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cyclocross tech

• New Product Spotlight: VelEau Hydration

  15 December 11 • 2 comments

  

  by Josh Liberles Take velo, add eau (French for water) and you end up with VelEau, a French-sounding, but American-made, on-the-bike hydration system. Rather than wearing a bladder on your back, the VelEau puts a hard-shell reservoir into a saddle bag and snakes a hydration hose along the bike’s top tube.

• ’Cross Shoe Review: Gaerne G. Keira Cyclocross / Mountain Bike Shoe

  13 December 11 • 2 comments

  

  Is there such a thing as a perfect cyclocross shoe? We’re certainly always looking out for one. In our short little history, we’ve reviewed nearly twenty shoes, and each tester is always hoping that the next shoe he (or she) slips on will have a Cinderella-like fit, be durable and withstand the elements, all while [...]

• Product Review: Green Guru Gear and Saddle Bags

  8 December 11 • 0 comment

  by Josh Liberles Where do bike tubes go when they die? Well, if they’re lucky, they head to Boulder, Colorado, for a second life as a part of super-cool, bomber Green Guru gear. Green Guru has specialized in building products from used-up pieces – including wetsuits, bicycle tubes and vinyl billboards – for several years, [...]

• Clothing Review: 2011/2012 Goodies from Castelli

  7 December 11 • 0 comment

  by Josh Liberles The Cyclocross Magazine Labs had the chance to preview some of the latest product offerings from clothing company Castelli, and we found several that are worthy of consideration for your cyclocross wardrobe. Or perhaps someone on your holiday gift list could use better weather protection or a style upgrade? One of these [...]

• Embrocation Review: Enzos Embro Sticks, Oil Sticks, and Button Hole Chamois Cream

  30 November 11 • 0 comment

  

  More than any other type of cyclist, cyclocrossers have an infatuation with embrocation. The ointments can help protect your skin from the elements, and give you a sense of warmth when it’s cold outside – not just during cyclocross but also during the wet winter and early spring season. With the growth of the cyclocross, [...]

• How-To: Singlespeed Conversion (in time for SSCXWC)

  16 November 11 • 6 comments

  

  Just in time for SSCXWC, we’ve got a how-to article on singlespeed conversions. This article is part of the Singlespeed Overdose feature in Issue 2 that also reviewed tensioners and covered the first edition of the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Portland, Oregon. Be sure not to miss our follow-up singlespeed how-to article and [...]

• Cyclocross Pre-Race Bike Inspection: Save Your Race

  10 November 11 • 0 comment

  

  Before you can go out and preview a course at any given race, you should be “previewing” your bike for the weekend, making sure everything is as it should be. Mechanic Jeremy Chinn tells us how. by Jeremy Chinn

• Cyclocross Wheel Review: Revolution Wheelworks Rev-33X Carbon Tubular Wheelset

  20 October 11 • 3 comments

  

  Most serious cyclocrossers eventually move from clinchers to tubular tires (or tubeless) to take advantage of the faster speeds of low-pressure tires with less pinch flat risk.  Serious cyclocrossers who can afford it often look to carbon rims for weight savings. Now cyclocross racers are increasingly seeking wider rims for better tire support. Revolution Wheelworks [...]

• Cyclocross Wheel Review: Williams Cyclocross Tubular Wheelset Review

  18 October 11 • 1 comment

  

  Williams has brought to market a cyclocross specific tubular wheel set that is a strong performer yet durable enough for even the most aggressive Clydesdale. The wheels are built with stout 14 straight gauge spokes: 2-cross lacing on the front and 3-cross on the rear. The semi-aero, aluminum rim is robust, benefiting from a simple tubular cross section. The rims are completed with a brilliant white paint scheme, and their `cross-specific pedigree is emphasized by bold decals.

• Pro Bike Profile: Christine Vardaros’s Stevens Carbon Team DA Bike

  11 October 11 • 0 comment

  

  Pro cyclist and Cyclocross Magazine writer Christine Vardaros is in possession of not one, not two, but three Stevens Carbon Team DA bikes to get her through the long European season. The only difference on the bikes? The bar tapes colors, where she opted for one red, one white, and one blue. And yes, this [...]

• Mechanical Monday: Tips for the Pits

  3 October 11 • 4 comments

  

  Pitting can be tricky business: there’s always the chance that your racer will have a grievous mechanical issue, there are hand-offs, you may have a bike hurtling at you at ridiculous speeds, you’ll get muddy, wet or cold, or all three, and when the course is muddy, you’re going to be in high demand. Just [...]

• Pro Bike Profile: Dan Chabanov’s Richard Sachs Bike

  28 September 11 • 7 comments

  

  by Molly Hurford How does it feel riding a custom Richard Sachs creation? Dan Chabanov, one of Sachs’ racers this season, tried to explain: “It’s not some magical feeling … OK, it’s kind of a magical feeling.” Within the New York cycling scene, you might know Chabanov as the guy who won the Red Hook [...]

• Interbike 2011: Boo Bicycles and Co-Motion Show Off Gates Carbon Drive Options

  27 September 11 • 2 comments

  Boo Bicycles and Co-Motion may not be mentioned in the same breath very often, but both companies had sweet single-cog bike options on display at Interbike this year. Gates Carbon Drive belt systems are gaining in popularity, and new versions will soon grace more utilitarian-oriented steeds as well. But Boo and Co-Motion both made good [...]

• Pro Bike Profile: Bart Wellens’ Winning Ridley X-Night Cyclocross Bike

  27 September 11 • 2 comments

  

  By any measure, Telenet-Fidea’s Bart Wellens’ first U.S. cyclocross campaign has been a success, with three victories in five races, one second place, and one late-race attack in CrossVegas that nearly netted him the victory. Wellens leaves the States with a pile of 2011 UCI points to bring home, and leaves behind a slew of [...]

• Mechanical Mondays: Mechanical Disc Brake Adjustments

  26 September 11 • 2 comments

  

  There is no denying that disc brakes are gaining in popularity among cyclocross bikes. One look at the ’cross bike photos from the recent Eurobike and Interbike trade shows is enough to show that disc-brake-equipped ’cross bikes are the wave of the future. Their benefits are well known; tire clearance is now only a matter of the frame. They are more powerful with more control and they are not so nearly affected by water and mud. Apart from all these benefits though, the tighter tolerances associated with disc brakes lend themselves more easily to poor adjustment, and improper adjustment on disc brakes can ruin your race more easily than a poorly adjusted cantilever. Too loose and you lose your braking altogether; too tight and your brake drags the whole time. The down side is these poor conditions happen a lot easier to disc brakes than to cantilevers.