Have you ever dreamed of riding an iconic Belgian cyclocross course and getting some tips from a Sven Nys mechanic? Cyclocross Magazine spent a week in Flanders, Northern Belgium, this summer, including a day at the Sven Nys Cycling Center in Baal, within the municipality of Tremelo, Belgium. This is the site of the GP Sven Nys Baal.

Following Tony de Haes around the Sven Nys Cycling Center. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

In Part One of our trip to Flanders, we rode the Eddy Merckx Cycling Route and Sven Nys Cycling Route through central Flanders outside of Leuven, the host city of the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships and the 2021 UCI Road Race World Championships.

The Sven Nys Cycling Center was created after Sven Nys retired from cyclocross in 2016 at the site of the Grand Prix Sven Nys cyclocross race in Baal, Tremelo, Belgium. The race, started by the Sven Nys fan club, has been held every January 1 since 2000. Sven Nys won his namesake race 12 out of the 16 times he raced. The race course in Baal, Nys’ hometown, is atop a hill called the Balenberg. After Nys retired in 2016, the Sven Nys Cycling Center was built on the Balenberg in partnership with Trek Bicycles.

Originally, the Center was a museum and cafe adjacent to the race course and surrounding trails. The Center and the land at Balenberg are a public/private joint venture and are staffed by a rotation of community members. Earlier this year, the center reopened after a remodel that added a locker room with showers, a bike wash station, an updated restaurant, and a multi-purpose conference center as part of the museum.

The GP Sven Nys Course winds around the Cycling Center. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Tony de Haes hosted me at the Sven Nys Cycling Center. He worked as a mechanic for Sven Nys from 2009 to 2016, and was a mechanic for the Belgian National Team for the 2012 Olympics in London. Since then, de Haes owns and operates BikeService Balenberg, which offers Trek bike rentals, workshops, repairs, and trips. In conjunction with the Sven Nys Cycling Center, he and his team teach clinics in off-road cycling and offer the appropriate Trek bikes for rent. He also founded and runs the Bike Repair Academy, a comprehensive online bicycle mechanic’s course for beginners and advanced mechanics alike.

Before the trip, I sent my measurements and preferred bike size. The loaner bike is a Trek Aluminum Checkpoint with SRAM Apex 12-speed mechanical with a 40 X 44 low gear and 42mm tubeless Bontrager Gr2 Team Issue tires. Even in the land of Euro 33mm cyclocross tire restrictions, is Nys warming up to the benefits of higher-volume rubber in cyclocross?

Aluminum Trek Checkpoint with SRAM Apex. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

I asked what pressure was in the tires and mentioned I am notorious for riding low pressure. Tony said, “Yeah, me too”. My tires were 1.8 bar (26 psi), not that low, but maybe we’d get rowdy on the stairs or barriers. As we set out through the parking lot, he pointed out the bottle filling station and the sunscreen dispenser.

A sunscreen dispenser in the parking lot of the Sven Nys Cycling Center. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross Workshop

The morning schedule was a one-on-one cyclocross workshop with Tony de Haes. This is a cyclocross clinic like we have in the U.S. We practiced turns wide and tight, left and right. We linked turns in a slalom in both directions, slightly uphill, then down, then at a faster speed. The Cycling Center has a large field in the middle of the cyclocross course, where the spectators would stand. We practiced skills on a small obstacle course, including the slalom, a few logs to ride over, and a teeter-totter.

We sessioned a pump track on the other side of the property. From there, we rode ascents, discussing where to shift for maximum speed and recovery at the top. During descents, we practiced modulating each brake while in or approaching a turn.  Our next drill was riding off-cambers in both directions on progressively steeper slopes.

In the middle of summer, the course is bone-dry. As cyclocross racers know, remaining flexible with techniques for changing conditions is necessary, so basic skills practice is always beneficial. Those off-cambers will be tricky in muddy conditions, and I’d probably be begging for 33mm mud tires.

The Step-Through is Dead (Just Don’t Tell the GOAT)

Of course, dismounting and remounting are important for cyclocross barriers, run-ups, extensive muddy sections, and bike exchanges. Tony de Haes demonstrated the standard left-side dismount with “suitcase” carry over the barrier. De Haes’ method of shoulder portage is with his arm around the headtube. I prefer under the downtube even if my arm will be muddier.

I asked if the step-through was taught. He looked at me a bit quizzically as I demonstrated the technique. His answer is no. The risk level is too high, and the amount of time saved is negligible.  The step-through technique is not taught at the Sven Nys Cycling Center.  You’ll still see Marianne Vos step-through, and when it’s a high-speed barrier, CXM’s Andrew Yee.

We practiced our technique at the famous stairs under the GP Sven Nys course flyover. This stairway is where Sven Nys himself demonstrated how to ride up. His son has also followed the same path, famously, with even more style.

GP Sven Nys

The GP Sven Nys is part of the X2O Badkammers Trofee series and takes place every January 1. The course winds around the Sven Nys Cycling Center and varies slightly from year to year. Tony de Haes took me around the course while pointing out how it has changed over the past 25 years. Permanent wooden railings outline most of the course. Sections of the course change direction and open sections of the course vary, perhaps with an added flyover or route around the spectator tent.

A spectator’s view of the permanent flyover. The approach is right-to-left from this perspective and drops into a fast downhill. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

De Haes pointed out areas that are notoriously muddy in winter conditions, and where the best lines will likely be. Puck Pieterse made a POV course pre-view video for 2025. Having ridden the course, I now have a better appreciation and perspective when watching her video.

We rode a straight section with three small tabletop humps. The race’s usual direction is a moderate downhill approach where you can gain speed, and with each hump, you gain more. Despite de Haes’ direction to come in slowly at first, I came into the tabletops a bit hot, and I was in the air by the third hump and was lucky to have a good landing. This is where Tom Pidcock famously crashed and lost the race during the bell lap in 2023. I have more sympathy for him now, and perhaps, a little more in common with the former World Champ!

I wanted to do hot laps of the course, but the weather was hot, and we had more riding to do in the afternoon.

Belgian Gravel

Tony de Haes took me on a short gravel ride around Tremelo/Baal. These courses are at the Sven Nys Cycling Center, with QR codes for GPS maps, or cards printed with the courses for the less tech-savvy. I stayed on the borrowed Trek Checkpoint, but de Haes switched to his personal “gravel bike.” It is a 2020 Trek Crockett with 40mm tires. He runs an enormous 48-tooth chainring with an 11-34 cassette.

The ride is similar to something I might take in my locale. Starting from the center, we rode on pavement before turning onto a forest trail that winds narrowly through trees and brush with a few fallen branches to hop over. The trail is pancake flat. The single track becomes a wide dirt path, then back onto pavement before going between buildings onto another dirt path.

Dirt paths through the forests around Tremelo. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

We rode by the site of Rock Werchter, the largest music festival in Europe, due to take place a couple of weeks after my visit. The path takes us along the Dijle River and through small neighborhoods. We dove between cornstalks to climb a few short single-track pitches before descending back to crushed gravel roads. At 25 km, we climbed less than 900 feet. The gravel and dirt were smooth and packed. When I remarked on the lack of rocks on the trails, Tony de Haes says, “We have no stones.”

Riding gravel along the Dijle around Tremelo and Baal. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Arriving back at the Sven Nys Center, the mountain bike trails have short, steep climbs and descents with minor ruts and a bit of a loose surface in the summer dryness. There are no stones.

Museum of Cyclocross and Belgian Cycling

The Sven Nys Center is a museum of cyclocross with a rotating exhibit of Belgian cycling stars. Thibau Nys, Remco Evenepoel, and Marianne Vos are featured now. Thibau wore versions of Sven Nys’ cyclocross suits cut and sewn to size by his grandmother. Thibau is the current 2024-2025 Belgian Cyclocross Champion and European Cyclocross Champion.

Sven Nys’ CX suits cut and sewn to fit by Thibau Nys’ grandmother. © C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

On another wall is the current Cyclocross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel’s speed suit. Van derPoel won GP Sven Nys 5 times, most recently in 2024.

Mathieu van der Poel’s jersey. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Around the Center, there are old cyclocross bikes and jerseys of off-road, mostly cyclocross stars, through the ages.

Part of a display of European Off-Road Legends. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Tony de Haes on Cyclocross, Tires and Olympics

Tony de Haes started racing cyclocross as an amateur late in life. I can relate to this. His connection to professional cyclocross is as a mechanic and with his new endeavors, he still has his hand on the pulse of European professional cyclocross.

