So cyclocross starts at the end of next month here what do i need to get for this crazy sport. I’ve got a soloist team set up as a road bike. What do i need to change?
Grant
ummm… a cyclocross bike
a soloist probably wont work as a cyclocross bike.
reasons:
not enough clearance for big tires
brakes wont work with mud that well
depending on what kind of wheels you have that might need to be changed
some people like brakes on the tops of their bars (in line cross brakes), but thats optional
mtn pedals
mtn shoes
Probably nothing except for some slightly wider, nobby tires. Oh yeah, that and a willing to eat sh#t on occasion. Seriously, it’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike…and I suck at it.
What do you need?
A serious tolerance for pain.
YOu guys make this so expensive 
Grant
.
I did some last year and just used my hardtail mountain bike. It worked fine. I suppose it depends on your finances but I wouldnt buy or set up a bike unless I knew it was going to be my winter thing.
I did some last year and just used my hardtail mountain bike. It worked fine. I suppose it depends on your finances but I wouldnt buy or set up a bike unless I knew it was going to be my winter thing.
YOu haven’t seen me spend money on bikes
Grant
Actually, I’ll amend what I said. I agree that mountain bike shoes are important, however, I’ve seen plenty of people in races with regular brake calipers (if it’s muddy, it will suck). As long as you’re willing to see your ride take a beating, you’ll likely be fine. Do a race with the soloist, then if you like it, get a 'cross bike. My 'cross bike is also my commuter bike.
What the second guy said- you probably cannot fit a cross tire between your chainstays. I can barely fit a 32mm in an older steel frame, which is probably much less ‘tight’ than a soloist- it is made to be aero and probably has a small cross section because of that. Try it, though. Aside from that, you can probably do alright, as long as the course isn’t muddy. Then, canti brakes will come in huge. The bar-top brake levers are useful for technical descents, where you keep your hands on the bar tops and keep your weight back. Can’t keep your weight back as well if you’re on the hoods or in the drops. They’re really not necessary by any means- just convenient.
Mtn shoes+ pedals are necessary because you need to be able to clip in with mud on your cleats. At least for SPD-SLs (the Look style shimano) if anything gets on the cleats, they won’t engage at all. You also need to be able to run- can’t do that very well with huge cleats like Look or Speedplays. You can get a mtn pedal+shoe setup for pretty cheap.
With a bike as nice as a Soloist, I would be very careful about putting it through the rigors of 'cross. I’m sure it’d hold up, but there’s the risk of ruining a really nice bike. Cleaning that bike up for smooth road use is gonna take a lot of work.
Personally, before I got my current CX build, I used the aforementioned steel frame as a single speed (freewheel) cross bike. Got a decent 10spd steel frame, tires, and a CX fork, and had a pretty nice setup for less than $200 all told. Usually ran 39x17 with pretty good success, as long as there weren’t too many downhills where one could pedal.
Yeah, i should have said mtn bike pedals/shoes if its muddy, but, most cyclocross races are. I would be interested in how the soloist would stand up to the harsh demands of a cross race… im not saying that it wont stand up to it, but its designed as a road bike (harshed it would go through is paris-roubaix) and not a cross bike… it may work though
Actually, I’ll amend what I said. I agree that mountain bike shoes are important, however, I’ve seen plenty of people in races with regular brake calipers (if it’s muddy, it will suck). As long as you’re willing to see your ride take a beating, you’ll likely be fine. Do a race with the soloist, then if you like it, get a 'cross bike. My 'cross bike is also my commuter bike.
Hey Grant - our races around here usually aren’t muddy. So, having mud clearance with the brakes isn’t normally an issue. IIRC, the Webster City race was the only one with mud. However, you will want room for a somewhat knobby tire to give traction on off-cambers. I’d be floored if you could fit one into your Soloist. The other problem with using a narrow road tire is it will knock all your teeth loose! If you don’t have a mtn bike to try it out on, you may be able to get by for a race or two with a wider road tire (I would suggest the widest you can fit). That will at least give you an idea of the sport.
After that, you’ll be hooked so you might as well send some bags of cash to Gerard and pony up for an R3 cross. (drool!)
Gerard - are these ever going into production?!?
After that, you’ll be hooked so you might as well send some bags of cash to Gerard and pony up for an R3 cross. (drool!)
Yeah, it’s inevitable. You will love it and you will buy a 'cross specific bike. Maybe you should just go ahead and spend the dough. I know I did. Actually, this thread is getting me psyched for late september.
YEah i was thinking about it… if Gerard would get in gear and put out the r3 cross.
Grant
Grant…
There is no rules as to the kind of bike you need to use for cross… you just need to love BEER!
You would not be able to use a road bike, becasue of the tire clearance. A cross bike is much more like a touring bike which has canti brakes… you can’t use knobby tires on a road brake.
THe cheapest way is to either go single speed, find an old mountain bike, or take advantages of the cheaper ebay prices now. I’ve started shopping for my new parts last month. They’ll be getting alot more costly in the coming month.
I’ll see you out there!
Could I get by with a hybrid for a first timer? Mountain style breaks and spd pedals with size 32 tires. It’s a Trek 7200.
You can buy a Kona, Bianchi, Redline starter bike for under a grand ready to race. I would think you would be putting your road bike at some risk. Cross beats the crap out of your stuff (like mtb racing), and having less than excellent cross tires sucks mud or no mud. The tire volume protects your rims, and I would think you would be lucky to get a 28mm file tread tire on you road bike. The rear is ez compared to the front fork. Most road forks don’t even like 28mm road tires very well.
If you have any kind of mtb you are good to go. The only downside to the mtb is the carries are hard as mtbs don’t take to the shoulder very well cause the triangle and slope on the toptube make the hole too small to get into.
Another option would be to get a real old steel road bike and buy some barcons instead of the downtube shifting. I raced cross a couple years when I was poor on one of my 70s road bikes, and it worked out ok as the clearances were lots better back then.
Of course you “could”. It may even be better than trying it on a newer road bike. You could probably fit some cross tires in the hybrid setup. But, it’s night and day difference between doing a cx race on a cx bike vs. a mtn bike, hybrid, etc. However, if you just want to get a taste of what it’s like, run what you’ve got. Maybe even try to find a group practice or clinic. Then you can check it out in a little less stressful setting. Plus you can check out the other guys setups - maybe even take a couple for a lap to get a feel for the difference.
I raced my first year on a mtn bike. It certainly didn’t help me, but my choice of bike wasn’t my limiter. I was able to do some races and learn some of the technique. I’ve been racing on a cross bike ever since and loving every minute of it!! --as soon as the race is over and the bleeding stops, that is! 
Take your soloist to a park or somewhere with dirt trails and try riding it fast, try some dismounts and remounts, try cornering on grass and downhills, try running up a short hill carrying the bike. If it feels ok then enter the first race with your road bike and find out if you want to race more and buy a CX bike. If it feels like the soloist doesnt work then decide what you can afford to do (used bike, new bike, pedals, shoes, tires etc).
The soloist is a great road bike but not very adaptable to offroad use.
YOu can always use the reasoning that you are buying the new cross bike to use for commuting because you are concerned with the planet! Good resale value too . . .
. . . and if you’re near Madison consider the Mad Cross Cyclocross Clinic August 19 -
http://www.madcross.org/2007/2007%20Cross%20Clinic%20Brochure.pdf
Don’t risk your soloist, use an old mtb. Find an old rockhopper or something cheap (ideally with no suspension.) Ride it until you are ready for a cross specific bike.
I took an old nishiki pinnacle (pre dates the Alien, if anyone remembers that…) put drop bars and barend shifters on it and loved the bike.