newbie cx advice

Pantanifan84

Howdy. I've been thinking of giving cx a lash this autum/winter. Been cycling for aprox 2 years, club level only. Would I be out if my depth in a cx race? I'm unfamiliar with group structure in cross but I'd imagine I'd be able to hold my own in a on th ed road.
I ride a 59 bianchi, with a 57tt so what size cross bikd should I look for?

Mucho gracias

lennymc

go as fast as you can until the end. No group structure, it's every man (and woman) for themselves!! Great fun tho.

Pantanifan84

Thanks lennymc. Is there any links to race calander avaliable yet.

lennymc

Don't think so but they normally start September ish and run until January. There is a CX thread somewhere with loads of info if you do a search. My CX bike is the same size as my road bike btw

The tax man

The only CX events that grace the Cycling Ireland calendar are the races in the North. The season usually kicks off (Leinster) with the Rathfarnham Village CX.
The guys from Team WORC and Expert Cycles really pull out all the stops to make this race the one not to miss.

Homer1798

Generally top tubes will be shorter on a cx frame in comparison to a similar sized road bike. I've my cx set up exactly the same as my road bike so the position feels good if not optimal for cx. Plenty of cx bikes/frames turn up on Adverts/donedeal, (there's some on there now). Be careful when buying a secondhand cx some have had hard lives, others have only been used for light commuting and are practically new. Halfords are also selling off Boardman cx bikes at good prices and if you have a chance to use BTW scheme it makes them a snip. Don't worry about racing cx as it's a free for all at the start and then it's evertman/women for them selves as you ride at your anaerobic threshold for the remainder, enjoy.

Pantanifan84

So if buying 2nd hand should I check for anything in particular or just play in b and headset and general condition?