I want to do my first cyclocross event this weekend but currently I only have a road, tri and HT mtn bike. I don’t have a cross specific bike yet. I was planning on using my mtn but was thinking that maybe I could switch the tires out to make it a little easier. I currently have Bontrager Race Lite Disc wheels with 2.0 tires on them. The tires are heavy and I think will be overkill for the course. Are there thinner tires that would work on mtn rims like that? Also, would it be stupid to carry a water bottle? This is a 30 minute CX event, and I would think if I was properly hydrated going in I would be OK, I can often get through a 10K without additional fluids and that takes a little bit longer than 30 so I would think it would be all right.
Also, other than practicing my dismounts and praying my bunny hopping skills can be used, any other hints?
You maye be able to get by using your road bike. It will depend on the course, the course conditions your fitness/ability and your gearing.
Can you fit 32mm cross tires on your road bike? Unfortunately many of the modern road bikes are built with very tight tolerances for tires and really cant take anything more than a 25mm road tire.
Will you be able to use your MTB bike? Check on this. Some cross races do not allow them.
If well hydrated going in, you should not need water for the 30 minute cross race.
My road won’t take 32s, already tried a friends, plus to be honest it’s kind of my only “pretty” bike. Completely tricked out equipment-wise and I can’t bear to beat her too badly.
The race will allow mountain bikes as long as the don’t have bar ends, which I don’t. So I’m lucky there. Would 32s work on a mountain rim?
nope, mtb’s have 26" wheels, while 'cross tires are meant for 700c wheels.
i’d recommend 1 of 2 things:
go to your lbs, ask for the narrowest mtb tires they have… oh, and don’t bring a water bottle
race with what you’ve got. don’t worry about weight, about tread, about final placing, or anything. there is no ego in cx. just show up, enjoy yourself, and realize that you’ve just raced the most addictive sport in the world
Good advice, unfortunately I never race and not worry about final placing. But I will try and get some narrower tires. Thank you very much, can’t wait.
Q1. Are there thinner tires that would work on mtn rims like that?
Schwalbe makes a 1.35x26", Kenda a 1.6x26". Some others as well. try cyclocrossworld.com
Q2. Also, would it be stupid to carry a water bottle?
makes it harder to carry the bike, plus: if you have time to drink, you’re not riding hard enough. So, yes.
Q3. This is a 30 minute CX event, and I would think if I was properly hydrated going in I would be OK, I can often get through a 10K without additional fluids and that takes a little bit longer than 30 so I would think it would be all right.
If nothing else, don’t drink anything too close to the start, or it’ll find its way out some way or another…
Q4. Also, other than practicing my dismounts and praying my bunny hopping skills can be used, any other hints?
If you want to do well, the first race of the day is the race to the starting line. If you’re just there for the experience, get out of the way and line up in the back.
Don’t count on your bunny hopping skills later in the race.
I saw my friend do this and he kicked ass on this setup with several wins.
He took his old mountain bike. Found some 700c rims that were “aero”. Built the aero rims on mountain hubs and shoved them into the frame. Threw on some road bars. The brake braze ons are way too low to allow the brakes to hit the brake surface on a 700c wheel on a mountain frame. That’s why he used “aero” rims, so he could just have the brakes hit on the “aero” section instead. Totally against the “rules” but it worked.
I now see that Mavic has a brake arch that you can clamp onto a mountain frame’s old brake braze ons that has another set of brake posts higher up for 700c wheels. That may be the way to go, properly.
race with what you’ve got. don’t worry about weight, about tread, about final placing, or anything. there is no ego in cx. just show up, enjoy yourself, and realize that you’ve just raced the most addictive sport in the world
Thank you! Great advice, my dismount needs work so I guess I’ll need to really concentrate on that.
i forgot: there’s a few cross clips on velonews.com which will help you with that. The cycle smart cross DVD is also good if you can get your hands on it.
Thanks, I’ll try and check those clips out. Luckily the course is about 1 mile from my house so I can practice in the area. It won’t have the barriers set up, but I can set up some wood pieces to practice on.
May need to take your bar ends off too, I like to carry a little water with me, the race i did last weekend on my single speed was almost an hour. Have fun.
I’ve included my race report from my Second ever Cylcocross race. See the end for what I used to hobble across the finish.
ESTABROOK CYCLOCROSS RACE REPORT:
This past weekend was the Estabrook Cyclocross Race held here in Milwaukee and I decided to give it another shot. My first attempt at Cyclocross was two weeks ago in Whitewater, WI. Horrible race. The course was across a farmer’s field. Not usually a bad course, but considering that it rained the day before and the morning of, it was like riding through sand. Nobody was fast including me.
This race was different. Fun?.. yes; rip roaring fun?..no. Because I’m not a NORBA license holder I raced in the beginner category again. It continues to baffle me that you’re considered a beginner if you own a cyclocross bike. In the CAT4/beginner wave I was one of two riders that had a MTB bike (my wife’s trusty Gary Fisher Tassajara). My first race taught me a few things: First of all, start off fast…and I mean blazing fast. Second, worry about getting into an ideal position on the first lap because chances are you can hang on to win/do well. As the gun went off, I tried to take off fast and after some minor issues clipping in I finally started cranking. It took a while but within 200 yards I was with the front 3 to 4 riders. I hung in between second and third for the first lap. On the second lap, I managed to find a gap and put myself in first and extend my lead. By the fifth and final lap I had a rather large lead and came in first.
Like my MTB race experience, I fell off my bike. The first fall was because I came around a corner too fast; the second because I had a hard time clipping out before coming up on some barriers. Regardless, I picked myself up and felt okay. Alittle sore today, but no major problems.
When the results were posted, I ended up second in the Beginner category. This brings me to my minor dislike of beginner cyclocross–the difficulty of knowing who you are racing against. Yea, I know if I jumped to CAT 4 I would know who’s in first. This time, the beginners started one minute behind CAT 4. Well, within that first lap a few of us caught the tail end of CAT 4 and in the mess of things, one guy that I wasn’t even cognizant of broke away from my little group and hammered away to win. Here I was riding out front passing a bunch of CAT 4 thinking that I all I needed to do was ride within myself to keep the lead.
In summary, cruising around on my wife’s MTB that weighs about 30 lbs has been fun. Especially, when it comes to lugging it over those barriers. As always, to take it to the next level will require a new bike. I have decided to hold out and make that decision next year.
As mentioned by Deus, a 700c disc wheelset would work (think 29er MTB wheels) with your 26" MTB frame with 700/32c tires in most cases. The beauty of disc brakes.
Otherwise, I’d just race it as a mountain bike crit. No need to modify if you’re just getting the feel for the sport.
Some spectator did yell out, “get a crossbike!” when I was pushing my mountain bike up a steep muddy hill and the other girls were shouldering their bikes. I felt dumb, but hey, when you are starting out, no sense in buying a cross bike if you are not sure you really like the sport.
I watched a race down on Cape Cod and the guy that won ( C men’s race) was on a mountain bike.
Good advice, unfortunately I never race and not worry about final placing. But I will try and get some narrower tires. Thank you very much, can’t wait.