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Irvine done - ooft! After the muddy but twisty more technical track last weekend, that was just pure power! Only place I really had much of an advantage was in the sand, but it wasn’t enough to really get involved. Another mid-pack finish (which I imagine will stay standard until the end of time) 44th out of 100 starters in Open Senior
First round of the National Trophy at Derby for me yesterday in the Vet40 class.
Exciting racing and managed 21st which I was well chuffed with.
Bit sad that there's absolutely no mention of us oldies on the BC website. All the other cats got a write up or at least a mention, but nothing about the v40 and v50 which happened on the Saturday. 🙁
Good work guys....48th at Basingstoke for me. I like cross, it doesn't seem to like me!!
Really enjoyed Longridge - heavy, rainy conditions meant it was a constant battle to choose the best line so great racing from start to finish.
The hairpin festival on the map didn't materialise - first lap I was thinking wow, these corners really flow once you're on it, you barely notice them. Slowly dawned on me that they'd had a rethink and laid the course out differently 🙂
Congrats on the Nat Trophy placing.
Central League was pan flat, fast and relentless at Leighton Buzzard, a real power circuit with lots of long straights which really isn't my forte. As is the norm for this year the winner vanished like he was on a motorbike, I managed to get into the front 'chasing' group and had a race long battle with frequent position changes (Munqe Chick was so enthralled she sacked her warm-up and watched the whole race). After a brief and obviously futile and energy-burning stint in 2nd (done mainly for my ego 😉 ) , I bagged another (but still surprising) 4th in V40. I've no idea where this form came from and I just hope it sticks around 😆
MC had a race-long 2-way fight with a younger roadie who successfully attacked her and held a gap on the last lap, so MC again took the second step of the podium.
This Sunday is Hemel, hillier (usually my thing, but who knows) and the forecast is pretty much dry between now and then, and 17C on the day. Might get to dust off the file treads!
Rolling donut good result sadly this seems to be the BC norm and you've heard the nightmare the Vet women have had, there are some seriously disillusioned Vet women out there sadly as the BC dinosaurs continue to rule the roost in some ancient manner. Looked a fun course though.
MC - what has been the problem for the vet women? Alison only does the CX National Champs (where they usually get their own race) so haven't heard about what has been going on at the other National races. I know BC got a lot of hassle and had to backtrack when they weren't going to recognise the V60 womens MTB cat.
The Youth races also got ignored in the write-up, and they didn't exactly shout about the mega achievement of Hattie (1st year Junior) getting 2nd overall. All results finally on BC (but not linked to the review).
Oh and don't forget the Boxing Day Cross in Coventry which is just awesome! CYCLO-CROSS BIKES ONLY ... only time in the year you can ride on Kenilworth Common and it's like an MTB course.
Rolling donut good result sadly this seems to be the BC norm and you've heard the nightmare the Vet women have had, there are some seriously disillusioned Vet women out there sadly as the BC dinosaurs continue to rule the roost in some ancient manner. Looked a fun course though.
I'm as happy as anyone to give BC a kicking when they deserve it but the situation on Sunday was down to the chief comm on the day (Belgian UCI comm) implementing 80%, nothing to do with BC.
I'm thoroughly sympathetic as my OH is in the VW race but it's partly due to the new UCI rule saying that the UCI cats have to have their own separate races, at least when the junior men were in with the EW/VW it made 80%ing impossible. Bringing the rule in in July for immediate effect screws all the races that are already in the calendar as it's not always possible to make changes and give everyone a completely separate race.
Rds 4,5, and 6 will have a real dilemma on their hands.
Mick R, bear in mind I wasn't there and I'm not a Vet women but I somehow got added to a very large FB messenger thread about change and the way forward within CX for women (of all categories).
From what I can glean.. the Vet women started 2 minutes after the Elite/Junior/U23 women, then BC invoked the 80% rule and pretty much most of the Vet women got pulled some within 2 laps. When the width of the course, the regs (rule doesn't have to be invoked I believe) and the numbers racing meant that they could have carried on the race. The Vet men didn't have the 80% rule invoked so you had many Vet women coming back to racing, having travelled a long way to race for 2 laps.
And the fact that the Junior or U23 don't get a leaders jersey .. but that's another ball game.
I get the feeling misapplication of the 80% rule is becoming a real issue in the States (purely based on what i read on cxmagazine.com). It seems like it just needs better clarifiaction/guidance? Not a good way to start the national series. Did think the BC coverage was poor, always like to have a read and look at results of all cats to see how people are doing.... better than the mtb coverage though!!
