On Test: Hayes CX-5 Mechanical Disc Brake Calipers

With the approach of cyclocross and disc brakes making their way to market, I started looking for options.  I'm not sure I'm ready to go to one of the converters on the market like the Hope V-Twin or TRP Parabox, maybe sometime soon, but not yet.

The Avid BB7 road and BB5 road are both fine, they really do their job well.  But they've been around for quite some time and have gone (mostly) without a challenger.  At the North American Handmade Bicycle Show this year, Independent Fabrication came in with a Ti Factory Lightweight disc cyclocross bike to show sporting the Hayes CX-5 mated to Shimano levers.

Mounting up the CX-5 was only slightly more difficult than the BB7, which is to say pretty darn easy.  Since you can adjust cable tension with the barrel adjuster as well as pad contact on the back side of the caliper all you really need to do is get them set up close initially and use the brake's own adjustments to dial them in.

Herein lies the major difference in setup between the BB7 and CX-5, the BB7 has a dial that's adjusted by hand where the CX-5 needs a 5mm allen.  Certainly not the end of the world, but I think it's noteworthy.

The first item of note when riding the CX-5 is how smooth they are.  The BB7 almost feels as though it has something dragging on the brake cable versus a Gore Sealed system for the CX-5.  The power isn't better on one than the other once the pads are broken in, so that's a wash.  I also wouldn't say modulation is any better with one than the other since they are both really quite nice.

My personal opinion is that the CX-5 looks a little nicer.  The silver polished finish with etched logos looks great and will match any gruppo well.  I think this brake on a Ti or stainless bike would be exceptional.

The stock BB7 I have in the store weighed in at 165g without hardware, the CX-5 came in at 190g without hardware.  The BB7 uses CPS washers from Avid that the CX-5 doesn't use, but I'd guess the BB7 would still weigh in a hair less.

New Review: 2013 Felt F65x Disc Cyclocross Bike

You heard it here first, disc brakes are awesome for cyclocross.  OK, maybe not FIRST, but I've been pushing for disc since about 2008, but the frame and fork selection was lacking.  Currently components are catching on, but now they're behind the frames.  With many manufacturers rolling out brand new carbon CX frames this year to add to their current aluminum setups, and component manufacturers flashing a glimpse here and there of hydraulic setups, we know this is the way of the future.

For my first full-fledged attempt at disc CX I went with the Felt F65x.  Why?  It's the best thing that's readily available without going custom.  The frame is very similar to the F55x, so I know it'll handle well.  The geometry is dialed for me, so much so that my Independent Fabrication Cross Jester is based on the stock 57cm Felt cross bikes.

There's a lot going on with this build, so I'm going to take this in multiple entries.  First, let's cover the bike, we'll cover the pros and cons of the build next, and later cover the performance advantages and disadvantages.

The F65x isn't the lightest bike I've ever owned, but with alloy clinchers, disc brakes, alloy cockpit, a Quarq, 2012 SRAM Red, bottle cage, computer mount, and set up tubeless this bike still came in under 19lbs.  I assume a carbon equivalent with some light race wheels will come in around 17lbs, give or take.

The stock bike comes with a SRAM Apex/Rival build, Felt CX3R wheels, Avid BB5 brakes, and a nice SRAM S300 BB30 crankset.  The rear is spaced at 135mm, exactly what I think will be the de facto spacing.  The build is solid, and probably better than I would expect for a $1750 bike with such a nice frame.

The stock fork is a super-beefy Felt UHC model which offering some really great stiffness and a better than average ride quality.  Off-road the bike tracks very well, though when overgeared and sprinting on the road I am able to make the rotors rub the pads occasionally.  At some point down the road, I'll be giving the ENVE Disc CX fork a try.

