Tim, at the cross race I was out last weekend, three guys were racing fat bikes. http://tinyurl.com/kmfmxwb The heavy bike excuse doesn't cut it!!! :-)
On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 9:23 AM, Tim Gavin <tim.ga...@littlevillagemag.com> wrote: > Jan- > > I appreciate cyclocross, but don't participate. I think it reflects my > attitude about racing, which is shared by many in the list. I'm an > unracer. I'm not competitive and prefer to have fun in a group instead of > compete with them. > > Cyclocross is intimidating. I appreciate that it's less so than other > bike racing, but it's still an intimidating atmosphere. > > Cyclocross racing is still difficult to get into. The courses are > temporary and generally not open for practice. The bikes are specific > (though at least versatile for other types of riding). > > Cyclocross is expensive. Travel and entry fees add up. > > > That said, I think cyclocross is super cool. I've attended the Jingle > Cross (which is local for me) and had a good time watching people get dirty > and have fun. > > I've considered trying out the Amateur race, but I lack: > 1) practice on actual cyclocross courses. I'd rather ride with friends > than train for cross. None of my friends race cross, so I'd have to ride > solo or find new friends. > 2) a good, rule compliant bike. I have 5 bikes that cover all my riding > needs, but none of them would be very suitable. > - Gofast? No, 700x25 max. > - Riv Road? No, too low of BB, sidepulls, too heavy. 700x25 max or > 650x38 (no cross tires in that size). > - Schwinn KOM? Way too heavy at 35#, but otherwise would work. > - Fat bike? Heavy, slow. > - 26er MTB? Too slow. > 3) fitness. I'm 220# and can ride fast all day, but the strain of racing > is a whole other level. > > I'm not into racing, so I'm not driven to train to compete. Based on the > folks I see at Jingle Cross, it seems like cross racing is goof-off racing > for racers, not racing for goof-offs. I'm glad those racers can have fun! > > My challenges with Cyclocross are kind of a chicken-and-egg thing. I.e., > I'd have cross friends and bike if I raced cross; but I don't, so I don't. > The race crowd here is as unapproachable as anywhere. > > A country bike ramble is more up my alley. Like many on the list, I'm not > a racer. > > Cheers, > Tim > > On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 10:56 AM, Jan Heine <hein...@earthlink.net> wrote: > >> Just a heads-up for our little contest - guess how much mud my 'cross >> bike hauled around at the end of last weekend's race. The best guess wins a >> 1-year subscription to *Bicycle Quarterly*. >> >> I haven't seen much discussion of cyclocross here, even though it seems >> like it would appeal to many here - it's fun and exhilarating, and compared >> to any other forms of racing, there is little or no pressure or >> snobbish-ness. I've been racing my Alan - friction shifting, bar-ends, >> lugged frame - and everybody seems to love the classic bike. More about the >> bike and contest here: >> >> http://janheine.wordpress.com/2014/11/14/why-i-love-cyclocross/ >> >> Jan Heine >> Editor >> Bicycle Quarterly >> www.bikequarterly.com >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Cheers, David Member, Supreme Council of Cyberspace "it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
