I have a tendency to flake out on shit, but I really think I want to try racing for the 2010/11 season. With a young baby it’s not really practical this year, but I figure with a year to brush up on my fitness and bike handling skills I might have a chance of making slightly less of a fool of myself. I like the idea of having a goal, and pushing myself to improve my bike handling skills.
What kind of technique things should I be working on now to get ready? Links? Books?
It looks like I’ve missed out on the local clinics. Would it be stupid to try to fit in a race at the end of this season, given that the only “training” I will really be able to do is commuting and the odd weekend ride, plus whatever time I can fit in on specific technique stuff. On one hand I’d like to know what I’m in for before I make I make a bigger investment, but I don’t want to suck too badly/hurt myself.
I also have some gear questions.
I have a Redline Conquest Disc-R (disc-only, relaxed road geometry, fits up to a 38 or so) built up singlespeed that I could use, but it’s a little small (56 top tube). My bigger concern with this particular bike though is the rear wheel. Redline in their infinite wisdom spaced an aluminum disc frame with 130 spacing, which was a total bitch to find a hub/wheel for. I finally found a Specialized hybrid wheel that works, but a spare set of wheels is probably out of the question, which could leave me fucked in a race situation. I have no great love for this bike, and it would probably make a nice winter commuter for someone. Should I put it up for sale and find something else before I destroy it?
I’m also considering selling off my Spicer (Kilo) frame and fork and building up an Il Pompino, which can still take my sweet fixie wheels (I’d build up some separate wheels for cross). I’m not sure if starting out ss is the best way to go though, and I’ve heard this frame is a little limited clearance-wise. The tires will fit. but will the gnar?
Could also move my winter commuting shit from the Cross Check to another bike and put it on a diet, but meh.
Or… sell some shit and buy a used/unsexy starter geared cross bike (Redline/Fuji/Kona, etc…) at the end of this season. That is actually looking like a more appealing option lately.
i had a conquest disc r that i sold off a year and some change ago. it was too big for me.
if you break a wheel on the conquest disc-r you can deal with that later. just go out racing and if you make it through the season without breaking a wheel, then think about upgrading or switching out bikes in your stable.
you have a cross check and a conquest … don’t buy a pompino or a new race bike… you’ll have to spend over a grand to get anything better than what you have.
just race cat 4 with your singlespeed. the singlespeed only events are for faster riders.
i am like you… just commute and work on technique when i have a specific thing to work on and specific time to spend on it. if you don’t want to suck too badly, get in the race and work as hard as you possibly can. only way you can suck ‘too badly’ is if you give up or don’t go hard. i’m not very strong and i had one cross practice under my belt, virtually no technique, and i beat ten people in the cat 4 race. plus, i probably could have worked harder. i wanted to puke, but i didn’t actually puke which means i could have worked harder.
I think your bike is fine. There are way jankier bikes in the cat 4s than a purpose-built disc brake cross bike (though if you race the masters 4s you’ll also line up next to dudes riding on $2000 carbon wheels).
there’s been some good advice already. here my two cents: don’t invest too much until you know you are gonna stick with it for a while. try to get at least one race in this year no matter how unprepared to see if you are into it. then you’ll have a whole year to prepare for next year.
the biggest skill you should have is dismounting/remounting and finding your pedals quickly. after that work on cornering in grass, loose terrain, figure out tires/pressure, etc.
I just looked at the local schedule. There’s a race in Tacoma 11/21, and a few closer races. I think anything close to Seattle is going to have a pretty big field, and I’m not sure I like the prospect of racing in Bellingham in January, but maybe…
Good point. I generally hate to run, but I live close to a nice wooded trail with some pretty steep/gnarly sections could be good for shouldering practice and general HTFU practice.
Sounds like you depend on the Crosscheck for commuting and you’ve already got it set up the way you like it, so I would leave it as is. If the Redline is currently without purpose I would use that. CX racing skills is more than just the obvious stuff i.e. barriers, tire pressure, etc. So many factors are at work and all with the potential to make huge differences in performance. Training, diet, sleep, warm-up time/method, clothing (bring an assortment to the race), embrocation, pinning on your number, equipment, fit, planning your race day morning schedule, etc. Several people have told me it takes a couple seasons of racing before you actually know what you’re doing. Me, I’m entering my second season now and while I feel like I’m familiar with all the shit that needs to be in place I haven’t quite got it down to a science yet.
So my advice is to jump right in, set up that Redline according to your best judgment, and have a go at CX. Then, if you decide you like it, sell that shit and buy a bike that fits and won’t give you a headache when replacing/upgrading parts. SSCX can be a good option for beginners. Less maintenance, less weight, lower cost, and doesn’t make much difference competitively in lower CATs. I race a SS steel frame with aluminum clinchers in CAT 4 and I always do better than the guys with the geared scandium/carbon tubular/beergut collabo. And tjayk made it all the way to CAT 2 on a steel SS before he upgraded to the Fisher Presidio.
backing the steel ss in cat 4. doing it now and i beat lots of guys with bikes made of exotic materials with unnecessary cables. the niner-cross is a 60cm 4130 masi cross w/ cross check fork and 50mm tires, somewhat light build on the rest and it weighs 19lbs.
atmo, on really tight courses with short straights ss works better if you get the gears set up right for you. on the course from friday night(see cross thread) geared guys i talked to used 2-3 gears the whole race. one guy kept in in one gear the whole time.
[quote=y]not having spare wheels won’t be an issue. there’s not much sense in running most of a lap to defend any position in a race you’re not getting paid for.
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This is so true, its insane. I sit at the start and listen to those dudes and get freaked out and then we start and I feel much better.
I only commute on my bike right now and the odd bit of cross practice but I run 30-40 minutes 3 times a week and I think that has helped me tons in the races I’ve done this season. It really is tons of fun though. I have butterflies right now for tomorrow’s race.
This is so true, its insane. I sit at the start and listen to those dudes and get freaked out and then we start and I feel much better.
I only commute on my bike right now and the odd bit of cross practice but I run 30-40 minutes 3 times a week and I think that has helped me tons in the races I’ve done this season. It really is tons of fun though. I have butterflies right now for tomorrow’s race.[/quote]
Lulz. So should I race Masters to start? Probably a smaller field than 4s.