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).

If you read the current literature on sizing a cross bike, most recommendations are to choose a bike that is “one size smaller” than your road bike to accommodate the higher bottom bracket. Hmmm….let’s see, if you ride a 44 or 43 cm road bike, well…..getting a smaller cross frame is not going to happen unless you visit a custom frame builder. So, what is a small girl to do? Carry a big stick! You don’t need a frame smaller than your road bike if you want to race cross. When I first got my IF, I was still riding the Cannondale with 650 wheels on the road. The IF was indeed bigger and taller than the Cannnondale, but it worked great for cross. The one downside to my IF is that there is some toe/tire overlap. This was a bit unnerving when I first started riding it, and off camber turns can be a challenge, but I have learned to negotiate this bike without crashing. One other detail I feel that I should mention is that most small women also have small feet; my feet are actually quite big for my height (6.5 US, 38 Eu). My exceptionally long toes are what create my toe/tire overlap. if you have size 5 or smaller feet, chances are your own anatomy will take care of the toe tire overlap.

So you are under 5′ tall and you want a cross bike. There are thankfully a few more options now than there were when I began racing cross.

My latest discovery is the REI Novara Pulse. This bike, although marketed for kids, is a great entry level cross bike for the under five foot set. It comes with 26″ wheels and Sora components. Unfortunately, I bought the last one for 2006, but the guys at REI promised me that they would be selling it again in 07. Check out mine here.

The number one choice is now and always has been the Independent Fabrication Planet Cross. Available in both steel and titanium versions, the IF Planet Cross is available in a 44cm frame with 700c wheels. Custom versions are available with 26″ mountain bike wheels.

There are some other companies making cyclocross bikes to fit us. Send them a nice thank you note for considering our needs.

Bianchi makes the Axis cross bike in a 44 cm with a 50 cm top tube. Happiness and Joy!

The folks at Jamis had an interesting way of dealing with the small cross bike — they were using a 26″ mountain bike front wheel and a 700c rear on their 46 cm frame (xs). After careful scrutinization of their website, it appears that they are not doing the same for 2005. I like the fact that Jamis is addressing the needs of smaller cyclocross bikes, however the two different wheel sizes would not be legal in competition, and finding 26″ cyclocross tires is difficult here in the US.

Surly makes a 44 cm cross frame. The effective top tube is a tad long - 52 cm. It also has a rather extreme slope to the frame, which makes shouldering the bike a little more difficult. However, Surly frames are sturdy and cheap, so if you want to try racing cross and don’t want to drop 3 g’s on a custom frame, this is an option.

Custom frames are the only other option. Any custom builder can design a frame to fit you. Regardless of where you live, there are usually at least two or three reputable frame builders in your area. If you live in New England, the best choices for a custom frame are Ted Wocjik Custom Bicycles and Tom Stevens’ Spinarts Custom frames. I have seen both of these builders’ small bikes, and they do an outstanding job.

OK, so there is the list….pretty short (uh oh, a short joke), sad but true. Now, 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.