[Closed] Anyone ride a cross bike at trail centres?

crazy legs

Done a lot around Dalby on mine...

And I'm no jeyweight...

depends on your riding really, I wouldn't think it would really be particularly well suited to it, that said I'll put money on it that the next time I'm at one I'll get overtaken by someone riding one just to belittle me! 😆

not yet but I'm trying a yeti arcX at Glentress shortly

I've taken a Kona Jake the Snake round the reds at Laggan, yes it can be done, but.... I wouldn't do it again!

I've done Falla Brae at Glentress on mine just because I had it in the car and was 1/2 hour early for meeting people.

To be honest it wasn't a lot of fun - climbing up was OK but the descent was just too bumpy and painful and slow to be much fun. I'm not keen for a repeat performance. I'm sure the bike could stand it but the rider couldn't. 😛

I've ridden llandegla on a fixed cross bike, that was fun. I've ridden lots of normal trails that are more technical than the vast majority of trail centres, probably all, on a cross bike. I can't see it being an issue to be honest.

I think the rock garden at inners would be a bit of a pain.

inners and glentress red a few time. good fun in a hurty way. most cx bikes will handle a lot more than your average trail centre (i.e. not laggan black) trail can throw at it.

[i]I think the rock garden at inners would be a bit of a pain.[/i]
dismount/carry/remount. easy.

I've done the red at Llandegla on mine. Not through choice and I wouldn't do it again. Oddly though, I quite enjoy Roman Rd, Jaggers, Dirtlow Rake et al. on my cross bike but then I have a good excuse for chucking it over my shoulder and running with it off road in the Peaks. I had to ride it all at Llandegla (my mountain bikes were poorly at the time and I promised to take my daughter so needs must). Not again though.

I've ridden The North Face Trail at Grizedale a few times on mine (once in the snow and ice!) with no problems, it's as fast as anything else round most of it.
I wouldn't choose to do the GT Black on it though...

From my experience of riding my cross bike on local trails, it would be fine and good fun on the smoother, flowing stuff but crap on the rocky stuff where it'll just jar you non-stop.

Of course I fully expect one of the STW heroes to provide tales of riding their crossbike over all the rocky stuff, one handed while overtaking people in full body armour on full on DH bikes...

Wow - nearly a consensus on a thread. Much as I love my cross bike, it has its place and that isn't a hard surfaced bumpy trail centre...

Mods - close the thread and ban all contributors. We can't risk a repeat.

Yeah, we saw a guy at Kirroughtree on one, he was flying round.

Ridden my Jake the Snake round Dalbeattie Red loads of times. When I go camping down that way it's the bike I always take. I haven't ridden the slab on it yet though. It's fast, tiring and fun.

[i]Of course I fully expect one of the STW heroes to provide tales of riding their crossbike over all the rocky stuff, one handed while overtaking people in full body armour on full on DH bikes... [/i]

/Waves.

My cross bike was fixed too. 😉

Hmm, maybe it was at Dalbeattie we saw him....

Yup, I use my crossbike up at Nant yr Arian. Riding a lot slower than normal but it's ace fun. I would prefer to have disc brakes though as Canti's are a little wanting sometimes.

Some ppl are just masochists.

[i]I would prefer to have disc brakes though as Canti's are a little wanting sometimes. [/i]

I wouldn't have a cross bike without at least a front disk. Not for stopping performance but because I can't afford to replace the pads after every other ride.

Rode my SS tricross around the peaks last Friday, Ladybower, stanage, cut-throat bridge, all was good, if not a little bumpy.

Easily knocked up 43 miles. 🙂

I did see some surprised mountain bikers mrsflash 😉

Samuri, ceramic rims and Avid ceramic-specific brake pads. Last forever. 🙂
Will, I did a similar route in the peaks on my (geared) Tricross the other week in the snow, I think only about 4 of the MTBers I saw *didn't* comment that I was mad! Great ride though, 35 miles.

[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=ywjuu1&outx=800&quality=70 [/img]

Ridden mine off-road around Bristol but being used to 2.3" tyres I've found I tend to pinch on anything rocky (my back wheel already has a dented rim and broken spokes after a few months' use), and skitter off wet roots. I'd be quite happy to ride a hardtail at the trail centres I've done, but most would be too rough to enjoy or have much control on a CX.