Tony de Haes. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

During lunch, I had a casual conversation about the state and future of cyclocross. Of interest was the discussion of tires.  I asked if he thought the 33mm UCI tire width would be lifted. Road cycling has very generous tire restrictions, ending up around 40mm, which probably won’t limit racers for any event except perhaps the cobbled classics. Notably, SD-Worx-Protime used 35mm tires in the 2025 edition of Paris-Roubaix. I also mentioned that outside UCI-sanctioned cyclocross races, USAC has no restrictions beyond 38mm for age groupers at Nationals.  De Haes was unsure what the future held for European cyclocross, but was confident that modified tire width restrictions would be considered.

Tubular tires are still de rigueur for cyclocross racing in Europe. I asked de Haes if he sees more racers training on tubeless clinchers and if he knows anyone who uses them for cyclocross racing. I reminded him that Zoe Backsteadt won the U23 World Cyclocross Championship with Schwalbe Tubeless clinchers. According to de Haes, they experimented with tubeless clincher tires for cyclocross at the Sven Nys Cycling Center. Most riders were not confident with the tire handling at 1.2-1.5 bar (17-22 psi) pressure, which is common for some cyclocross conditions. He also said there is greater security in riding to the pit after a puncture on a well-glued tubular. That said, he sees more riders training on tubeless clinchers with their cyclocross bikes, a crossover from the almost-universal use of tubeless on gravel bikes.

I mentioned the use of tire inserts for security and ride flat capability, and I argued for the easy tire changes compared to changing a tubular tire with its complicated gluing process. We discussed the complication of tire removal with an insert in the tire, but though I agreed a liner adds complexity, it is not that hard. Inserts do leave a lot to consider on a remote gravel ride, as I concluded in Part 4 of the CXMagazine insert series. For cyclocross, tubeless clinchers have promise with or without an insert, and de Haes agrees that the sport may evolve to that.

Regarding Cyclocross as an Olympic sport, de Haes was less certain. I asked if he was privy to any news, or if he knew if Sven Nys had any influence in that matter. He did not admit to knowing either way.

Gallery: 42 Years of Cyclocross Technology

Roland Liboton’s 1982 Gios Torino. 49/44 Campagnolo chainset with a 6-speed 13-24 freewheel. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Notice the double thickness toe clip, especially for ‘cross. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The original benchmark, the Mafac cantilever. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine’

The venerable Suntour Barcon with cotton tape on the Gios Torino. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Paul Heryger’s 1994 Colnago-Alan aluminum 47/42  Suntour Superbe with 13-24 6-speed freewheel. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Shimano PD M-737 from 1990 on the 1994 Colnago-Alan. The original SPD pedal. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Niels Albert’s 2009 Stevens Carbon Cyclocross Team 46/42 Shimano Dura Ace 7800 with 12-28 10-speed cassette. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The TRP EuRo-x Magnesium, new in 2009. Does the design look familiar? C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Sven Nys’ 2016 Trek Boone, still with cantilever brakes. 46/39 Dura Ace 9000 12-28 11-speed. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Thibau Nys’ 2024 Trek Boone. 48T SRAM Red AXS D1 10-33 XDr cassette. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The Verdict

If you come to Flanders, be sure to make a stop at the Sven Nys Cycling Center. See and touch some cyclocross memorabilia, rent a bike and ride the GP Sven Nys course, or the surrounding trails and gravel roads! The Sven Nys Cycling Center can be your hub for a couple of off-road adventures, and then you can shower, change, and relax with a meal and libation upstairs.

The Center is outside of Leuven, which is a half-hour train ride from Brussels Airport (BRU). From Leuven, the Sven Nys Cycling Center is a 25-minute taxi ride. There is no charge to enter the museum, gather ride information, and ride the course or trails. There is a small fee to use the showers or the bike wash station

The Sven Nys Academy operates camps for young cyclists (up to age 14) at the Sven Nys Cycling Center during the summer and school holidays.

More info: https://svennyscyclingcenter.be/

The post A Bucket List Day at the Sven Nys Cycling Center in Flanders appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Sage Titanium PDXCX. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross remains alive and well in the U.S., but gravel riding has grown into a larger—and still expanding—category. Major bike manufacturers, seeing only a limited market for cyclocross models in North America, have either scaled back or stopped importing and producing them altogether, reflecting market demand. You can race a gravel bike in a cyclocross event (and vice versa). Gravel bikes are typically designed for longer, less technical events, but some of us prefer them over cyclocross bikes for ’cross when they offer superior tire and mud clearance.

To understand the Sage Titanium PDXCX, let’s look briefly at the evolution of cyclocross bikes.

Cyclocross is a specific racing discipline and the ultimate under-bike event that predates mountain biking. Bikes are road-style with modifications for tire and pedaling clearance. The traditional European cyclocross bike has knobby tubular tires and a bottom bracket about a centimeter higher than a road bike for ground clearance, which is necessary because toe clips hung down during remount before the rider flipped them up to slide the foot in. Even with “clipless” pedals, the bike design stayed the same.

During the American Cyclocross boom of the early 2000s to about 2018, cyclocross bikes evolved for smoother and faster courses. Lower bottom brackets and slacker headtube angles made bikes feel faster on these courses.

This brief synopsis brings us back to the Sage Titanium Bicycles PDXCX. It is a 100% modern cyclocross-specific bike with every technological advancement available. However, the geometry is traditional European, with a relatively high bottom bracket and a relatively steep headtube angle.

The clean side of the Sage Titanium PDXCX. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Sage Titanium

Sage Titanium Bicycles is a made-to-order titanium performance bike company with bike models for almost every cycling discipline. This includes two gravel models, one with an optional suspension-corrected geometry, three hardtail mountain bikes, a road bike, and the PDXCX cyclocross race bike we are reviewing.

David Rosen, founder and owner of Sage Titanium Bicycles, is deeply passionate about cyclocross racing—a love that’s embedded in his PDXCX design. A self-described cyclocross racer and all-night tinkerer, Rosen obsessively refines the PDXCX’s geometry to tackle technical terrain—from rocky Pacific Northwest trails to Belgian-style mud.

Sage Titanium bikes are entirely USA-made. Rosen works with a builder with custom titanium tubes and fixtures, including a 3D printed titanium chainstay yoke and rear fork ends. This business model is not uncommon in the bicycle industry.

The PDXCX Frame

Tube parameters such as diameter, manipulation of wall thickness, and material composition contribute to the ride quality of the bicycle. The PDXCX tubes are 2.5Al/3V titanium alloy, the most common alloy for titanium bicycle tubes. Rosen reviews DFARS certifications to ensure the highest quality available. Geometry and construction are also significant contributors to ride quality. David Rosen manipulates these two parameters to offer a signature Sage Titanium ride quality. His lifelong personal experience, experimentation, and some sponsored athletes’ contributions bring evolution to the Sage Titanium bike designs.

Sage Cyclocross Geometry

When David Rosen started Sage Titanium Bicycles in 2012, the PDXDX was a two-bike lineup. We’ve ridden and reviewed the original PDXCX in 2013 in our print magazine issue 25. That bike had IS mount disc brakes equipped with a remarkably high bottom bracket (a 5.5cm drop) and a short front center balanced with a slightly elongated rear end. We thought it was unique and even a bit quirky.  Five years later, we rode and reviewed the evolved and refined version of the PDXCX with disc brakes. For the 2018 model, Rosen tweaked the geometry from the original’s unique parameters. That bike had a lower bottom bracket and longer front center. The formula worked, and Rosen has not changed the geometry of the PDXCX since then.

The Sage Titanium PDXCX has internal control lines. The weld quality is outstanding as showcased here. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

What has changed is the tube supplier and builder. Rosen, always looking for improvement, sought higher tube quality control and build consistency. Consistent with that ethos, the new 2025 Sage PDXCX has 3D printed titanium frame components that our review model from a year ago does not. We saw these elements at Sea Otter 2025, and you can see them on his website.

 

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The 2025 PDXCX still has a 6.2cm bottom bracket drop for the middle of the size range. That parameter drops 2mm for the 2  smallest sizes and rises 2mm for the 3 larger sizes. The 42.5cm chainstay length remains a constant across the size range. The review bike is Rosen’s personal bike, which is a 56cm with stock geometry. He extended his headtube by 5mm to remove one spacer under his handlebar stem for aesthetics. You can see the complete geometry chart on the Sage website.

The 56cm PDXCX looks somewhat standard on paper. A 56cm effective toptube, 102cm wheelbase, 60.4cm front center, 590mm stack, and 385mm reach. The headtube angle Rosen chose is a bit steeper than you might find on the few US cyclocross frames available today. It’s 72.5 degrees on the 56cm frame and varies a bit by frame size. A standard 47mm offset cyclocross fork yields a road bike-like 60mm trail figure with a 33mm tire (58mm mechanical trail).

