[Closed] This Cyclocross thing has me cross-curious!! One for the North-Easterner's

What about spending less and just putting one aside for racing.

Edit, I don't think you'll need to ride it much. Do all your training on the road bike, or road up your crosser just to get used to it.

I live in the north east and aside from racing I use cross bike for alot of the wagonway trails we have here ... derwnet valley walk/waskerley way ... alot of local trails..

Depends where you live.... I am using my cross bike as opposed to a winter road bike to make training rides more interesting mixing roads and trails

I think I will be 'roading-up' the cross bike if I get it oldgit (as I'd have to sell my other road bike (frameset on classifieds now!). But I'd be wanting a bit of off-road action as well, not necessarily racing.

Along the coast, out around Alwinton and Ingram. Loads of choices think of all those rolling grassy bridleways and farm tracks we have that's where.

Ever been round Thrunton on it Lee?

I'm thinking (if I get one) that I could ride upto Rothbury, stop at the butchers for a Wildebeast burger (Mmmm), then tackle Carriage Drive, then upto Main Stone at Simonside, then back through Harwood Forest to the gibbet road and back to Morpeth. That would be a nice route!

Hey, we could resurrect:

[b][u]NORTHUMBERFEST[/u][/b]

But with a cross twist.

Now there's an idea!

Local stuff mainly.

Wagonways are a good starting point. But I use a lot of the trails we ride on night rides. From Newcastle out to the coast or the airport, up to Blyth or down to Gateshead and Sunderland.

I also use it for exploring quite a lot as you can get to places much quicker yet still ride off road. Good if you want to check out an area as you can cover lots of ground.

But you should have a go at racing. The NECCL is very relaxed and not too pricey.

Cross bike round Glentress is a good change of scenery but I wouldn't make a habit of it. It's the best thing ever on those smooth trails they carve through the woods at trail centres - the climbs are also great. It's bobbins on rocky descents though - Deliverance on the tricross is not something I'll be repeating.

The rocky descents suck because of the rigid bike more than anything else for me, not so much the fact it's a cyclocross bike. If you run an old school game and ride rigid MTBs then it would probably be fine.

Better trails available for the CX overall.

jonba - Member

But you should have a go at racing. The NECCL is very relaxed and not too pricey.

I'll only embarrass myself if I get the frame I'm after. It's too good a frame, doesn't stop me wanting it though. It'll compliment my other 'that bike's too good for you' bike perfectly.

LardLover - Member

Anyone ridden Glentress et al on their cx bike??

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I might think about changing the saddle next time. I'm also looking at the option of riding from home (just outside Edinburgh) doing the Blue and then cycling home. Looks like there's a good selection of tracks so I can avoid the road where possible.

I also wrote up a wee bit about my first "CX" experiences here...[url= http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2011/09/freedom.html ]http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2011/09/freedom.html[/url]

Lard, i think you know Andy, who lives in Morpeth. He's not on here, but he has a few routes that mix road and tracks from Morpeth. He was off through Harwood and down to Rothbury last week. He also has a very nice custom Kev Winter cyclocross

Stacks of places to go in Northumber land. Pick your bridleways with care tho, some are overgrown, some are boggy as hell, and some are so unused you literally have to stop every 10m to check you are actually on a track! Good fun tho 😆

Hey, we could resurrect:

NORTHUMBERFEST

But with a cross twist.

Now there's an idea!

Email me Neil.

And no never been around Thrunton on it could be messy.

P20 - Member

Lard, i think you know Andy, who lives in Morpeth. He's not on here, but he has a few routes that mix road and tracks from Morpeth. He was off through Harwood and down to Rothbury last week. He also has a very nice custom Kev Winter cyclocross

Name doesn't ring a bell P20, will probably recognise the face though 😉 Was/is he involved with the TTB's?

ygm Lee 😀

No. Hes the guy that has the Fuquay. I think your kids go to the same school or something like that.

Oops, yes, I know who you mean now. Funny that, I saw him out on his bike today.

