Gears, Bikes and Cross Team

Ok. Hank is building bikes again. I have taken on a british accent lately.....
I got a really nice frame from RIDLEY! the CROSSWIND.
....from the new cross team. Team Verdigris.
Verdigris is a fancy decorator's green that copper turns into over time. Tim Bounty owns the company: Verdigris Custom Building and is now sponsoring a Barrington based Cyclo Cross team.

http://www.ridley-bikes.com/lang/us/cyclocross.asp

Ridleys.

Hank says.... ((just a little nugget of information while he is building this 'frkbadwordn' bike.)) '' Team Rabobank. Sven Nys and company who ride on Colnago do not use a Colnago Fork. They use a camoflaged Ridley Python 4ZA fork painted in Colnago colors. This is the same fork that is on my Crosswind frame.''

The frame is flat under the top tube. the cables are set high and dry. We are trying to , once again, cannabilize off of the equipment we have. Hank has enough stuff in the house.. some new some old. We are sifting thru drawers, tuppewares, ziplocks and getting all we need to build the new bikes. Ok he is doing that. I am sitting here typing on my blog. (haha)

H just grumbled that cyclo crossing has as much in common with biking as does golf... ok he said stop typing everything he says.

Tom Kramer gave us a HUGE box of componentry to go through. THank you TOm!!

GEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is very little on the internet about Women cyclocross racers and their preferences of gearing for races. (Lots of folks will race with one chainring in front to limit the danger of the chain falling off. One less thing to worry about. ) Some guys have a 44 in front. Some a 42. Can't find much about what the ladies ride on. My guess is either a 42 or a 39 but I would bet money most gals put a 42 on.
Hank has a spread sheet which is super nice with gears and how fast you can go with what gear selection. Its really cool and would be nice for track racing too.
He said I could post it but I can't post it because I am a nit with the computer. Its an excel program.
If you want the program you can email me and I"ll send it to you that way.
Anyway...You type in the front ring and the back ring, then your RPM and it shows you what speed you can apparently max out at differing RPMs. Using this spread sheet Hank proved to me that there is very little difference in a 39 and a 42 on the low end. But on the high end you can have a difference of 2 mph with a 12 on back.
But the high end of the 42 is probably a speed I can't hit in dirt anyway unless the race is ending in a downhill and we will all be spinning out then anyway.......SO... I have to think that for 45 minutes BEFORE the finish line what speed will I need. What is more comfortable....
OK I'll try the 39. I have to be different.
I do have a feeling most gals stick a 42 on and are done. Maybe they shoot a 27-12 in the back now and then for fun. But really, I can't see any huge difference on this spread sheet of the speeds you can put out.

MINUTIA.

There is no cross chaining with one ring because you set it in the middle. ( I'm blonde and I asked)
I think I am going to sport a 39 with 12-26. I'll post later if this works or not for me.
Hank assures me I can't spin out. We did argue a bit and I walked out of the room because he hurt my feelings telling me I can't sprint fast enough to need the top end of a 42. But I was in a road crit once where I dufus-ly forgot to put my chain in the big ring and I got dropped because I was spinning out before I noticed this mistake. He says I got dropped because I was getting dropped. I got mad and left. ...... now I am back....
OK . fine. I am going to have to trust his expertise this time. 39 it is.
If he is wrong then I will not talk to him for a week.
Which he probably will enjoy immensely.