The rule itself is dead easy to follow but like you say it comes down to when and how well it's applied. It's not obligatory until you get to World Cup level and above so all comes down to the chief comm on the day.
On Sunday it wasn't communicated well and the vet women have a legitimate grievance about it being applied to them when the time is taken from the Elite leader.
Rds 2 and 3 are having separate VW races so it won't happen there but like I say it's tricky for 4,5, and 6.
Last weekend was a UCI race which was why the Commissaire could call it and apply the 80% rule. I guess the issue is why wasn't it invoked in the men's race? Some simple maths (not by me so if wrong don't shoot me) means any man after 42nd should have been pulled in the Vets race.
4,5,6 struggling to have seperate race however 4 and 6 have indicated that they will run as last year which was WITHOUT 80% rule. This in itself makes it ridiculously complicated and doesn't encourage women to race. Imagine you'd travelled all the way to Derby to be pulled after 2 laps due to some inequality rule? I wouldn't bother going back, a very similar reason I won't race the Welsh Champs again until I'm a Vet.
Now we just need to get the lead female Junior a leaders jersey... as the boys already get. 🙄
It was invoked in the men's race, but only the UCI cat men's races (so MJ and ME), not MV as they aren't a UCI cat. That's why it's a legitimate grievance, as WV isn't a UCI cat but is lumped in with WE.
4+6 (prob 5 too) will put all the women back in with MJ which itself led to all the protests in the first place (and rightly) so it's still a mess.
The only way to solve it is for completely separate races for each separate category but that's a huge undertaking logistics wise and can't be done overnight. Based on numbers and development then you'd expect the Youth cats to be split completely first, esp. as youth boys has 130+ riders all on course at once.
The other option is to pull the whole series from the UCI calendar but that spanners development potential for a lot of the younger riders, male and female.
Agree 100% on the jerseys!
OK thanks for the explanation - I'll report back to the Mrs as we weren't aware what happened (think would have been OK time wise looking at the people she normally races with). Undecided if we'll bother with any Nationals this year - I hate the whole jetwash arms race they seem to have become.
Looks like a fair chunk of Juniors & Seniors also got pulled - with a total of 63 riders on the course it really wouldn't have been an issue to let everyone stay on. I wondered why so many finish times were missing, and as they don't show laps completed it is impossible to work out who got pulled when. Also unclear if the times for the vet women are taken from when they started or when the first wave set off.
Discussing the 80% rule on the Crosscast podcast!
SO who is racing where this weekend? We have Hemel... but this isn't cross it'll be a grass crit again with the weather forecast sun and 20 degrees I mean WTF!? With the leagues finishing before Christmas at this rate we won't have any mud.
Plenty of mud in Wales! Spent yesterday eve finalising/fine-tuning the Singleton course for the 5th November; subject to approval/risk assesment. Its going to be a cracker if I say so myself, less long climbs and more twisty bits than the champs.
No racing for me this w/e. Have a good one all who are. Looks like very small pre-entry for the Welsh league round so part of me thinks I'm missing out on a potential good placing, but then again never feels satisfying when you get a good position in a diminished field
Ferrals it seems EVERY Welsh League race so far has been muddy jealous! I raced Llanishen which was awesome then back to Central where it's bone dry and like summer. Any news on where the Welsh Champs are being held this year? Seems every other regional race is up except Welsh champs?
All racing Manchester. Every NW race has been muddy and don't expect this to be any different.....
Myself and youngest have been off bikes for 3 weeks with colds, so both expecting to get a battering.
Ferrals it seems EVERY Welsh League race so far has been muddy jealous!
Not really, Builth was bone dry despite there having been plenty of rain, Foxley was like a desert with no water in the stream crossings, Pembrey was Pembrey. Its only Llanishen and Carmarthen where theres been mud so far... I'm sure we've plenty more coming though 😀
On the FB page they said welsh champs venue should be announced by end of month.
Oh wow all the pics I had seen was off muddy welsh buddy CX bikes! Clearly they found all the puddles which you avoided 😉
Yorkshire Series at Huddersfield on Sunday. I expect last weeks 7th in V50 to be in jeopardy as the fieled will be back up to full strength after National Trophy absentees from Holmfirth last weekend. Things are definitely getting slipperier!
