Cyclocross for Smaller Riders
I WANT A CYCLOCROSS BIKE!!!! Don’t we all. If you are a small woman, finding a cross bike that fits you will be even more challenging than finding a road bike. Most manufacturers ignore the needs of small women. This was mainly because cyclocross bikes were a fringe market. However, with the increase in cyclocross popularity, there are options for small women. Part of the problem with finding a small enough cross bike is that most cross bikes are bigger due to a higher bottom bracket. This reduces stand over height. Extreme sloping top tubes are not useful on a cross frame because if your goal is to race ‘cross, you need to have enough space within the frame’s main triangle to shoulder the bike (although, with the recent trend towards one set of barriers in a race, dismounting and carrying the bike is becoming a smaller and smaller part of the sport).
This section of my website used to include a list of various companies who made small-ish cross bikes. However, all of the designs were inherently flawed, and most women who chose these brands were sacrificing some aspect of bike fit or performance. I have removed the list because I can now report the world’s first production, non custom women specific cyclocross bike:
Terry Valkyrie
I assisted in the design of the bike, including geometry, angles, and equipment specs. There is no other bike available on the current market that is not a custom build that will fit smaller riders as well as this one does. Featuring 26″ mtn bike wheels (as well as UCI legal cross tires), it is race ready with SRAM Rival components. Order one up today!
Let’s say that you want to try cross, you are short of leg and short on cash. The other option, which I highly recommend, is to convert an old rigid mountain bike into a “ghetto-cross” bike. I did this and was quite proud of my end product. There are a few difficulties to doing it this way, but it allows you to try racing cross on a bike that is closer to an actual cross set up. Racing on a mountain bike with flat bars and triple chainring and big fat tires and suspension does not make for a happy cross experience. Since the essence of cross is barriers with high speed dismounts, we want a bike that can handle that sort of effort. Suspension is a no-no. Fortunately, rigid forks have fallen out of favor. Scour the local dump/recycling center or check out the basement of the local bike shop. If you can find an old mountain bike frame with cantilever brake mounts and a rigid fork, you are on your way.
Try to get a frame one size bigger than you would normally ride. This is mainly for the ’shouldering the bike’ aspect of cross. If a 15 or 16″ frame is not available or is really too big, you can go with a 13 or 14″ frame. What you will need to do is carry the bike by resting the nose of the saddle on your shoulder when you are racing. It works and since most of our races have little to no running sections anyway, you wont be at a huge disadvantage.
Specs for your Ghetto-Cross: You will need to find an appropriately short stem. Most older mountain bikes use 1″ threaded stems, although there were a few years in the late 90’s when they used 1 1/8″ threaded stems. These are hard to find, but you can always use a shim on a 1″ stem (i did this on my first cross bike) or get a threadless adapter to use a threadless stem with a threaded headset.
Get a set of drop bars, something cheap but light, and the appropriate width for you. When i was first building my gettocross bike, I cannibalized the original parts of the Terry and used the drop bars from it. One note for drop bars on a cross bike: here is one time when I strongly recommend wider bars, at least 2 cm wider than what you are using on your road bike if you normally use 36 or 38 cm bars.
Want it really cheap? Use a single chainring, something between a 38-43T. This eliminates the need for a front derailleur or a front (left) shifter. Many of the best riders use a single chainring. I used a 39 on my Gary Fisher and it worked for most races. Choose an appropriate cassette with a wide range of gear options. I have always used an 8 speed 11×28 cassette. If you don’t have short stack chainring bolts or chainring guards, use a bigger outer ring as a chaingaurd. This will keep your chain from falling off.
For the rear (right) shifter, you can either use an STI lever or an aero brake lever with a barend shifter. The latter is a bit more durable and it does not matter what speed your cassette is for compatability. My gettocross biike featured a 7 speed Shimano cassette with an RX100 8 speed shift lever and a 105 9 speed rear derailleur, as well as a 9 speed Campagnolo Chorus chain. (It shifted beautifully).
Wheels and Tires: here is the one dilemma you will face, and it is only a dilemma if you plan on using this bike to race in UCI events. UCI rules state that cyclocross tires must be 38 mm or narrower. This equates to a 1.4″ mountain bike tire. Most narrow mtn bike tires are slick or semislick. If you want something with a tread, there are very few options for a UCI legal tire. Avocet makes a “Cross” tire that has an inverted tread–not ideal for muddy or sandy conditions. Ritchey made a 26″ version of the Speedmax Cross Comp, but it is difficult to find in this country. Club Roost makes a 26×1.5″ tire called the Cross Terra. This is a great option for a narrower mtn bike tire. It is too wide for UCI races, but will suit your needs in most any other event. Another good choice for non-UCI races is the Continental Cross Country 1.5″ tire. Schwalbe and Hutchinson are now making skinny (1.35 and 1.3) cross tires for 26″ wheels. These are available through CYCLOCROSSWORLD.COM
The early incarnation of my ghetto-cross bike had a pair of Michelin Wildgripper Sprint mtn bike tires, primarily because they were identical to the Michelin cyclocross tire, only wider. I found them to be great in most conditions but the 2.1″ width was too wide. My favorite tire for cross on the ghetto bike was the Club Roost. The Avocets were used only for UCI races and were definitely sketchy in turns. I would not recommend them anymore, as the Hutchinson and Schwalbe tires are perfect for UCI races.
So now you have the most important aspects of your ghettocross addressed. Throw on some cantilever brakes and some SPD pedals, and you are ready to try racing.
