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Hi all,
I'm going to give cyclocross a crack for the first time this year as I just bought a cx bike off here. I only have flats on it so can you please recomend a good but not to pricey pair of shoes and pedals. As I'm more going to be racing for fun what is a do it all tyre if there is such thing ?
Cheers
Shimano m520 pedals will be spot on for your needs.
And some cheap Shimano shoes. Despite my worries, I found that double sided spds cleared CX mud very easily. I'd also recommend some shoes with front studs because course designers like to make you suffer by running up a slippery, muddy hill, and the studs help bite into the surface.
Continued x kings work well for me as an all-round tyre. Run the pressure as low as I dare when muddy, pumped up harder if dry or rooty. Square knobs give good traction when cornering - where I find it matters most!
Also a Dan of shimano shoes. Xc51n are good cross shoes but they'll be cheaper options.
Ive always used Time Atac's .. good mud shedding.
Make sure the shoes have holes for studs !
Missed the tyres. I'd suggest continental CX Pros as these are good quality budget tyres. They were also the ONLY 559 sized cross tyres I could find. Mine are wire beaded and I run them tubeless on stans crest rims. They sealed well and I've been pleased with their performance.
Tyres a religion in cross, and for dry hardpack surfaces the Pros will be too draggy. Rocket Rons are popular but there are many others. Might swap to a cheap pair of 700c disk wheels for better choice.
Cheers for the feedback, will look into them now as I need to get them ordered
When I first started I had a Tricross with beartrap pedals and some Merrell trainers. I used Schwalbe CX Pros, but they are a narrow tyre.
The Rocket Ron 700c tyre has good tread for most situations. I found it took me a long time to get the confidence cornering on narrow tyres in slippery muck and a deeper tread helped. Might not be as fast in a straight line but that doesn't count if you then brake to scrub all the speed off for the bends, or wash out.
If you're comfy riding clipless then M520 as mentioned is a great pedal. Shoes, I would avoid anything super-stiff as it is going to be a nors to run/climb in. My first shoes were cheap Muddy Fox ones from Sports Direct and they were flexible enough to allow climbing and pedalling and I wasn't too fussed when the constant washing post-race destroyed them.
The Challenge Grifo is a good all-rounder tyre, and the basic version of this tyre (not the Open) can be picked up for about £20.
For muddier races the Challenge Limus is a good choice.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/pp/road-track-bike/cross-folding-tyres/tycf
SPDs are fine for most races. I ride with Eggbeaters for the mud clearance but this only helps in the handful of races that are really muddy.
Any MTB shoe will be OK, but front studs are a big help on some courses. Trying to run up a wet, slippery bank in wet, slippery shoes can be entertaining!
Early season races tend to be fairly dry (at least down here in the South). The proper mud tends to arrive November onwards.
CX is great fun, enjoy.
Sean
I haven't tried clipless yet so I might just jump strait into the M520 then practice through the week and see how I go. Cheers for the heads up with the tyre as confidence won't be high on cornering. just the shoes I'm reading about atm
if you get M520s wind the tension (both sides!) right down using the hex bolt, they come supplied on high tension which makes for good retention if you are used to them but for new riders can be tricky to unclip
Normally I'm in the SPD's are great camp just get on with it BUT.... if you are racing next weekend maybe try the first one in flats then give yourself a bit more time to learn the clips...
(CB FTW though)
Fair call there mikewsmith