I was wrong - hardly any mud at Huddersfield! Just a bit greasy on the grass. It can't last - mud tyres arriving this week.
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4476/37049967463_9cb3b92f73_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4476/37049967463_9cb3b92f73_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/YrYLwt ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/127774791@N03/ ]David Collins[/url], on Flickr
Anyone got any thoughts on WTB Cross Bosses? Looking ropey for mud (especially for traction) but hoping for good news!
Manchester was also amazingly dry and mild. So much grip that Alison peeled a tub on the off-camber grass. It was always a gamble with tape, so time to start the gluing ritual tonight to be ready in time for next weekend.
V40-49 was 122 starters, so rather crowded again but always someone to race for us mortals back in mid-field.
Boys both happy with their races.
Enjoyed Heaton park, although did the senior race and was just trundling around on my own for most of it. Leaders were extremely rapid.mick_r - MemberManchester was also amazingly dry and mild. So much grip that Alison peeled a tub on the off-camber grass. It was always a gamble with tape, so time to start the gluing ritual tonight to be ready in time for next weekend.
I was glueing up last night and used some tufo 25mm tape for the first time - really nice and wide, be too wide for a lot of rims, but on a planet X 38 it's a perfect fit.
I'd better not mention it was Tufo (22mm) she rolled.... Freshly and very carefully applied 3 weeks ago. It is multi thickness and I think the thinner edges allow it to start peeling and then roll (never had an issue with the effetto tape).
In fairness she was running soft Limus tyres which probably generated an awful lot of grip on the steep camber.
I'm now 1 day into the hateful pot of glue ritual....
OOO Crashtestmonkey has disappeared from the thread probably as he is maybe on day 3 of gluing his tub.. and it's his first time.. I daren't ask!
Tonight is the point of no return - final coat of tacky glue and tyre meets rim......
In hindsight, eldest son's tubeless Schwalbe bites seem like a better solution.
I just glue (and tape) in one hit now - according to this guy:
Takes about an hour all in. I realise not letting the glue cure is unorthodox, but I did this last season and the tyres were fine, so I'm sticking with the method for now.
In hindsight, eldest son's tubeless Schwalbe bites seem like a better solution
At the start of this season I was lusting over tubular wheels given the general consensus that they are grippier, better rolling, lighter and more reliable than tubeless. However I've seen so many rolled or punctured tubs so far this season I'm beginning to think the advantages might be overplayed! At least if I keep believing that it will save me £500 next year! I do tend to wince every time I hear/feel a rim clatter on root or rock but I guess tats the same whatever ou're riding
I had a pair of Challenge Limus tubs that I won in a raffle, contemplated building a set of wheels to suit, the thought about repairing them and promptly sold them on here.
I'm not good enough to warrant tubs anyway, although I do like how they look 8) especially on 38/50mm carbon rims.
Been running tubeless for 3 seasons now (although yet to race this year due to injury, but I will be this weekend) and only burped a tyre once.
Interesting to read people just taping tyres, I'm new to tubs (as MC suggests I've just spent this week gluing my first) but I spent all last week reading up on it and the consensus seemed to be tape-alone can't deal with the shear forces that CX tyres create (off cambers etc) compared to road? Heard of the 'Belgian' method (tape+glue) but can't figure out what the tape is bringing to the party, as you're just introducing something that stops the glue bonding the tyre direct to the rim? Also read of a few tape failures with Tufo, ascribed to it being made of multiple layers, and it basically delaminates?
I picked up a used but spanking pair of LB deep carbon rims on Hope hubs fitted with FMB Supermuds for £250 last year so not a huge outlay for Velcro-like grip. If my re-gluing fails and I DNF with a rolled tub I'm sure MC will post it on here....
I don't see the benefits of tubs in hard/dry conditions where you're running higher pressures to avoid sidewall collapse and pinchflats, seems like you're increasing the risk of rolling it off (higher cornering speeds = more shear forces) without the grip benefits that low pressures provide. MC has got interested enough in the geek element that she's just bulk bought some Challenge latex tubes her clinchers 😉
As far as I understand it, glue and tape originated back when we were using 26-28mm tubs on 18mm wide rims with a very deep U-section to them. That resulted in only the very edge of the base tape actually contacting the rim, so strips of tape were glued in to fill the 'U'. I only ever use glue, personally
I've always thought the same as you, it's just another matrix to fail, particularly if the two glues are incompatible. With the more modern, flatter rims it's a non-issue. Even Reflexes are pretty flat if you compare to something like an old Mach 2.
