[Closed] 2017/2018 cx racing thread

any thoughts on my dilema (nice one to have).

I'm currently riding a salsa vaya with a really nice (and light) build of old 9 speed stuff - dura ace & ultegra and it works really well - frame is not ideal for CX so i'm looking to change something.

I was toying with swapping frames - my original thought was cheap chinese carbon. FLYXII 603 for £250.

However in my browsing i have also been looking at other chinese carbon - up to £400. Ican or deng fu. no idea wheter these are better than the cheaper flyxi.

But i could buy a caadx bike - tiagra or 105

I don't really want tiagra 10speed (feel that dura ace ultgra 9sp will proably be nicer and definately lighter) but i do like the frame colour.
11speed 105 seems like an upgrade over old 9 speed.

Sorry for the rambling!

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.

by not falling off I was probably 5th at the end of the second lap, lots of fallers

Not falling would definitely have been a better strategy 😉 Thought I'd try and push hard early on to try and make up some places but just kept falling. Then passing was tricky as anything off line meant sliding out.

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.

Sadly I was on full file treads and was sliding absolutely everywhere.

😆 Was sheltering in the car when you rode past for your recce. It didn't get any less slippy!

I was just asking in the tyre thread if you had any advice on tyres for last night... assuming not file tread is the answer 😉

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

Sliding around on the bike, yes. Rolling around on the ground, not so much!

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.

Did see that mentioned on FB. May well have a crack at that if it's midweek.

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 😀

Munqe Chick and I are big fans of Clement PDX, they're good in most conditions (including the sort of mud we had yesterday) but aren't "full" mud tyres so they roll well on harder ground so work well through most of the season.

When they're fitted, obviously...

Glowing review here

https://cycletechreview.com/2013/reviews/clement-pdx-cyclocross-tyres/

They're like a Baby Limus, but with shorter central knobs to reduce rolling resistance.

Thanks CH, bring on Wessex!

Clement PDX

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

limus is a better mud tread and has tan walls which looks more cross but the PDX gets you 95% of the way in the mud and is far better for the rest of the conditions. As clinchers price is about the same. As a tub limus are a fair bit cheaper option but are worse quality.

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....

I have nothing bad to say about pdx in the mud. The wide gaps mean they dont ball up too quick and the edge knobs are very confidence inspiring on offcambers. When its a mix of mud and dry though I do find them slightly sketchy until the edge blocks bite.

Where were you slipping though? your tyres look clean in the pic in the other thread and I've found mxp's like velcro until they ball up - what tyre pressure?

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.

Yeah, think a deluge on dry soil can be worse than when it's been muddy for a while. Had several xc races like that last summer and it was like ice.

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)

proper hard training session last night, the type where you can't sleep properly afterwards 😀

Anyway thought I'd post a brief book review here as I've just read Paul Maunders 'Rainbows in the Mud' book. It follows the 2015/16 season and aims to give a flavour of cx. I found it a slightly odd book to read, some parts were really good, others a little dull. In particular Maunder writes about Katie Compton and Gage Hecht, a couple of American riders, I'm not sure whether I'd have found it more interesting if he'd focussed more on europeans, but I couldnt help feeling 'not them again' when they re-surfaced throughout the book. I found it more engaging when he was writing about the off-course aspects like the frites and fan-clubs, he provides a fair bit of blow-by-blow race descriptions but I couldn't help feel they were unnecessary and out of date. The one time the race descriptions rang true for me was when he was describing a local race in Kent, where the details were less important than the atmosphere. The description of the UK scene was good and enjoyable, including his own experiances as a youth, I wish there had been more of the local race scene in the book, but maybe it wouldn't give the book such an international appeal. Overall I enjoyed the book but was left slightly underwhelmed - I think it needed some first person description of racing, of the joy and misery of a proper muddy race. There was a lot of description of the difficulties of parking team mobile homes close to the race on the international circuit, but i can't help think that pales into insignifance when compared to the difficulty all weekend racers go through when trying to get changed in the stinging hail, futilely trying to shelter behind a car door while equally futilely trying to prevent the interior being covered in clay. Perhaps there is room for a more niche book 'Skoda Fabia in the mud.'

