'...
Jeremy. I've read you saying that on Mleh before 
I'd have preferred a CX bike at SITS last year. But they're banned. Coz it would show up all the MTBers.
So if I stuck flat bars on my uncle john, would it be a 29er?
I'm much quicker on my CX (and i'm rubbish on it), but I wouldn't want to ride it all day.
We had CX and MTB at HtN 1.5. The CX won... with ease.
I did a cx race on my big sur, it was in a local park, so I just turned up, paid my tenner, and spent the next hour trying to keep my lungs inside my body, on the last lap I was gasping so bad, one of the riders lapping me asked me if I was allright. I finished 37th out of 41, everyone was friendly and despite the suffering I enjoyed it.
"it would show up all the MTBers"
I think it'd show up the course as a non-technical mud-fest, cross bike territory.
The winner on Mull was riding a rigid 29er with skinny tyres wasn't he? None of this drop barred nonsense.
We should all go and do CX in Belgium it's that big that one of their national races goes through a nice warm beer tent so spectators can watch from afar whilst getting sloshed...now that sounds a great way to spend a Sunday watching others race whilst drinking beer!!!
All this about CX bikes being faster in MTB races - isn't that because a lot of these races could barely be classed as mountain biking?
I haven't been there, but I saw pictures of 'Mountain Mayhem' and it looked more like 'Muddy Field Mayhem'.
Ta folks - so some of my assumptions are wrong but the one about them being barking was not?
Grumm - bang on, which is why the organisers don't want CX bikes.
Take a cross bike on a proper mountain bike route anywhere rocky and it'd be pretty damn slow.
Look at the weather and look at the crowd!
Take a cross bike on a proper mountain bike route anywhere rocky and it'd be pretty damn slow.
I think with the right rider on a CX bike it'd be a lot faster than your average STW user....
BTW I think you may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick with my previous post.
As someone who has raced a fair bit of cross, its a cheap race to enter, great socially, you get to know all your competitors if you race in a league. There is always someone to race against, even like me towards the back of the feild. It improves your fitness no end at a time of year when, it would be so easy not to ride, bikes are cheap to run once you have bought them, no expensive disc pads to replace.You dont actually need good brakes, as the idea behind cross racing is that you keep the bike moving for an hour.
Its like a living hell while it lasts, but really good fun.
TandemJeremy, how come you've never been to a Scottish CX Series race? I think you would be shocked at how much faster a CX bike is on those sorts of courses. Only times an mtb is faster than a CX bike is on real rough stuff (think Glentress Black or Inners - Yes, I know you can do them on a CX bike, just slower) and when big climbs are involved.
You should come along, MTBs welcome at all rounds. Starts October, see you there.
Only times an mtb is faster than a CX bike is on real rough stuff (think Glentress Black
but GT black is poo in technical terms...
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