Tubs are just as much use on hard and dry conditions as that's the point, you [i]don't[/i] use high pressures but still run them fairly low in order to absorb the bumps.
Ferrals I spoke to Cyclopaedia in Cardiff (presuming you know them from Welsh league) and they seemed to think that if you aren't a heavy person or a heavy rider (i.e. who crashes into things) then the best investment is latex tubes instead and you only lose something like 2watts from not running tubs. Im like you keep thinking about it but I'm earning less now. I weight maybe 59kg but am a light rider and so far touch wood in 3 seasons of coming back to CX never had a puncture. So that's what I'm going to try.. I'm sure crashtestmonkey will post on here if it all goes wrong tomorrow 😉
Well I went and entered my first race of the season, first time I've ridden at any kind of effort level since the 3 Peaks & the crash where I had a grade 2 ACJ separation, got the wife to strap my shoulder up just in case and proceeded to bimble round the NWCCA course at Bebbington Oval in V40.
It was rather muddy to say the least, I was rather cuffed that I managed to stay up right and only get lapped by the top 6 riders to come home 67th out of 94 starters. I guess it's only on wards and upwards as I use the CX racing to regain fitness.
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4461/24023289198_65a0bcfe80_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4461/24023289198_65a0bcfe80_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/CARCVm ]FB_IMG_1508688212912[1][/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/140228292@N02/ ]Steve Bowman[/url], on Flickr
Mini-me No.1 continued showing me up by racing his way to 11th in the U8's from 30 odd starters and looking more like breaking into the top 10 every week. This was his 3rd 11th place finish out of 4 races, bloody brilliant in my book considering he was only 5 in April and is in year 1 at school, so he's racing all the boys & girls in years 2, 3 & 4.
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4514/37618870560_7e125fa16d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4514/37618870560_7e125fa16d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ZjfxAy ]20171022_114129[1][/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/140228292@N02/ ]Steve Bowman[/url], on Flickr
Phew, great race at SCX Round 3 at Fife College in Dunfermline on Sunday.
I went in just looking to improve slightly on my (disappointing) placing in Round 1, and also to try and sneakily target Legend if he was racing! 😉
Course seemed a little flatter than Round 1, but some really tricky muddy sections, one particularly long, flat and deep muddy bit which basically had to be ran, cue what felt like a mini asthma attack on the third lap!
Felt like I was riding much better this time, and was actually able to race, spent lots of time taking inside lines and using the one hurdle of the race as a sneaky overtaking opportunity, turned out it was quicker to keep running after the hurdle until the next corner, then remounting. Took a couple of places that way 😀
Seems there's a big psychological element with the overtakes, I know in the first round I wouldn't bother chasing someone who had passed me, assuming they were just fitter/faster and it wouldn't be worth the effort. Yesterday's race saw me struggle to pass a few guys who then just didn't seem to bother chasing when they could probably have easily re-passed, suited me fine!
So, from 61st in round 1 to 39th in round 3, unfortunately I think the biggest room for improvement is my running, not sure I'm committed enough to work on that, might just continue with 4 minute on and off intervals on the commute.
My first cross race of the season ended in disaster...in fact it didn't even start! I couldn't race the first race last weekend of the series because of family commitments so I was pretty motivated to start the second race which is a local race and a proper hard course (plus I finished third last year at its inaugural event). It's a night race under floodlight and there was a practice session on Friday evening so I went over to try out my new wheel set. Enve tub rims with DT Swiss hubs. Went for a quick bimble around the lap to get an idea and the rear tyre rolled off the rim! Crap! Took the wheel into the LBS on Saturday morining and they decided to glue it( was taped before). They reckoned it would be fine for the eve race. Anyway we were allowed 10 min before the start to ride the course and guess what the tyre came off again. As I had ridden there from home I didn't have a spare wheel with me so that was that!! 🙁
Nice one Steve - I raced Bebington too. Quite a hard course, my bike usually wears the mud pretty well but got overwhelmed there. Ground to a halt on the 3rd lap and had to scoop mud off the drivetrain. Seeing other people around me change bikes then leave me for dead, again, think I'll be getting a second one.steve_b77 - MemberWell I went and entered my first race of the season, first time I've ridden at any kind of effort level since the 3 Peaks & the crash where I had a grade 2 ACJ separation, got the wife to strap my shoulder up just in case and proceeded to bimble round the NWCCA course at Bebbington Oval in V40.
