The Bike Shop

1

CX Project (Read 144 times)

xhristopher


    FWIW ... this is bike 4 for me now. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out yet. The goal is to keep the project cheap.

     

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    rectumdamnnearkilledem

      Looks like a better base than DH's CX bike built up from a Trek hybrid!  I look forward to seeing what you end up with...very cool!

      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

           ~ Sarah Kay

      xhristopher


        Getting closer. Three ebay-ed parts are still on the way.

         

        Like my Cannondale, this is a "54." The seat tube is the exact same length as my Cannondale but the top tube is 3cm longer. Therefore, the 110mm stem I had for the build made for an aggressive looking ride but had me stretched way out. Fortunately I had shorter stem in the parts bin. Now my reach is about 1cm shorter than the Cannondale and a little higher. It's not exactly where I'd want to start but we'll see how it feels next weekend.

         

        I've been calling the bike Vader. The cranks and derailleurs are also black.

         

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        rectumdamnnearkilledem

          Excellent!  And for CX you don't really want a super aggressive ride, either.

          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

               ~ Sarah Kay

          xhristopher


             The bike is now reality and I've ridden it a couple times. Yesterday I did the local mtb loop. The tall wheels will roll over most anything but you've got to hang on for dear life and pick a good line because its very rocky around here. Despite almost 60psi I still got a pinch flat. It's clear the mtb would have been a better choice for that route but this was a cram session for getting used to the bike and reacquainting myself with technical riding.

             

            This thing is fast off road and I'm very happy with it. It's a pure cross bike and comes to life with lots of spirit the moment it leaves the asphalt, not that it's bad there either.

             

             

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            rectumdamnnearkilledem

              It's a pure cross bike and comes to life with lots of spirit the moment it leaves the asphalt, not that it's bad there either.

               

              That is exactly what my Redline does...feels kinda sluggish on the road, but as soon as I hit gravel or unpaved surfaces it wants to go!

               

              That bike looks awesome!  So, have any races planned?

              Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

              remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                   ~ Sarah Kay

              xhristopher


                That is exactly what my Redline does...feels kinda sluggish on the road, but as soon as I hit gravel or unpaved surfaces it wants to go!

                 

                That bike looks awesome!  So, have any races planned?

                 

                I'm really pleased with the bike. If I subtract parts from the bin, birthday gift certs, and a trade I've only got 400 invested. Most parts came from ebay or closeouts. Plenty of new parts in there too. The tires are the only things I paid full retail.

                 

                Have you tried your road wheels/tires on your Readline yet? I'm curious to compare. 30mm wide nobby tires vs 23mm wide road tires at twice the psi seems like a huge difference. 

                 

                I'm 50/50 on a race next weekend. I don't know what to expect against guys in the beginner 35+ category. It's a whole new type of racing but I'm not really in bad shape. I think that will make up for a lot. Plus, the more running the better as far as I'm concerned.

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                rectumdamnnearkilledem

                  Do the race...it will be awesome!

                   

                  Yeah, we've put road slicks on my bike before and then the only limitation is the gearing and braking.  Otherwise it's perfectly good on the road.

                  Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                  remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                       ~ Sarah Kay

                  xhristopher


                    I went to sign up for the race and found my category sold out. I was heavily bummed until I found a different race one day earlier (today).

                     

                    Here's my race report.

                     

                    The race had no flat parts. It was either up or down.

                     

                     

                    There wasn't much running. The grass was wet and VERY slick.

                     

                    The bike was still mostly clean at the end.

                     

                     

                    It was an F'ing blast. I did pretty well for a first time out and, like with my tri endeavors, have a ton of upside ... if I were to actually train on the bike.

                     

                    BTW ... The bike is FANTASTIC!

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                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      Funniest thing ever, huh?!

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay

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                      rectumdamnnearkilledem

                        I meant funnest...phone autocorrected.

                        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                             ~ Sarah Kay

                        xhristopher


                          I'm not sure I'd call it the funnest thing ever but it was up there. The 10K I ran last week pushing my son was funner. The one detractor for me was starting from the very, very back. I'm competitive in races so it eats at me a bit knowing I could have finished several places better.

                           

                          Also, on the second lap the pin on my garmin vibrated out and I had to lay my bike down and run back and safely stow it in my pocket. Next time the garmin rides in my pocket the whole way. I want the data but don't care to look at it in the race.

                           

                          Here is another riders gopro cam recording of the course. My average lap was only about 20 seconds slower so the speed was similar but the course looked a lot dryer for him than for me two hours earlier.

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                          rectumdamnnearkilledem

                            Here is another riders gopro cam recording of the course. My average lap was only about 20 seconds slower so the speed was similar but the course looked a lot dryer for him than for me two hours earlier.

                             

                            That's the opposite of later season CX races, especially if it's raining.  Ours go C B A...the A races can be a real mess, but fun to watch!

                            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                 ~ Sarah Kay