Oi – who put troll as a tag – not a troll – genuine interest / confusion

CX looks like fun – I want to try it

I totally agree with rustydub about cx racing and would recommend it to anyone on here.

in all my years of cx racing i have never seen someone win on an mtb.
Just an observation.

plop_pants – Member
in all my years of cx racing i have never seen someone win on an mtb.
Just an observation.

ah but what about a tandem? I see you’re keeping quiet on that front!

silly man.

BTW I think you may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick with my previous post.

Yeah, sorry about that, he’s a bit fick.

CX is silly hard, imo. I’m not nearly stupid enough to give it a go.

it’s as hard as you want it to be. we had some great racing right through the fields at SCX series races last year – part of the beauty is that there’s always someone to chase down or keep ahead of. plus the best turnouts that i can remember, with over 100 at several rounds.

thought TAS captured the spirit of the weekend well. just as well they weren’t in some of the boozers on Friday and Saturday. some of the athletes were letting their hair down. hopefully cyclocrossers can take over tobermory completely this year. great event.

keep an eye on http://www.scottishcyclocross.com for news of the 2009 series over coming months. scottish cycloblog launches soon.

plop_pants – Member
in all my years of cx racing i have never seen someone win on an mtb.
Just an observation.

Up until the last few years plenty of the Scottish races were won on MTBs. More recently people have been moving to CX bikes (they’re faster), but it can still be done by the right rider/conditions.

certainly more cx bikes now than when i started racing the scottish series (2001?). been a while since someone’s one on a proper mtb though (dan’s flat barred things don’t count…)?

best thing season has been seeing kids on proper cx bikes of various sizes.

Having raced on both, I’d say the CX bike is faster on CX courses. Sure, on proper rideable courses that have plenty of drops and proper rough ground on, an MTB will win but I’ve not seen a course like that ever. Most MTB and CX course are better suited for cross bikes, pure and simple.

And normal CX races are insanely fast, way quicker than MTB races. You have to try one to understand. It’s a sprint, proper balls out sprint. For an hour.

It seems strangely anachronistic to me, in my ignorance. It’s like mountainbiking before mountain bikes or mountainbike trails existed. Why not just do it on the road?

It occurs to me that any mtb course where a cross bike is quicker than a mountain bike simply is not a mountainbike course.

‘cross racing started in the early 1900s, as a way to stay in shape over the Winter months when road riding traditionally stops and over the years has grown to a point where certain riders specialise in it alone

far from being anachronistic i’d say it’s one of the fastest growing arms of cycle-sport at the moment, especially in the USA
it’s huuuuge in northern Europe where massive crowds gather to watch and the top-riders get almost pop-star status

far from an anachronism. has become absolutely massive in bits of the US – the Cross Crusade races in Oregon can attract 1000 riders over a weekend, with the singlespeed class alone getting 100+ riders.

racing isn’t for everyone (although everyone should try at least one competitive event IMHO), but CX is a great introduction.

the sport is currently evolving towards more speed to differentiate itself from mtb. courses are getting faster and less technical particularly at the top level. this is a good thing. cx should be cx, not mtb-lite. locally, there are some great courses in unexpected places. auchentoshan in clydebank being a great example.

can’t wait for the season to come round again…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00hzlm2/The_Adventure_Show_2008_2009_Quadrathlon/

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?

It’s fast, exciting, adrenaline. You never try as hard as you do in a cross race. It requires great skill and finesse, while at the same time being brutal. If I could only do one cyclesport it would be CX.

TJ – I think you are missing something. You should give it a try.

t occurs to me that any mtb course where a cross bike is quicker than a mountain bike simply is not a mountainbike course.

Uhuh, and I’ve never seen a ‘mountainbike course’ in this country set up specifically for racing where a cross bike wouldn’t be faster. With the exception of any of the downhill courses.

I am lucky enough to live in the home of cyclocross (as already mentioned Belgium or more precisely Flanders).
It is just fantastic. Who cares if the bikes are a bit different to XC MTB’s – it is off road, muddy, exciting to watch.

Between November & February we have at least 1 live televised race every weekend and huge spectator numbers. A true professional sport.

Who would not enjoy watching the best XC racers do battle over 1 hour every week with great TV coverage? The guys here are household names – how good it that for cycling?

I could go on & on……
It is just great.