It was rather muddy to say the least, I was rather cuffed that I managed to stay up right and only get lapped by the top 6 riders to come home 67th out of 94 starters. I guess it's only on wards and upwards as I use the CX racing to regain fitness.
Bad luck with the wheel rotor stern. When was your race? Usually hear 48 hr as optimum time to wait after glueing, 24 hr at the mimimum [unlike a lot of hearsay around tub glueing, it's a fact that the final bond takes time to strengthen]. So if it was Sat evening the shop is not being serious with you. Sun evening you'd have expected it to be OK, maybe if the tape didn't come off clean it can cause issues with the rim /tyre for a re-glue.
It's interesting seeing a lot of the issues people on CX bikes are having that I've dodged so far on my adapted MTB
Mud and clogging: what is it that actually clogs? Is this restricted to 2x set ups or do people running 1x get it too? I'm on 1x11 on the MTB, the chainset was caked and had a conical 'dish' of mud on the inside where it had been scraped off against the chainstay, but everything was still turning
Derailleurs: Lots of these getting ripped off by mud. Mine is an SRAM GX, it was full of twigs, mud and leaves but was still turning (and usually I'm the first to slate SRAM stuff). All I've done is replace the jockey wheel bearings with new, better sealed units. Are the people ripping off mechs just more powerful than me? (I'm sitting and spinning 90% of the time)
Tyres: Even guys (like me) with tubes were apparently running pressures like 25psi. I didn't have the nerve to go below 40psi, and even then I bottomed out both rims when I attempted an on-the-move mud shedding bunny hop. Are the guys running crazy low pressures just a lot lighter than me (84kg) and do they ever lean over on corners? 😕 Still wondering what the low pressures are actually for, grip on loose surfaces doesn't seem relevant to Scottish CX races, but somebody said it allows the tyre to flatten out more and sink into the mud less?
Anyway, hope I haven't jinxed myself with mechanicals for the next race...
Mud and clogging: what is it that actually clogs? Is this restricted to 2x set ups or do people running 1x get it too? I'm on 1x11 on the MTB, the chainset was caked and had a conical 'dish' of mud on the inside where it had been scraped off against the chainstay, but everything was still turning
It's generally tyres in frames and forks, when the mud is mixed with grass and leaves it forms a lovely clogging compound.
My XT clutch mech is fine as the clutch stops it being dragged upwards towards the chainstay.
Makes sense, running a 35mm tyre in a frame designed for 2.4" probably gives me clearance to spare.
Must say I'm tempted by the CX bikes though, assuming I could save 1-2kg over the MTB (possibly optimistic, it's not that heavy...). Couldn't justify it this season though.
Did occur to me as I was wheezing my way through the gloop on one of the portage sections, if there was any strategic sense in just stopping, getting my breath back, but using the time to clear mud from the frame. Sure it would waste 30 seconds but I'd recover AND have a lighter bike for the rest of the lap 8)
Agree it's normally mud/grass/leaves in the frame and forks slowing wheels down which is most annoying. I find you can reach down and clear forks while riding. I sometimes try and pull mud out of rear triangle while running with bike on shoulder but it doesn't often work.
If it's a real mud fest and you only have one bike then the key if possible is to keep the tyres as clean as you can through line choice. If I'm not in a group and the opportunity arises I quite often ride through longer grass off the racing line to try and scrub mud off.
Front mechs can get clogged but you can reach down and clean while riding and they aren't really a race ender, just become brutally hard. Rear mechs are the issue.
Newtown in the Welsh league for me last Sunday. First time I'd been up there and loved the course. Not a fantastic race for me, didn't warm up because child was having a meltdown so had an awful start; then expended a fair bit of energy getting through people in the first half lap. I ended up racing with someone who used to post on here and who is becoming a bit of a weekly adversary until I managed to knock a b.o.a fastener going over a hurdle and lost a shoe. By the time I'd sorted that I was properly in no mans land and the only excitement was trying to cling onto the wheel of the leaders as they lapped me (was actually quite pleased to stick on the leaders wheel for half a lap and then to second place for a bit longer 😆 ). Such a good course though and the perfect mud level, enough to make it fun but not enough to kill bikes, ended up grabbing pit bike with two to go but didn't really need too. Really enjoyed myself, especially one offcamber climb which was a sheer joy when you got the line right.
