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Handmade Cyclocross Bike: James' Wilkins

A retro rig, I like it.

I bought this old "Brian Wilkins" Reynolds 531 tourer second-hand nearly two years ago with the idea of doing it up into some sort of all-purpose, early '70s-style, mean machine: not a pure cyclocross bike as such, but more like one than anything else. I started the upgrade / part-replacement at the start of 2009 and finished in the summer - and I have enjoyed taking inspiration from your website throughout the process... Thanks P.O.L.!

I have tried to keep to vintage parts by-and-large, but without getting too hung up about it and without spending too much money.

SPEC.
Frame: Brian Wilkins, London circa 1973 vintage. Cantilever mounts added - 2008. Resprayed - 2009.
Wheels: Mavic Open Pro (new)
Tyres: Normally Specialized Borough 32s (for daily commute). Here race-ready Schwalbe CX Pro 32s.
Brakes: Shimano Altus (I think - new)
Levers: Weinmann (original with NOS e-bay hoods)
Saddle: Iscaselle Tornado (NOS e-bay)
Seatpost: Kalloy (NOS e-bay)
Handlebars / Stem: Cinelli Campione del Mundo / Cinelli (both NOS)
Rear derailleur: Shimano 600 (NOS e-bay)
Gear levers: ditto but with Arabesque styling (NOS e-bay)
Front derailleur: Suntour Superbe Pro (NOS e-bay)
Cranks & Chainset: Sakae SR (original)

Weight: unknown but around 21lb? Total cost including re-spraying approx GB £700. I take part in my first cyclocross race tomorrow ("Muddy Hell" at the 'cross track around Herne Hill Velodrome, London, UK). It's in the dark and the course goes through the beer tent... Hopefully the forecast rain will have stopped by the evening!

Thanks again. Hope you like the photos - and keep up the good work!

Regards,
James W.
London, UK

Handmade Cyclocross Bike: Ross' Speedvagen

Vanilla Speedvagen 2009
Oval concepts Bars 44 c-c

Syntace F139 stem

IRD cable hangar

Chris King headset

Fizik Arione saddle

Paul neo-retro front, touring canti rear

10 spd Campy Centaur groupo w/ Parlee front derailleur clamp

Campy record chain and BB cups

39t campy record inner chainring, 46t TA outer chainring

Shimano M970 pedals

Campy record hubs laced to mavic ceramic open pro clincher rims, Challenge Grifo XS tires
The cassette is a 13-29 that I turned into a 12-26, but since the pic has been taken I have gone back to the 13-29.

19.5 lbs as pictured

Handmade Cyclocross Bike: Jeremy's Skagen

Here's a bike submission for your Handmade CX gallery.

It's handmade by my good friend and co-worker, Larry Skagen up in the land of the frozen tundra, Fargo, North Dakota. He's been building bicycle frames for a number of years, mostly as a hobby. This is only his second lugged frame - fillet brazing is his specialty. We have a Quint that he built over one of the winters here hanging in our shop at the Great Northern Bicycle Company.

The tubing is 953 Reynolds with stainless lugs from Llewellyn. The rear stays were left polished, as were the lugs, but I wanted the frame and fork to look uniform, so I painted the main triangle. She ain't the lightest, but boy, ain't she pretty.

Alpha Q forkChris King headset
Campy Centaur shiftersDeda Newton shallow barsBrooks tape
Thomson X2 stemDt Swiss 240 hubs laced to Mavic Reflex tubular rimsPaul Neo Retro brakes front, Touring cantis rear (high polish finish)Campy Centaur Crank/BB, BBG bashguard, 40t Surly SS ringXTR pedalsThomson Masterpiece seatpostSpecialized Phenom SL saddleCampy Centaur R/DCampy Centaur 13-29 cassetteChallenge Grifo XS 34mm tubulars (also a set of Fangos glued to identical wheels)
19.5 lbs.

Reader Question: 1x9 dual bash guard setup

Does anyone have an answer to this +1lap reader's question?

