reviews - Cyclocross Magazine2024-03-28T11:10:33Zhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/forum/categories/1198434:Category:360/listForCategory?categoryId=1198434%3ACategory%3A360&%3Bpage=3&feed=yes&xn_auth=noBont MTB/CX shoes and issues?tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2015-12-16:1198434:Topic:1672992015-12-16T19:56:34.214ZJason Cotterhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/JasonCotter
<p>I will try to keep this as short as passable to not boar you to death. Back in Feb of 2015 I decided to purchase a pair of Bont Vaypor XC shoes. On the fist ride one of the rubber lugs fell off. Then after less then a month of ridding and no more then 500 miles of dirt roads the shoes totally fell apart. The uppers came undone from the souls and my foot would come out the side of both shoes. Side note; generally shoes last me 3 to 4 years. </p>
<p>$310 dollars down the drain. So my…</p>
<p>I will try to keep this as short as passable to not boar you to death. Back in Feb of 2015 I decided to purchase a pair of Bont Vaypor XC shoes. On the fist ride one of the rubber lugs fell off. Then after less then a month of ridding and no more then 500 miles of dirt roads the shoes totally fell apart. The uppers came undone from the souls and my foot would come out the side of both shoes. Side note; generally shoes last me 3 to 4 years. </p>
<p>$310 dollars down the drain. So my local LBS and I started to email Bont Warranty back in April. I did not get any response from them for almost two months. So, I turned to Facebook IM and finally got a response from the CEO of Bont, Steven Nemeth. He apologized for the issue and promised to "personally take care of the issue" and send me a new pair of shoes. That was May 27 and as of Dec 16, 2015 I still do not have shoes!</p>
<p>Every month I send a follow up email and so far all I have heard is one excuse after another from Steven. So far the responses that I have got are, "What, you did not receive the shoes yet?, Those should of been sent a crazy long time ago, I will got to the factory floor and personally pick a pair, the shoes that I picked out of the factory were the wrong size and had a fault on them, Sorry,"</p>
<p>Back in September Steven told me that he was "sorry for the delay" and said that he would also send me a pair of road shoes as an apology. That was almost 4 months ago and nothing. </p>
<p>The frustrating part is the shoes were expensive and fell completely fell apart after a month of riding. I would of been perfectly fine if Bont and Steven would of replaced the defective shoes in a timely manner. But, its been 9 months of promises and all I have to show for it is a pair of un usable $310 wastes of money. I can honestly say that this is the worst purchase and customer service that I have ever had to deal with. </p>
<p>I am looking for Ideas on how to get Bont to actually do the right thing and replace my shoes as promised. </p> Specialized Tracer Pro (2Bliss Ready) thoughts after super sloppy racetag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2014-10-20:1198434:Topic:1592572014-10-20T19:57:28.934ZJeffrey Davishttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/JeffreyDavis
<p>Just thought I'd post a little diddy to let anyone who's curious about the Specialized Tracer Pro 2Bliss (tubeless) tires know how they've been treating me this year. I'm 220 and have them mounted tubeless with 2oz of Stans on Velocity a23 rims.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Both tires mounted up SUPER tight. You better have thumbs of steel or you WILL need tire levers. Of course this is a good thing for a tubeless setup. For the record, I fought Clement PDX's all season with burps last year. Of course…</p>
<p>Just thought I'd post a little diddy to let anyone who's curious about the Specialized Tracer Pro 2Bliss (tubeless) tires know how they've been treating me this year. I'm 220 and have them mounted tubeless with 2oz of Stans on Velocity a23 rims.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Both tires mounted up SUPER tight. You better have thumbs of steel or you WILL need tire levers. Of course this is a good thing for a tubeless setup. For the record, I fought Clement PDX's all season with burps last year. Of course they also mount up on most rims with little more than a gentle breeze.</p>
<p></p>
<p>In training and racing I've settles on 40psi in the rear and 38psi up front. I ride really soft, but most of the races here in middle TN happen on farms and farm ruts (or roots on single track) will kiss the rim under me at less than those pressures. At 38 up front and 40 in the rear I'll still ever so slightly kiss the rim if i catch the top of a barrier when hopping it too.</p>
<p></p>
<p>But of course, that's not what you spend most of the time in a race doing.</p>
<p></p>
<p>SO HERE'S THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION......</p>
<p></p>
<p>How do they do in the mud? Can those small knobs really provide adequate grip as they tout?</p>
<p></p>
