Brakes and gears
Brakes and gears
Due to the varied terrain and steep inclines, a wide range of gears is essential, with double chainrings with 36 and 46 teeth standard.
That said, turn up at any ‘cross race and you’ll see a variety of setups, depending on the course. Expect to see a wide-ranging cassette, although many riders tend to shoulder the bike and run up steep climbs in races, rather than push an uncomfortable gear.
Chainset aside, there isn’t a specific cyclo-cross groupset so expect to find derailleurs and shifters from a standard road setup. Some cyclo-cross bikes also have bar-top brakes for more control, though these are increasingly ‘unfashionable’.
The UCI relaxed its rules to allow the use of disc brakes in cyclo-cross races ahead of the 2010/11 season, but many elite racers still prefer cantilever brakes as, when set up correctly, they still offer powerful braking and are typically lighter than discs.
Disc brakes, however, offer improved modulation and are more reliable performance in tricky conditions – ideal for amateurs. Most disc-equipped ‘cross bikes are cable operated, though the launch of SRAM and Shimano’s setups has seen a trickle of high-end machines appear with hydraulic discs, including the Ridley X-Night Disc we spotted at Eurobike.
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