Off the bat I clearly made a number of changes.  The 2012 SRAM Red is probably one of the first things many people will notice.  I'm smitten with it, but you can read my review on it here.  The addition of a Quarq was of course necessary since I'm numbers-driven, but it's a swap from my other bike anyway.  Seatpost became a Thomson because I just flat out trust their work.  The stem is currently a Zipp Service Course SL until a Thomson Elite X2 comes in, and the bars are Zipp SLC2 Short and Shallow which have been with me for 3 years and on countless bikes.

I kept the stock BB5 brakes on board, primarily because I forgot to bring the BB7's in when building the bike.  So far, the performance has been extraordinary.

Now let's talk about the wheel swap.  I wanted to keep this build "reasonable", other than the Quarq and Red of course.  I wanted to come up with a wheelset that can be put onto the stock bike and shed a nice chunk of weight, provide a huge performance benefit, and offer the best tubeless compatibility.  I've been using Stan's wheels since I started in mountain biking and have loved them ever since.  This year I managed to ruin a few sets of rims, but I'm chalking it up to bad luck.  From 2005-2011 I used either the 355 or Crest rim from Stan's with nary an issue.  In 2012 I ruined 5 total rims.  Bad luck or bad product?  I don't know, but since that bad streak I'm back to pure gold with them.

Here's the beauty of the stock Crest wheelset: for $530 you get a 1575g claimed (we've measured them to be far lower, but never higher) wheelset which shaves a full pound from the stock Felt CX3R wheelset.  The Crest internal rim width is 21mm vs the stock wheels roughly 17mm width, which means much better grip from your tires.  If you aren't familiar with why wide rims are better, check here.  The final HUGE bonus?  Tubeless compatibility. 

I'll cover the swap more in an upcoming post, but there is one positive that's coming close to being a negative: the wide rims have turned my Clement Crusade PDX 33 tires into a 37c monster!  The grip is out of this world from a knobby 37c CX tire, but clearance is an issue.  The fork is fine, tons of room.  The rear seatstays are begging a 40c tire, but the clearance around the chainstays is tight with a tire this big.

The driveside chainstay on the F65x with the 33c tires and Crest rims is about 5-7mm or so.  Clearance on the non-driveside chainstay is about 4mm or so.  I'm fine with the clearance on the driveside until it gets really nasty, but it's close on the non-driveside.  Of course, the bike comes stock with 32c tires on standard-width rims and offers ample clearance.  It's not until you really push into a tire that's measuring over 37mm that clearance is even something to look at.

There are a couple of solutions to this:

1. Ride away.  I gave the bike a few hard corners and a number of over-geared road sprints and never got the tire to rub.  The photos make it look slightly worse than it is, but so far it's been fine.
2. Run a 32c tire.  There are plenty out there, but the PDX is a favorite of mine.
3. Stan's probably has the best solution, the Iron Cross wheelset.  Coming in about a mm more narrow, I think that'll offer the breathing room to make me feel just fine about running this wheel/tire combo on this frame.  Plus, the name Iron Cross is just so damned good, you know!?

Tubeless setup with the Clement PDX, though not necessarily endorsed by Clement, was a breeze.  Literally, mount one side of the tire, toss some sealant in, mount the other side, inflate.  It was as fast as installing a tire with a tube.  Now you can run lower pressure without worrying about a pinch-flat, get better traction, and severely reduce the likelihood of a flat.

There you have it.  Disc CX is here and it's awesome.  Review on the performance from the brakes and the wheels are coming soon.  Until then, act now and get a disc CX bike.  Before you know it manufacturers will have tons of wheel options for tubeless and tubular, the brake options will be plenty, and you'll wonder why we didn't make the transition sooner.....damn you UCI!

New Build: ENVE XC 29er Carbon Clincher to American Classic Disc Hubs

Everything from basic 26" mountain wheels, bomber touring wheels, and even the occasional carbon mountain race wheelset, we build our fair share of wheels.  There are pros and cons to building wheels on a regular basis.  On the pro side I get to practice and improve my skills routinely.  On the cos side when it comes to building wheels for myself I usually rush through it to get it done.  I have an attitude when building my own wheels akin to stopping when they are "good enough" rather than done right.