One parameter Rosen does not universally change is the tube gauge for each frame size. He encourages each buyer to have an in-depth conversation about their desires for bike use and ride quality, and he can offer parameter changes to achieve those desires. The seatstays have an S-shaped curve, and the chainstays are curved and flattened to clear the tire, and flattened in the opposite plane in the mid-section. Our 2024 model has a chainstay bridge behind the T47 bottom bracket. The 2025 model forgoes this feature.

The 2025 version has a 3D-printed drive-side chainstay section, eliminating the bridge seen here. This shows a 33mm tire. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

2025 Sage Titanium 3D printed drive-side chainstay yoke increases tire clearance. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The PDXCX uses internal control line routing, which enters the downtube. There is provision for cable-actuated controls using full cable housing runs. If you want to use a cable-actuated front derailleur, you must ask for that routing. This bike forgoes the cable front derailleur routing, but does have a port for a Shimano Di2 front mech wire. The rear brake hose exits the inside of the left chainstay to the brake caliper flat mount native for a 140mm rotor. The rear derailleur control cable (or wire) exits the bottom of the right chainstay ahead of the rear mech.

The down and seat tubes each have a set of standard bottle cage mounts. There are also fender mounts, but that is the extent of accessory mounts on this race-oriented machine. The frame has a standard 12mm X 142mm through-axle rear wheel mount. For 2025, the rear wheel mount has 3D-printed titanium ends.

New 3D printed rear fork ends on the 2025 Sage Titanium PDXCX. That’s the new SRAM Red AXS E1 caliper on Rosen’s 2025 bike. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Rosen’s bike has an Enve 12mm X 100mm Gravel Disc fork with a 47mm offset and 395mm axle-to-crown distance. It has internal brake hose routing, fender mounts, and clearance for a 50mm tire. Enve no longer makes a cyclocross-specific fork.

The Sage PDXCX Build

This is David Rosen’s race bike; the component selection reflects his preferences. Major components are SRAM Red AXS 2 X 12-Speed. The 170mm SRAM Red AXS crank has a power meter with 46/33 T chainrings. The Red AXS cassette is 10-28 12-speed with 1-tooth jumps for the first 8 cogs. Shifting is completely wireless with SRAM Red eTap AXS front and rear derailleurs. The chain on this bike is SRAM Force 12-speed CN-SRC-D1 flat-top chain, rather than the new cut-out Force AXS version.

Brakes on this bike are SRAM Red ED D1, actuated by Red eTap AXS  levers (EB-Red-D1). Rosen’s new bike has the latest E1 series brakes and levers.

SRAM Red eTap AXS  levers EB-Red-D1. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The handlebar and stem are Enve carbon. Rosen has a 10cm stem and 42cm handlebars wrapped with Enve bartape. The seatpost is titanium 31.8mm diameter with a custom cerakote finish.

10cm Enve Stem. Chris King headset. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

A titanium post in a titanium frame galls, so a fair amount of grease or anti-seize paste is needed. At least you’ll have confidence the post won’t slip.

The finish on the top portion of the seatpost is Cerakote. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Bearings and Wheels

The bearing selection is Chris King in polished silver. That includes the headset, T47 external bottom bracket, and hubs. The PDXCX has a 68mm T47 bottom bracket shell, which is 68mm wide with a 46mm bore diameter. Threads are M47 X 1.0mm. The Chris King Threadfit 30 bottom bracket with external cups has a DUB adaptor kit. The 44mm inner diameter head tube has an InSet 5 for the tapered fork steerer tube.

The polished silver R45D hubs are the core of a Chris King GRD23 wheelset. The GRD 23 rim is recyclable thermoplastic from CSS Composites in Utah using FusionFiber® technology. The rims are 24mm deep with an internal width of 23mm hookless. The claimed weight of the wheelset is 1468 grams. 24-Pillar stainless blade spokes with alloy nipples lace the hubs to the rims with a X2 pattern for both the front and rear wheels.

A King Lifetime Warranty covers this wheelset. If you smash your rim, Chris King will rebuild your wheel with a new one, free of charge, for as long as you own the wheels.

SRAM Centerline XR rotors complete the wheels with 140mm on the rear and 160mm on the front.

Rosen has a pair of vintage Donnelly PDX WC (World Cup) 33mm tubeless tires on his bike. He has since switched to Dugast tubeless for cyclocross, but this pair of PDX tires is not even close to worn.

The Ride

Rosen’s personal Sage PDXCX is stock 56cm geometry except for a 5mm taller headtube. It just happens to be my size. Rosen has said, “You race a cyclocross bike…” That is referring to the intent of a ‘cross bike compared to a bike for multipurpose riding. The bike is built to Rosen’s personal preferences, and the frame geometry alone reflects that. However, his choice of a SRAM Red AXS double crank, gear selection, and tire choice are personal choices that you can change if you decide to order a Sage bike.

Sage Titanium PDXCX founder David Rosen’s personal bike. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross Specific

I should remember that Sage Titanium has three gravel bikes in addition to the cyclocross-specific PDXCX. North American cyclocross courses are slightly different from the European cyclocross courses they are patterned after. Even European cyclocross courses vary, from the snow of Val di Sole to the sunshine of Benidorm, the sand of Koksijde to the mud of Dendermonde. Each enthusiast imagines the ideal bike differently.

Every bike takes a moment to get used to. Coming to the Sage PDXCX from other recent cyclocross and gravel bikes, I noticed that the saddle is about 1 centimeter higher above the ground. That’s initially when I swing my leg over, and perhaps it’s related to my hip inflexibility or personal sensitivity to bike geometry. It feels like getting on a mountain bike with the dropper post up. Other riders may barely notice the less than half-inch. This, of course, is from the higher bottom bracket of the PDXCX.

That extra BB height gives a bit more crank clearance from the ground. That is beneficial when pedaling on a steep off-camber, or if you lift the bike over an obstacle, or that one pedal stroke you need at the crest of a steep ride-up. The ground clearance is even better if you ride short cranks or a smaller chainring.

Once accustomed to mounting the bike, I hardly noticed the height difference, unless I’d ridden the same track on a bike with a lower bottom bracket right before or after the PDXCX. During a downhill turn, I feel higher. If I need to dab in a turn, my foot is a half-inch higher from the ground. It’s more of a psychological barrier than a physical one.

Regarding Rosen’s comment about racing, the bike feels like a racer with its steep headtube and low trail calculation. The stack is relatively high and the reach is short compared to the slacker, longer, and lower Sage Barlow Gravel race model. The PDXCX has geometric similarities to other cyclocross race bikes, such as the Bombtrack Tension-C from Germany and, in some ways (bottom bracket height aside), the Trek Boone, but is longer in reach. The PDXCX has the shortest trail calculation for the same tire size, lending its quick handling nature noticeable in tight chicanes through trees, or flat turns with good traction where a little body english gets you effortlessly around the turn.

The slightly shorter, higher position puts the rider’s weight a bit more over the bottom bracket, which I like in combination with the short trail. The differences are small, and the ride quality differences are subtle, though real in juxtaposition to another bike.

Cyclocross Tires Are Narrow!

Regarding tire clearance, the 2024 PDXCX we rode for review has a maximum clearance for 38mm tires, limited by the chainstays and chainstay bridge, which incidentally acts a bit like a mud shelf. The 2025 model forgoes the chainstay bridge, and with the 3D-printed right chainstay yoke, the tire clearance is increased to 40mm.

Rosen’s bike has 33mm 240tpi nylon-cased tubeless tires. These measure a true 33mm on the 23mm internal width Chris King GRD wheels. The Donnelley WC PDX tread is relatively thin with small, widely spaced knobs, which all contribute to a supple tire that is sensitive to small changes in tire pressure. On one hand, the supple tires make the ride smoother, on the other, the narrowness gets deflected by ground irregularities more easily (which increases rolling resistance) and offers less rim protection. It’s odd that cyclocross racers, when not in mud, still race on 33mm tires, when many road racers now use that width, but that’s a topic for a different article.

The Sage PDXCX has the iconic damped titanium ride. I had to ride with the same wheel and tire combination on another frame to confirm that. However, due to the tube parameters, construction, and frame geometry, the PDXCX feels snappy, both in acceleration and climbing, as well as steering and handling. For a ‘cross race, I don’t believe the PDXCX will be your limiter.

Component Selection

Rosen races with a double chainring setup. Some riders like a single chainring for ‘cross on punchy courses where small gear steps may not be so critical. Using a double chainring risks a chain drop when shifting the front, and the extra chain retention of a SRAM X-Sync wide-narrow tooth profile is not possible where the chain needs to shift between rings.  However, the SRAM Red AXS rear derailleur has a silicone fluid-damping chain tension system, and Rosen put a chain guide on the SRAM Red AXS front derailleur to prevent an inboard chain drop.

