I may have lost my mind, but I picked up a used cyclocross bike. Attended a couple of local races last fall and figure I’ll give it a shot. Realistically, my goal is to have a good time, get some quality (for me) work in, and limit the number of times I get lapped.
The questions I know I need to have answered are what shoes do you recommend and what pressure for clincher tires, 38’s IIRC?
What other tidbits of mentoring do you have for me? Equipment, training, relevent websites…?
I’m sure you’ll have a great time! CX will definitely help you with your bike handling skills as well as give you some quality work and hard efforts.
A few tidbits:
-
Depending on where you are, prepare to be cold, wet and muddy. As a result, spec your bike so that you don’t cringe while hosing it down.
-
Tire pressure depends on the course, but generally run as low as you can without risking a pinch flat. A good alternative to clinchers are Tufos CX tires.
-
If you run a single-ring setup, use an outer guard and a chain watcher. If you use a dual-ring setup, use a chain watcher.
-
Practice mounts and dismounts. Find a flat section of dirt (fire roads work pretty well) and jump off, run and jump on without crushing your goods.
-
Repeat (4) but run up a short hill, mounting on the top or downside.
-
My personal favorite - find a sand volleyball court (preferably with the net taken down) and ride across it a few times. Then dismount and try running through it a few times to practice your recovery strategy in the event you get stuck.
-
Be thankful that sand/dirt/grass are softer than asphalt, punch it and have a blast!
Oh - and a go-to website is www.cyclocrossworld.com/
Don’t worry about getting lapped, they will pull you from the race 
Sites http://www.cxmagazine.com/
Good web series: http://vimeo.com/user4835763
Spend 20 hrs here: http://www.crosstube.net/
Jingle Cross http://vimeo.com/17422126
Awesome Chicago scene: http://vimeo.com/9952653
-
Training, depending on where you’re from there may be established weekly practices set up if you’re from a big cross scene.
-
Learning to mount/remount , take it slow. Do some youtube searches to pick up the finer points you don’t see just watching. Start at slow speeds. I would stay out of the sand for awhile. My first day with the new bike took to a sand pit and jacked up my STI’s with sand right out of the gate.
-
You can make some PVC pipe barriers for a 20 buck stop at home depot. Do it.
-
Equipment, stay on the cheap side for your first season. You’ll speed a lot of time on the ground. Speaking of which, I need to replace that hanger
-
Training: I like this blog, http://crosssports.net/ Follow on Twitter and he’ll post the Workout of the day. Basically your core wko’s are 2 x 20’s (who doesn’t love those) , some openers, starts, and skills. Throw in some sprinting and you’re all set.
-
It will be the most fun you’ll have on a bike especially if you’re local scene is good.
-
Learn to heckle and drink beerz and you’re all set.
You will fall down
If you have no MTB skillz old guys on MTBs will pass you
The whole getting off yer cx machine before the obstacles is harder then it looks
CX races are like a dirty, angry, miserable 10k run where half way through you wonder why you thought this was a good idea
All the technical bike setup stuff only matters if you have practiced dismounting and riding on twisty crazy courses
CX is crazy…I’m not sure I like it but I suck at it and falling down in a race isn’t ‘fun’ for me
If you can fins a couple other CXers to train with and have some game then it is a great experience
A
.
Tire pressure is going to vary by rider/course/tire. Like others have said, if you have a training racing druing the week hit it up. Prepare for a quick death, it may be short, but it is going to hurt…in a good way.
Wow, some not good advice so far.
Pretty much every C race will NOT pull you if you end up lapped. For shoes you want a comfortable mountain pair, but pedals come down mostly to time atac or crank brothers egg beaters/candies.
Practicing mounts and dismounts are important, but they are not difficult, start slow learn proper form and pick up speed from there.
Practice starts, the first 100 yards of a cross race is about positioning. In a large field the front is where you need to be. A bad start could make you lose a minute of time or more.
Tire pressure is important, get ti the race early and do some practice runs. If running clinchers start at 45psi and try to work your way down to 35psi without pinch flatting.
If on tubbies, start at 35 and go down. I’ve run dugast rhinos at 20 psi.
Finally, falling in cross happens but it is not common and most falls happen below 15mph and you land on grass or mud, so dust off and keep going. No exploding bike crit crashes in most c races. Have fun!
