The Redline Cyclocross bike's last ride.

Here she is. The Scandium Redline Conquest Pro CX bike looking fresh as hell after the latest re-haul. Which included new decals, carbon tubular Velosmith.com wheels and Challenge tubs. Weighing in at an amazing 17.1lbs.

Redline Conquest Scandium in all its glory. I miss this thing.

About a week after this picture was taken, i found a crack in the head tube/down tube welds :( and had to retire the old champion. 

Now she rests alongside the US National Champ jersey she won back in 2006. New replacement frame to follow.

Wednesday Bikes: Vol 1

Welcome to the very first volume of Wednesday Bikes. Such a momentous occasion and will mark it with something very cool!

So Wednesday bikes, what's it all about. It's pretty simple really, every Wednesday I will try my very best to post a different, exciting, weird, wonderful, cross bikes from all over the world. Whatever CX bike I post I will try and put up as single speed version of it from the same manufacturer.

This week is something that I only came across today and I thought 'WOW that shit is Hot!.
Here's the link to their website
Speedvagen
This contains other bikes in their very small range of top end bikes.



Check it out and see what you think..…

Very neat dropouts

Really useful looking cable guides, allowing for longer lengths of covered cable to keep the dirt and grit out
to keep shifts smooth and consistent. Note where the rear brake cable comes from.

Another angle for the rear brake cable routing. This keeps it looking so tidy. No need for ugly,
external seat tube adapter jobbies. Well you wouldnt be able to use a seat tube guide as this is the first intergrated seatpost that i have seen on a cross bike.

Some more internal routing for the front brake. This really does create a very clean look throughout. I cant help but think how tricky it would be to route them, especially the rear.

Images courtesy of BikeRumour

And now for you Singlespeed fans.

Super Pimp. Super clean. And can only imagine how fast this sucker is!

Got this image from Vanilla Workshops Flickr

Click on the link for many more awesome pics from this brand..

thanks for looking

and stay tuned because i have some weights and comparisons with a couple of very shiny carbony parts to come very shortly!

Redline CX Final build.

Boom here it is, my complete bike, race ready all set up ready to go.
There have been quite a few changes to it since the first instalment so ill show and explain why I have changed those parts.
This is a list of everthing in this pic.
Redline CX frame
Alpina CX Carbon fibre forks wiht alloy steerer
Hope Pro 3 hubs
Stans no tubes ZTR alpha 340 rims 28h, DT swiss comp spokes
Stans no tubes tubeless sealant.
Vredstren premiato 700x30c tyres
Sram Rival Cx cranks 170mm 46-38t
Crank bros Egg beater pedals
Controltech 100mm stem -5deg rise
Shimano dura ace 7700 Shifters/brake levers
    "             "           "      Front mech
    "             "           "      Rear Mech Short cage

Zipp service course sl bars size 44cm with a short and shallow bend
Zipp service course CX bar tape
Selle italia Flight saddle
Did have an Easton EC70 carbon post but the set back (lay back)
   was too much so just got some no brand post on.

weighed the bike the other day and i have dropped a fair bit from the start weight.
it started off about 22.9 lbs
and is now 17.4 lbs which is pretty sweet!

heres some more pics...

The Sram Rival cranks that i changed to was only due to the other cranks , Shimano dura ace 7700 175mm, being too long for me.  I was doing a fair amount of rides and my knees started to really hurt. I tried lower saddle position and my knees hurt the same tried higher and my hips started to hurt as well so I figured that I really needed smaller cranks. since the swap, no aches or pains..well except from the usual cycling pains i.e jelly legs, sore legs, nausea...etc.

I choose these cranks because I don't like the look of the new shimano cranks, Ultegra, 105, in my price range. I obvoiusly wanted the shiny carbon Sram Force/Red cranks but slightly pricey and the thought of bashing carbon cranks on rocks and destroying them doesn't sound awesome.

Hope Pro 3s on Stans ZTR alpha rims were a pretty cool idea also. Hope hubs were a must for CX racing.
Iv used them in DH riding/racing and have known almost every person iv rode dh with to have used them and i haven't heard of anyone who has had any problems with hope hubs.. if they had it was quickly fixed due to the availability of spare parts and ease of assembly/disassembly. The seals in these bad boys are also dam good which is useful in muddy conditions. Alpha rims were chosen because of the tubeless tyre setup design and are pretty light..370g a rim.

