[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
It was the better part of a decade ago David...I stopped racing cross in 2003. Angus On Sep 3, 10:09 pm, David Estes cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote: I have some Specialized Tri-Cross tires and love 'em. True 35mm as I remember. Wish I knew about the blow out sale! DE On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 3:29 PM, Angus angusle...@sbcglobal.net wrote: Lesli, I ran several seasons of cyclocross on 700x35 Specialized Tri-Cross tires that I bought from Nashbar at $1.99 each. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x38 Ritchey cross tires that a freind gave me. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x28 Michelin cross tires and thought my teeth were going to be rattled out! I don't miss those tires...at all. One down side to cross tires is when you are on the road and forget you are riding on knobby tires and inadvertently corner really hard If it get's muddy...clearance is everything. I'm with Jim on the brakes, I ran a really crummy brake set up one season and never noticed it during a race. The next season I ran a really good brake set up (Mafacs)...and never noticed it during a race. There are enough bumps and grass and other stuff to slow you down...the brakes don't seem to have a whole lot left to do. Angus On Sep 3, 4:55 pm, Lesli lesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks for all the notes! I'm inspired the by the idea that maybe brakes (Weinmann calipers) don't matter that much at this point in the game (as a super slow speed beginning just learning how to get on and off the bike at a canter). Since I'm mainly trying this out for fun, I'm not really worried about ground speed. I brought my old trek 420 to class lass night but was pretty spooked by the gravel track on my 25c contis! So, I'm opting to try some cheap-y nashbar cross tires on the Trek before I fully commit to converting the Riv over to cross duties (especially since it seems easier to locate 700c over 650b cross tires). The Riv does have nice Pauls centerpulls but I'll have to do a lot of renovations (remove honjos, convert from downtube to bar-ends, remove rack, etc) to get it up to speed for this project. LL On Sep 3, 12:19 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym. ~Bill Nye, scientist guy- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
That's about when I purchased mine! :) On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 2:21 AM, Angus angusle...@sbcglobal.net wrote: It was the better part of a decade ago David...I stopped racing cross in 2003. Angus On Sep 3, 10:09 pm, David Estes cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote: I have some Specialized Tri-Cross tires and love 'em. True 35mm as I remember. Wish I knew about the blow out sale! DE On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 3:29 PM, Angus angusle...@sbcglobal.net wrote: Lesli, I ran several seasons of cyclocross on 700x35 Specialized Tri-Cross tires that I bought from Nashbar at $1.99 each. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x38 Ritchey cross tires that a freind gave me. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x28 Michelin cross tires and thought my teeth were going to be rattled out! I don't miss those tires...at all. One down side to cross tires is when you are on the road and forget you are riding on knobby tires and inadvertently corner really hard If it get's muddy...clearance is everything. I'm with Jim on the brakes, I ran a really crummy brake set up one season and never noticed it during a race. The next season I ran a really good brake set up (Mafacs)...and never noticed it during a race. There are enough bumps and grass and other stuff to slow you down...the brakes don't seem to have a whole lot left to do. Angus On Sep 3, 4:55 pm, Lesli lesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks for all the notes! I'm inspired the by the idea that maybe brakes (Weinmann calipers) don't matter that much at this point in the game (as a super slow speed beginning just learning how to get on and off the bike at a canter). Since I'm mainly trying this out for fun, I'm not really worried about ground speed. I brought my old trek 420 to class lass night but was pretty spooked by the gravel track on my 25c contis! So, I'm opting to try some cheap-y nashbar cross tires on the Trek before I fully commit to converting the Riv over to cross duties (especially since it seems easier to locate 700c over 650b cross tires).The Riv does have nice Pauls centerpulls but I'll have to do a lot of renovations (remove honjos, convert from downtube to bar-ends, remove rack, etc) to get it up to speed for this project. LL On Sep 3, 12:19 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym. ~Bill Nye, scientist guy- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym. ~Bill Nye, scientist guy --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 9:31 PM, David Estescyclotour...@gmail.com wrote: Given what you said, would Col de la Vie tires work ok? Nope, they wouldn't. You need something more knibbly than that for leaning hard into turns. 650b + cross is a hard one. I did race 650x58mm Neo-motos a couple times last year. They grip, but those things are essentially tank treads and not ideal. Too big/heavy for cyclocross, and awful on smooth/paved sections. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