SRAM Red Etap chain Watcher. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The SRAM 46-33 chainring combination yields a fairly wide range for the 10-28 12-speed cassette. The cassette has one-tooth steps for the 8 smallest cogs. With that many gears, I’d rather spread the range out a bit and get a couple of lower gears, especially since I have a double chainring combination.

SRAM road brakes have improved in feel over the past generation. The system still uses DOT fluid, which is harder to work with and has greater hygroscopic properties than mineral oil systems for bicycles, which means fluid replacement intervals are greater in theory.

Buzz

The sound of a Chris King RingDrive rear hub is rather recognizable. The RD45 is a subdued version of the “swarm of bees” sound and smoother, with less drag, in my opinion. As much as some cyclists like a buzzy freewheel, that loud noise represents friction, which is energy loss. You will greatly appreciate the beautiful RD45 hub if you look down at your front hub as we all do with that hard effort! Otherwise, the 1500-gram wheelset is well made, and I appreciate the no-fault warranty and recyclability of the thermoplastic rim.

The Verdict

The Sage headbadge doesn’t help your CDa, but it sure adds panache. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Rosen’s personal race bike is decked out with the highest-end components. He prefers a traditional double chainring setup with a tight cassette and traditional 33mm cyclocross tires. None of that changes the core of the Sage PDXCX ride.`

I found the PDXCX refreshingly different on my familiar tracks. It shines in certain conditions where the course is fast and tight with ground irregularities like roots, small steps up or down, and off cambers. I did not like it on steep descents with surface irregularities. I’ve ridden so many low, slack gravel bikes that boost confidence in those conditions, but I was also biased by the narrow tires. All cyclocross bikes had high bottom brackets in the not-so-distant past, and we underbiked in the cyclocross off-season on narrow tires with worse brake control.

I’m glad Rosen makes the PDXCX. He embodies the ethos of a racer-bike designer: cycling isn’t just his business—it’s his lifestyle, and cyclocross is his canvas of experimentation and dedication.

If you’re looking for a cyclocross-specific steed, and don’t want it to double as a burly gravel racer, the Sage PDXCX is definitely worth a look. The titanium should be durable, rust proof and tolerate 45-60 minutes of weekly abuse.

More info: sagetitanium.com

Sage Titanium PDXCX

MSRP: USD 13,000* as tested
Frame: Sage 3Al/2.5V titanium alloy, 12 X 142mm through axle, T47 BB, SRAM UDH compatible
Fork:  Enve G-Series, 12 X 100 through axle
Weight: 18 pounds as tested with no pedals; 12.6 lbs without wheels or pedals
Shifters: SRAM Red eTap AXS
Crankset: SRAM Red DUB Wide, 46-33 T, 170mm arm
Brakes: SRAM Red D1 flat-mount calipers, SRAM Centerline center lock rotors, 160mm front and 140mm rear
Cockpit:  Enve 10cm stem, Enve compact 42mm width
Seatpost: Sage Titanium custom*, 36.1mm diameter (
Saddle: Sage Baccus, titanium rails
Wheels: Chris King GRD, 24 spokes
Tires:  Donnelly PDX WC, 700C X 33mm
Warranty: Frame lifetime against manufacturer defects to the original owner.
Country of origin: USA

The post Ridden and Reviewed: Sage Titanium Bicycles PDXCX Cyclocross Bike appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

The brand new Sven Nys cycling route. ©Edgardo Zanenga/4actionmedia

Every cyclist knows the name Eddy Merckx. His palmares surpass any other cyclist, and his dominant wins earned him the nickname “The Cannibal.” On June 17, 2025, Eddy Merckx turned 80 years old. Sven Nys, a name quite familiar to our readers, was born the same day as Eddy Merckx, 31 years later. Sven Nys also earned a nickname, “The Cannibal from Baal” for his dominant cyclocross wins and the fact that he is from Baal. Both riders are from Flanders, specifically the area just east of the city of Leuven.

Flanders

Belgium, adjacent to the English Channel, is bordered in the North by the Netherlands, and in the South by France. To the east are Germany and Luxembourg. Belgium is divided by the language spoken. Flanders is the northern part of the country bordering the Netherlands, which is Dutch-speaking, and Flemish is a dialect of Dutch. Historically, the County of Flanders was quite dominant during the Middle Ages because of its location and with large trading hubs of Ghent in the east and Bruges in the west. Flanders’ history is complicated after that, and even with the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium, Flanders remained fiercely independent.

Cycling in Flanders

Cobbles in Flanders. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Flanders is the home of the Tour of Flanders (Ronde Vlaanderen), Ghent-Wevelgem, E3 Saxo Classic, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and Nokere Koerse. Storied cobbled sections of the Flandrien classics include the Oude Kwaremont, De Muur, Paterberg, and of course, the Koppenberg.

Flanders is also home to numerous cyclocross races. Namur, Koksijde, Zonhoven, Gavere, Antwerpen, Gullegem, Diegem, Koppenbergcross, and of course, GP Sven Nys are all in Flanders.

With all this cycling history and culture, the Flanders Visitors organization has a cycling branch, Cycling in Flanders, where you can find all the information you need about races, events, and cycling routes in Flanders. Cycling in Flanders has created the Flandrien Challenge, should you want to come and try your mettle on the bergs and cobbles of Flanders.

Cyclocross Magazine in Flanders

Visit Flanders and Cycling in Flanders invited Cyclocross Magazine to spend a few days in their country to see the Sven Nys Cycling Center, site of the GP Sven Nys, and ride the Eddy Merckx and Sven Nys cycling routes corresponding with Eddy Merckx’s 80th Birthday, and Sven Nys’ 49th Birthday. We jumped at the opportunity.

Our stay was in Leuven, a charming city of just over 100,000. It is a 20-minute train ride east from the Brussels Airport (BRU). It has the oldest Catholic university in Europe, the Catholic University of Leuven, which gives the city an international culture. The largest summer music festival in Europe, Rock Werchter, which has been happening annually since 1976, takes place in Leuven.

Catholic University of Leuven. ©Ralph Ornelis/Het is Koers

If you like beer, it’s another reason to like Belgium, and particularly Flanders, which has a strong history of beer making. Leuven is the home of Stella Artois Brewery but also small artisanal breweries such as Brewery de Coureur.

Brewery de Coureur microbrewery in Leuven. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Inside the old Stella Artois brewery in Leuven. A new modern facility is across the road. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Leuven has a robust bicycle infrastructure with protected bikeways and bike right-of-way where cars must stay behind bicyclists until a passing zone on certain small roads. You see cyclists of all ages pedaling mostly non-electric bikes in every direction.

Leuven was the finish line location of the 2021 UCI Road Race World Championships. That year, Julian Alaphilippe won the elite men’s race, and Elisa Balsamo outsprinted Marianne Vos for the gold.

Leuven was also the scene of the October 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships finishing circuit, with the finish line at the plaza in the center of the city. Mathieu Van Der Poel decisively took the Elite Men’s gold. In an arguably more exciting race, Marianne Vos narrowly beat Belgian favorite Lotte Kopecky in a two-up sprint after they broke away from the field with less than 50 km to go for the Elite Women’s title.

Cycling in Flanders has a link to this 2024 Gravel Worlds route, which runs 136 km from Halle southwest of Brussels to Leuven. If you want to experience a European gravel race route, this is the one to take.

The Eddy Merckx Cycling Route

©Ralph Ornelis/Het is Koers

In 2025, to coincide with Eddy Merckx’s 80th birthday, Cycling in Flanders revised the original Eddy Merckx Cycling route to present a more challenging course along the roads where Eddy grew up and trained in his youth and early career. Eddy Merckx did not design the route, but gave his input and nod of approval.

The course is now 149 km with 1130 meters of elevation. The original is just about half the distance with half the climbing. The start of the route is at the Boerenhof cycling café near the church in Meensel, about 15 km east of Leuven, and takes half an hour by car. You can park in the lot all day and have a coffee and pastry to start, or a beer and snack at the finish. Given the distance, the Eddy Merckx Cycling Route is an all-day ride.

We rode with a strong crew of other cycling media contributors. Ralph with Het is Koers travelled by train from Ghent, Amber with Fiets Vrouwen drove from the Netherlands with her own bike, Eddy with 4actionsport flew from Milan, and Gabel with bicio.bike flew from Madrid. Ewoud from Cycling in Flanders served as our guide, though with good signposting and a GPS you can easily ride this self-guided.

The Eddy Merckx Cycling Route is well marked with signs. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Cycling in Flanders has a list of local bicycle tour operators that provide all levels of support, depending on the type of trip you want. Go 4 Cycling provided nice Ridley Fenix SLC Road endurance bikes with Di2 and sag support for our ride should you have a mechanical, need nutrition or hydration, or lunch.

