First cyclocross race - race my mtn bike or touring bike?

I'm racing in my first cyclocross race (Cat 4) this weekend and have a
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?

My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.

Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?

What are your opinions?

In article
. com,
wrote:

I'm racing in my first cyclocross race (Cat 4) this weekend and have a
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?

My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.

Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?

Try rec.bicycles.tech.

Is the tourer a true touring frame? A true touring
frame has a lower bottom bracket, and is contra-indicated
for cyclocross. Low tire pressure is fine on many
cyclocross courses.

--
Michael Press

On Nov 9, 11:55 am, Michael Press wrote:
In article
. com,



wrote:
I'm racing in my first cyclocross race (Cat 4) this weekend and have a
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?

My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.

Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?

Try rec.bicycles.tech.

Is the tourer a true touring frame? A true touring
frame has a lower bottom bracket, and is contra-indicated
for cyclocross. Low tire pressure is fine on many
cyclocross courses.

rbt won't help; they don't know which one will be faster.
Neither do we, since we don't know the course or the
abilities of the rider, but at least in rbr we know that.

The low BB height doesn't really matter. Cyclocross bikes
used to have high BBs so that when you pedaled on the
backs of the pedals, your toe clips wouldn't foul the ground.
With clipless pedals this is no longer much of a concern.

The question of which one is faster depends on how technical
the course is and which one the rider is more comfortable with.
On a course with a lot of fast grass, dirt, or pavement sections,
the MTB will generally suffer. However, you probably don't
want or need to go much above 40 psi in the MTB tires.
Crossers often run that in narrower cross tires.

Cross tires/bikes are sometimes as good or better than
fat tires in squishy mud.

On steeper hills, it's generally faster to run up the hill
than ride in a low gear.

One factor to consider is shoulderability. Some MTBs
are more difficult to carry. Also the handlebar is harder
to grab with the right arm (assuming you're not one of those
lefty-shouldering enemies of freedom).

On either bike, if it has a triple, you might want to install
a chain watcher that keeps you from dropping chain to the
inside, or even blocks out the granny ring.

Finally, it doesn't really matter - unless you're really fit
and used to repeated sprinting/surging efforts, your first
cross race will be a sufferfest. Don't worry too much
about the bike and have fun.

Ben

"Michael Press" wrote in message
...

Is the tourer a true touring frame? A true touring
frame has a lower bottom bracket, and is contra-indicated
for cyclocross. Low tire pressure is fine on many
cyclocross courses.

Not really Michael. Good cyclocross bikes used to have very low bottom
brackets since the tires life the BB an extra inch or so. What's more, on
very rough terrain you generally run and carry the bike.

If you can ride a cyclocross course faster with a high bottom bracket the
course is laid out incorrectly. Such courses would be as fast or faster on a
mountain bike.

wrote in message
oups.com...

Finally, it doesn't really matter - unless you're really fit
and used to repeated sprinting/surging efforts, your first
cross race will be a sufferfest. Don't worry too much
about the bike and have fun.

It is likely that you'll be lapped by the slowest other person on the second
lap. That's normal for a beginner.

MTB's with a sharply sloping TT are generally shouldered by holding the
front of the saddle in your right hand over the front of the saddle, holding
it on your right shoulder and holding the handlebars in your left hand. It
won't take many races like that to discover that you really want to buy a
REAL(tm) cyclocross bike.

On Nov 9, 11:55 am, Michael Press wrote:
In article
. com,





wrote:
I'm racing in my first cyclocross race (Cat 4) this weekend and have a
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?

My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.

Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?

Try rec.bicycles.tech.

Is the tourer a true touring frame? A true touring
frame has a lower bottom bracket, and is contra-indicated
for cyclocross. Low tire pressure is fine on many
cyclocross courses.

--
Michael Press- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Why, other than habit, is a low BB contra-indicated for a 'cross
bike? I know that the Euro guys don't like low BB,but I wonder why?

I recently switched from a 'traditional' cross frame (Redline Team) to
a Lemond Poprad with a BB 3/4" lower than the Redline and in fact
lower than any other production 'cross bike.

It handles sooo much better and is a tad bit easier to remount due to
the slightly lower saddle height. I can't imagine, unlike in
mountainbiking, that I need to worry about striking a pedal, so I
can't imagine a scenario where the lower BB would be a detriment.

I won't say 'never', but I can't imagine switching back to a
traditional, high BB cross bike.

"Scott" wrote in message
ps.com...

Why, other than habit, is a low BB contra-indicated for a 'cross
bike? I know that the Euro guys don't like low BB,but I wonder why?

I recently switched from a 'traditional' cross frame (Redline Team) to
a Lemond Poprad with a BB 3/4" lower than the Redline and in fact
lower than any other production 'cross bike.

It handles sooo much better and is a tad bit easier to remount due to
the slightly lower saddle height. I can't imagine, unlike in
mountainbiking, that I need to worry about striking a pedal, so I
can't imagine a scenario where the lower BB would be a detriment.

I won't say 'never', but I can't imagine switching back to a
traditional, high BB cross bike.

Scott, you're not alone. This is the chief reason that Redline is having so
much profit/loss problems these days. They're too stupid to understand where
they're making a mistake.

On Nov 9, 12:41 pm, "
wrote:
On Nov 9, 11:55 am, Michael Press wrote:



In article
. com,

wrote:
I'm racing in my first cyclocross race (Cat 4) this weekend and have a
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?