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:

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4403/36033330703_86e48ae6fc_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4403/36033330703_86e48ae6fc_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

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

First CX race Ina few years today at the first Western league round (Bradford on Avon). Made me remember why I used to love CX so much, and also made me want to go out and actually do some traing for it.

New (bits from the back of the garage) bike worked well until a slow front puncture became a fast puncture on the second to last lap, even my legs were cooperating ok after a slightly steady start, reeling in a few people lap by lap.

Fun course too with the usual flat grass corners mixed in with some rooty singletrack.

Bring on the evening 'floodlit' races- much more convenient than a Sunday away!

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.

So, here in the Shire it's grey, gloomy, misty and drizzly after heavy overnight. PERFECT for CX!

I'm of to Gloucester for a round of the Western League.

I'm a sporadic CX racer, but looking forwards to the thrashing.

Psychologically I'm already on the back foot as I couldn't find some warm up balm I got given a while back, but the gloop should suit me.

I'll report back....

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?

It's just spicy cream, like jalfrezi for your legs. Rub it on and feel the warm tingle. I quite like the contrast between that and the cool tingle is Assos chamois cream round my butt!!!

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!!!

The Welsh league kicked off in Builth today at the showground. A few pics floating around on Facebook the last week or so made it look like a great course was in the offing, though when I got there a couple of people were moaning it was too hilly and too mountain bikey. A couple of practise laps showed it was hilly but not really mountain bikey bar about 50 yards of non-tech single track. Instead there was a bunch of steep power climbs and little banked drops between levels of gravel parking, a bit of grassy offcamber and some steps. All in all an excellent course I thought but physically brutal. Ground conditions were greasy due to intermittent bouts of drizzle and the odd shower burst but grip was generally good with no mud to speak of.

I had a distinctly average race. I don't quite have the fitness to place where I want to at the moment but it's a long season so hoping I can rectify that. Had a reasonable start, about 8th coming round the first hairpin off the start loop but really messed up the first climb taking a different line to what I'd done in practise and having the guy in front of me stall and lost a bunch of places. Was sitting at the back of a little group and managed to pass them all taking a different line round one corner but then slid out on a couprner shortly after and was at the back of it again. After a couple of laps I had to tone back the effort and let them go or risk blowing up. Rode my own race in a bit of no-mans land till I clawed back up to the now splintered little bunch, one of the guys had a slow puncture so faded while the other accelerated away and I was back on my own. Pretty much stayed isolated till the flag. Great to get a race under the belt and really enjoyed course. Cardiff next week for one of my favourite courses 😀

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.

To be honest the road sections were a blessing to allow a bit of recovery!

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 ...

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.

I thought it pretty funny: when we race mtb there everyone says its a cx course.. then we race cx there and the same people.. 🙄
All the tech bits were due to offcamber it seamed to me, which is the epitome of cx

Last year was a relatively dry season for x - this year I predict it's gonna be a tough wet season

mooman - Member

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.

Garry_Lager - Member
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.

Yes - thats main reason I don`t often take spare bike. If you have to run more than couple hundred yards to get to the pits ... your race is over anyways; simply a case of going through the motions thereafter ... I simply not have the enthusiasm to play by then.

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.

How do the pits work for the amateurs? i.e. could I deposit a track pump with a couple of tubes in case of a puncture?

Doubt I could rely on my long suffering wife to stand around waiting for me with the (by then) 10 week old in the pram 😀

How do the pits work for the amateurs? i.e. could I deposit a track pump with a couple of tubes in case of a puncture?

replacing a tube in a CX race is pretty much the same as not finishing, it would put you a lap down on where you were, at least.

I'm running clinchers this year due to cost. slime in the tubes, and a spare pair of cheap wheels with an old pair of CX tyres in the pits is the best option.

Quite enjoyed NW Hoghton on Saturday. Always a tough hilly course but suits me better than the flat power ones (so not especially unhappy about Bolton being cancelled). 33 out of 90 odd starters which was OK but not great. Splitting the vets class left both races at approx 90 riders which was a huge improvement - 180 in one race would have been crazy. Even split they are still the biggest races of the day.
Pleased to be one of the very few hopping up the barn steps 🙂

Some fabulous photos by Ellen Isherwood on Flickr - the faces in the kids races are fantastic!