This wheelset, after thinking about the components of it for quite some time, needed to be done right.  I don't build a ton of ENVE rims, but so far every one of them has been a pleasure.  They handle very high spoke tension, are perfectly finished inside and out, and are perfectly straight right out of the box.  To be honest, it's almost like cheating they build so nicely.

The rims came in at 379g and 381g, both under the claimed weight of 385g.  I love when manufacturers can actually be honest with their claimed weights.

Internal nipples aren't my favorite in any wheel, but I've grown to like building with them recently.  They offer a very secure connection between themselves and the nipple wrench which all but eliminates any opportunity for rounding a nipple.

Spokes are Sapim CX-Ray, an industry standard.  They are outrageously expensive, but in my opinion well worth it.  A bladed spoke won't offer any aerodynamic benefit on my XC wheelset, but it does allow me to easily hold the spoke straight while building to prevent any spoke wind-up.

Hubs are American Classic Disc.  This is a controversial choice, but not one made without much deliberation.  I would have preferred DT Swiss hubs, but the 240s front 15QR hub doesn't convert to a standard 9mm QR, and I hope to use these wheels for cyclocross, so I needed a hub that's convertible.  In strong contention were Chris King hubs, which are easily converted, but I had a strong ambition to build these wheels at or below 1400g and the King hubs wouldn't allow that.  Here is where the American Classic hubs shine: they are light, really light, and can be converted from 9mm QR to 15QR Maxle in the front, and many different rear axle configurations.  We have a winner.

Front hub came in at 118g, rear at 234g.  Claimed weights were 116g and 225g, front and rear respectively.

Here's the completed wheelset.  So close to managing the 1400g goal, I finished up at 1410g.  There are lighter wheelsets out there, many even cost less, but what those wheelsets really give up are stiffness.  Super-light alloy wheelsets are great to save weight, but those light rims are flexy and prone to denting (so I have found).

NEW BIKE DAY! Surly Cross-Check Custom

Surly is a brand that's near and dear to us.  Bikes made to do work, flexible in design, reasonably priced, and built with quality.  The complete builds are really a steal, but what makes Surly so special to us is how easily they can be customized.  Buy any model as a complete bike or a frameset to start and go from there.

This particular one only has slight modifications from stock.  A Brooks B17S saddle, matching Brooks leather bar tape, Michelin City 700 x 32c tires, and a 42cm FSA Omega Compact bar make this bike even more city friendly than before while also adding (not a small amount) of comfort for the long rides.

The drivetrain was kept stock, and for good reason.  The bar end shifters are bomb-proof, and everything on the bike was built to last.  Since this bike was built to be ridden, a lot, the stock drivetrain made tons of sense.

The Brooks B17S saddle that was added is so subtle in black, but so absolutely beautiful.  It perfectly compliments everything this bike is about.

The Brooks Leather bar tape was a touch we took upon ourselves.  The tape of course matches the saddle perfectly, but it also adds a nice touch of class to the front of the bike.  It doesn't hurt that it'll also last forever.

There you have it.  Small touches, small changes, and the bike becomes something all it's own.

IF and Alchemy at NAHBS

The North American Handmade Bike Show is one of my favorite times of year.  I wish I could have gone this year, but instead I spent about 72 hours straight on social media following photos being posted of the show.

Now that it's long-since wrapped up, we have a little info to share.  First off, Independent Fabrication came to the show with a killer new SSR Max (which we have scheduled to arrive on Monday), an outrageous single speed townie, an over-the-top Ti Factory Lightweight CX bike with disc brakes, and a pair of sweet mountain bikes.  More info can be found here.

Alchemy came away with a highly-coveted "Best Carbon Bike" award for their custom Carbon Aero Road frame.  Having had one in the shop in the fall, I can attest to the quality of the frame.  The design is beautiful, the quality is stunning.

*Alchemy photo credit to Cog Blog

Clement X'PLOR USH Overview

It's becoming increasingly clear how much our crew enjoys gravel road racing. Being CX-crazy, it shouldn't be a surprise we like this type of racing, but we needed something to keep us rolling in the spring/summer.

