Cross folks: Equipment of choice please.....

[William]

Ok, for all of you good folks that like to muck it up, what is the equipment of choice for you on the track?

Pedals: What brands work well for you? Are able to clear off the muck are double sided, and are able to pop in and out of easily?

Shifters: Bar ends or STI style? How much does the muck and grit effect your STI/Ergo shifters.

Shoes: Which do you like for comfort & muck shedding ability?

Secondary brakes (on the tops): Do you like them? Do you really need them?

Those were my main questions, but If you would like to comment on wheels, tires, and frames please do so.

Thanks,

William

[DfCas]

Ok, for all of you good folks that like to muck it up, what is the equipment of choice for you on the track?

Pedals: What brands work well for you? Are able to clear off the muck are double sided, and are able to pop in and out of easily?

Shifters: Bar ends or STI style? How much does the muck and grit effect your STI/Ergo shifters.

Shoes: Which do you like for comfort & muck shedding ability?

Secondary brakes (on the tops): Do you like them? Do you really need them?



William

The most popular now seem to be Eggbeaters,but my favorite is Time ATACs,either the old or new style.The new ones are lighter,but some prefer the old style.If Egg's or Times don't work,nuttin does and flat pedals are the other option.

STI is frail and 1 dunk in the mud may be the end of a shifter.Besides,you need versatility in front shifting and STI pretty much limits you to use the 1 front der Shimano wants you to use.Bar ends are bulletproof and work with any front der.Ergo's are close to bulletproof and work with any front der.

Shoes are any mtb shoes that fit,and do use toe spikes.

If you are forced into a bike that is small for you,you may prefer top mount brake levers.They allow you to stay off the back better and may help prevent an endo.If you are able to get a bike big enough,with a long enough front center,then I would not use top mount brake levers.

A word on sizing-most say get a small bike,but I prefer a bike at least as big as my road bike.A friend of mine(age group national champ) gets a bike 1-2 sizes bigger than his road bike and runs a short stem.He does not want his weight too far forward as it increases his endo rate.

dan

[zank]

William, man you really do have the bug. Awesome.

Pedals - Egg Beaters. Not a single issue this season, and we have had some challenging conditions.
Shifters - Ergo/STI for sure. As Adam Myerson puts it, "STI may have been originally invented with cross in mind." Ergo are rebuildable; STI are not. I witnessed one case of "STI freeze" this past weekend. A D10 lever filled up with mud and was non-funtional. Ouch.
Shoes - I like my Sidis. They fit me really well, and I like the ratchet. Beware of velcro-only shoes. The velcro really loosens up when soaked through on those really fun days. But, as with bikes, buy the one that fits.
Top-mount levers - tried them 4 years ago and ditched them. I prefer the drops to the tops for sketchy stuff. Just my preference.

Other thoughts...
Tires - Michelin Muds seem to be the clincher of choice. I really like them on days where the Tufos are questionable. If you have one wheelset and one tire, this makes a great all-arounder for New Belgium...I mean New England. As an aside, rumor has it that Challenge will be offering the Grifo as an open tubular next year. So, that may give the Mud a little competition. I am sure the Mud will win on price though.
Tires Part 2 - If you decide to get a set of tub wheels, the Tufo T30 is a good value. Not as supple as a Challenge, Vittoria, or Dugast, but they do a nice job and can be ridden at a pretty low pressure (with a good glue job!). Tufo also recently rolled out their new tread pattern. It is still a question mark if they will use the new tread pattern on less expensive offerings in the future. If you have some extra dough, tires are a good place to invest it in. The top-end offereings roll very nicely.
Wheels - I am going to have Ergott build me a set of new wheels for next year. The Ambrosio CronoF20 is the lightest Al tub rim around. Laced to Tune hubs with CX-ray spokes and you are talking 1300 grams per pair. You also have the Mavic Reflex rim for tub applications at only a handfull of grams more and easier availability. For clinchers, I like the Velocity Aerohead and Aerohead OC. Second choice for me would be an Open Pro. No pre-builts for me.
Brakes - I am going to change back to Spookys for next year. I changed from Spooky to an old set of Ritchey cantis. The adjustability of the Ritcheys is much better, but they don't have as much clearance as the Spookys. Gloucester, Sterling, and Providence proved that out.

Those are some thoughts off the top of my head. If you think of other questions, I would be happy to help. I may be slow, but I study equipment to death. I'm always looking for the simplest and most reliable stuff. If it is light as well, all the better.

[Hysbrian]

I agree with Zank on pedals and shoes. As for STI/Ergo I rode STI last season and Ergo this season. I like the ergo hoods better and find that it is much easier to downshift. When stuff gets wet and muddy I felt like it was hard to get a solid grip on the STI lever and shift. As for top mounted break levers I love em. Cane Creek makes the best (I rode salsa last year and cc has a spring that makes the work 100 times better, no joke). I just like them because its like riding a mtn bike, I don't know what I would have done without them at nationals....