<p>In a word, YES! And surprisingly well. Just yesterday I had a race that included 3 mud puddles with standing water deeper than bottom bracket and a 50 yard or so long section of 5-8 inch deep sticky farm mud. I do have a decent amount of technical skill, but I rode past many people who were slipping and falling in the mud. Sure I had a couple of squirms, but no slips. Even better is the tread profile shed the mud VERY quickly once back onto the grass.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I'm really liking how fast they are on the super dry grass. Haven't had them slip once in an off camber section.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Hope this info helps.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p> Marin Cortina Disc in issue #19 - SRAM road with XO rear?tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2013-01-14:1198434:Topic:1382572013-01-14T02:42:16.724ZJ.D. Kimplehttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/JDKimple423
<p>Reading the review of the Marin Cortina had my interest piqued, and then I read it was bult up with SRAM Rival gruppo except for the XO Type 2 rear derailleir.</p>
<p>Why the different rear der.? Are they running a larger cassette (like 11-30)? (Nope, website has a SRAM 1050 11-27 cassette). Soooooo..... ?</p>
<p>Also I thought that MTB stuff had a different pull ratio than the road stuff. This shows that obviously I was under the wrong impression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Reading the review of the Marin Cortina had my interest piqued, and then I read it was bult up with SRAM Rival gruppo except for the XO Type 2 rear derailleir.</p>
<p>Why the different rear der.? Are they running a larger cassette (like 11-30)? (Nope, website has a SRAM 1050 11-27 cassette). Soooooo..... ?</p>
<p>Also I thought that MTB stuff had a different pull ratio than the road stuff. This shows that obviously I was under the wrong impression.</p>
<p> </p> CX Disc Impressions After a Yeartag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2012-10-15:1198434:Topic:1344562012-10-15T16:46:14.106ZGeoffrey Grosenbachhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/GeoffreyGrosenbach
Last October I started racing 'cross and bought a bike with the up-and-coming disc brakes (Avid BB7 on Van Dessel Gin & Trombones). I've ridden about a dozen races now and also did a bunch of trail riding between January and September.<br />
<br />
There are several CONS that other reviews don't usually mention:<br />
<br />
* Tight tolerance. There's only about 1 mm on either side of the rotor between the pads. In muddy or sandy races, I hear it grinding after one warmup lap.<br />
<br />
* Screeching. The front brake almost…
Last October I started racing 'cross and bought a bike with the up-and-coming disc brakes (Avid BB7 on Van Dessel Gin & Trombones). I've ridden about a dozen races now and also did a bunch of trail riding between January and September.<br />
<br />
There are several CONS that other reviews don't usually mention:<br />
<br />
* Tight tolerance. There's only about 1 mm on either side of the rotor between the pads. In muddy or sandy races, I hear it grinding after one warmup lap.<br />
<br />
* Screeching. The front brake almost always makes noise no matter how recently I've cleaned it. I'm using sintered pads but plan to try organic this week.<br />
<br />
* Rotor rub. With the strict tolerance between rotor and pad, any bend in the rotor is instantly heard every time the wheel turns around.<br />
<br />
* One way grab. On BB7 calipers, depressing the brake lever moves only the outer pad. My Shimano XT brakes on my MTB both move, which I feel gives flexibility for greater tolerance and keeps the rotor true.<br />
<br />
* Too much power. The 160mm rotor in the back is too strong for the width of a CX tire. I frequently skid on pavement, dirt, and gravel. (Maybe this is a good thing?) In most races, the front brake is more useful anyway.<br />
<br />
* Full cable. Installation directions recommend running cable housing the full length of the cable. But the frame isn't really made for that, so I have a floppy length of cable running across the top of the bike, held in with zip ties. Given the strength of the back brake, I think I can afford to ignore Avid's advice and run it open on the top tube (even if it makes rear braking less powerful).<br />
<br />
I've never had problems stopping with disc brakes. But the noise, maintenance, and tight tolerances make me question whether I should abandon disc brakes until better calipers are designed.<br />
<br />
The Gin & Trombones is easily converted back to cantilevers, so I might try them for comparison. spokegrenade lights?tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2012-09-24:1198434:Topic:1330122012-09-24T17:39:01.782ZChris Cleelandhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/ChrisCleeland
<p>Anybody have one? How do you like it?</p>
<p></p>
<p>My primary use will be commuting through the dark of winter, both morning and night. I'm especially interested in feedback on the mounting system for the light and the battery. Photos of different setups might be good.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Also looking for suggestions for alternatives. Ideal features:</p>
<p>- USB charging</p>
<p>- quick mount/dismount</p>
<p>- adapts easily to 31.8 and 25.4 bar diameter</p>
<p>- battery doesn't way as much…</p>
<p>Anybody have one? How do you like it?</p>
<p></p>
<p>My primary use will be commuting through the dark of winter, both morning and night. I'm especially interested in feedback on the mounting system for the light and the battery. Photos of different setups might be good.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Also looking for suggestions for alternatives. Ideal features:</p>
<p>- USB charging</p>
<p>- quick mount/dismount</p>
<p>- adapts easily to 31.8 and 25.4 bar diameter</p>
<p>- battery doesn't way as much as bike; battery not in bottle cage</p>