They're very good for riding snippets of bridleway and singletrack which are separated by road and feeling like you've actually gone somewhere, instead of riding around in a loop.

[i]They're very good for riding snippets of bridleway and singletrack which are separated by road and feeling like you've actually gone somewhere, instead of riding around in a loop. [/i]

Agreed., easily the best multi-purpose bike I've ever owned. Everything from fast/long road ride to even fairly technical off-road, it'll do it all.

I've been thinking of blinging up my Dew for that very purpose Mr A.

Not sure if I want to ditch the V brakes for cantis for the purposes of fitting drops tho.

I remember some cool dudes taking the piss at the Marin Trail once, saying I'd be walking most of the route as I had my fixie cross bike.

They set off before me, I passed them on the long climb and never saw them again. I must have taken at least an hour out of them.

Having said that I'd not choose to ride round Stainburn on it.

I remember some cool dudes taking the piss at the Marin Trail once, saying I'd be walking most of the route as I had my fixie cross bike.

They set off before me, I passed them on the long climb and never saw them again. I must have taken at least an hour out of them.

Can I have your autograph? 😛

crazy-legs - Member
Samuri, ceramic rims and Avid ceramic-specific brake pads. Last forever.
Will, I did a similar route in the peaks on my (geared) Tricross the other week in the snow, I think only about 4 of the MTBers I saw *didn't* comment that I was mad! Great ride though, 35 miles.

I didn't see a sole when i went up. Well a couple of walker that looked at me strange, lots of roadies on the way back into Sheffield though, from Ladybower, must have just thought i was a slow roadie...spinning out at 31mph 🙄

Brilliant fun though, and actually didn't push on any sections, much to my amazement!

I had to push over Rushup, didn't expect the snow to be as deep as it was! Having said that I made it all the way up Jaggers Clough to Hope Cross and down the Roman Road into Hope without walking.

Can I have your autograph?

Of course 🙂

crazy-legs - Member
I had to push over Rushup, didn't expect the snow to be as deep as it was! Having said that I made it all the way up Jaggers Clough to Hope Cross and down the Roman Road into Hope without walking.

I didn't go on the roman road, however i think on friday i'll set out again, try and ride the beast maybe... 😆 Think Jacobs ladder would be easy enough, but i'm not sure it would be worth the carrying upto the top.

Much more fun on a full bouncer

I did Jacobs on a CX a few weeks ago with Richpips - photos on his Flickr site (somewhere)...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peakcyclehire/sets/

I shouldered it for the last section of the Roman Rd down to the gate. My hands were going numb by that point.

Molgrips, assuming you have to have drops, you can use bar top levers, mini-vs or Travel Agents. Well set-up cantis are pretty much indistinguishable from Vs though, especially if you run the straddle wire as low as possible.

Can't see the pics there Crazy-Legs. I want to go now 😆

[i]I didn't see a sole when i went up. [/i]

try heading down to the seaside then. 😉

Will, I'm around on Friday as well (busy in early morning, free from about 10.30am) if you fancy some company?
Drop me a line on jamesATbeastwayDOTcom

The Scottish CX series held an event at Carron Valley 2 years back - was well attended but I think most of the 'racers' thought it was too rough for them - which I thought was a shame as it made the event a bit better to watch. Only aware of 2 other people to have ridden a CX bike at CV - so yes, it does happen, but I've no idea how often.

Forgot to add - this article shows the CX races of yesteryear and they look rather challenging!

[url= http://www.blackbirdsf.org/cx/2007_01.html ]CX from yesteryear[/url]

Compared what they do now to what they used to do, I think the spectator value is much lower now.

Cheers for reposting that link Dick, I've been trying to find those pictures for a while.

Spectator value might be lower, yes, but I bet the number of people spanging themselves has gone down dramatically. 😉

No, I was right first time, it was Kirroughtree.

Seen them flying around FTD many a time.

Clearly the wrong bike, but in a right sort of way
[url= http://www.63xc.com/sriley/marin.htm ]Marin trail[/url]
[url= http://www.63xc.com/sriley/warp.htm ]Llandegla[/url]

Crazy-Legs 1st and last rider at Rushup

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