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Rumor has it Specialized is unveiling a true Cyclocross line for 2011.  Most impressive is the base model seen here:


I've heard differing reports on the MSRP, $1400-$1800 is the range I've seen.  I'm getting one.  Now if they'd just ditch those crappy stock tires and route the cables somewhere other than the most mud-prone part of the bike...

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I dunno where the zertz is but if someone could tell me I'd like to remove it!

The DA wheels are gorgeous, amazingly stiff and fast rolling, but I think the tubeless aspect is largely pointless for 'cross after playing around with them -- even with rim strips they burp just as easily as my easton ea 90slx wheels built up with the same rim strips and are no lighter. This week I'm gluing up a set of Mavic SSC SL tubulars w/ Tufo Cubus for the mud, which apparently will be omnipresent this fall in Portland ...

The levers, RD and cranks are DA 7800. FD is 6700 Ultegra, which works great with the 7800 levers, even better than my old 7800 FD, which I couldn't use b/c it was clamp on.

Had never heard of Microshift until now ... but I love DA 7800 and hope my shifters hold up for years.

Haven't raced it yet but based on a couple "scrimmage" cross sessions with friends, fireroad rides and a few road rides, I really like it. Zero flex in the BB, more aggressive geometry than my '03 Jake the Snake but not twitchy, and the cable routing is super easy to dial in. The braking, with CR720's (salmon kool stops) is VERY crisp and has more power than I ever got going on the Jake. The fork is super solid, with zero chatter ... I've used the crown mounted cable stop since I first strapped a Project II on my Kona Hot in '95 and it's the only way to go.
I thought would have been to odd to mix Microshift with DA. The hoods looked bigger in that pic for some reason. Not good to hear about the tubeless though. Think its more the tire the wheel or just the concept overall? I've been waiting for quite a while for a set of
Stans Alpha 340/ DT Swiss 240 wheels and now that the rims are finally back in stock the guys at Fairwheel are going to Interbike so its going to be a while longer. There have been some major problems with the new Hutch tires but I'm starting to wonder if just a bad idea for cross? It works so well in 26" and 29" but there must be a reason why Conti and Michelin and others make multiple tubeless tires for mtb but none in 700c....
I didn't love the Hutchinsons. I just put a set of Vittoria VG Pros on the Eastons tubeless. At 30 psi it is very difficult to yank a burp out of them with 2 hands, and fairly difficult at 25 psi -- I think the Vittorias are tighter on the wheel than the Hutchinsons and have a more supple casing.

I believe the Alpha 340s will be the best cyclocross tubeless setup available, but I think they are priced high and I need to know they will hold the bead at 25 psi before I fork over the high dollars Stan is charging.

That being said, I've been running Stan's wheels on my SS (Arch 29 +26) for 2 years and my Blur (Race 7000) for over a year and they have been flawless. On the Blur I ran Conti Race King Supersonics for XC/Marathon racing as low as 22 psi and never burped the tires. The tires would roll over if I came off a jump too hard but otherwise have been flawless.
Your bike looks great.. I am curious how well the front brake hanger works.. I experience slight chatter from my Tricross when hard braking on road rides. Debating getting one.
No chatter yet, but I suppose it's possible. For cantilevers I think it's the best setup out there, although nothing is better than calipers on the road bikes.
I had every intention of buying this bike but a good friend once told me never to buy a bike without rack eyelets... Never know what will happen with a bike in retirement. Guess I'll just stick with the old Singlecross...
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