Samuri – even the scottish courses such as the ten under series or strathpuffer?

It’s different but its fun. I rode the cross season this year on my mountain bike and got a cross bike just in time for hit the north 1.5. I loved racing on it, so fast (or at least it feels it) easier to carry up the steps and just so much fun!

Another plus for CX is that the bikes (particularly the less racy ones with a set of bosses) are dead versatile. Almost as fast as a road bike on tarmac, easily capable of some light off-road, and less sluggish than an Audax bike or tourer. If you want to get out and explore your local bridleways and woods, they’re great. The fact that there is a good grass roots race scene in most areas of the country is a bonus.

An interesting comment I heard on the reason why cyclocross is becoming more popular, was that it is run in a totally safe environment.
Which is true, I ride plenty on the road, and have had many near misses with cars etc.
This is what makes cyclocross so freindly to kids and younger riders, it also gives them a good feel for a highly competitve sport. My 2 sons used to really enjoy their Sunday cross racing, it was a top familly day out.

Uhuh, and I’ve never seen a ‘mountainbike course’ in this country set up specifically for racing where a cross bike wouldn’t be faster. With the exception of any of the downhill courses.
you should try racing up here. if you’re faster across a race course like badaguish, i’ll buy you a beer.

Uhuh, and I’ve never seen a ‘mountainbike course’ in this country set up specifically for racing where a cross bike wouldn’t be faster. With the exception of any of the downhill courses.

I have.

As for its popularity, I can imagine TV coverage would be loads better than MTB races. And for the fella that cited Mountain Mayhem as an example of why CX bikes would be better for MTB racing – 24 hour races are not typical MTB races for all sorts of reasons. And yes, in that kind of mud a CX bike would be better.

This thread has been a bit of an eye opener to me. I’ve ridden on sections of trails which I knew were included in xc race routes, however I assumed (wrongly) that the majority of the races took place on the same reasonably tech inner forest trails. Oh how wrong I was. Flat, fire roads, grass etc seems to be the norm. Small wonder a cx bike would easily be competitive.

Top 3 for Phoenix at London Cross League

Cross is fun, even in London. See the vid.

Mountainbikes very welcome, but they never get near the top 10

Given that Nick Craig, Tim Gould and the like were riding the Peak trails faster on crossers than many of our more modern chums manage on 6 million inches of travel, I’d say there is some serious underestimation of CX capability going on.

Cross is ace, far more strenuous and much more competitive than mountain bike races that turn into time trials after the first mile. It’s also far less forgiving of crap technique, without them thar big tyres and disc brakes, you have to be able to actually ride.

Flat, fire roads, grass etc seems to be the norm.

Seriously, no. That is not the case.

mountain bike races that turn into time trials after the first mile

Again, no. If you’re crap, and you end up in the middle or back of the field then yes, but if you’re fighting for it nearer the front it’s interesting. Fought with one bloke for the whole of the SXC at Ringwood last year, only to drop my guard and lose 10th place on the last climb. Arse.

” Uhuh, and I’ve never seen a ‘mountainbike course’ in this country set up specifically for racing where a cross bike wouldn’t be faster. With the exception of any of the downhill courses.”

I’d disagree with that. One example would be 10 under the Ben, Drumlanrig’d be another. The Scottish Champs course from 2008, on the other hand, was a cyclo cross race on big tyres and as a result it was awful. Completely disappointing.

As an XC racer I’d consider CX as winter fitness training to force me to go out and do it, but in real world terms it’s a roadie sport, to keep roadies out in the winter, and not something most people would enjoy in terms of day to day riding- I had a CX bike but it was so incapable in my local woods that I just got a proper road bike.

marty – Member
certainly more cx bikes now than when i started racing the scottish series (2001?). been a while since someone’s one on a proper mtb though (dan’s flat barred things don’t count…)?

best thing season has been seeing kids on proper cx bikes of various sizes.

Ross C won Mugdock on an MTB in the 2008 series.

Everyone should try CX, it’s the dogs knickers.

As for those mocking XC courses, please get yourself north for an SXC this year, you will not be disappointed. Well, you might be if you prefer riding round fields.

Dougal- specially now we’re not going near gleniffer braes, eh? 😉

liked Gingerflash’s pic – now thats the point at which someone on a mountain bike would stop you and shout “you are going the wrong way” 🙂