Hello. First off let me say I really like your website. Now I have a question. I have a stock Truvativ Touro 50/36 compact crankset with a 68x108mm BB and a 45.5mm chain line (?). And a 12-26T 9-speed cassette. I'm leaning towards a 40T chainring.

I'm trying to get the straightest chain line for this setup. Should I get a 68x107mm and run the chain ring on the outside (I'm adding 2 bash guards) or get the 68x113mm and run the chain ring on the inside?

Also, assuming I'll need chain ring bolts for a triple crankset, what size spacers? I'll be getting 2 42T BBG Super lights. Do people normally get bash guards 2T bigger? Obviously this is all new to me. I bought a 54cm Moto' Fantom CX for my introduction to cyclo-cross. Thanks for your time and expertise.

Lightweight Cross Bike: Brandon's Salsa

This is my 44cm 2008 Salsa Chili Con Crosso custom cross build. I attempted to build the lightest possible bike that my budget would allow. Many parts I had previously on my Ridley and just swapped them over to this cross project. Once the bike was complete the project weighed in at 16.36 pounds. I could take some weight off, putting this bike into the 15-pound weight class by switching out the Shimano Ultegra Cranks and changing the ZIPP clinchers to a tubular set.

Cross Bike Setup:

Salsa Chili Con Crosso Frame Set		$1,350
Cane Creek 110 Headset		$162
Campagnolo Record Derailleur		$550
Campagnolo Record Right Brake/Shift Lever		$290
Campagnolo Record 10 Speed Cassette		$550
Salsa Titanium Skewers		$76
Salsa Seat Clamp		$20
Ritchey WCS Handlebar		$90
Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Stem		$98
Shimano Left Brake R400 Lever		$44
Campagnolo Record 10 Speed Chain		$90
TRP Eurox Carbon Cantilever Brakes		300
ZIPP 404 Clinchers		$2,098
Fizi:k Arione Saddle		$140
USE Alien Carbon Seat Post		$160
Kenda Small Block 8 Tires		$88
Handle Bar Tap		$15
Shimano Ultegra Cranks		$240
Shimano BB		$55
Crank Brothers Candy SL		$120
FSA Cyclocross Carbon Fiber Chainguard		$95
3rd Eye Chain Watcher Chain Deflector		$10
Cables and Housing		$20

Total: $6,661.00

Special thanks to the guys at NRC in Kyle, Texas for helping me get the project race ready!

Thanks,
Brandon

Guess the sale price

Retro celeste Bianchi Axis cyclocross bike with SunTour components on eBay. What's your guess on the final price?

Mine is $337

Link: Celeste Bianchi Axis

It sold for $406.

Lightweight Cyclocross Bike: Neal's Voodoo

Hi there,

I've been looking at your blog for a bit now after being introduced via a friend, and thought I'd share my first 'cross bike with you.

Frame: Voodoo Limba scandium 52cm

Fork: Generic carbon (looks a lot like a Winwood)

Headset: Crank Bros. Cobalt

Shifters: SRAM Rival

Crankset/BB: SRAM Rival with 38/46 rings

Derailleurs: SRAM Rival

Brakes: TRP EuroX Carbon Adjust

Stem: Thomson X2 Road

Bars: FSA K-Force carbon

Seatpost: FSA SL-K 27.2

Saddle: Selle Italia Flite TT
Pedals: Crank Bros. Eggbeater SL's

Rims: Taiwanese 58mm carbon tubular

Hubs: White Industries H2 (24 rear, 20 front)

Spokes: Sapim CX-Rays in black

Tires: NOS Clement 27mm tubulars

Chain: KMC X10SL with that lovely, and dorky, gold finish

Bar tape: Stella Azzurra chrome tape (heavy and a huge PITA)

All told weighs in at 17lbs 14oz, or just hovering around 8.1 kilos. Future replacements (the fork will be the first thing replaced) will definitely make it lighter. Thanks!

-Neal

Orbit CX Headset for $21.27

Found this on sale for $21.27 and thought I'd post it up. In general, Niagara Cycles is a great online bike store with very good prices.