Thanks for all the notes! I'm inspired the by the idea that maybe brakes (Weinmann calipers) don't matter that much at this point in the game (as a super slow speed beginning just learning how to get on and off the bike at a canter). Since I'm mainly trying this out for fun, I'm not really worried about ground speed. I brought my old trek 420 to class lass night but was pretty spooked by the gravel track on my 25c contis! So, I'm opting to try some cheap-y nashbar cross tires on the Trek before I fully commit to converting the Riv over to cross duties (especially since it seems easier to locate 700c over 650b cross tires).The Riv does have nice Pauls centerpulls but I'll have to do a lot of renovations (remove honjos, convert from downtube to bar-ends, remove rack, etc) to get it up to speed for this project. LL On Sep 3, 12:19 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
FWIW, there are a few guys here who are racing old road or touring frames as cross bikes and routinely faster than me, so i don't think there's anything wrong with using the Trek for a season :-) -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 4:55 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks for all the notes! I'm inspired the by the idea that maybe brakes (Weinmann calipers) don't matter that much at this point in the game (as a super slow speed beginning just learning how to get on and off the bike at a canter). Since I'm mainly trying this out for fun, I'm not really worried about ground speed. I brought my old trek 420 to class lass night but was pretty spooked by the gravel track on my 25c contis! So, I'm opting to try some cheap-y nashbar cross tires on the Trek before I fully commit to converting the Riv over to cross duties (especially since it seems easier to locate 700c over 650b cross tires). The Riv does have nice Pauls centerpulls but I'll have to do a lot of renovations (remove honjos, convert from downtube to bar-ends, remove rack, etc) to get it up to speed for this project. LL On Sep 3, 12:19 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
Lesli, I ran several seasons of cyclocross on 700x35 Specialized Tri-Cross tires that I bought from Nashbar at $1.99 each. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x38 Ritchey cross tires that a freind gave me. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x28 Michelin cross tires and thought my teeth were going to be rattled out! I don't miss those tires...at all. One down side to cross tires is when you are on the road and forget you are riding on knobby tires and inadvertently corner really hard If it get's muddy...clearance is everything. I'm with Jim on the brakes, I ran a really crummy brake set up one season and never noticed it during a race. The next season I ran a really good brake set up (Mafacs)...and never noticed it during a race. There are enough bumps and grass and other stuff to slow you down...the brakes don't seem to have a whole lot left to do. Angus On Sep 3, 4:55 pm, Lesli lesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks for all the notes! I'm inspired the by the idea that maybe brakes (Weinmann calipers) don't matter that much at this point in the game (as a super slow speed beginning just learning how to get on and off the bike at a canter). Since I'm mainly trying this out for fun, I'm not really worried about ground speed. I brought my old trek 420 to class lass night but was pretty spooked by the gravel track on my 25c contis! So, I'm opting to try some cheap-y nashbar cross tires on the Trek before I fully commit to converting the Riv over to cross duties (especially since it seems easier to locate 700c over 650b cross tires). The Riv does have nice Pauls centerpulls but I'll have to do a lot of renovations (remove honjos, convert from downtube to bar-ends, remove rack, etc) to get it up to speed for this project. LL On Sep 3, 12:19 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
On Sep 3, 3:12 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: FWIW, there are a few guys here who are racing old road or touring frames as cross bikes and routinely faster than me, so i don't think there's anything wrong with using the Trek for a season :-) -- Agree. Further, doesn't Riv have lower bb height than most cross bikes? If so, you may want to check the height of you Trek as it may be more useful in a cross race. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
on 9/3/09 3:28 PM, bfd at bfd...@yahoo.com replied to : what Bill Connell wrote: FWIW, there are a few guys here who are racing old road or touring frames as cross bikes and routinely faster than me, so i don't think there's anything wrong with using the Trek for a season :-) with Agree. Further, doesn't Riv have lower bb height than most cross bikes? If so, you may want to check the height of you Trek as it may be more useful in a cross race. I hear the bb height thing a lot in referring to cross bikes in general. I think it's a bit of a misnomer, as most of the cross bikes built with the high bb's were back when folks ran clips straps on the CX course. When clipless pedals hit, most builders returned to the normal range. The only cross-specific frame I've owned had the lowest bb of any of my bikes (Lemond Poprad, 1st production year). FWIW, I'd clip a pedal or crankarm every once in a while on technical, off-camber trails, but other than that, never noticed it. And, to bring it around to Rivendell designs, I think Grant has worked the bb height consideration in all manner of ways. I recall an early RR where he wrote about what happened to handling when he tested prototypes with higher bb's - I'm paraphrasing by memory here - it felt like the bike was in a ditch and didn't want to react to rider input, until it suddenly tipped to the desired direction. He didn't want to design a bike like that. I've gone through all manner of steep drops and wacky berms, and my experience with using the Quickbeam and Hilsen on courses is that if you can hang on, the bike will get you through just fine. - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines I had to ride slow because I was taking my guerrilla route, the one I follow when I assume that everyone in a car is out to get me. -- Neal Stephenson, Zodiac --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