Our loaner Ridley Fenix, with Shimano 105 7100 Di2. It’s a 50-34 front and 11-34 12-speed rear. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Two kilometers into the ride in Kiezegem is the birthplace of Eddy Merckx. It is marked by a plaque on the house, a bronze sculpture across the street, and a large mural painted on the side of the Café ‘t Klein Verlet celebrating Eddy’s connection with the village.

A mural commemorating Eddy Merckx in Kiezegem. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The childhood home of Eddy Merckx in Kiezegem. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

A bronze statue commemorating Eddy Merckx in Kiezegem.©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The route winds through small villages, pastures, and fields of wheat and corn. We passed by the Horst Castle (Kasteel van Horst), which was under renovation. If I had more time, I would make this a stop. As a group, we were determined to finish the entire route in a day, and there were still many miles to go.

Scenery along the Eddy Merckx Cycling Route. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The Marollenkapel (chapel) in Hoegaarden. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Over 93 miles, we climbed 3800 feet, yielding an average gradient of less than 0.5%. However, if you look at the ride profile, the course constantly rises or falls, occasionally steeply, but mostly gradual short grades of around 4%, so the route flows. With short climbs, there are short descents, which never allow you to pick up much speed.  The route is entirely well paved with a 1 km uphill section of cobbles to add some spice. You could ride a single speed with the right gear selection, perhaps just over a 2:1 ratio. So even if your Di2 battery runs out, you can make it, as I found out. Most of my ride mates mentioned they were in the big chainring most of the day, and you might know Eddy’s low gear was a 42 X 21 or 2:1!

©Edgardo Zanenga/4actionmedia

The Eddy Merckx cycling route is largely car-free. Our weather in mid-June rose to around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 Celsius) at the peak of the day. You will only encounter a few cafes or restaurants along the route, but you do have phone service. If you are willing to ride off the route, you have more choices. If you want to ride the route over a couple of days, accommodations are available in the towns near the halfway point as the route heads south out of Flanders and into Wallonia.

This is the actual ride along the Eddy Merckx Cycling Route. Our total riding time was 6 hours and 14 minutes with an elapsed time of 8 hours that takes into account our leisurely picnic lunch at mile 39 (where there is a toilet) and two rest stops and photo stops. We rode the route clockwise.

You can still ride the old Eddy Merckx route if 150 km is too long for you.

The Sven Nys Cycling Route

The Sven Nys Cycling Route. ©Amber Middelhoek/Fietsvrouwen

This road cycling route starts and finishes at the Sven Nys Cycling Center in the town of Baal, where Sven Nys lives. Parking is available at the center, which has a museum, bike shop, cafe and bar, and even shower facilities. In the upper parking lot, there is a water bottle filling station and even a sunscreen dispensing machine. Many cycling routes begin and end here, including several mountain bike loops of varying difficulty.

Look forward to an article describing our cyclocross clinic day at the center with Tony de Haes, which includes a ride through the GP Sven Nys course. Tony also took us on a mixed-terrain ride around the region.

The Sven Nys Cycling Route is a road loop that Sven Nys helped design. He used many roads on this route for his training for ‘cross, so it includes more sharp climbs, including a couple on cobbles, some steeper descents, and a short stretch of packed dirt. The route is 100 km (62.7 miles) with 912 meters (2991 feet) of climbing. Again, the average gradient is about 0.5%, but the profile is sawtooth, and a few of the climbs are steeper than on the Eddy Merckx route, in the 6-8% range, with a quarter-mile (400-meter) kicker at mile 56 (kilometer 90) that hits 14%.

A mural honoring Sven Nys along the Sven Nys cycling route. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

All that said, the longest climb is perhaps a mile (1.6 km) at only 3%. The descents are short to match the short climbs. The Sven Nys Cycling Route has varied scenery to go with the climbing and descending. You ride tree-shaded roads, through a forest, and then out into vineyards and farm fields. There is even some art along the way.

A  packed gravel climb leads to a stairway to nowhere along the Sven Nys Cycling Route. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The Sven Nys Cycling Route has a lot of short, steep climbs. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Cobbles Are Not Gravel

If you’ve had the chance to ride over cobblestones, you will realize it is not the same as riding gravel roads. ISGG gravel categories don’t quite define cobbled roads. Gravel is movable, irregular and sometimes sharp. Cobbles have some regularity like a big washboard, the stones are immovable and often “polished” on the surface, and the road is typically crowned. The actual bumpiness and sharpness of the cobblestone edges depend on the section of road, but it is all very bumpy! The modern road bikes we rode have 28mm tires, pumped to about 5 bar (75 psi). The short stretches of cobbles were not objectionable to me, but I did wish I had wider tires with half the pressure. The gutters of these cobbled sections are easier to ride because they are off the crown of the road and the stones are lined up a bit more regularly. This is why you see riders riding the gutters in the spring especially when conditions are wet and the polished stone surfaces are treacherous.

 

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The Sven Nys Cycling Route has varied terrain and road surfaces. ©Ewoud Lagring/Visit Flanders

Despite the varying surfaces, it is all easily rideable with road bikes, and a lot of the 100km is in the shade. The Sven Nys Cycling Route eclipses the Eddy Merckx Cycling Route for a few kilometers. Similarly, you have phone and internet service along the whole route, so cafes are not too hard to find. We stopped at mile 39 (63 kilometers) to lunch at Het Mooi Alternatief (A Beautiful Alternative), a small cafe in a bucolic garden setting with a delightful, if limited, healthy fresh menu.

The Sven Nys Cycling Route travels through small towns. C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Our actual ride on the Sven Nys Cycling Route. We rode the course in a counterclockwise direction with a total moving time of 4 hours and 25 minutes.

The Verdict

If you are a cyclist, you need to add Flanders to your list of places to visit. In the West are the routes of the spring classics. In the center are the Eddy Merckx and Sven Nys routes and the Sven Nys Cycling Center. In the Autumn and Winter, the Flandrien cyclocross races take place. If you want to test your mettle, take the Flandrien Challenge.

The Eddy Merckx and Sven Nys cycling routes celebrate two of cycling’s Flandrien champions. They are scenic and challenging routes for any cyclist. The Sven Nys cycling center outside of Leuven is a great hub to start a variety of rides, both on and off road. Look for our future post on our one-on-one experience with Tony de Haes at the Sven Nys Cycling Center. 

It is easiest to get a flight to Brussels (BRU), which is quite central. For western Flanders, you can also fly into Ostend-Bruges airport (OST). Trains run from the airport in every direction. Visit Flanders is the best way to plan your trip. Cycling in Flanders has specific information for your cycling vacation with links to resources such as routes, accommodations, bike rentals, and tour operators.

Stay tuned for Part Two of our trip report.

The post Riding the Eddy Merckx and Sven Nys cycling routes in Flanders appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Gravel racing in Truckee, California, began in 2018 with the Peter Sagan Dirt Fondo, which was won by Geoff Kabush and Olivia Dillon. We covered that event, seeing the current road World Champ at the time ride his own event in a rainbow jersey, well before the UCI jumped into gravel racing. The original event was timed to dovetail with the now-defunct Tour of California, minimizing the trips between Europe for the Slovakian cycling celebrity.

Creek crossings were part of the Sagan Fondo course. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us

That inaugural event was organized by Carlos Perez and his Bike Monkey race promotion company, and despite a few name changes, course changes and distance variations, it continues on today, only with more attendees, more distance options, and expanded terrain.

2025 Truckee Gravel boasts three gravel distances, free racing for Juniors.

The original course stayed east of Highway 89, on chunky terrain on a route designed in part by Kurt Gensheimer (aka the Angry Singlespeeder), and maxed out at 67 miles, but eventually expanded to 76 miles with the course last used in 2023.

Now Perez says the new courses, first debuted in 2024, gain access to spectacular (and smoother) gravel terrain on the west side of Highway 89, thanks in part to new course designer and Truckee resident Levi Leipheimer. The longest course now tops out at 102 miles, with a whopping 7900 feet of climbing and going through Sierraville, with 66 and 25-mile options as well.

2025 Truckee Gravel boasts three gravel distances, free racing for Juniors.

The courses weren’t the only changes over the years, but also the event’s name, morphing from Sagan Dirt Fondo to Truckee Dirt Fondo and now Truckee Gravel.

This year’s Truckee Gravel will land on June 28, 2025, starting at Riverview Park just steps from downtown Truckee, 40 minutes from Reno, two hours from Sacramento, and 3-4 hours from the San Francisco Bay Area.

