10 September 2008 - 17:47Bike 29 goes CX!

With fall upon us, lots of folks are trading in their mountain bikes for cross bikes. Despite the fact that this can be the very best time to be in the woods on your 29er, no bugs, cool crisp air, night rides, etc. But some folks choose to suffer well into the winter. Some of these folks will even ride through mud, snow and ice.

We can relate. Sometimes you just have to ride, and sometimes you just gotta be faster than the guy next to you. This is called “Cyclocross Racing”. There are some in our little circle that get off on this, but we all know its really another way to have yet another cool bike.

The coolest thing about ‘cross bikes, is that they can be very versatile. In central VT, 90% of the roads are dirt, the other 10% are either I-89, crowded with cars, or may as well be dirt because they are in such poor shape. You can really see a lot of the secret VT beauty on a “road” ride, where a 23c tire wouldn’t necessarily be the wisest choice. Our dirt roads crisscross the area and take you into some really beautiful hidden pockets of the state. But, you could always drop a smooth road tire on there if you were planning on being on pavement, whereas a road bike may have trouble fitting anything larger than a 28c tire.

And how about winter riding? Smooth tires are not so good, but knobbies get the job done. And with the frame clearance for mud, ice or snow, you can get where you are going.

Commuting is a very viable option for these bikes as well, with their less aggressive geometry and capacity for larger tires (more volume, more comfy!), and quite a few manufacturers build rack mounting points right onto the frames.

How’s that for options?

Here at Bike 29, we sell what we like, we sell what works, and we know everything about what we sell. I’m proud to say that it helps set us apart from other “me too” outlets of bikes and it’s related paraphernalia. I’m also proud to say, that we like ‘cross bikes just as much as we like 29ers, and we are finally in a position to help others with the same mind frame. 

So without too much more prattling on, I’m pleased to announce Bike CX. It’s everything you’d expect from Bike 29, but with emphasis on ‘cross bikes. Look for some cutting edge tinkering this fall on the Bike CX Blog!

Keep in mind, the site is still under construction, so things will be added or changed as soon as we can get to them. Feel free to contact us with comments and/or suggestions.