I have some Specialized Tri-Cross tires and love 'em. True 35mm as I remember. Wish I knew about the blow out sale! DE On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 3:29 PM, Angus angusle...@sbcglobal.net wrote: Lesli, I ran several seasons of cyclocross on 700x35 Specialized Tri-Cross tires that I bought from Nashbar at $1.99 each. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x38 Ritchey cross tires that a freind gave me. Worked great...still have a couple left. I ran several races on 700x28 Michelin cross tires and thought my teeth were going to be rattled out! I don't miss those tires...at all. One down side to cross tires is when you are on the road and forget you are riding on knobby tires and inadvertently corner really hard If it get's muddy...clearance is everything. I'm with Jim on the brakes, I ran a really crummy brake set up one season and never noticed it during a race. The next season I ran a really good brake set up (Mafacs)...and never noticed it during a race. There are enough bumps and grass and other stuff to slow you down...the brakes don't seem to have a whole lot left to do. Angus On Sep 3, 4:55 pm, Lesli lesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks for all the notes! I'm inspired the by the idea that maybe brakes (Weinmann calipers) don't matter that much at this point in the game (as a super slow speed beginning just learning how to get on and off the bike at a canter). Since I'm mainly trying this out for fun, I'm not really worried about ground speed. I brought my old trek 420 to class lass night but was pretty spooked by the gravel track on my 25c contis! So, I'm opting to try some cheap-y nashbar cross tires on the Trek before I fully commit to converting the Riv over to cross duties (especially since it seems easier to locate 700c over 650b cross tires).The Riv does have nice Pauls centerpulls but I'll have to do a lot of renovations (remove honjos, convert from downtube to bar-ends, remove rack, etc) to get it up to speed for this project. LL On Sep 3, 12:19 pm, Bill Connell bconn...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:33 PM, Leslilesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? I raced my first season returning to cyclocross on my Redwood, so i'd guess that your Road should work pretty well too. My only caveats would be whether you can get any kind of knobby tire in there (i don't know the Road's clearance), and your chances of success will be much greater if it's not super muddy. On my Redwood i could get a 35c 'cross tire in with no problem. No fenders, of course. There are people who race with centerpulls on old frames around here and they do fine, but i think in general our 'cross season isn't nearly as muddy as around Oregon. I highly recommend a single chainring setup if you're racing with gears. I switched to singlespeed last year, but before that i used a 1x8, and it was plenty of gear range. I really only used about 3 of the gears in any given race. Like Jim noted, expect accelerated wear on parts, particularly rims and brake pads and drivetrain, depending on conditions. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym. ~Bill Nye, scientist guy --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
I'm sure your Riv will work better than any of these bikes. Note the primitive descending technique. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkcKdOthhzgfeature=PlayListp=C078472CE3496A5Fplaynext=1playnext_from=PLindex=14 An hour of cyclocross seems more painful than a 600k. Are you sure you want to go down this road? --mike --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
on 9/2/09 4:33 PM, Lesli at lesli.lar...@gmail.com wrote: I'm thinking about converting my Riv road (w/centerpulls) for Fall amateur-hour cyclocross (going to my first clinic tonight). I was planning to use my old vintage fenderless Trek 420 but I'm not sure if the weinmann calipers will hold up in muddy conditions (I THINK I could retrofit the bike with slightly wider cross tires). Any suggestions for 650b type cross tires or other possible points of conversion. Wondering if it would be better to set up bike as a single speed or maybe switch over to single chainring in front, seven speed block in back with a more burly derailleur). What do other folks who run mountainbike-ish road bikes use in the way of tires and drivetrain set-ups?? Let me know what you think. You'll probably get a much longer answer than you want, but here are a few thoughts to start - - Cross years are kinda like dog years, as far as gear is concerned. - Clearance is good, especially if you encounter mud. - Larger volume tires are better, because you will find that you can then run them at slightly lower pressure. 