2025 Truckee Gravel boasts three gravel distances, free racing for Juniors.

Free Spirit of Gravel for Juniors

Truckee Gravel, like many fully-supported gravel events today, isn’t cheap to register for. The 25-mile event is $82, the 66-mile medium course will cost you $193, while the long course runs $215.

But that doesn’t mean the #spiritofgravel is dead. Starting today, Perez will be making the race free for Juniors, just as his company did with Stetina’s Paydirt. Select the Junior option next to each distance and your event fee will be reduced to $0 (but won’t include a post-race meal, which you can pay for day-of). At Stetina’s Paydirt, Juniors were all scored together as short course racers, but the more ambitious ones were invited to ride the longer course, but weren’t scored with those distances.

Under 18 years old and already registered? Bike Monkey is happy to issue a refund, or you can always decline the refund, if you have the means, to support the event.

Northern California is the birthplace of high school NICA mountain bike racing, and is flush with young mountain bike racers in middle school and high school. Want to try a gravel event, but only have a mountain bike you used in NICA racing? Perez emphasizes that the hillly offroad terrain is well-suited to mountain bikes and mountain bike tires. Been following #gravelpros recently? They’re almost all on mountain bike tires.

2025 Truckee Gravel boasts three gravel distances, free racing for Juniors.

More Than Just a One-Day Ride

2025 Truckee Gravel brings events on Thursday, Friday and post-race Sunday, including a shakedown ride with gravel star Lachlan Morton.

While the race is on Saturday, Truckee Gravel has a slew of events lined up for the weekend, starting with a Thursday social gathering and tire talk, a Friday shakeout ride with gravel star Lachlan Morton, and a two-day expo and Sunday cool-down ride. RSVPs are requested.

2025 Truckee Gravel boasts three gravel distances, free racing for Juniors.

The start/finish area is at the doorstep of the Truckee Bike Park, so consider bringing a full-face helmet to get rad on the free terrain features.

The four-day gravel festival kicks off on June 26 with the race on Saturday, June 28, 2025.

More info: truckeegravel.com

The post Truckee Gravel Boasts Three Courses, Free Racing for Juniors in the California Sierra appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Things have been a little quiet at Cyclocross Magazine recently, partially due to the cyclocross offseason and a staff concussion, but we are still working in the background on some upcoming product reviews. Here are a few items that we’re riding.

Cyclocross Specific Race bike

We have a Sage Titanium PDXCX to review. Sage Titanium owner David Rosen is loaning his personal race bike from last season. We saw his new bike has a few detail changes at the Sea Otter Classic 2025. He says the geometry is exactly the same between his old and new bike, and his top-end SRAM Red 2X build is also nearly identical.

Sage Titanium PDXCX. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

We rode a Sage Titanium PDXCX in 2o18 and a Sage Titanium Barlow in 2019. There are very few companies in the US producing cyclocross-specific bicycles these days and Sage Titanium is one of them. How does it differ from a “gravel bike?” David Rosen told me, “You don’t ride a ‘cross bike, you race a ‘cross bike!”

Our review bike weighs 18.5 pounds and is pictured above. It takes off like a rocket from the line and drops into corners telepathically. A detailed review is in progress as you read this. Yes, it interestingly has a 2x SRAM drivetrain, a rarity in cyclocross these days, but should you purchase your own from Sage, you can get the drivetrain of your dreams.

The Sage headbadge doesn’t help reduce your CDa, but it sure adds panache. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Another Kona?

After our popular review of the front suspension-equipped Kona Ouroboros last year, a discussion with the company lamenting the loss of the Jake family of cyclocross bikes led to them sending a new Libre for review—with the company saying it’s their most cyclocross-able rig. We’re putting that to the test, with the understanding that most of us race cyclocross, but also ride plenty of mixed terrain when not battling between the tape.

Kona Libre CR, a new model for 2025. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The Libre CR is new for 2025. We reviewed a Libre DL 7 years ago, and a year later, Barry Wicks took third place on a Kona Libre DL at the Lost and Found Gravel race. Wicks, along with Ryan Trebon, is one of the Kona Cyclocross “Twin Towers” who ruled US domestic cyclocross in the mid-2000s.

The new Kona Libre CR is a complete redesign with a carbon frameset, and is equipped with SRAM Rival eTap AXS. An aluminum version is available with a slightly different geometry. It comes with 45mm tires, with room for more. Our detailed review is due out in a few weeks or so as we use it to compete in some local gravel events and even a summer cyclocross series.

Clik Valve

We have been using the Clik Valve and have some opinions. The Clik Valve, licensed to Schwalbe, is a replacement for the Presta valve core. It offers an easier, more secure fitting for tire inflation with only the exchange of the Presta valve core, and the promise of higher flow rates, better durability and less sealant contamination. Those all sound good, right?

Is that just a lot of hot air? No, but what’s the catch? The cost of course, with a valve kit and chuck starts at about $42. Also compatibility, which is admittedly a bit confusing. Schwalbe recommends the special air chuck to take advantage of the Clik Valve features. The chuck snaps onto the top of the valve, creating an airtight seal, and depresses the valve pin to allow air flow. In practice, installation and use are as advertised. It is indeed arguably easier to attach and remove the chuck without air loss. However, we have to ask, “Was that a big problem with Presta?” For some people it was, and we cannot fault anyone for inventing a better mousetrap.

The Clik valve replaces the Presta valve core. Notice the small pin in the middle. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The Click Valve recommends a new air chuck for your pump. That is, not just your floor pump at home, but your field inflation tools, whether it be a hand pump, CO2 cartridge, or electric inflator. If you have more than one bike you will need a kit for each bike. Schwalbe says you can use a standard Presta pump, with reduced efficiency, and the Clik Valve pump is supposed to work on Presta valves as well. The former is true in our tests, but not with a threaded presta fitting such as the Lezyne pump. Lezyne embraces the Clik Valve with a new pump lineup. Using the Clik Valve chuck for standard presta valves is not possible in our experience.

Other companies like Wolf Tooth have followed the bait and hooked onto Schwalbe’s design, offering $36.95 tubeless valves. Its product messaging is a little confusing, however, stating:

“Tubeless Valve Stem Kits for Schwalbe Clik Valve are compatible with Schwalbe Clik Valve pump heads ONLY. For the best experience, pair with a Clik-compatible pump. In a pinch, a Presta pump head can inflate Tubeless valves for Schwalbe Clik Valve, but it is not recommended for daily use.”

The Clik Valve air chuck. The front portion unthreads to act as an adapter for a Schrader valve pump. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The threads on the backside of the air chuck head are the same as a Schrader valve, so you can use it as an adaptor. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

A Clik Valve air chuck adapted to the Schrader end of a standard pump. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

It is also hard to measure air pressure if you do not rely on the gauge on your floor pump. I could not find a Schrader gauge that would thread on the adaptor, so you are left with buying the Clik Valve gauges. Reviews regarding the reliability of these gauges vary, so you may as well use your pump gauge. Bleeding air from the click valve is also not as easy compared to a standard presta valve because it is more difficult to depress the recessed valve pin. Of course this is not a problem is you have a Clik Valve compatible air gauge with a bleed valve.

The Clik Valve is in some ways like a mini Schrader valve with a snap-on chuck.

The Clik Valve air chuck has a pin that depresses the corresponding pin on the valve.

Stay posted as we see how these valves hold up over time.

More info: clickvalve.com

Cyclocross Magazine Heads to Flanders!

Cyclocross Magazine is going to Flanders to coincide with the re-opening of two iconic cycling routes in this northern area of Belgium. These routes form part of Flanders’ celebrated cycling heritage and have been carefully re-imagined by two of Belgium’s most iconic cyclists: the legendary Eddy Merckx, and cyclocross racing star Sven Nys.

We will get to ride and experience the new cycling routes. The Eddy Merckx route is 150km (93 miles) with 1000 meters (3300 feet) of climbing. This is almost double the distance of the previous Eddy Merckx route. The Sven Nys route is 75km (46.6 miles) with 790 meters (2600 feet) of climbing.

We’ll also have the opportunity to visit the Sven Nys Cycling Center where the GP Sven Nys X2O Trofee Baal course is. Though it is not cyclocross season, we’ll have the opportunity to ride the course. Keep an eye on our Instagram for updates!

The post In Review: Sage Titanium PDXCX Cyclocross Bike, Another New Kona Gravel Bike, Clik Valves, and a Trip to Flanders appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

In the women’s race, despite moving from a mountain bike race to a gravel race, the first stop of the Life Time Grand Prix drew out none other than mountain biker Haley Batten, silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics mountain bike race. Batten is not a Grand Prix contestant this year, but left all the series racers behind on her way to a dominant win with over a five-minute gap. Sofia Gomez Villafane, last year’s overall winner, took the leader’s jersey with her second place.