<p></p> Spinergy Stealth PBOtag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2012-08-07:1198434:Topic:1303492012-08-07T14:18:31.531ZJason Hettenbaughhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/JasonHettenbaugh
<p>I was wondering if anyone has ridden these for CX?? Seem like mixed reviews, with the biggest complaint being that they are not the fastest to accelerate? I have a friend selling a pair for $425 and was thinking about buying them as I need another set of race wheels and my budget is thin. Any thoughts? Thanks</p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone has ridden these for CX?? Seem like mixed reviews, with the biggest complaint being that they are not the fastest to accelerate? I have a friend selling a pair for $425 and was thinking about buying them as I need another set of race wheels and my budget is thin. Any thoughts? Thanks</p> Favorite Women's Cycling Gear?tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2011-08-10:1198434:Topic:981302011-08-10T01:46:37.093ZMolly Hurfordhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/MollyHurford
<p>Hey everyone, I have a question for the women cyclists out there:</p>
<p>What's your favorite women's specific cycling product? Or is there one you've heard of and want to find out more about?</p>
<p>Hey everyone, I have a question for the women cyclists out there:</p>
<p>What's your favorite women's specific cycling product? Or is there one you've heard of and want to find out more about?</p> Vittoria Cross Tirestag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2011-02-11:1198434:Topic:862692011-02-11T04:53:16.218ZChris Flyhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/Chris44
<p>Anyone have any experience with the Vittoria cross tires? I especially interested in the XN or XG since we don't get a lot of rain here in SoCal... </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.vittoria.com/product/cross/">http://www.vittoria.com/product/cross/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Anyone have any experience with the Vittoria cross tires? I especially interested in the XN or XG since we don't get a lot of rain here in SoCal... </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.vittoria.com/product/cross/">http://www.vittoria.com/product/cross/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks</p> Full Carbon Tommaso Diavolotag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2010-09-09:1198434:Topic:663892010-09-09T02:46:09.785ZRKDhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/RKD
I am a noob to both cycling and CX. So I am obviously very turned on by the hype of the carbon fiber material; although I am also listening to the reasonable advocates of steel.(<a href="http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/why-you-should-be-riding-steel-and-not-carbon/">http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/why-you-should-be-riding-steel-and-not-carbon/</a>). I think I am staying away from Aluminum for its lack of shock dissipation. So for me it's either the feather-light carbon or the…
I am a noob to both cycling and CX. So I am obviously very turned on by the hype of the carbon fiber material; although I am also listening to the reasonable advocates of steel.(<a href="http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/why-you-should-be-riding-steel-and-not-carbon/">http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/why-you-should-be-riding-steel-and-not-carbon/</a>). I think I am staying away from Aluminum for its lack of shock dissipation. So for me it's either the feather-light carbon or the heavier but more reliable steel. I understand both will provide a smoother ride (what about steel with carbon forks and stays? I hadn't come across any in my research). Anyhow, if one is to go full carbon how does the Tommaso Diavolo rate? <a href="http://www.giantnerd.com/tommaso-diavolo-cyclecross-bike-professional.html">http://www.giantnerd.com/tommaso-diavolo-cyclecross-bike-professional.html</a><br/>I am having trouble finding any real independent reviews on this machine. The price on this bike is somewhat less then other full carbon bikes i've looked at, and that's why I am intrigued, but also worried - you know the whole you get what you pay for thing. So if anyone owns/ed one please share; or if not please look at the specs and give your impression.<br/><br/>Thanks!<br/><br/>- A<br/> Windsor Cyclo - Any Opinions?tag:cowbell.cxmagazine.com,2010-02-07:1198434:Topic:508342010-02-07T21:31:19.912ZMark Weidelhttps://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profile/MarkWeidel
Wondering if anyone has experience with, or knows of the Windsor Cyclo that's advertised at Bikes Direct. I'm a mostly recreational road rider and sometimes MTB racer looking for an inexpensive 'cross bike for some commuting and perhaps trying a race next fall. Parts spec looks good for the price and I'm assuming it's a generic asian bike, but any info would be appreciated.<br></br><br></br>Thanks!…
Wondering if anyone has experience with, or knows of the Windsor Cyclo that's advertised at Bikes Direct. I'm a mostly recreational road rider and sometimes MTB racer looking for an inexpensive 'cross bike for some commuting and perhaps trying a race next fall. Parts spec looks good for the price and I'm assuming it's a generic asian bike, but any info would be appreciated.<br/><br/>Thanks!<font><font><strong><a href="http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/cyclo.htm"></a></strong></font></font>