"5. Training: I like this blog, http://crosssports.net/ Follow on Twitter and he’ll post the Workout of the day. Basically your core wko’s are 2 x 20’s (who doesn’t love those) , some openers, starts, and skills. Throw in some sprinting and you’re all set. "
Thanks for the plug.
That’s me, everyone should please feel free to drop questions/comments on the blog. I will tailor workouts towards people’s requests/concerns/problem areas, especially on the skills work days.
.
it’s like running a 5k, for an hour. great way to stay in shape, and tons of fun
The whole getting off yer cx machine before the obstacles is harder then it looks
Dismounts themselves are not all that hard. Trying to remember not to get caught up in the moment and dismount before decelerating from 20+ mph to a reasonable running speed, is harder than it looks.
I just got a used Ridley cross bike. The intention is to use it for some non-technical adventure races (the bike is mainly on fire roads and easy single track). However their are a couple of cross event very close to me in September, so I’m going to give it a go.
The cantilever brakes (empella froglegs) on this thing absolutely suck. They merely suggest that slowing down may be appropriate, but are unlikely to result in any change of speed when truly needed. I’ve already ordered some tektro mini v-brakes to see if it results in any improvement.
I also wonder about tire pressure. I have two sets of Michelin wheels (Jets and Muds) and both are 700x30c. Any suggestions for a 173lb rider? The minimum on the sidewall of the jets is 37psi. I run my MTB tires at about that, so I was figuring on starting with about 45-50psi.
… this should be fun!
I like the workouts and the humor…helped a lot last season, thanks…
Both great tires for clinchers. Use the Jets for commuting/grass/etc. and I’ve done an offroad TT with them - usually run around 55-60 rear, 50-55 front.
I’ve run the Mud2’s as low as 35 (likely slighltly less) with no problems/pinch flats (Challenge Latex tubes). They are great in sloppy conditions when my Dugast tubies aren’t used.
This thread is motivating me to go watch a cyclocross race, if not try one.
Anyone know of races near New York City? Google is suggesting they all take place in upstate NY. ???
This thread is motivating me to go watch a cyclocross race, if not try one.
Anyone know of races near New York City? Google is suggesting they all take place in upstate NY. ???
wow
You’re right. I just looked at BikeReg. Seems the one in Staten Island and the one on Long Island are done. 
This looks like fun. I know the area well. It’ll be a blast and you can take LIRR
http://www.bikereg.com/...er.asp?eventid=12663
This thread is motivating me to go watch a cyclocross race, if not try one.
Anyone know of races near New York City? Google is suggesting they all take place in upstate NY. ???
A few races close to NYC in the MAC. Jamesburg, NJ and 2 near the Nassau Coliseum
http://www.midatlanticcross.com/
There has been a race on Staten Island the last couple of season, think in November. Check Bikereg.com later in the season for details
A few races close to NYC in the MAC. Jamesburg, NJ and 2 near the Nassau Coliseum
http://www.midatlanticcross.com/
There has been a race on Staten Island the last couple of season, think in November. Check Bikereg.com later in the season for details
Oh that’s great thanks. Any idea if the Jamesburg event is friendly to beginners? They mention beginners on their site so I guess that’s a good sign.
Thanks for the advice.
If I may ask one more question, do you see any advantage to running a wider tire (for example, the 700x35 Conti Speed King)? In the races that I’ll be competing in, the UCI rules won’t apply to my category.
"I like the workouts and the humor…helped a lot last season, thanks… "
You’re welcome, thanks for the kind words!
.
I agree with others cross race hurts like 5K and lasts longer.
Most of the races where I live don’t pull you if you get lapped especially if you are in the cat 4 women or cat 5 men’s race. Check with promoter.
If you can find training race, go early and ask some questions, you can learn a lot. Cross racers are usually quite helpful…race vibe is awesome. Last race here in MA, they have beer hand ups and often have jello shots or dollar bills on the barriers for those who take it a little less seriously.
Here in MA some training races and race teams offer training clinics. Take advantage of them.
For me I tried cross just about month after my first IM. It is the most fun I have on a bike. Cross race effort is almost exact opposite of tri biking…varying efforts vs. steady state.
I have a bum knee (trying to put off knee replacement) and have been told to stop cross racing.
Hey Matt, are you using the Tuesday night races as a substitute for your 2x20, or is it your second workout of the day?