Zipp bars because the older bars bent and flexed way too much for my likings. I also dropped from a 46cm to a 44cm. Not intentional,  but because i miss calculated the size of the other ones...the writing had rubbed off.  Still not 100% sure if i prefer them wider or narrower but i reckon that if i went wider again, it would feel weird.

And thats that...
Tune back tomorow to find out if i sucked or not!

Race day prep / Final Build

Tomorrow , 9th sept, will be the start of the southwest Cyclo series, that I have been preparing myself for the past couple months. The race will be held in Bodmin, Cornwall.

I haven't seen the track but almost all week I have been thinking about which tyre to use. I only have 2 tyre choices of the two extremes, semi slick "Michelin jets" or super muddy skinny "vredstren prematio" tyres. This has left me in a bit of a predicament... I have no in between normal conditions tyre like the 'schwalbe racing Ralph'. I couldn't get them in time.

For the past month, the weather in the uk has absolutely sucked. It has been pissing it down at every opportunity making it one of the wettest summers for years. Thus being the reason that I hadn't even thought that using anything else but wet tyres. But ohhh noo. As soon as sept has come around, the sun has been out and blazing. Now, I thought that the weather was going to turn again for the weekend but it seems it might be dry. But I still think that a semi slick isnt the right choice. Still I can't tell until race day. Let's hope for rain cus I'm not changing the wet tyres to dry, its a massive pain in the ass switching from tubeless to tubeless.... It makes a bit of mess.

So training this week has been focused on high intensity. I have done a couple, hour, high paced rides, rode flat out (sprinting) on my Cyclo cross coursed for,hopefully, 20 mins ( this is very hard) and a slow paced 35 mile ride just to ease the legs a bit. And today, Saturday, I have done jack shit. Except for truing some wheels and sorting out my rear tubeless tyre, it exploded last night just as I rode to the end of my street.... I put too much pressure in it, 70psi. But at least now I know not to go over 60psi as that has been fine.

I'm off to go stock up on some carbolicious pre race food. Pasta.
Stay tuned as I'll post my final bike build pics and notes later in this evening. And report about how my race went hopefully tomoro eve if I'm not too sleepy.

Thanks for reading
Matt

Tubeless Cyclosross Tyres?? Do they work? Are they worth the effort??

 Cyclocross is hard enough as it is without having to worry about tyre issues. I want to get rid of  (or get to the bottom off ) any of those worrying thoughts and perceptions of tubeless in cyclocross. Are there tyres that can perform like a tubular tyre and at a fraction of the cost??

      So a few weeks ago, i emailed Schwalbe UK asking if their cyclocross tyre, the racing ralph would work well with stans ZTR alpha 340 rims as tubeless tyres. I only asked as their mtb tubeless 'UST" compatible tyres all have writing on the tyre saying the are and on the packaging. But not on the CX stuff.

Early last week Tim Ward - (Schwalbe UK) Got back to me and gave me some great information that thoroughly answered my question. I thought that this would be very useful to share with everyone, so here is the main part of it:

       
         'Running cross tyres as tubeless is an interesting question and one that several people are looking at currently including myself. I was running Rocket Ron 700 x 35C on the standard Easton wheels that are on my CUBE cross bike. It took a while to get them up and sealed (you’ll definitely need a compressor) but I could really feel the difference in the way they rode; much like a tub. The main problem with them is because of the smaller air volume compared to and MTB tyre there’s a much higher risk of burping the air out (which I did twice) and I found there was a very critical minimum pressure of about 1.8 to 2.0 bar below which it was easy to burp them. You can only really find this out with trial and error as it will depend on rider weight and rim set-up etc. Be careful if you’re using the Stans rubber rim strips as these can push the bead up a bit too high on the crook lip and cause the tyre to blow off better to use the yellow adhesive tape; but again the rubber strips might be OK with your rims – it’s all trial and error I’m afraid.

You’ll find it a lot easier to get an initial seal if you use our Easy Fit solution on the bead of the tyre first as this will help create and air seal and help the bead seat evenly around the rim. Kevin at BETD Gold Tech in Newcastle under Lyme is also experimenting at the moment and another good person to talk to. The next step that we’re looking at is to glue the beads onto the rim with tub cement (something some downhill riders are trying) to stop burping at lower pressures.

Generally speaking the sidewalls should be up to the job but you may find that the tyres don’t last as long as they might running them with tubes in. As long as the pressure is OK it shouldn't be too much of a problem and I found that without the tube in you can run them at a higher pressure for a given amount of compliance compared to running with a tube.

