Cyclo-cross (sometimes cyclocross, CX, CCX, cyclo-X or ‘cross’) is a form of bicycle racing. Races take place typically in the autumn and winter (the international season is September-January), and consists of many laps of a short (1.5–2 mile) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike whilst navigating the obstruction and remount. Races for senior categories are generally between 30 minutes and an hour long, with the distance varying depending on the ground conditions. |
The mornings have turned chilly (not quite freezing yet thankfully) and the nights are drawing in which can mean only one thing – Cyclocross season is upon us! For those of you who claim that the summer road season is your warm up to cross season – get yourselves ready…
2010/2011 Rule Changes:
1. The UCI is allowing disc-brakes to be used for this season.
The basis for the rule change is to make the sport more approachable, equipment wise to juniors. Stu Thorne (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team director) : in Belgium the top juniors believed they needed to mirror the iconic rider’s equipment quiver to be competitive, subsequently building a huge barrier to entry, especially on a developmental level. So whether you have a full on cross bike or an old mountain bike you have no excuse to miss your local races!
Lance Armstrong posted on his Twitter feed, “UCI approves disk brakes for cyclo-cross. Great news. I look fwd to the day they’re approved for road racing.”
2. Tyres used in UCI regulated competitions must be no more than 33mm at their widest part (down from 35mm).
You’re going to see different compounds, different treads.
Tyre manufacturers are going to go crazy making different things — course specific, weather dependant – tyre maker’s heaven.
Click here for our Cyclocross Tyre range (clincher and tubular).
3. One to make everyone’s day: man-made sand pits are now permitted and dimensions established – don’t get any sand in your chamois!
The shiny shiny things:
Campagnolo CX range of chainsets:
Mud, sand, water, toil, and sweat.
In Cyclocross you have to learn to live with these elements that make every ride extremely tough and demanding.
This is why every ounce of experience acquired by the Campagnolo engineers has been poured into the range dedicated to this difficult sport, making the components more resistant and reliable even in the most extreme climate and terrain conditions.
The Campy Tech Lab engineering staff conducted in-depth studies on the behaviour of the chain on the chainrings during shifting in the most critical situations, leading to some very important results. The inner machining of the chainrings was created to facilitate the up shift and downshift of the chain, so that the movements are fast and precise in all conditions.
Fulcrum CX Wheels:
Mud and dust will no longer be a problem:
Fulcrum Cyclocross wheels have been designed for this purpose.
Racing 5 CX and Racing 7 CX have been designed for this hard discipline, demanding lots of effort and experience from Fulcrum designers: Fulcrum wheels have passed all of the extremely hard lab and field tests they were put to with flying colours.
With special coatings that seal the bearings’ base, CX wheels will keep their features unaltered under any weather conditions.
Spokes, hubs and mount geometries: they all guarantee wheel stability and durability, even under extreme conditions.
Mud, sand, water, tiredness and sweat: Fulcrum will always be at your side.
Cyclocross Frames
Whether you have £300 or £2000 to spend we have a cross frame to suit you. With frames from Kinesis, Colnago, ProRace and Cinelli; the decision is yours.
For the ultimate in Cross frames take a look at the Colnago Cross Prestige:
“Developed with input from cyclo-cross world champion Sven Nys, the Cross Prestige is the ultimate carbon-fibre cross frame for the rough and tumble of winter racing. An alfa carbon monocoque front triangle makes it tough, while lugged seatstays and chainstays maximise tyre and mud clearance, which has been further improved by a redesign of the bridge between the seatstays. High modulus carbon fibre gives rigidity and lightness to the Cross Prestige, while Colnago’s long-standing expertise in cyclo-cross geometry ensures stability at any speed. That lightness will also be appreciated when shouldering the Cross Prestige, as will the unique support between the top tube and seat tube developed at Sven Nys’s request to increase carrying comfort.”
Frog Legs Brakes
The staple of many riders’ bikes, these brakes sell like hot-cakes as soon as they arrive. We have them ordered and we’ll let you know when they arrive!
If there’s anything else you need click here and keep checking back for updates on what’s arrived here at PBK towers. We can’t wait to see the new Campag CX chainsets.