Off to buy Mrs some Limus at lunchtime..£££....

replacing a tube in a CX race is pretty much the same as not finishing, it would put you a lap down on where you were, at least.

Yeah, fair enough, I just figured since I wasn't going to be chasing any sort of significant placing, I'd rather get my money's worth out of the race and keep riding!

Will probably stash tubes and a pump somewhere, not got the time, inclination or money to go for tubs or tubeless, hoping latex tubes, wide rims and 'old school' pressures do the job... 🙄

LS - Member

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.

£18 entry though ...

£18? Is that going to be the price of every round in the Welsh series? I may change my mind about racing this year.

Its the cost of on the day chip timing rounds. think chip timing costs £3 per chip so it's £13 (+£1 admin) if you enter in advance, and more for on the day. I think its the standard tenner if chip timing isnt used. Not sure which rounds are using chips, guess it will say on BC

Its the cost of on the day chip timing rounds. think chip timing costs £3 per chip so it's £13 (+£1 admin) if you enter in advance, and more for on the day. I think its the standard tenner if chip timing isnt used. Not sure which rounds are using chips, guess it will say on BC

Of course. And I think we discussed this on last years thread as well. 😳

Have you repaired many tubs LS?

Yes, quite a few and I also used to send them to Pete Burgin for fixing when he was still around. They're never quite the same again so I tended to relegate them to spares or emergencies really. Tubs are the only thing I go top-level on equipment wise so they always felt a bit compromised. The tubes take a patch fine, it's getting the casing back together perfectly that's the issue. TBH I haven't fixed a tub for ages now, just used new.

If you ride a flat tub for any real distance or over rough ground you'll wreck it completely so bear that in mind too!

Took part in my first ever CX race at Hoghuton Tower on Saturday. Quite a different kettle of fish compared to my usual XC scene! Had a right laugh! Very similar to the manic sprint off the line in XC but that intensity seem to continue for the next 50 minutes...

I've had an easy month or so since finishing the XC season so my fitness is definitely not quite where it was but suffering is suffering and I'm pleased to have come 25th / 63 in the Senior race. Think i'll be a little better prepared for the next one.

My son finished his first U10 race this weekend (well, strictly speaking his second, but as he went down on the line in the first and jammed his chain around the BB, we'll not talk about that one again :). He came 14th from a field of around 50 and had a great time. I'm sure we'll do more, but for now the next races in the season are a bit distant, so we'll do a bit of weekend training instead 🙂

Our regional series has just posted up the dates for the new cross season. There was talk of a new sponsor for the series but it seems the series has now split into two competing series with nine rounds for each series. So from November to the end of December it looks like it is possible to race on Saturday and Sunday every weekend! I definitely won't get that passed Mrs Stern but it looks like I'll have to cherry pick the best courses from both series. But I'm sure there will be one or two crazies who will be doing all of them.

LS - Member

Have you repaired many tubs LS?

Yes, quite a few and I also used to send them to Pete Burgin for fixing when he was still around. They're never quite the same again so I tended to relegate them to spares or emergencies really. Tubs are the only thing I go top-level on equipment wise so they always felt a bit compromised. The tubes take a patch fine, it's getting the casing back together perfectly that's the issue. TBH I haven't fixed a tub for ages now, just used new.

If you ride a flat tub for any real distance or over rough ground you'll wreck it completely so bear that in mind too!

Twiddling as fast as my little legs will allow:

[img][url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4331/36767694250_f2ec2c9183_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4331/36767694250_f2ec2c9183_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Y233wW ]18/37 V40 WLR2 Gloucester Boating Lake[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinddd/ ]martinddd[/url], on Flickr[/img]

😉

ferrals - Member
Its the cost of on the day chip timing rounds. think chip timing costs £3 per chip so it's £13 (+£1 admin) if you enter in advance, and more for on the day. I think its the standard tenner if chip timing isnt used. Not sure which rounds are using chips, guess it will say on BC

From what I have read on BC website - only one race out of the 12 is priced at £10 ... rest are £18 on day - or £14 to enter online. And yes, the extra cost has been discussed; it will be interesting to see how the price hike from £10 on the day - to £18 on the day affects numbers by end of season.
I, like quite a few people have decided to only do certain events this year to soften the costs somewhat.