Category: Riding – CX – MTB

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It’s hard to find a new carbon cyclocross frame with cantilever mounts.

Specialized has a carbon Crux Pro available for around $2300.  There are several steel and titanium framesets still available with cantilever brake mounts, my favorite being the Ritchey Swisscross, which I am seriously considering.  No secret that by and large manufactures have aborted cantilever brakes on cross bikes in favor of discs.  Here’s all the advantages of disc brakes:

  1. They stop better.  This may give you more confidence, improving performance.
  2. They may clear mud better than cantis.  Gravel grinding this is less of an issue unless conditions are real bad.
  3. Usually quieter under load.

Here are the advantages cantilever brakes provide me personally over discs:

  1. Lighter
  2. Easier to adjust and maintain (this is subjective but I have no problems).
  3. Quieter when not in use, or loaded
  4. No bent rotors rubbing the pads.
  5. It’s easier to take the wheels on and off without risk of rotor damage.  I remove a wheel daily to put the bike on the rack.

Overall canti’s have always been a better option for my riding conditions and maintenance requirements.  I’m not heavy and I’ve only had one instance when a rear canti failed and therefore inhibited my braking power.  Other people may have factors in play guiding the opposite.  Regardless, I wish there was still a better selection of carbon frames with cantilever mounts and reasonable price tags.

 

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Still undecided about the mountain bike…

I still own my Jamis D29 even though I’ve spent months convincing myself I should sell it. Now the news comes that the trails at Lake Crabtree could be closed within the next couple of years. I brought it with me to ride today. Taking one more stab at making the 29er fun. Hell, I’m not even convinced the geometry of the bike is right for me despite various stem changes and bar layouts.

There is a hot Salsa Chili Con Corso cross frame on ebay right now for $449. It would be a sweet frame to build with spare parts I already own. I’d like to have flat bar and a drop bar cross bike. I could sell the Jamis and have money left over. But it is such a pain in the ass to sell and ship a bike.

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9/27/14 – My first bike race in 14 years.

This past weekend I raced in my first ever cyclocross race and first race in 14 years. I didn’t do too well.  Passing is an insane bitch in cyclocross.  I got content near the back just trying to find the endurance for 3 laps.  It’s a lot harder than I expected.  Far harder than road riding, faster and almost as hard endurance wise as a mountain bike race.  But hell, I finished and I don’t have to worry about slipping in the rankings.  I got the feeling everyone expected me to do much better and I was kind of a letdown.  Perhaps I will do better this weekend in Chapel Hill.  I’ve never even seen that course, at a high school, so I’m not sure how to prepare for what it may have in store.

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Finally, minimal pain.

Last week I went OTB (over the bars) and took a nasty bar end to the rib cage.  Today is the first day I haven’t had searing pain.  I’ve also had a lot of inflammation in my hips this week, probably also due to the crash.  I rode another 16 miles after I wrecked and completed 95 miles last week.  So far I’ve only clocked about 33.5 miles this week.  I’ll need to squeeze 60 more into the next 4 days (no problem if it doesn’t rain too much) but I may be trying to get it in 3 days.  Still very achievable.  It’s about time I push my goal to 115 miles a week.  I hope to be at 175-200 a week by September.

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Leg Strength

It’s getting a little harder for me to get my legs tight now. 17-20 miles a day isn’t getting it. I’ve either got to start doing drills or go farther. Today I’ll take the latter option if my stomach will cooperate by 4 PM. I’m thinking all of Crabtree, most of Rocky Road and the Ready Creek Loop should do it.