Fixed Cross: A Ride Review

• Five Tatitos rolled out to Palos Sunday morning for a few hours of trail riding on cyclocross bikes. As luck would have it, the five all happened to show up with matching RAL 2011 custom steel cross bikes -- though in various flavors. L has a SRAM Force + carbon fork setup, probably the raciest of the bunch. M rides with Ultegra 9 speed and a black straight leg steel fork. D was experimenting with a 39x11/23T Campagnolo Chorus drivetrain. And JW had good a hodge podge of Rival, Force, and Sora?!

  I decided to run a 34T SRAM Red crank mated to a 15T Euroasia cog: fixed without brakes. With a supple steel frame and such a low ratio, what could possibly go wrong?

  What could go wrong is instead of sticking to the relatively non-technical double track surrounding Bullfrog Lake, our fearless (and experienced) guide decided to take us deep into some luscious single track, complete with drop-offs, hairpin turns, and plenty of logs-in-the-path goodness. And did I mention that we were all running super narrow, low volume Schwalbe CX Pro tires?

  From the outset, L and D were having no problems at all: ripping it up regardless of the terrain. JW was busy crashing every ten minutes, and M was new to the whole cyclocross-cum-mountain bike thing, so he was riding cautiously. I was especially terrified, given my bikes's steep-for-cross angles and lack of stopping power. But soon I got into a nice rhythm of skidding around corners and side skipping down steep descents. I should say that even under normal circumstances, riding single track on a cyclocross bike is not for the faint of heart... but riding these same trails on a brakeless fixed gear is absolutely not recommended those who value their front teeth or fully functioning wrists.

  The gearing turned out to be ideal. I never really was gapped by the faster riders, and was able to muscle up all but the most ridiculous climbs. At 8kgs, the bike is by no means a feather weight, but by offroad standards, it is at least bantam, and was a snap to shoulder when dismounting over large obstacles. As for the smaller obstacles, such as <20cm diameter logs, the bike is easy enough to ease over without too much trouble. One advantage of running a tiny, single ring is that it never once caught. That said, I do think mastering fixed bunny hops would make this style of riding slightly more enjoyable.

  My largest worry heading into the ride had to do with the handlebars. I'm running some fairly ridiculous custom powdercoated flat section 3T Ergonova drops, which were both unfamiliar and unwrapped. The cockpit would already be slippery without hoods to grasp, and the untaped bars would require fairly grippy gloves. Unable to locate my CRAFT Tempests, I slid on a pair of toasty Siberians, which maintained a solid connection thanks to their rubberized palms.

  The mountain bikers at Palos couldn't seem to make heads nor tails of our little orange crew. Most thought we were running road bikes, and therefore imagined us to be loony toons, or dumb, or both. But even those who recognized our bikes as the cross variety shuddered at the idea of hitting these trails on unsuspended rigs. A small minority was outright dismissive and rude, suggesting in no uncertain terms that we were, in fact, riding the *wrong* bikes. But, you know, I'm really not into fighting these culture wars, because I know I'll never win. Even if I do roll out one day on a 6-inch-travel dual suspension thingamajig, I'll still be lacking the baggy cargo shorts, the two gallon Camelback, the tribal tattoos, the Dave Matthews CDs, and the helmet visor. But it's OK, really it is.

  • TATI fixed cross frameset, double butted steel, RAL 2011 with glitter
  • Tange lugged crown fork, RAL 2011 with glitter
  • Soma Ensho, RAL 2011 saddle with glitter
  • Tange stem 90mm, RAL 2011 with glitter
  • 3T Ergonova bars 40cm, RAL 2011 with glitter
  • Minoura bottle cage, RAL 2011
  • Tange threadless headset
  • SRAM Red BB + cranks, 170mm x 34T
  • TIME Allium ATAC pedals
  • Schwalbe CX Pro tires
  • Wheels are temporary: just wait!
  • Euroasia 15T stainless steel cog + lockring
  • Tange carbon seatpost