MTB on cyclocross track

Zingaro134

Im thinking of doing some of the mtb races that are part of the cyclocross series, Would it be best to lockout the forks for this as thats all the cyclocross boys use or would it be too rough on my bike thanks

cooldad

Do they use lockout or rigid forks?

Zingaro134

Just the rigid forks on the their cyclocross bikes

cooldad

There's your answer.

Zingaro134

I will be doing the mountain bike races, which are part of the series. so i will be using my normal mountain bike. Would i gain much speed over the long grassy parts of the track with my forks locked out or would it be too rough with it locked out

cooldad

Ride it and see. Who else can tell you?

rockmonkeysc

Isn't there a chance to ride the course before the race? Try it and see what works.

Maro

Can't you lock out the forks when required whilst riding?

Buckled_Rims

Firstly: The whole purpose of training and starting out is to learn yourself and not someone elses experiences.

Secondly, It also depends on your forks really, if there's a safety valve, you can lock out your fork and if you have a big hit it wont damage the forks internals. Cheap forks might get damaged.

Another option is to replace the forks with a carbon rigid set. I've a cheap alu rigid set that takes about 20-30 minutes to change over (very easy job once you do it). Then replace back to sus forks after the race. If you do that, you'll find a huge weight saving on the front wheel!

ilovedirt

Easy, lock them out for the climbs, unlock them for the descents. Common sense, no?

Monty Dog

CX races are typically about testing your fitness and bike handling skills with rapid changes in direction, off-camber turns, steep banks and a couple of dismounts - rarely is there much rest. Courses are designed for skinny tyres and rigid forks so if you have a lighter, rigid fork option you'll probably better to fit that. Plenty of people ride local series races on MTBs