My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.

Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?

rbt won't help; they don't know which one will be faster.
Neither do we, since we don't know the course or the
abilities of the rider, but at least in rbr we know that.

The question of which one is faster depends on how technical
the course is and which one the rider is more comfortable with.
On a course with a lot of fast grass, dirt, or pavement sections,
the MTB will generally suffer. However, you probably don't
want or need to go much above 40 psi in the MTB tires.
Crossers often run that in narrower cross tires.

Finally, it doesn't really matter - unless you're really fit
and used to repeated sprinting/surging efforts, your first
cross race will be a sufferfest. Don't worry too much
about the bike and have fun.

Ben

Ben has some excellent advice for you. The only thing I care to add is
that while your tourer may have an under-top-tube brake cable routing,
most MTBs put three cables along the top of the top tube. The
consideration is ease of shouldering if there's a run-up or long
running section.

If these conditions apply, then go for the one with the better cable
routing.

If it was me, I'd use the MTB: you already have tires, and an XT/XTR
hardtail (?) is probably lighter than your tourer. Instead of giving
you a rationale, I'll dictate: run as low a pressure as you can
without bottoming out on the course (40 psi at most).

This recipe will sorta make your day really easy: you'll plow through
anything even remotely technical, but will probably not lose any time
versus riding your touring bike.

I say this as someone who has ridden cx races on everything from a
hardtail MTB to a road bike with hybrid tires mounted. Horses for
courses, and now I use a dedicated cx bike built around the slightly
goofy Nashbar "X" frame (sloping top tube, but it works).

On Nov 9, 5:01 pm, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:
"Scott" wrote in message

ps.com...



Why, other than habit, is a low BB contra-indicated for a 'cross
bike? I know that the Euro guys don't like low BB,but I wonder why?

I recently switched from a 'traditional' cross frame (Redline Team) to
a Lemond Poprad with a BB 3/4" lower than the Redline and in fact
lower than any other production 'cross bike.

It handles sooo much better and is a tad bit easier to remount due to
the slightly lower saddle height. I can't imagine, unlike in
mountainbiking, that I need to worry about striking a pedal, so I
can't imagine a scenario where the lower BB would be a detriment.

I won't say 'never', but I can't imagine switching back to a
traditional, high BB cross bike.

Scott, you're not alone. This is the chief reason that Redline is having so
much profit/loss problems these days. They're too stupid to understand where
they're making a mistake.

I'm not so sure I'd presume to know what their profit issues are due
to, assuming they're even having issues. Around here (aka: CO) you
can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone on a Redline cross
bike. While I may not like their penchant for high BBs, apparently
lot's of other folks aren't so bothered by it. Prior to trying a
Poprad for one race last season, I didn't mind the high BB either. It
wasn't until I'd ridden something with a much lower BB that I changed
my mind regarding geometry preferences. It should be noted that
otherwise, the Redline and Lemond geometries are identical. I'm just .
75 inches closer to the ground on the Poprad, and even given that the
bike weighs just a tad less than a half pound more, I like it better.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to also admit I prefer steel
to aluminum (even scandium) and really like frames made from the OX
Platinum tubeset.

"Scott" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Nov 9, 5:01 pm, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:
"Scott" wrote in message

ps.com...



Why, other than habit, is a low BB contra-indicated for a 'cross
bike? I know that the Euro guys don't like low BB,but I wonder why?

I recently switched from a 'traditional' cross frame (Redline Team) to
a Lemond Poprad with a BB 3/4" lower than the Redline and in fact
lower than any other production 'cross bike.

It handles sooo much better and is a tad bit easier to remount due to
the slightly lower saddle height. I can't imagine, unlike in
mountainbiking, that I need to worry about striking a pedal, so I
can't imagine a scenario where the lower BB would be a detriment.

I won't say 'never', but I can't imagine switching back to a
traditional, high BB cross bike.

Scott, you're not alone. This is the chief reason that Redline is having
so
much profit/loss problems these days. They're too stupid to understand
where
they're making a mistake.

I'm not so sure I'd presume to know what their profit issues are due
to, assuming they're even having issues. Around here (aka: CO) you
can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone on a Redline cross
bike. While I may not like their penchant for high BBs, apparently
lot's of other folks aren't so bothered by it. Prior to trying a
Poprad for one race last season, I didn't mind the high BB either. It
wasn't until I'd ridden something with a much lower BB that I changed
my mind regarding geometry preferences. It should be noted that
otherwise, the Redline and Lemond geometries are identical. I'm just .
75 inches closer to the ground on the Poprad, and even given that the
bike weighs just a tad less than a half pound more, I like it better.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to also admit I prefer steel
to aluminum (even scandium) and really like frames made from the OX
Platinum tubeset.

I've tried Gitane, Redline, Guerciotti (now that is a GREAT Cross bike - too
bad it was too small for me), Pinarello (again a great cross bike that's too
small though no one seems interested in it
http://classifieds.roadbikereview.co...ct=5528&cat=4),
Poprad - nice bike but was actually too big at 60 cm's and now a Raleigh
Team Cross which is an extremely nice cross bike that I completely recommend
to anyone.

The trouble with the Raleigh is that their weird measurement system makes it
very difficult to fit one unless you find a shop with a collection of them
to try. I bought a 59 cm which is marked 61 cm but which rides like my 60 cm
Poprad. I would have liked a real 58 or 59 cm but I'll make do with this one
because it is a VERY nice bike.