Broke out the exclamation point for this one. As well as the word epic. The drive to the CCCX Race at Manzanita Park near Prunedale began just before 7am in 30+mph winds, sheets of rain and half light. Kurt and I hung on for dear life car surfing at 30mph on 101.
Arriving around 9am we went thru reg, pinned numbers on, suited up and readied the rigs. Did two laps of a mostly rideable and long course ( near 2 mi) , pulled off the course and hosed down the bike. Since it was raining dogs, cats and something else a proper warm up was not a proper warm up.
As cross can be the course had changed dramatically from practice look around to race time. Several sections became un-rideable, one 50 yard long section went along the first base line of a ball field and unsurprisingly became a 8 inch deep bog of brown the texture of pancake batter only containing hints of green. Formerly grass. Not a good race personally with a 5th place finish and feeling like it should have been more. But that’s racing. Rolled thru the finish and lined up at the hose for the post race wash down.
Next morning padded down to review the damage. Every moving part had a scratchy sound coming from it. Move the brake arms…. scratch, scratch. Chain…more o’the same. So began the tear down which only went deeper and deeper. Bottom end had water inside the BB shell. Drive side bearings sounded like they needed some attention. Brakes required an overhaul that had me digging around with Q-Tips. Oh Man!
Rear wheel bearings now need a rebuild. Well for anyone who races cross I’m preaching to the choir. A teammate who is new to cross and has a new rig asked for advice for what to service and the following is what I wrote out. Its December after all. Racing cross every weekend (sometimes twice) exacts a toll. Crack open a favorite, program the pod and settle in. It’s what we do.
There are probably 5 major (depending) places to spend some attention.
1. Chain You can do one of two things here. Take off the chain and slosh it around in a small container of Park Tool Solvent, let it drain then rinse in hot water with a small amount of soap then rinse once or twice in hot water. Let dry for several hours then put back on bike and lubricate. Second method requires buying the
Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber chain washer gizmo which is actually pretty good but then you have to buy one.
2. Jockey Wheels and rear Derailleur. Its possible that the small bearings on the jockey wheels need cleaned and lubed. Not sure if you have SRAM or Shimano but they should be fairly easy to take off, apart, clean, lube and replace. Easiest when chain is off. Just be sure that if the two wheels are designated TOP and BOTTOM that you keep them in that order.; I know that mine on the Campy set up are like that.
Take a moment to check the pivot points on the rear derailleur (and front) for ease of movement and no crunchy sounds. I sometimes grab a can of that compressed air that they sell at Best Buy and some Radio Shacks. It’s really good for blasting out grit in tight areas. There like $12 or so for two cans. You can apply a wee small amount of lube to the pivot points.
3. Brakes. Clean the pads, clean out the grooves on the pads. If really worn down replace. The brake arms pivot on small bearings. Best to take apart (remember the sequence of parts coming off) and clean. Use a bike grease to apply a thin coating to all areas that move.
4. Rear cassette take it off and clean it up like new. You’ll be surprised how quite the chain will be and shifting will be better.
5. Crankset and Bottom Bracket- Best to take the cranks off and clean behind the washers and seals. Remove crankset and remove water from inside the bottom bracket shell. (yes you’ll find dirty water there 😦
Clean chain rings well. The ramps and grooves are there for better shifting. If they crud up too much then you’ll notice it. Grease all and put back together.
Depending on experience and tools this can be a couple of hours minimum. A lot of work perhaps but needless to say that if you have been racing this season and even if you didn’t race in the worst of conditions its time to do an overhaul. If you had your bike frolicking with the mud puppies over that time its imperative.
May be the difference between a podium or DNF not to mention the life expectancy
of you groupset.ut you’ll at times find things that are either worn, loose or really need attention.
the well seasoned athlete 