Sure, there's plenty more cyclocross racing on the horizon with the 2016 Cyclocross National Championships and of course the World Championships at the end of January 2016. But the end of the calendar year has us thinking back over the last 12 months and reflecting on those moments that had the cyclocross community talking.
Here, we look back over some of 2015's main events, our favorite moments from the last year and the tech that shaped this season thus far.
Have a favorite cyclocross moment for 2015 of your own? Share it with us on our Facebook Page or over on Twitter. #cxm2015lookback
The Return of Higher Volume 700c Tires for Gravel, Adventure and Cyclocross
There was an era before 29ers when cyclocrossers had a handful of good, high-volume options for monster ‘crossing or just to better absorb the bumps and compete with tubular-equipped competitors on rough courses. Tires, in the 38c to 45c widths, including the Ritchey Mount Cross, Tioga Bloodhound, WTB’s Interwolf and Mutano 44c were just some of the many options available to those with high-clearance bikes.
When 29ers entered the fray, many of those tires disappeared, replaced by higher volume options that never had a chance to fit in our bikes. Now, thanks in part to the unregulated gravel “movement,” we again have a slew of tires that offer more cushion for the pushin’ when things get gnarly.
At Interbike, we saw no less than six new high-volume tires enter the market, including new options from Vittoria, Kenda, Duro and Clement, and joining the many high-volume tire options reviewed in Issue 29.
Ben Berden was one of the first to race a prototype of the Flintridge Pro Kenda gravel tires. They measured 40c on his FSA SL-K wheels at the 2015 Lost and Found. © Cyclocross Magazine
The best news is that many of them are tubeless ready, and some, like the Soma Cazadero 42c, Bruce Gordon Rock n Road 43c, Panaracer Comet 38c and Duro Cypher 40c (below) all have tread patterns that are versatile and not, in our opinion, specific to gravel but equally as good on the trail and on a cyclocross course.
Duro’s 40c Cypher tire (top), and Vittoria’s 38c Adventure Trail (below) tire are two new high-volume gravel options. © Cyclocross Magazine
