LoserCross

The October 3 date of my first cyclocross race - my first race, period - is fast approaching, so I'm quickly slapping a bike together out of some parts I have available.

Next year I'll probably build a "real" 'cross bike, but currently I am not in the position to buy a new bike, so I’ll make do with what I’ve got and can afford.

So for now, I've got a 1975 Motobecane Mirage frame/fork that I'm building up as a geared (42-32x13-28) 27-inch CX bike.

The Motobecane, which a friend found for me at a garage sale for $25, looks like the yellow bike in the photograph, but with a smaller frame. Everything that was on the bike when I got it has been removed, except for the headset. I’ve cleaned and greased the bearings and assembly, and everything seems to be rolling smoothly, so I’m not going to worry about replacing the headset at the moment.

I'm using a triple crank I had on hand, removing the 52-tooth chainring and replacing it with a 42-tooth chainring guard. Looking around, I was surprised to find how expensive most of these guards are. Since I'll be riding a 35 year old steel bike, I don't think a carbon chainring guard is going to do much for me in terms of weight reduction.

Happily, I stumbled upon BBG, a small company in Oregon that makes inexpensive guards specifically for cyclocross.

At only $18 shipped, I figured it was worth a try. I'll let you know what I think  after I've received the guard and put a few miles on it.

As for the rest of the bike, here's what I've scraped together so far, most of which is not actually on the bicycle yet:

Bottom Bracket: Pyramid 68mm square taper “threadless”
The bike came with a (very heavy) cottered crank and loose bearing bottom bracket. I think a sealed cartridge bottom bracket is a better choice in the sandy and muddy conditions in which I’ll be riding this bike, but unfortunately the bike’s bottom bracket is Swiss-threaded, which aside from some very expensive options, is extremely difficult t0 find. Instead, I’ve decided to go with a threadless bottom bracket, which is described by the manufacturer as design for use “in stripped out BB shells.” Obsolete threads are effectively stripped, right?

Honestly, I’m not sure how these things work, and any speculative thought sort of scares me, but what’s the worst that could happen? Yes, I took the easy/cheap way out, and that was probably a mistake. So, if my crank falls off and I am subsequently trampled at the barriers, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Handlebars: Nitto Randonneur 45cm
I love these bars. I’ve also got them on my touring bike. They’re light, comfortable, and the narrow ramps and flared drops both allow excellent control. That is, if I was able to provide excellent control, these bars would allow it. Or something...

Brake Levers: Tektro R100
I have Tektro R200 brake levers on 3 or 4 bikes, and they’ve never done me wrong. I decided to go with the smaller reach R100s for this bike since I expect to be doing a good deal more braking than on the road, and want to have the best access to the brakes I can get. Also, a small sticker attached to them reads "Designed Specifically for Women." So, yeah - Lady Levers.

Brakes: Tektro 984
These are BMX caliper brakes that I selected to replace the existing center-pulls because of the ridiculous amount of clearance and reach they offer, and because they were only about $9 each. Replaced the pads with some that cost more than the calipers themselves.

Update: While giving full consideration to the maximum reach of these brakes, I neglected to consider the minimum reach. Unfortunately, the Tektro 984's minimum reach is a few millimeters too long for the 27" wheels, so I'll be using a set of centerpull calipers I have on hand. I think these brakes actually look better on the bike, and the offer a great deal of clearance, so I think they should work fine, but I'll have to test them in the mud and sand to be sure.

Derailleurs: Tiagra
Nothing special here. Tiagra components have generally held up well enough for my purposes, and I happened thave some extras on hand. The rear derailleur required an “adapter claw” as the frame has semi-horizontal dropouts and no derailleur hanger. And Tiagra is very close to tiara, so these should go well with my lady levers.

Wheels: 1980s Araya 27-inchers
I had these alloy Araya’s hanging in the garage – probably pulled from another sad old salvaged 12 speed. These wheels will probably be one of the first things I’ll upgrade on this bike, but compared with the stock wheels on the Motobecane, they are quite lightweight, and good enough for now. Does calling them "27-inchers" make them sound cool? How about 27ers? I didn't think so.

Tires: Club Roost Cross Terra
These are the only 27-inch cyclocross-ish tires I could find. “Aggressive cross/hybrid tire at a great price. Perfect for cyclocross bikes or commuters that see action on the dirt. The inverted lugs disperse water, mud, and sand.” Good enough for me. But what about tears?

By next week I'll have hopefully get the bike together enough to take some photos, so instead of laughing at the sad collection of components individually, you can laugh at the sad bike in it's complete form.

In the meantime, I've got some "training" to do, so I'm off to run around with my bike, trying to jump over things. Maybe I'll even see some "action" in the dirt.

Update: This project is on hold for the time being, as the season is underway and I'm currently riding my converted touring bike. I'll get back into this over the winter, and will provide updates and photos as I progress. If you are working on or riding a similar bike, drop me a line. I'd love to see what you've got and hear about your experiences.