Abergavenny next sat, can only take one bike as staying up for w/e but its forecast dry all week so should be ok without spare from a mud perspective. Day before the national trophy so plenty of fast people racing in the league race. Be interesting to see how many times Tom Pidcock laps us... assuming they don't apply the 80% rule to the league race. Decided against entering the national trophy as my fitness isn't at a level where I wouldn't completely embarrass myself so looking forward to watching some of that on the Sunday.
@Steve-b good going after your injury, nice pic too, that looks like fun sloppy mud 😆 Well done to your boy as well, cracking effort given age range!
@Garry Lager.. The tyres were glued in the morning and the race was at 9pm the same evening last Saturday. The mechanic used carbon glue which is supposed to set really quickly but not quickly enough it would seem. Got my mud fix the next day though as I raced the next race of the series on my old wheel set with Limus Tubs (which were glued on about 4 weeks ago). Boy they are a revelation in the mud, not the usual slipping about in the corners.
Carbon glue is useless for CX tubs, your mechanic is a muppet! Even if that had been long enough for it to go off properly you'd have rolled it a race or two later anyway...
Yep, stay away from carbon glue! Tubs are worth persevering with IMO, not just for muddy days. It can take a while to get used to the squirm in the low 20s on a fast firm course but the comfort and grip is worth it.
Ardingly London League for me on Sunday and it seems I have finally found my CX legs. A shocking start where I unclipped, dropped a chain and nearly crashed meant I was down in the 40s but I managed to stay calm and got myself up to 2nd place with two laps to go. It was a draggy, muddy, surprisingly technical course and so it was all about riding at your own pace, choosing your lines and timing your efforts. Hopefully closing in on that win now.
Perhaps I used the incorrect terminologY. It was tubular glue for carbon rims.
This stuff to be precise. Or is this the stuff you think is wrong?[img] 
[/img]
Yes that's the stuff - it's terrible. It's meant for road tubs being used on carbon rims as it's been prepped to handle the higher temperatures generated by braking on carbon on really long descents.
It's no good for CX tubs which just see cold and wet. In fact I think everyone I know who's used it (or has admitted to it) has rolled a tub in short order and gone back to the usual stuff.
Ok good to know. Thanks for the advice. I’ll go into the lbs and give out a good bollocking then!, 🙂
Anyone going to Sparsholt on Sunday?
Sorry not sorry but which all-round tubed Clincher should I get?
Not got any racing rubber. Are racing Ralph's any good?
Looking to order asap 🙂
but which all-round tubed Clincher should I get?
I love the Clement PDX.
“all round”? Lucky bugger, I was about to ask the same question but for muds! (and tubeless)
Well it seems fairly dry at the moment or am I going to be shocked on Sunday ?? 😆
I just can't justify buying niche tyres anyway but will happily buy some race specific all rounders.
Same as XC, I've never raced anything other than Rons and just varied the pressure.
Probably a sensible outlook! I’ve only ridden with Challenge Limuses so far, so wondering what lies ahead with the WTB Cross Bosses!
Clement PDX are flipping brilliant as all round tyres, they are actually my mud tyres (clinchers) and I love them. highly recommended.
Thanks guys. It seems PDX may not be being made anymore?
I gave the LBS a second chance and a 10% discount on some baby Limus was enough to seal the deal
They are very very sexy 8)
Baby Linus v similar tread to pdx's. I also use pdx's as mud tyres, tbh they've been on most of the season this year.
If I remember what I saw on Facebook correctly the Clement brand name licence was up for renewal but the manufacturer didn't keep it, however all the tyres will still be made under a different brand (keeping the same actual tyre name)
Thanks guys. It seems PDX may not be being made anymore?
the Clement brand name licence was up for renewal but the manufacturer didn't keep it
IIRC Clement is being rebranded as Donnelly, as the name Clement was licensed from Pirelli and now they've got back into bike tyres they want their IP back. As Ferrals says, they're very similar to Baby Limus and work all year around.