Lightweight Cyclocross Bike: Moshe's Serotta

All the bikes in this gallery are cool, but this one is very cool, take a look:

So here's my new rig, freshly built about 2 weeks ago. Honestly, I did not have "too many" weight restrictions in mind while building this, however they were always lingering around, like any other bike nerd. Also, when it came time to weigh in, I was pleased to see the results of 18 lbs. (flickering between a tenth), so I could contribute to this site without any scrutiny. Anyways, this is my second cross bike, first was an carbon/Al Alan, and the Serrota Legend just has no comparison. I hope I don't get bashed for have flats on bike, I come from a long history of mt. bike racing. I must say, I prefer it better.

Parts go as follow:

Frame: 56cm Serrota Legend Ti

Fork: Serrota steel

Headset: Chris King 1 1/8"

Stem: Titec Ti

Bar: Titec Ti flat

Brake Lever: NOS Kooka Rancha Canti

Grip: Titec Hellcat

Seat Post: Campy Record Ti

Seat: Selle Italia (striped)

Brakes: Paul Canti (f) Touring (r)

Crankset: Race Face turbine

Rear Derr: XT 9spd

Shift: XT 9 spd

Cass.: XT 9spd

Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium SL

Tires: Vittoria Cross XN Pro

Chain: SRAM PC-??

Bottle cage: King

The bike is rad. Between riding through the streets of San Francisco and crossing the bridge into Marin County; this bike performs phenomenally.

Cyclocross 1965

This is an awesome website for vintage bikes, but take a look at this 1965 cyclocross race machine.

LINK

Lighten up: Bolt on skewers

So, funds are low? Economy in the toilet? Grab a set of bolt on skewers to drop some weight off your rig. Riding around they are very secure, probably more so than quick releases. Also, unless you have a set of spare wheels in the pit, it doesnt really matter anyway----race them.

Steel shaft bolt ons are cheap. And only weigh 66 grams (about half the weight of Dura Ace skewers) pictured above.

And titanium shafted ones are around 45 grams (for twice the price).

Lastly, search the + 1 lap archives. Cheap weight tips are a plenty.

VeloResto

Because Plus One Lap is all things cyclocross, I began another blog called Velo Resto. There I'll post what I'm currently up to regarding restoring and refurbishing bicycles that aren't CX related.

http://veloresto.blogspot.com/

Lightweight Cyclocross Bike: Ali's Ridley

Ali sent in his Ridley which he calls "light-ish". Ali, any cross bike under 16 pounds is just plain light in my book even if it is small. Nice rig.

"I just switched my drive train to Sram Rival from Ultegra/DA mix, the bikes weight dropped to 15.82. Almost .5 of a pound, it was somewhere over 16lbs with the Shimano. 34c mud tire setup brings weight to 15.85lbs.

Frame- Ridley X-Fire 48cm
Fork- X-fire
Wheels- Easton EC-90 Aero carbon tubulars
Tires-Challenge Grifo XS 32c/optionalGrifo32/Fango34
Sealant- Stan's
Cranks- Easton EC-90/ 42 RotorRing, Carbon chain gaurd sandwich (FSA)
BB- Easton ceramic bearings
Bar- Easton EC-90 SLX Equipe
Stem- Easton EA-90 90mm
Seatpost- Easton EA-70
Pedals- Crank Brothers Candy 4-ti
Brakes- 4ZA Canti/ Jagwire cross canti post/FSA carbon pads
Shifters- Sram Force/ left shifter gutted
Front Der.- NA- single ring setup
Rear Der.- Sram force
Chain- Sram 10spd hollow pin (red level?)
Saddle- SLR"

Homemade Tensioner

I made this chain tensioner awhile back. It worked great on smooth roads but not so hot on rough trails (maybe it needed a design tweak?) The reason I just didnt shorten the chain was I liked to switch cogs based on race terrain and conditions.

Took some flat aluminum, drilled some holes as shown below. Then stole a derailleurs wheel and screwed that onto the plate. The trick is to bend the plate the right amount.