First CX Bike

Rims - Zipp 440 tubulars

Tires - Grifo 32mm

Components - 9sp Durace, 10 speed is not strong enough if you are not a pro getting equipment for free.

All good stuff if you can afford it. It is not necessary though. You can use any road equipment. It all stands up well.

The biggest rule of thumb is don't use anything you can't afford to replace.

Big with the pros is the SRAM. I noticed alot of the RED components in Rhode Island.

My build was based on the following assumptions:

1. It is cross- you will crash and break things so nothing stupid expensive and nothing really fragile.
2. The components that somehow survive the crashes will still have a short life due to the mud. Again nothing stupid expensive and things like hubs should be easy to service and or replace.
3. When racing back to back days I want to be able to fix something between Saturday and Sunday if need be – which means nothing exotic / hard to find unless I can afford a spare.

When you put it all together I want a simple reliable bike – which is what I mostly have. So ignoring a couple of things that have broken due to my ineptitude - I have three seasons (one racing in Oregon mud) on the following set-up.

Drive train- 105 with an Ultegra rear derailleur. This has been almost completely trouble free. On one or two occasions the front derailleur has given me trouble but basically it always works no questions asked. This is after at least few hard crashes a year that for me always seem to include landing on the shifters.

Wheels – Ultegra hubs with 32 spoke Open-Pro rims. This is real old school and I am certainly ready for tubulars. But that said this is a reasonably light, very durable, very easy to service set-up. Plus if / when you do manage to trash them you can always find parts that day. Finally, I have done some pretty dumb things to these wheels and they almost always make it to the finish. With 32 spokes you can break one and usually still finish without changing the wheel.

The fork was my one indulgence. I have an Easton carbon fork that is pure weight weenie but so far has been trouble free – and it rides like the steel Kona P2 it replaced. The Gunnar is steel so it will never be a really light bike – but if you are looking for a big weight reduction the fork might be the place to look.

One of the best advises I got was to buy a tubular wheelset. I have a 32 spoke mavic reflex's with DA hubs.

As for the rest I completely agree with Mark. Unless you are independently wealthy go with widely available parts in the mid price range (105/ultegra). Older 9 or even 8 speed are still great for cross.

This year I also switched to a single ring setup. I think it is great for all the courses in Ontario and makes the bike maintenance a bit easier too.