Right out of the box I had to weigh them.  I was nervous they'd weigh a ton, but at 438g I'd say they came out ok.  I weighed two different tires, both were within 5g.

Clement must be seeing a lot of this action, which is prompting a couple of new gravel road-specific tires coming soon, the USH being the model we're reviewing here. The USH is labeled as a 700x35c, and measured in at 34.43mm mounted to some Alpha 340 rims, which seems pretty much right on.

The tread is a really solid center section, very similar to a tire we'd sell to someone looking for a beefy city tire. Outside of that, though, is where the tire shows some CX-influence. The shoulder is a pretty gnarly diamond pattern.

From my first couple of rides, I can say these roll quite fast.  They of course aren't as fast as a Corsa CX, but they roll far faster than a Clement LAS.  I have yet to get any hard cornering in on them, but so far cornering on the road has been really confidence inspiring.

I can see a tire like this being excellent for anything from road to limestone to light trail riding.  With it's bigger brother, the MSO going on test as well (keep an eye out for another post) it seems Clement may have hit another homerun.  We'll know more soon.

Please feel free to ask questions on this one.  Clement is looking for feedback from us, and I'm happy to try this out in various conditions you think it may be useful in.

2012 Felt Breed Video

The following video was submitted by a customer who is really enjoying his brand new Felt Breed single speed CX bike.

Thanks for the share!

Anki / FTT from Oyvind Naess on Vimeo.

February Roadie Tire Sale

Now through the end of February, pick up a pair of Continental GP4000s, Vittoria Corsa EVO CX or CS (Open or tubular), or Michelin Pro4's and a pair of Vittoria Latex tubes and get 30% off the bundle.

This just in...

Our very first Felt F65x!  This is Felt's first foray into disc brakes on a CX bike, though we're told just the beginning.

The finish is beautifully done, the matte black/white/silver works really well on this bike.  The frame is alloy and virtually identical to that of the F55x, albeit with a rear disc mount.  Spacing on the rear is a very smart 135mm, so any disc 29er wheels are ready to slot in.

The fork on the other hand is all new for Felt.  It's a near-full-carbon fork, with a carbon steerer, the only alloy being found in the dropouts.  If this is anything like Felt's other forks, expect it to be quite stiff.  It's tapered from 1-1/8" to 1-1/2".

The drivetrain consists of SRAM Apex shifters, Rival derailleurs, a SRAM alloy S300 BB30 crankset with 46/38 chainrings, a SRAM chain and 11-28 cassette.

 

Rounding out the kit are Ashima rotors, a Felt Devox cockpit, and Felt CXR3 wheels.  We're mostly curious how the rotors and wheels will do.  The lightweight rotors are LIGHT, and the wheels are 24 hole laced 2x front and 28h 2x rear.

2013 Ridley Cyclocross

It seems strange to be looking forward to fall of 2012 in the middle of February.  And with this mild winter we've had, you'd think summer would be the only thing on my mind.

After spending the weekend at Frostbike, though, Ridley has firmly placed themselves at the forefront of my cyclocross-based mindset.  Check out a brief overview of the models they have coming to Iron Cycles around July.

DISC!  Yes, disc.  They are coming.  And we'll have them.

2012 Focus Mares CX 3.0

If you've followed the US cyclocross scene this year, you've seen the Rapha/Focus team.  If you watched the National Championship, you saw the Focus Mares pull ahead of all competitors under Jeremy Powers to win the US National Championship.

I raced this identical frame last year, and walked away always impressed with it's unreal handling and stiffness.  This is a German race bike designed by a world-class racer, made in Germany.

BB30, tapered steerer tube, full-carbon fork, it's got everything any racer could need.

This is the "value" version with a Shimano 105 gruppo and Fulcrum CX wheels.  The 3.0 allows the masses to get into the frame that won the 2012 US National Championship.