[caption id="attachment_163448" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Haley Batten, silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the mountain bike race, claimed victory in her first Sea Otter gravel race. 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

In the men’s race, the change in discipline and bikes didn’t impact the race results, as Keegan Swenson once again ruled the offroad terrain in Fort Ord. Swenson took a narrow win over his Cape Epic teammate Matt Beers.

Tudor’s Simon Pellaud took a flyer and stayed off the front for a while before the heavy hitters reeled him in. Giro Winner and retired road pro Tom Dumoulin lined up and finished 98th.

Both Swenson and Gomez Villafane ended the day in the same position they started and ended the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix series.

See Cyclocross Magazine’s exclusive photos from John Silva, full race results and the official report from Life Time below.

Monterey, California, (Thursday, April 10th): Keegan Swenson continued his winning run at the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental by powering to his fourth successive victory in Monterey, while Sofía Gómez Villafañe also took maximum points in the Life Time Grand Prix after finishing the race in second position behind the triumphant Haley Batten.

The 35th edition saw the discipline switch from MTB to gravel, but Swenson proved unstoppable once again in the men’s race by launching a stinging attack on the final ascent of Lookout Ridge and then pressing home his advantage in typically dominant style.

[caption id="attachment_163439" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Keegan Swenson leading a small pack at Fort Ord. 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Men’s Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The 31-year-old crossed the line nine seconds ahead of Matthew Beers, who also wrapped up his second podium placing in as many years, with Alexey Vermeulen 29 seconds further back in third.

In the women’s race, Batten took the crown after commencing her winning move almost 50 miles in. The Olympic silver medalist never looked back and sealed her win by five minutes and 23 seconds. As Batten wasn’t competing in the Life Time Grand Prix, it was Villafañe who proved the highest-placed Series finisher, taking second place 14 seconds ahead of Cecily Decker.

[caption id="attachment_163451" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Cecily Decker gaps Sofia Gomez Villafane and the pack. 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Those results mean Swenson and Villafañe sit at the top of the overall standings with 35 points respectively, with Beers and Decker both with 33 points, and Vermeulen and Hayley Preen – who finished the women’s race in fourth place – two points further behind.

In the Wild Card competition, Petr Vakoc and Maude Farrell top that leaderboard after finishing in fourth and 17th places respectively, while Griffin Hoppin and Emily Stapleton lead the U23 Program with their respective 29th and 36th-placed finishes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DISaDdCOYcu/

Reaction from the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental:

Men’s winner Keegan Swenson said: “It was fast, tactical racing all day and Lookout Ridge was the only place where there was much selection. On the first two laps it separated on there and then came back together, but with the group getting smaller each time. I knew that was going to be the place to go on the last lap, and that I needed to play my cards right.

[caption id="attachment_163444" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Men’s Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

“Before I made my move I tried to play it smart and save my energy. I put in a dig on the first steep bit and knew they’d be hurting behind. I had a feeling Matt and Alexey would come back, but that they’d have to work hard to do so, and I rested up a little bit so I could hit out again on the last section of that climb.

“I gave it everything I had, opened up a small gap and then managed to defend it all the way to the finish.

“It’s always good to start the season off with a win here, in terms of confidence and points. It’s nice to have a little buffer heading into UNBOUND too because that’s a crazy, hectic race where anything can happen.”

Women’s winner Haley Batten said: “This was my first gravel race so I had no real plan and just wanted to see how the athletes were riding and working together. They didn’t seem to be in sync so I thought, if I surprise everyone, no one would be expecting it.

[caption id="attachment_163448" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Haley Batten, silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the mountain bike race, claimed victory in her first Sea Otter gravel race. 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

“I had hoped a rider or two would come with me so there would be more chance of making the move stick. I pushed really hard though, and knew if anyone hesitated for a second behind that I could get away, and I just kept going. During the last lap I was regretting my move as I was deep in the pain cave, but it turned out well.

“The Life Time Grand Prix is a super exciting series, with so many super strong athletes, and I hope to show up for more races in the future.”

Women’s runner-up Sofía Gómez Villafañe said: “I’m more than happy with second place today as I got super sick in the lead up to it and have been on the couch for the last two weeks. I thought I’d only be racing for a top-10 finish today, but had no real idea what to expect.

“When Haley went I had nothing in my legs. I got to play the ‘she’s kind of my team-mate card’ and have Cecily drag me around for the last lap, and I thought I was still going to get dropped. Somehow though, I found I still had a kick on the final climb.

[caption id="attachment_163450" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Sofia Gomez Villafane gives chase. 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

“My result speaks volumes to the groundwork I’d put in before getting sick, but it was such a hard day, mentally. My confidence was low but it was so important to have a good race. I’m super proud to get a 1-2 with Haley, and she was a in a league of her own. It’s all upwards from here.

“As for the Series, it’s exciting to have a deeper field, with more international riders coming in. It’s been really cool to see all the changes that Life Time has been making too, especially with the no drafting rule, and they are always elevating the support they give us as riders.”

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2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race, Lifte Time Grand Prix Photo Gallery:

Cecily Decker gaps Sofia Gomez Villafane and the pack. 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race – Lifetime Grand Prix Series. © John Silva / Cyclocross Magazine

The post 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race Results, Photos, Videos, Report – Life Time Grand Prix Race #1 appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Longtime readers may remember our in-person coverage of Geoff Proctor’s MontanaCrossCamp over the years. Proctor has since expanded his cyclocross training offerings for youth, adding cyclocross camps in Vermont and in Europe. Now the cyclocross professor adds a new camp offering in July in Santa Cruz. See the details in the press release below.

EuroCrossAcademy (ECA) is pleased to announce its summer cyclocross training camp schedule for 2025. Kicking off the first of four camps is CaliforniaCrossCamp from July 7-12 on the campus of UC-Santa Cruz, CA. Shortly thereafter, ECA’s flagship camp, MontanaCrossCamp, runs from July 21-26 at Carroll College in Helena, MT. Finally, VermontCrossCamp 1 & 2 follow directly after, during the weeks of July 29-Aug 3 and August 4-9 on the Vermont Academy campus in Saxtons River, VT.

EuroCrossAcademy brings four cyclocross camps to the 2025 summer. photo: Tom Robertson

“ECA is thrilled to embark on another summer of youth cyclocross development through its four training camps across the US,” said ECA Director Geoff Proctor. “We continue to see big gains in these young, aspiring cyclists every summer. Their athleticism, personal growth, commitment, and camaraderie never cease to invigorate all the coaches and staff. And, for those athletes ECA ends up working within Europe during the fall/winter, the preparation and progress they make during summer camp really pays off.”

EuroCrossAcademy brings four cyclocross camps to the 2025 summer. photo: Tom Robertson

ECA has been directing its summer camps since 2011 and its European competition blocks since 2002. Asked about the addition of a new fourth camp in northern California, Proctor added, “ECA is all about providing more opportunities for cyclocross-motivated young athletes. When I got into ’cross—mid 80s—NorCal cyclocross was thriving. The national cyclocross narrative owes so much to this region. Heck, the area hosted seven national championships from 1975-2002 and in the mid-2000s, several legs of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross and has produced many top cyclocross riders over the years. With CaliforniaCrossCamp, ECA really wants to help inspire a new generation of young West Coast ’crossers.”

The 1984 USCF Cyclocross Nationals was held on the UCSC campus in Santa Cruz and won by Steve Tilford. Photo from Feb 1985 Velonews.

ECA seeks aspiring student-athletes aged 15-20 who are committed to learning, honing, and excelling in the craft of cyclocross as a foundational cycling discipline. Each camp consists of five days of conditioning, cyclocross skills/drills/play training, gravel endurance rides, and evening classroom sessions. Under the direction of top cyclocross pro-mentors, the camps incorporate key components of ECA’s holistic curriculum centering on fun, performance, and personal integrity. ECA is committed to a culture and community where all student-athletes, coaches, and personnel feel deep meaning, a strong sense of purpose, and a high level of joy.

The national cyclocross narrative owes so much to this region…With CaliforniaCrossCamp, ECA really wants to help inspire a new generation of young West Coast ’crossers.” -Geoff Proctor

With limited spots at each camp, selection is based on an on-time application conveying motivation and aspiration; recommendations from coaches; past results (in any discipline); ECA coaches’ discretion; and past attendance at ECA camps.

Attendees have a mix of bike time, fitness workouts and class time.

To learn more, go to EuroCrossAcademy.com and scroll down the menu to each camp’s tab.

To apply, go to “Camp Application Form” at the top of the main page.
Application window: 7 March 2025 – 11 April 2025.

Athlete selection and notification by 14 May 2025.

