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cyclocross tech

• 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.

• Interbike 2011: PowerTap’s Impressive New Lineup

  24 September 11 • 1 comment

  PowerTap has long been a big player in the power meter market, but the distinctive oversized hubs are a relative rarity on the cyclocross course. While there are plenty of ’crossers who train with PowerTaps, most of those who choose to race with power typically opt for one of the crank-based meters like SRMs or Quarqs.

  Part of the knock on PowerTaps was their weight. Another factor is the added expense of needing a PowerTap hub in a training wheel and at least one – perhaps several – race wheel. The new G3 PowerTap hubs tackles that first drawback head on. According to Eric Wallace of Saris, PowerTap’s parent company, the new hub is the lightest power meter on the market, adding about 100g to a comparable high-performance rear hub.

• Interbike 2011: Mercury Cycling’s New Wheel Offerings

  23 September 11 • 1 comment

  Mercury is following the trend of increasing rim width for better stability out on the course. For the glue-sniffing set this means a wider surface to lay the adhesive on, resulting in a firmer connection between tire and rim and, based on your gluing prowess, fewer incidences of rolled tires. The better connection between rubber and metal can also mean better cornering as the tires retain their shape better in the corners.

• Interbike 2011: 2012 Jamis Supernova

  23 September 11 • 0 comment

  Jamis Offers Up Three Options For 2012

  The 2012 model year sees the respected name Jamis written on the tubes of three models aimed at the cross market. At the top of the line is the Supernova, which comes race ready for $2,600.00.

• Interbike 2011: Nifty knickknacks from Showers Pass, Prestaflator, Adarga Bar Tape

  23 September 11 • 3 comments

  

  by Josh Liberles Showers Pass “VelEau” Hydration Pack The best way to describe the VelEau hydration pack is a combo between a tri-geek’s bar-mounted sipper and a Camelbak hydration pack. But it’s actually way cooler than that. Frank Bretl and Mark Proia came up with the idea when looking for something to use while doing [...]

• Interbike 2011: Turner Cyclocross Bike Spy Shots

  22 September 11 • 0 comment

  Interbike is all about getting exposure for new products, so it’s weird to think that it would be a venue for “spy shots” or unearthing product info not intended for public consumption. But thanks to Joey Mullan’s (of recent “Joey’s OK” internet fame) sharp eyes, we saw something unusual being wheeled around at Outdoor Dirt [...]

• Interbike 2011: New Speedplay Syzr Pedals

  22 September 11 • 2 comments

  Speedplay has offered mountain bike pedals for years with the company’s Frog model. But the Frogs never really made a dent into the ’cross market. That could very well change with the introduction of the new Syzr pedals, which will relegate the Frog largely to touring and commuting duty. Modeled after the very popular Speedplay Zero road pedals, the Syzr offers adjustable float adjustment as well as tension adjustment for release and entry.

• Pro Bike Profile: Aaron Schooler’s Norco Threshold

  22 September 11 • 0 comment

  

  Norco is launching their new Carbon Cyclocross bike the Norco Threshold this Fall. To be in stores soon, this beast of a bike boasts an impressive resume already with a top 15 in Cross Vegas, top 10′s at Starcrossed and the Rapha Focus GP and a BC Cup Provincial Win to start off the 2011 season. Aaron Schooler of Team H&R BLOCK and powered by Sri Importing got a couple of these custom painted bad boys just in time for the beginning of the cross season and was highly impressed with the updates that Norco has made to the old Scandium CCX SL revamping it from scratch and moving to the carbon mold. The Norco Threshold is a European race bike with some North American Flare to it.

• Interbike 2011: FSA Brakes, Cranks & BBs

  21 September 11 • 0 comment

  FSA has suddenly gone from one model of brakes to three, to fit various adjustment needs and price points. The previously released SL-K brakes now serve as the midpoint between the top K-Force and least expensive Energy models.

• Pro Bike Profile: Katerina Nash’s Orbea Terra TDR Carbon Cyclocross Bike

  20 September 11 • 2 comments

  

  Katerina Nash, in our feature on her Issue 13 said, “The bottom line is that cyclocross is all I want to race.”  It’s clear the Luna rider meant it, and has been anxiously waiting for this season to begin. She’s transitioned from her mountain bike schedule into this year’s cyclocross season fully motivated and fit, [...]

• Mechanical Monday: Protecting Your Tubulars

  19 September 11 • 4 comments

  

  It’s nearly mid-September and by now a good portion of y’all reading this will have raced already or will be prepping to race this next weekend. If you’ve been to your first race you undoubtably heard the moans of some poor soul who flatted his or her newly glued tubular and can’t believe they have to go through those dreaded steps again. You know, clean, stretch, glue, et cetera! If you’re lucky enough that this poor sap isn’t you, then a little bit more prep work can stave off this scenario.

• Interbike 2011 Cross Bike Bling: Moots Titanium PsychloX RSL

  19 September 11 • 0 comment

  

  Moots’ employees take cyclocross seriously. One just has to look at the CrossVegas Wheelers and Dealers results from the last few years to see that the employees of the Steamboat Springs-based framebuilder don’t just dabble in cyclocross, but specialize in the discipline with much success, with three racers finishing in the top 10 in the [...]

• Interbike 2011: New and Updated Cyclocross Tires, Part 1

  17 September 11 • 0 comment

  

  Cyclocross tires are arguably the only cyclocross-specific components found on a ’cross bike. Cantilever brakes, drivetrain components, and cockpits are all used by other types of bikes and other types of riding. With this in mind, we pay particular attention to cyclocross tires at Interbike, and have Part 1 of our coverage of cyclocross tires from [...]

• Interbike 2011: Katheryn Curi Mattis & Ritte’s Cyclocross Bikes

  16 September 11 • 0 comment

  by Josh Liberles Katheryn Curi Mattis apparently has a hard time staying “retired” from competitive bike racing. Curi Mattis—who won the 2005 US road race national title and the 2008 Geelong World Cup road race, and is one of the top American roadies of the past decade—has lightened her racing load this year and transitioned [...]

• Interbike 2011: 3T Shows Off Ergoterra Bars, Luteus Fork

  16 September 11 • 0 comment

  

  At Interbike today, 3T was more than happy to show Cyclocross Magazine their new cyclocross-specific goodies for the 2012 season. Specifically, we looked at the new Ergoterra carbon handlebars and the carbon Luteus disc brake cyclocross fork.