35 mm's is a good place to start, if you are thinking 700C/622 - A frame that allows clearance and larger volume tires is best, all other things being equal - Treaded tires with short knobs (what I usually refer to as knibblies) are helpful. Until the point when they aren't. By then, you are running. Unless it's a downhill, off-camber turn in the mud or soaked grass, at which point you're in slide-for-life mode. - Brakes, unless you are really fast, aren't important. Ok. Maybe they're important. But, they aren't _important_ important. I mean, I've never done a cross race where I was thinking, gee, I wish I could slow down... - Kickstand plates are not ideal for muddy, muddy condiions. http://tinyurl.com/cx-hilsen-plate Last year, I decided to use more gears on the course, and so engaged in the C. Xavier Hilsen Project, which is kinda what it sounds like you're considering. Result: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclofiend/3264957936/ The documentation begins here: http://ramblings.cyclofiend.com/?p=281 In terms of 650B, most of the grippy tires I've seen seem to be fairly large volume mtb tires, so that may be a challenge as it sounds like you'll be doing a conversion. Simple is good for gearing. The only problem with singlespeed is a climbing course (like McLaren Park in SF) or extended flat, paved sections. In the former, it's tough to come up with the right gearing setup, in the latter, you tend to be spun out while the multi-geared stomp away. But, cross is best approached with the intent to have fun and enjoy the mishaps. Run what you brung and have a blast! Hope that helps a bit, - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net One Cog - Zero Excuses L/S T-shirt - Now available http://www.cyclofiend.com/stuff Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
on 9/2/09 9:31 PM, David Estes at cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote: Given what you said, would Col de la Vie tires work ok? Seems as long as it wasn't too muddy they would have enough knob to hang on. I ran them in the dirt very successfully, but never racing in mud. They wouldn't be my first choice. It's mostly a question of holding a line in a loose corner, and I like to have a little more tread near the edges. The CdlV's seem a little smooth to me. I like to have the feeling that there's a bit of a bite as the lean angle increases. - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines That which is overdesigned, too highly specific, anticipates outcome; the anticipation of outcome guarantees, if not failure, the absence of grace. William Gibson - All Tomorrow's Parties --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
on 9/2/09 9:35 PM, CycloFiend at cyclofi...@earthlink.net wrote: on 9/2/09 9:31 PM, David Estes at cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote: Given what you said, would Col de la Vie tires work ok? Seems as long as it wasn't too muddy they would have enough knob to hang on. I ran them in the dirt very successfully, but never racing in mud. They wouldn't be my first choice. It's mostly a question of holding a line in a loose corner, and I like to have a little more tread near the edges. The CdlV's seem a little smooth to me. I like to have the feeling that there's a bit of a bite as the lean angle increases. Just to clarify - I definitely use the Jack Brown (Greens) on all kinds of trail conditions for general riding. I just wouldn't try to race cross on them. - J -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Your Photos are needed! - http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines I thought the idea was to waste the rest of our lives together.. -- Cyril, Breaking Away --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 9:22 PM, CycloFiend cyclofi...@earthlink.net wrote: In terms of 650B, most of the grippy tires I've seen seem to be fairly large volume mtb tires, so that may be a challenge as it sounds like you'll be doing a conversion. Simple is good for gearing. The only problem with singlespeed is a climbing course (like McLaren Park in SF) or extended flat, paved sections. In the former, it's tough to come up with the right gearing setup, in the latter, you tend to be spun out while the multi-geared stomp away. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ Given what you said, would Col de la Vie tires work ok? Seems as long as it wasn't too muddy they would have enough knob to hang on. I ran them in the dirt very successfully, but never racing in mud. -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym. ~Bill Nye, scientist guy --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[RBW] Re: Converting Riv road for cyclocross
On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 9:35 PM, CycloFiend cyclofi...@earthlink.net wrote: on 9/2/09 9:31 PM, David Estes at cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote: Given what you said, would Col de la Vie tires work ok? Seems as long as it wasn't too muddy they would have enough knob to hang on. I ran them in the dirt very successfully, but never racing in mud. They wouldn't be my first choice. It's mostly a question of holding a line in a loose corner, and I like to have a little more tread near the edges. The CdlV's seem a little smooth to me. I like to have the feeling that there's a bit of a bite as the lean angle increases. - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net -~--~~~~--~~--~--~--- Well shucks, I'm out of ideas. -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym. ~Bill Nye, scientist guy --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
