James Booth, Specialized UK

Naturally, the rise in popularity of ‘cross has had an effect on sales too. And as suggested by Morvelo’s Oli Pepper, it is not just out-and-out racers looking to snap them up too. The introduction of disc brakes to ‘cross bikes has made them more accessible as a bike for commuting too, especially for those with the option of heading off road. James Booth of Specialized UK, the brand behind the frameset for RCUK’s ‘cross bike build – certainly believes this is the case with their machines too.

He said: “It seems that ‘cross bikes sales in the UK have grown and grown, and at a rapid rate.

“The race scene as well has been growing and now it’s fairly normal to have over 100 people competing at a local league race on any given weekend.

“So I’d say a fair number of the bikes we are selling are being raced, but you definitely see a number of them being used to commute on especially since disc brakes have been fitted. You also get riders out on the weekend mixing up their training rides with some road and off-road riding too.”