In summary and conclusion I’d say it was worth experimenting with if you’re so inclined. But the emphasis is on ‘experimenting’; if you’re worried about losing race position because you lose air out the tyre then maybe think again about it – I didn’t start one race last year as I lost the air out of both tyres on the warm up lap! So it’s important to state that Schwalbe cross tyres are not as yet recommended for use in a tubeless set-up and at present this is not seen as a proprietary method of use and there are no guarantees from Schwalbe in this regard; just so there’s no misunderstanding if you lose a race!'

Just got another email from Tim Ward- (Schwalbe UK)

Racing Ralph (allround fast rolling tyre)

  



 ' As for the difference between Ron and Ralph it's very much down to the course and the conditions. I think for most of the season in typical UK conditions the Ron, which is more suited to muddier conditions, will be the better choice. However, if we have a dry autumn some of the early season races could be on very dry hard courses in which case the Ralph will definitely roll quicker. In mixed conditions where it's not too muddy there's some merit in running a Ron on the front and Ralph on the back as is very typical with cross country mountain bikers.

 

Rocket Ron (wetter weather tyre with tread desiged to shed mud)
This is the current 2012 Model. 2013 model to be released later this year!

The new 2013 Rocket Ron will be even more effective in the mud as it will be a bit narrower at 700 x 33C to meet the new UCI regs and have a slightly revised tread pattern. It will be available in an EVO spec folding clincher with PaceStar triple compound and also now finally in a tub version with the same 700 x 33C size.'







I am looking forward to experimenting with different tyres and
pressure. Im currently waiting for my stans rims to be built up onto

Vredestein Premiato

hope pro3s. I want to put most of my testing on these wheels with the
Racing ralphs and Rocket Rons as this is what i will currently want to be racing.
in the mean time, i would really like to try out some other tyres and run them at silly pressures on
my training wheels that i don't care for so i can really give them a good hammering. Then i can see what each tyres positives and negatives are. i have some 30c vredestrien tyres that i will give it a go with for now.




I was testing the Vredstrain tyres at 2.0 ,  2.5 and 3 bar last night on my practice course running them tubed. (i weigh 66kg if that helps give a better idea. I imagine much heavier people will have very different results) I have a section on the course which is really tough on wheels, strength wise, but
they might not be enough of a challenge for pinch flats. including quick transitions from a mud bank across paths and jumping down the other side, tight off camber turns, and 1-2 foot drops onto a lose open turn into a double jump that just so happend to be there!

I was hoping to pinch flat or something so i know the limit but
nothing and this was all mainly done on 2.0 bar, i knew any higher
pressure would cope. i did notice that it wasn't very stable on hard
cornering at this pressure and i felt the tyre rolling over. This Might be when
i would expect to lose air running tubeless.  I would like to try tubeless setups
to see if i do lose air and how much. But if i cant turn hard and feel stableish at these
pressures then i probably wouldn't run them that low, unless its not a very
fast course. but i do like the idea of the tub cement locking/sealing the tyre bead onto the rim.
But surely this is now getting into tub territory as this would need multiple wheelsets.
Still cheaper i guess.


I have the Racing ralphs already sat on my desk but not going to use them until they are
on my new wheelset. But i do look forward to try some other tyres and find out which tyre runs best with tubeless setup.

Over time i will try my very best to test every CX tyre out there for tubeless and was hoping that if my
blog starts to do well, suppliers will give me tyres to test and review.  

Untill then i will need to get some training in and make do with what i already have.

The weird and crazy world of Cyclocross

Iv realised whilst speaking to people lately that they have absolutely no idea what cyclocross is. I try to explain that its like road riding, but off road, fast pace and a fair bit of running with the bike. I can understand  that it might be difficult to imagine it if you haven't seen it before so here it is.. I made sure there were bails in the video because I think its hilarious. Some pretty sweet looking courses in the videos with awesome features. I especially like the bmx/ dirt jump looking sections.enjoy!

The Ride (bike #1)

Redline CX

Here it is! This is my cross bike #1. I have two cross bikes, i will take a pic of the other one at a later date.

this is my favourite of the two mainly because its lighter and rides better, but also because it has the better components on it. I was lucky enough to have been given this bike from my Bro out in California as it was his old bike and didn't need it any more. Cheers Mark!