😀

i prefer my cross bike for most local rides and road riding too with a 2nd pair of wheels (newcastle based - blue lardy jake the snake). local trails, waggonways, derwent walk and the like its great. really fast on smooth paths, much faster on the road than a mtb, good fun on the technical stuff too but you wouldn't want to be doing anything too technical but even then if you do just see it as cross training get it on yer shoulder and run it! i've ridden both dalby and hamsterley red/black routes on it - going off drop offs in the drop handlebars is certainly an experience!

EDIT: and yes check out NECCL they are fun/cheap/welcoming races and you'd be fine riding anything too

some route advice in this video. An oldie that's been done before but a good one and a little bit topical

we used to set out the markers for my mate's old man's polaris winter trailquests. CX bikes were strongly in evidence. Hardcore.

I had a good ride out with my lads over to Blanchland from Slaley on the Carrier's Way. No1 son and me on CX bikes - perfect.

I'll only embarrass myself if I get the frame I'm after. It's too good a frame, doesn't stop me wanting it though. It'll compliment my other 'that bike's too good for you' bike perfectly

Oh no you won't......

[img] [/img]

Not me BTW, but from my last race.

 

And for the record, I cleared it on all eight laps.
[img] [/img]
Old man with da skilz

Thats me in the background of your first pic, I remember seeing that crash.

That's my clumbate sat in the sand watching the Trisports guy take a tumble.

I didn't fall off, but I also didn't clear the sand pit cleanly the last two laps, the bike went side ways so I had to put a foot down to get out of the pit.

Race was a bit of a pig for me, gridded up near the front, flying start and then a load of broken course tape got caught up in practically every moving part of my bike. Lost about 5 mins and was lapped by the leader before I'd managed to finish one lap.

I noticed guys bent over their bikes removing tape. And that pit became a mare towards the end, the last two laps I rode in the sand, but near the edges.
Good race for me, no problems at all. Just not quick enough.

Though Chris got a top ten.
Paul it doesn't take much to loose a lap, last week a rider went into the brambles and dragged them out onto the singletrack and I spent an age trying to remove it from my mech. Then I got told off for having my top right undone, then I couldn't zip it back up again.....
Hitchin went very well for me.

Thinking about it there is tons to ride but I dont know anyone with one other than for doing that Gateshead race series.

Northumberland costal path - Cresswell all the way up to Alnmouth - along to Howick and Craster even. Bridleways around Acklington, Warkworth would be good, again Ingram and even most of the cheviots would be good.

If I had the time, cash and space I think id have one for rides across to Morwick Ice cream palour in the summer.

Northumberland costal path - Cresswell all the way up to Alnmouth - along to Howick and Craster even. Bridleways around Acklington, Warkworth would be good, again Ingram and even most of the cheviots would be good.

They're all good.

Drac - is that old line between Alnwick and Lesbury area still rideable? That could link you to Alnmouth costal path nicely on a cx.

Yeah very much so but you have to exit early now as they've built a new car park so you can join the road to Bilton Mill and take cheeky bit along the river.

The old railway line is now marked as cycle route but they've only thrashed some branches back nothing much else. There's plans to put a commuter train in to Hipsburn with a proper cycle path in too but it's slowed right down again.

Yes OG, Chris is flying at the moment. Which is pretty impressive considering where he was a good few mins behind me at his only cross race last season. He's racing Eastern and Central leagues where the fixtures don't clash.

Glad you had a good race.

The tape jammed everything up, it managed twist a chain link so my gears were slipping throughout the race. I now have a new chain installed, test ride tonight to check that there's no further damage (thought I'd bent my rear mech at the time).

Interesting to see what Hemel will throw at us. This was my first race on a cross bike last year, fell off 5 times, it was the only time I fell off all season.

Well I've gone and bought that frame, much to the wife's utter disgust/annoyance etc etc etc...................... 😳

I only hope that it does actually arrive.

So, all being well, I should be good to go very soon.

Oh my. What a turn this story takes 🙂

Far too nice to ride on the Northumberland coastal path that frame!

What frame? Pics demanded now!

Sure it was up for sale in the classifieds. Lovely bit of kit.

Get something cheaper Lardlover. Loads of places in the North East to have fun on a CX.

I try not to look on there - that way lies danger!

First 'cross race and have started stalking the internet for races... oops