http://communities.msn.com/Radsport
And honorable mention goes to
Mark Weaver's site. Apparently he has
some
sort of cyclocross shoe
fetish, which I can't find, but here is his review
of ATAC's
http://www.geocities.com/~velosapiens/november_index.html
Bike Setup
Frame: general rule of thumb,
2 cm smaller than normal road frame, but can vary. You probably want all top
tube cable routing (on the top of the top tube, not under or sides). This is so
that the cables don't freeze up in the wet, and so they aren't in the way of
your arm when you carry the bike.
Components: STI-Ergo is
standard now, barcons are traditional. V-brakes with adapters work, but so do
traditional canti's, as long as the rear doesn't gouge you when you swing the
bike during running, hit your heel while riding, or interfere with the dismount
(there are so-called "low -profile canti's, but they lack braking power,
so V-brakes would be better).
Parts can be as cheap or
expensive as you want, but ruining brand new polished Dura Ace or Record would
be a shame. Better to use cheap stuff, or older, expensive stuff, rather than
ruin new expensive stuff.
Gears: something in-between
road & MTB. A single 44 or 45 is good with 11-28 or something close.
Doubles can be something like: MTB 34-46 w/12-25 ; 38-48 w/12-28 or Road 39-47
w/12-27. These are all variable, based on course and rider preferences. You
don't necessarily need 8 or 9 speed gears, they are very narrow, and clog with
grass or skip, and are just more problematic than a wider 7sp with a friction
barcon, which can usually always be adjusted to work, even when clogged, if
necessary. Use what you've got, or can get easily, it really doesn't matter
that much. Most cross riders have two bikes and a mechanic/helper at races to
clean & repair bikes that screw up or clog during races. Not absolutely
necessary, a MTB can be a spare in local races, or you can just pray for no mechanicals.
I've been running a 46/38 in
front, and a 13-26 in back. I've found that I've never gone into the 38,
so this season, I'm thinking of running
a 42 in front, and a 12-25 in back; I figure that my top gear is pretty close
to the same as it was with the 46, and I'll be able to run my chain more in the
middle of the cassette. Am I making any
serious errors in this logic? I plan on
putting a Spot chainguard on the outside of the crank, a Third Eye on the
inside, and a front derailleur as an additional chain catch. Is the front derailleur overkill in this
application?
No, the Third Eye and the
Spot are overkill. Just use the
derailleur and lock it in place with the adjusting screws. You may have to spread the rear portion of the
cage to prevent chainrub, and you can pinch together the front part of the cage
to prevent chain deraillment.
Either you have some pretty
easy terrain or the promoters make you run up anything remotely resembilg a
hill. Why carry extra stuff if you don't
need it? The Old Ones in 'cross use to
use a 46 up front with a 14-28 freewheel; your setup sounds fine. They used chain guards to keep the chain on.
Position: seat height: same
as road for smooth courses, a smidgen lower for rough. Stem: 1-2 cm shorter
than road, 1-2 cm higher. Cross racing
has heart rate data similar to criterium racing. Something like a long series
of intervals. Races are around one hour for 1-2 Pro, and 30 min. or less for
4-5's, with others in-between. Learn correct dismount & running technique
before you develop incorrect form and have to relearn. It's very difficult to
be smooth and fast. You'll need to do some running training also, both with the
bike & separate.
I've already gone for a
slightly shorter saddle-stem reach and a higher stem on my 'cross bike (relative to my road bike). are there any
general guidelines for saddle fore/aft
position on a 'cross bike relative to a road bike?
Same as on your road
bike. Some people lower the saddle by 1
cm to make it a little easier to mount and dismount. I leave mine at the same height as my road bike. Setback is also the same.
Tires and Tire Pressure: My experience has been that you get not
only better traction, but more control and a smoother ride if you run lower pressure.
However, on narrow tires, like a 28c, this increases the chance of pinch flats
(on clinchers), or rim damage. I am running Michelin clinchers - Mud in the
front and Sprint in the rear – at approximately 40 psi for most courses. It
varies greatly with the type of terrain found in the course - more roots or the
like calls for a bit more pressure to save your rims, whereas on a bumpy grass
surface you can run pretty low pressure fairly safely. You lose a little speed on
the road sections, but you generally gain much more speed on the off-road
sections than you lose on the road.
Last year, it seemed that
lower pressure was more in vogue. Dave Carr and Adam Myerson seemed in
agreement when conditions dictated softer tires. I think Dave still has an article on his page
http://members.aol.com/napavelo/cross.htm
What are people using for
pressure? I have 700x28s and have been experimenting from 70-80lbs.
Building Barriers
For racing, solid boards are really the best way to go. UCI rules require barriers to be 40 cm tall (16 inches) and solid across their entire width, but for training, you want something easy to set up and light enough to move around easily. You also want a practice barrier to be a bit ‘forgiving’. Also, when placing multiple barriers, they must be at least 4 meters apart.
Practice barriers:
Bunny hop:
I usually try a little light footed
bouncing on the pedals as they're horizontal and then let myself drop a bit and
weight the bike such that the tires squish a bit and then do an explosive
pushup with my arms and legs at the same time.
Once in the air, off the bike, your momentum upward will allow you to
lift the bike at the same time the tires are bouncing back. This lightens the bike, in effect, and makes
it easier to lift. Pulling up on the
bars you twist them forward at the same time to help the back wheel off. If you are clipped in it is easy to yank the
back wheel off with your feet.