Many people will think that this is just a road bike. If you look closer, you will notice a few differences. Cross bikes are to be ridden mainly off road so, this requires a few subtle differences over a road bike.

The first and most visual thing that sets it apart is the brakes. This has canti-lever brakes whereas road bikes have smaller more aerodynamic calliper brakes. The only reason for having these bigger brakes is to allow for  better mud clearance. i.e. stop mud gathering at the brakes making it almost impossible for the wheels to turn.

   Another difference is the frame strength, due to the off-road demands, the frame is overbuilt, mainly around the head tube on this frame, just to stop it from snapping or bending.

The frame seat and chain stays are also a little wider to also allow for better mud clearance.

My bike currently has a road setup, with road slick tyres and a bigger chainring. this is purely to achieve higher speeds and make it a bit easier. For the cross season i will put a smaller chain ring on and put on some nobbly off road tyres. I'll go into that more a bit nearer the time.

This is a pic i took today but it is not how it will stay. I have a few upgrades planned which should come fairly shortly. I will post pictures of each new thing. It weighs about 21.5lbs at the moment and i will be looking to get rid of some of that weight.

Heres a list of the bike and components:

 - Redline CX Frame and fork

 - Alex hubs on Alex AT450 rims (soon to be replaced, and stored as spare wheels)

 - Dura Ace 7700 Groupset ( Rear Mech currently not on it but will put that on soon)

 - Shimano LX brakes

 - Time Atac pedals i think. ( i use these on road but will change to crank bros 'egg beaters' for off road)

 - Profile Design stem and bar

 - Easton EC70 seat post

 - Selle italia Flite saddle

and thats pretty much it. I dont know what tyres, cant see anything written on them from the sofa and im not moving. 

Hopefully you'll stick around and follow my progress and find out how much bike weight i can drop, if at all. and also at what cost! Also i will post some pics of bike #2 very soon which i want to get rid of some weight at little cost.

You Stay Classy readers....

Welcome to my bike blog

So this is my very first post. First things first. A welcome is in order. And thank you for taking your time reading what I have to say.

Let me introduce and tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Matthew noble and I am currently 22years old. I live in Plymouth , UK and have been cycling since I was about 2. Over that time I have raced xc, dh, bmx, cyclo cross and road. I have managed to become southwest champ in dh, cyclo cross and was close with bmx. I have never orientated myself as a type of rider ie rodie, downhiller. I like to think of myself as a cyclist who respects and enjoys every aspect of the sport. I find it very funny how people can have such a hatred or disregard for another type of cyclist. For instance a downhiller calling a roadie a fag because he wears Lycra....it does make a good laugh though! Despite me being a Lycra loving roadie at times.

I also work for an upcoming online bike company Koo-bikes.com. Worth a look if you've never heard of it. They are the only bike shop that weighs every single bike product, in house, on very accurate scales, to give riders more knowledge about the product. And if your anything like me, I want to ride the lightest stuff. Especially if Im trying to shed some bike weight.
I guess me working for the shop will make it easier to get hold of new products and review them and stuff. So it benefits the readers also. That's you by the way!

Ok why am I doing this when I could be out there riding. Well it's simple really. Firstly, There is only so much riding one man can do and what better than spending your spare time writing about bikes.
Secondly, I have started to weight train a lot recently and I have decided to put my fitness to the test and race the upcoming southwest cyclocross series and thought why not blog my progress.

Not many people know much about cyclo cross and there doesn't seem to be that many sites out there that gives it that much attention. Unless I'm missing something and haven't found one yet.

So I want to show what it takes to prepare for a season. What sort of bike you need, how much training I do (I have a full time job, so there will be levels of commitment and a limit to how much I can do) what I do to prepare for a race. What I think about before, during a race and after. And of course what I eat.

Over time I will blog about almost every single bike related thought I have, from dh riding right through the spectrum of cycling to fixies! Cus they are kool!
This is a list of what to expect:
- Southwest cyclo cross
- Training: hours- miles -diet
- Bike build: my bikes. Pic of new stuff and why I choose it over other kit.
- Race day bike pics ~ other peoples bikes
- Relevant info: news, races, websites.

Feel free to subscribe to my blog. It would also be very cool if people wanted to send me pics of there cx bikes for me to post them on here. And feel free to share my blog on fb or whatever.
The pic is a little giveaway of what is my number 1 cross bike. Guess if you can.

I'm off for a ride!