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Try Cyclocross This Winter!

Riding bicycles is fun and a great work out. Any good bike can do, but if you want the jack-of-all-trades of the bike world, you might want to look into cyclocross bikes. A cyclo-cross bicycle is a bicycle specifically designed to meet the demands of a cyclocross race, which is an offroad race with a mix of grass, trails and mud. This is what you need if you plan to bring about the competitive cyclist in you. Market researchers say that, because of their versatility, cyclocross bicycles are growing in popularity. Traditionally, the only two apparent options if you need to ride faster is to go for a mountain bike, upgrading it to slick tires, or a roadie. But with the constant growth of the industry, you might consider buying a cyclocross bike.

One might mistake it for a road bike, but it is built with a more durable and sturdier setup so you can venture into tougher terrain. You can see within various bike shops in the UK and US that it has mountain bike brakes and stronger tires, with more clearance. Changing the tires and fenders with bigger ones could make it an ideal commuting bike, but it’s also a fast bike for riding recreationally. Of course, some speed is lost in order to achieve this high level of durability. The cyclocross won’t go as fast as a traditional road bike. But surely you will win the race if the route consists of uneven turfs.

Many types of tires are available with online bike shops in the UK for various conditions, like dirt roads, ice (where studded tires are used), or simply smooth asphalt. Along with the greater durability and safety of the cyclocross, you will also find that it is a lot more comfortable to use than common road ones. The main advantage of cyclocross bikes consists of its tires. Most of them have an aluminium frame or carbon fiber, which make them stiff and durable, yet light weight. The tubular tires of a cyclocross are very popular among afficionados due to their ability to run at low pressure without risking to get a flat tire. Because of the low pressure, the tire has more grip due to the increased ammount of contact with the ground. Tires that are known as clinchers, on the other hand, can be changed quicker, since you can skip the lengthy process of gluing and curing.

Their tread patterns are also more numerous than the ones found on a normal tubular tire. To give a few examples, the Michelin Mud tire is a good and popular clincher and Dugas is a high-end manufacturer of tubular tires. The Michelin Cyclocross mud 2, which you can buy for around $30, when online purchasing from US or UK bike shops online. The Panaracer cross blaster tire is very lightweight, at around 280 grams. Fully knobbed, it is ideal for a cross race.

When you have to pedal through heavy snow you can make use of cyclocross wide tires, the specific fenders and cantilever breaks. Also internally geared hubs can make things very nice when riding your cylocross bike during winter. Specilists may consider that tires are quite essential components for achieving a smooth and efficient ride on wintertime. Choose tires with knobbies or studs for perfect stability on ice. The best thing about cyclocross bikes is that you can make it so special and personalized accordingly to your needs and preferences, by adding it various components.

JOHN SSMITY

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