best upgrades you've made to your cx bike?

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Permalink Reply by Michael Dolan on October 22, 2009 at 1:04pm

Getting a professional fitting done, by someone who knows CX. Adding a shorter stem and wider bars afterward. My bike felt so much more stable right off the bat.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on October 23, 2009 at 2:11pm

for me, early on, the best upgrade was replacing a notched-tilt seatpost with a two bolt design. it never fails - a botched remount by my 160 pounds in a race situation will force a notched seatpost to point my saddle straight up, making continuing uncomfortable at best, and impossible at worst.

and the two bolts IMHO should be front and back, not on both sides.

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Permalink Reply by FTM on October 25, 2009 at 8:27pm

A set of last year's model Easton EC 90 SLX wheels paired up with FMB 34c SCC Sprint (file tread) tubs. Dropped 3/4 of a lb from my other SS tubular wheelset. These things spin up so fast and the tires stick so well to our SoCal hardpack and grass.

Also swapped out my steel fork for an Alpha Q, which I like a lot (helped bring my bike to under 16lbs), but the wheelset is the big upgrade.

As far a bike fit, I swapped out for a longer and lower (-17 degrees) stem, bringing me closer to my road setup. Seems counter to most advice but I have long arms and torso and am able to deliver more power and carve the turns better in a lower position.

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Permalink Reply by Cameron Marshall on October 26, 2009 at 7:18am

I've been thinking about picking up a pair of those. Where'd you get them from?

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Permalink Reply by FTM on October 26, 2009 at 8:20pm

not sure which pair you are referring to.
Got the wheels at GearTrade.com - they were a returned item
Got the tires from Molly Cameron

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Permalink Reply by Cameron Marshall on October 27, 2009 at 6:47am

Yeah the tires, thanks

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Permalink Reply by IdahoBob on October 26, 2009 at 7:16am

Like many others, my best change this year was upgrading my wheels to tubular fangos from from tubeless bulldogs. Low pressures and good grip have made me more confident in the corners and I haven't wiped out in a corner yet.

I also upgraded my 105 shifters and rear der. to 7800 dura ace I got on close-out. I'm not as good at shifting before a corner as I should be and the dura ace lets me shift in the corner when I need to. Much better than the 105.

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Permalink Reply by Hamilton on October 26, 2009 at 10:31am

You guys are not helping me. I convince myself that I should run tubeless over tubular(cost, convenience, etc) then you go and talk about how much better the tubies are.

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Permalink Reply by IdahoBob on October 26, 2009 at 11:24am

I wouldn't totally give up on tubeless. I think my problem was with my choice of tubeless tires. I didn't like the bulldogs, they wore down quickly and didn't seem to hold the corners as well as others. To do it again, I would probably go with the Michelin Mud's tubeless, I ride with quite a few guys who have had luck with that combination. They still burp occasionally when hitting roots or buried rocks, but I think they grip a little better in the corners than the bulldogs.

I was also able to get a deal on my easton ea70x tubular wheels that was too good to pass up, I think they were around $250 on chainlove last fall. It doesn't have to be all that expensive.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on October 27, 2009 at 4:42am

don't give up hamilton. I agree with Idaho Bob- tubeless when set up right is great...just not as supple.

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Permalink Reply by Brandon on October 27, 2009 at 9:55am

I haven't had the pleasure of upgrading my wheels yet (I'm running Mavic open pros with ultegra hubs, cross wolf tires), so it sounds like upgrading to some tubulars would be heaven.

My best upgrade thus far has been my FSA Omega Compact handlebars... I used to hate going into the drops, and now I love it. Better control and comfort.

now, to find some wheels.

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