[William]

You bet Zank! In a big way. I've even had thoughts of selling the Skunkbird to finance a nice rig.....but just can't bring myself to part with it. ;) It definitely brought back the fun of BMX racing, and the adrenaline and fervor of crit racing that I love so much.....all in one package. I'm in.


Thanks for your suggestions folks! :cool:

[shinomaster]

I switched to eggs this year and have been super pleased. They even have a lot of float!
I like the campy ergo power.
I use the lil' brake levers on my tops...but I ride my bike in town a lot and they help in traffic, if you ride on the tops.
TOE SPIKES
Haven't gotten any good brakes yet..
Michelin mud tires work well everywhere...ok maybe not on a road crit.
my race x light front wheel held up perfectly...
my open pro rear kept needing to be trued.

[iml]

Eggbeaters the last two years; no problems, work great. Before that, ATACS since 1997; also great, though heavier. I prefer the Eggs, but I'm a weight weenie.

Don't need top-mount levers. Forget it.

I've always use STI and have gotten very good mileage. No problems, aside from the typical Ultegra rattle on some sets, even in PacNW conditions.

Tires are a tough one. Low pressure tubies can be awesome, but I do think the rubber compounds and tread patterns of many clinchers are a step ahead. Grifos are great for going straight ahead, but I honestly think they can squirm and deform when cornering in a negative way, too. I have tubies but don't always run them. Tubeless clinchers at low pressure are the future.

[jerk]

just use what groendaal uses.

[shinomaster]

I give up...what is he using?...other than a really ugly orange Colnago?

[jerk]

I give up...what is he using?...other than a really ugly orange Colnago?


what does he use?

a colnago c-50 cross bike

ada wheels

dugast silk tubulars

one chainring

epo..

pimpin' ain't easy

jerk

[iml]

Ditto the single ring for a race bike. A 42t with a 25, 26 or 27 in back will get you around most courses just fine. Go up to 44t if you follow the EPO recommendation, though.

[shinomaster]

Yep next year I'm going solo in the front. I dropped my chain twice this year and lost the end of my glove putting it back on in my last race. live and learn.

[shinomaster]

DO silk underwear count for anything???

[saab2000]

I am friends with 2, not 1 but 2 former world champs. OK, so they were junior world champs. But one of them podiumed a couple times at the pro worlds too. My old club in Switzerland was big on the cyclocross.

He used what Groenendaal uses. But probably not anymore. He still races, but is pack fodder now and used to get paid thousands in start money every effin' week.

He used STI, 1 chainring (sometimes 2, but usually 1), carbon wheels, carbon Alan frame, etc. I dunno what they are using now over there for pedals but in the 90s it was all SPD mountain pedals.

I think Dieter Runkel was one of the first dudes who used the upper mounted brake lever. He was Weltmeister about 10 years ago. They all use tubulars over there.

[zank]

We used to call them Runkel levers. Now, a lot of the new riders have probably never heard of him. He was quite the innovator, and pioneered many equipment-related changes in cross.

[jerk]

dieter runkel and the jerk got in a fist fight with two guys at a race in groendaal.

howabout that? we didn'tg even know each other but the jerk had some schweize jump to his rescue....some guy who's first name is nico went and hid in the bathroom...and he was invited to the wedding.

anyway.

jerk

[William]

dieter runkel and the jerk got in a fist fight with two guys at a race in groendaal.

howabout that? we didn'tg even know each other but the jerk had some schweize jump to his rescue....some guy who's first name is nico went and hid in the bathroom...and he was invited to the wedding.

anyway.

jerk

Were you guys fighting over the Biere de Miel Sugar Waffles again? :no:



William ;)

[William]

Front & rear D's? Do you stick with the usual suspects?

What do you like for crank length and how does it compare to your road set up?


William....got the C-c-c-c-cross bug. :banana:

[zank]

Centaur Ergo and rear derailleur.

Single ring up front. 42 tooth. 13-29 in back.

I use 172.5, same as my road bike. The old tradition of going with a longer crank for cross is...well...old.

[William]

Centaur Ergo and rear derailleur.

Single ring up front. 42 tooth. 13-29 in back.

I use 172.5, same as my road bike. The old tradition of going with a longer crank for cross is...well...old.

Are you running a single ring up front because you don't need the extra ratios, or because it might be easier to drop a chain shifting between rings. It seems like a say 39x46+ would give you more gearing options.

Btw, I did see quite a few dropped chains.

Hmmm, must find some 180's then....cause that's what I'm sportin on the road.



Will - I'll race a Cross Check if I have to - iam

[zank]

I am running a single ring for simplicity. I used to run a 38/46, but rarely used the 38. I ditched the second ring, front derailleur, and ripped the guts out of the left Ergo lever for a super-clean set-up. I didn't drop my chain once this year. I really liked the 42 for all of the races. Fron the hillier Northfield circuit to the flat as a pancake Sucker Brook course. Worked well for all occasions.

And, a Cross Check is a suitable racing bike. Don't sweat it.

[shinomaster]

YEah I see a lot of those at the races. I think they make pink ones now too.