Ref MC's experiment with latex tubes (proper Challenge CX specific) we had 3 fail before we'd even raced so that's 50 quid and MC's warm-up pissed away 🙄 I ran my tubs way too low for the drier-than-expected ground, (18-19psi as I was expecting a mudbath) and they folded on every corner so I lost loads of time and a few places trying to nurse the front, but at least my first glue-job held up, so there's that. I also didn't learn my lesson of the previous similarly hilly round and optimistically left my 38T ring on, whereas last year I fitted a 36T front for hilly courses. I'm usually a spinner and totally burned my legs out on the climbs so then had nothing left on the straights. Still bagged a top 10 finish which is what I was fighting for last year but annoyed with my race, especially as I usually favour hilly courses and like the bowl.
we had 3 fail before we'd even raced so that's 50 quid and MC's warm-up pissed away
Howd that happen? I've only played with them briefly but didn't have any trouble
I ran my tubs way too low for the drier-than-expected ground, (18-19psi as I was expecting a mudbath)
No sighting lap?
I've used latex tubes on my road bike with no problems for a couple of years. I think MC pinch-flatted one, and I had one blow when I tried to put a bit more air in it and I think one of hers did something similar (they'd been fitted days earlier and inflated to ~20psi and I'd checked for pinches).
No sighting lap?
The race timings at Central mean you go straight from sighting/warm-up to gridding for V40 - pump in the car not the pits which was too far to get too. Also only about my third time riding tubs so still learning what is the 'right' pressure for different conditions and the difference between "squirming" and "folding", so I finished the sighting with "they feel a bit soft, but....". Obviously at race-pace you're hitting everything harder and faster so I'd erred in the wrong direction.
Like I said, I wasn't happy with how my race went and I'm not blaming anybody other than myself. Only started racing in 2015 so still learning.
Been off this week so I've made a little preview vid for our clubs race on the 5th. Singleton park in Swansea if anyone likes the look of it 😆
Nice vid ferrals, looks most pleasant if you didn't know there was cx race involved. Just finished building my parts bin Juggernaut and taken it for a shakedown, mighty quick even if the gears don't work. Left myself with a full two weeks to train for my first race too, so with a new (old) bike and fresh but fat legs I should boss it.
cheers. It is a great venue, last year we had baking sunshine so hoping for the same again!
Fresh legs definately the key 😆
Anyone going to Sparsholt on Sunday?
Yep. First race of the season (i've been away). Looking forward to it but i'm sure i'll be dragging round the back. fitness isn't good, skills are non-existant.
Say hi, green bike, green Push the Cranks kit.
Cool will do! I'm sure I'll get a rude CX awakening as usual 😀
Top 58% is my best ever finish but usually it's top 80% 😆
I'll be riding this heavy beast:
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Currently undecided on kit. For comfort I'd like to wear my skinsuit but I don't want to trash it with mud 😀
Fab race in Abergavenny today for the Welsh League / day one of crosstober Wales. Really good course, proper cx course, crazily dry too won't even bother cleaning my bike, just a tiny bit slippy on some of the offcambers. Only got a couple of hours sleep and had a stressful morning so was chuffed to be in the top 1/3rd, especially after a poor start and considering several fast interlopers. Course suited me though, lots of corners, cambers and wooded bits so could just cruise through them and didn't strain the fitness too much apart from one straight into a headwind from hell that went straight into a bit of a drag climb. Also forgot Garmin to just raced to what was in front of me rather than second guessing stuff while watching heart rate.
Just home from the Nat Trophy V40 race at Abergavenny. Superb course, which was nice and slippery after some overnight rain but it dried rapidly to super tacky by the end.
Reckon I got about 25th place after a cracking battle with three others forming a small group. I decided to take a few chances on the corners/cambers on the last lap and it paid off as I picked them off one by one from the back then held on till the end. It was quite exciting!
Well that was a rude awakening! A 95% grass course and no time off the bike, it was tough going.
I paced completely back to front and got slower as the race progressed as I ended up in no mans land with no motivation.
NP was 275 and AP 261 but it felt harder. The fast straights were my strength and the flowing twisty bits my biggest weakness. I rode them ok but just couldn't carry the same speed that the quick guys were managing.
Tyres were awesome. At 30psi they had most of the grip I needed (plenty of slides for amusement still!) but were hard enough to never bottom out.
I didn't get a chance to pre ride the bigger of the two steep climbs but at race pace it was fine. I just carried my speed, pre-shifted to my lowest gear and then a few stiff pedal strokes crested me over.
Not sure what else to say really. The standard felt very high compared to 2014 when I last raced there and I managed top 50 odd % on my MTB until my chain snapped.
Ended up 50/68 or so I think so pretty meh but a 10% improvement on last years results.
Good coverage of Abergavenny on S4C, I recorded it but I guess it will be on catchup/YouTube as well.
crosshair - I've only just finished picking the grass out of about every component of the bike! I was novicing to stay within entertainment thresholds of my U10, so I avoided the lump of doom to the NW but it still felt like hard work today. Overcooked a back braking and dropped the chain first lap, so lost about 45 seconds .. the drawback of having one do it all bike, 1x would be way better for me.
Ended up 50/68 or so I think so pretty meh but a 10% improvement on last years results.
In seniors? If so you beat me by one place - my first ever CX race. I was an idiot on a steel MTB.
It’s certainly interesting - I finished the first lap quite high, mainly by being able to ride round corners apparently - despite starting on the back row, but having never done anything like it (race DH and Enduro) I blew up spectacularly and spent 3 laps suffering.
Still deciding if it’s something I want to do again. Flat pedals were not a great choice 🙂
Had an enjoyable go at Leverhulme park in the NW series - after a sequence of BS colds and ailments actually felt like racing for a change, nice course, buuuut then managed to roll a tub on the third lap 🙁
Bit of an experiment in that I'd got a new limus and thought I'd just tape it on to see if that would work - guess I have my answer. Be nice if it did, as it takes 5 minutes, but I suppose you'd need to be quite a light rider to get away with just tape.
Yep Hob Nob! You were quick! I caught up with that guy in pink after two more laps and then he lit the afterburners and cleared off 😆
Well that was a rude awakening!
indeed. Finished 56th - looking to improve next time. There was some great racing at the back; i was neck and neck with a lad for the last two laps - i held him off all the way to the line and then dropped my chain in the sprint. 😳
had great fun - new bike is great. skills and fitness both slightly lacking; although i feel like the skills were better by the end than the beginning.
Crosshair flew by me on lap two (?)- not to be seen until the finish!
Notes for next time - need to adjust my garmin screens - I had no idea of time passed; which made pacing tough. need to stay focussed even if i'm on my own i can see my heart rate dropped when i must have taken a minute to cruise. i do remember thinking I was out on my own almost exactly mid race - then i got caught up!
Thomthumb don't you have a chain catcher? 😯 always amazed how many people don't!
And the lap boards I use though rather than time elapsed as so often you can race so much more or less.
Oh dear, only one race left of (my) season, but already eyeing up upgrades for the bike for next season.
I think I'm going to stick with the Superfly out of financial necessity (and spousal ability to distinguish between a new bike and just a heavily upgraded existing bike) but also because for my standard of racing, the extra weight seems to be offset by the reliability and mud clearance!
Obvious weight savings are the suspension forks, could replace these with some Alpkit carbon forks for £200, for an 0.8kg weight saving. The Alpkit forks are QR so I'd need to replace the front (MTB wheel) with something racier and QR compatible, probably some variation of the Kinesis CX disc wheels, might as well go for the set. An 11-36 XT cassette saves a shocking amount of weight over the current 11-42 SRAM GX also.
By the time I've done all that I've probably spent about £800 which isn't far off the cost of a new CX bike, but that new CX bike will be bottom of the range whereas the Superfly will be a relatively decent frankenbike probably weighing in at about 9.5-10kg.
Suppose at that money I could consider second hand, but of course second hand sellers rarely accept credit card! 8)
Also would still need to put up with spectators laughing at my ridiculous cut down flat bars 😆
Thomthumb don't you have a chain catcher?
yep. i'm a huge fan of deda dog fangs - all my road bikes have them. I was shifting from small ring to big, pushed the chain over the top. had to shift down and soft pedal to get it back on. lesson learnt just spin it - I can do silly cadences; i should have yesterday.
RE lap boards, do you mean they have them by the start/ finish line? I've seen them before but I didn't see them yesterday - i should pay more attention... 😯
Yep Hob Nob! You were quick! I caught up with that guy in pink after two more laps and then he lit the afterburners and cleared off
Ha, I'm not sure I felt quick! Although my 26lb HT and flat pedals certainly didn't make it easy.
It was totally alien to me, so my pacing was all over the place - suffered like a dog on laps 2 & 3, I think I lost ~20 places, which was annoying. Still, despite it being brutal, I did actually enjoy it & I will do a few more this season, rocking the same setup as it's all I've got. It's forcing me to get fit after a season of injury. Really enjoyed lap one, as there was a lot of fit people who can't ride bikes very well, so overtook loads 🙂
Just need some legs after a season mostly recovering from injury.