2025 brings four cyclocross camps including two in Vermont, one in Montana and one in Santa Cruz, California. photo: @herve_pelletier_vt

The post EuroCrossAcademy Opens West Coast Camp, Opens Applications for Four Summer Camps appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.

Kona Ouroboros Supreme. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

For American cyclocross, Kona is a storied brand. During the era of American Cyclocross popularity from 2003 through 2014, the “twin towers” of Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks were a dominant force riding Kona Major Jakes. From 1999 to 2005, Ann Knapp ruled American women’s cyclocross aboard a Kona Major Jake.   More recently, Clara Honsinger and Kerry Werner raced to victories and National Championships aboard Kona Super Jake cyclocross bikes.

Kona Bikes began in 1988 as a mountain bike brand by Dan Gerhard and Jake Heilbron in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with mountain bike legend Joe Murray as product designer. During the pandemic, Kona was sold only to go into demise 3 years later. This year, Gerhard and Heilbron repurchased the company to rescue and revitalize their storied brand.

New Gravel

Over the years, we’ve reviewed the Kona Major Jake both in print and online. I liked the most recent iteration of the bike so much, that I bought the review sample and continue to ride it as my primary ‘cross bike to this day. At the time, the Kona Major Jake was ahead of its time, with increased trail and unofficial 45mm tire clearance. We also reviewed the Kona Libre gravel bike, which is adventure skewed vs. the Major Jake’s race leaning. Sadly, the Major Jake is not currently in the Kona lineup.

The new Ouroboros is a drop bar gravel bike for the rider who wants to push the boundaries of gravel riding toward mountain biking. The idea of drop bars off road is not new. Before mountain bikes, the cyclocross bike took riders off-road. The mountain bike evolved to navigate more challenging off-road terrain, but flat bars prevailed. Charlie Cunningham used drop bars on his mountain bikes, including other innovations still in use today. His early machines from the 1980s and 1990s gained notoriety not only from the innovation but also because those innovations won races piloted by Jacqui Phelan.

Kona Ouroboros with the original drop bar mountain bike. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The discussion that gravel bike evolution is analogous to early mountain bike evolution is not lost. The Kona Ouroboros represents one of the steps in the gravel bike evolution. Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent devouring its tail. It represents the cycle of destruction and rebirth, appropriate for the Kona bike brand. The Kona Ouroboros is lightweight enough with mild-mannered handling for a pleasant road ride to the trail, even if prolonged. Off-road it has features to increase confidence when riding more technical trails, not the least being the addition of front suspension.

For review, we have the top-end  Supreme model from the bike introduction in April 2024, but there are two other models that use the same frame with different builds.

Kona Ouroboros Supreme: The Frame

Three Ouroboros models share the same carbon fiber frame with a reinforced headtube-downtube junction and some reinforcement at the seat collar area. The top tube slopes steeply to offer a more exposed seatpost for dropper travel or seatpost flex to aid compliance. The chainstays drop low behind the Press-fit 86.5 bottom bracket for more space to clear the chainring and tire. The effective chainstay length is 44.5cm across all sizes. The bottom bracket drops 72mm for the 3 larger sizes, and 75mm for the 3 smaller sizes. The frame is set up for flat mount brakes with “road standard” 142 X 12mm through axle rear end with a SRAM UDH.

Size Matters

Our review bike is labeled 56. That number only serves as a rough reference to some road bike size. The seat tube is 50cm tall and the effective top tube length is a rangy 59.3cm. The head tube is 193mm, which is quite tall. The 400mm reach and 610mm stack values are two sizes larger than we would normally pick, but the Kona size recommendations put us between sizes 54 and 56 for the Ouroboros. So with the long reach and high stack, a short stem puts the bars in the right place for reach, but set high. The short seat tube means the top tube slopes a lot, exposing a lot of seat post for maximum dropper travel, or seat post flex for ride compliance.

The geometry splits the difference between road-oriented gravel and cross-country mountain bikes. The headtube angle is 69.5 degrees and yields 82mm of trail (77mm of mechanical trail) with a 700C X 50mm tire and a fork with a 51cm offset such as the 40mm RockShox Rudy XPLR that comes with the Ouroboros Supreme. This is on the long side for a gravel bike, but certainly not in the same range as modern XC mountain bikes with trail figures in the 90mm range. For comparison, a traditional cyclocross bike trail is in the mid-60s. The Fezzari (Ari) Shafer and now elusive Nukeproof Digger are bikes with a greater than 80mm trail measurement, putting them squarely in the middle ground between typical gravel bikes and modern XC mountain bikes and in the same geometry category as the Ouroboros.

The wheelbase is 110.6cm with a fairly long 67.1cm front center. With the rider over the bottom bracket, that puts the front wheel further ahead of the rider than on a typical gravel bike.

If we had sized down to the 54, the stack is 20mm lower and the reach 5mm shorter. I arguably could drop to the Kona Ouroboros 52 if I used effective top tube length, reach, and stack as a guide, but then the bike would yield a different rider experience than you’ll read here. You’ll see that the longer, taller bike with the short stem and wide bars gives the Ouroboros a unique ride.

Chainstay bridge to brace the widely spaced seatstays has a fender mount hole. Kona Ouroboros. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

There is a guard under the lower downtube to protect the carbon frame from strikes, and a chainstay proctectore as well. The frame is adorned with mounting barnacles including top-tube bag mounts and fender mounts. The RockShox Rudy also has mounting provisions for full-fenders. The downtube has two bottle mounts, the lower one with 3 screws for an extended cage, and the upper set high enough to still accommodate another small bottle. The seat tube has a single bottle set.

SRAM Transmission mounts on both sides of the rear “dropout”. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Provisions for a front derailleur and cable-actuated derailleurs are present on the Ouroboros frame. All the control lines run internally with entry at the top of the downtube.

Maximum tire clearance is officially 2.1 inches or 53.3mm.

Still room even with a 50mm tire. Kona Ouroboros. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Sprung

The RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR 40mm travel fork with the Charger Race Day upgrade is on the Ouroboros Supreme model. A Fox TC 32 Performance 40mm travel fork with a Grip Damper comes on the Ouroboros CR, a complete bike for less than USD 2800, if you can find one in stock! The latter fork has a slightly shorter offset, increasing the trail figure by a few millimeters.

Kona Ouroboros Supreme: The Build

The Ouroboros Supreme is fully SRAM equipped with eTap wireless Force AXS and XO Eagle Transmission. It’s a true mullet setup with Force 1 AXS eTap hydraulic brake/shift levers, and a Force 1 crankset with 175mm arms, a typical pairing for this size bike. A 40-tooth X-Sync direct mount chainring is standard. The brake calipers are SRAM Force for flat mount, a road standard. The rear end has a 10-52 XO Eagle Transmission XD cassette with an XO Transmission flat-top 12-speed chain shifted by an XO Transmission rear mechanism.

SRAM Force 1 Wide crankset with XO Eagle Transmission rear mechanism. Kona Ouroboros.©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

That gives a 1:0.77 low gear ratio, which is 20.8 gear inches for the old folks. The top gear is 1:4 or 108 gear inches, with plenty of high end when you unleash the sprint or power down that long, steep descent. That 519% spread is more than enough for most riders.

The Ouroboros uses 180mm brake rotors natively in line with its adventure orientation. The Supreme has SRAM Centerline 6 bolt rotors on Zipp 101 XPLR wheels. The Ouroboros Supreme has a RockShox Reverb 31.6mm diameter 125mm travel AXS wireless dropper post to help with riding on adventurous terrain.

Zipp 101 XPLR Wheels

The Zipp 101 XPLR wheels are a unique gravel wheelset. Built around a standard 142 X 12mm rear Zipp ZR1 hub, 28 spokes lace a wide carbon single-wall rim into the wheel. The bladed spokes are interlaced X2, and the rim is 27mm internal width. The single-wall hookless rim has an old-school look, and the single wall means the nipple heads protrude into the rim channel. The wheels on our review bike came with the tires already installed tubeless. To seal the single-wall rims yourself, install a narrow plastic rim strip that covers the exposed nipple heads in the center channel, and then two layers of wide tubeless sealing tape over that. It will be challenging, but certainly doable if you need to retape the rim to seal it for tubeless. Zipp has a video to guide you through it.

The wheels have Maxxis Ravager 700C X 50mm TR EXO tires.

Zipp 101 XPLR single wall carbon rim, 27mm internal width. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

Short and Wide

A short 70mm Ritchey Trail WCS stem pairs with the Ritchey Superlogic Venturemax WCS carbon handlebar to the steerer. Our size 56 bike has a 48cm size bar. This carbon drop bar is unique for its width, shallow 102mm drop, 4-degree back sweep, and 24-degree flare. The bar is 48mm at the first bend along the top, 50cm at the brake hoods, and 60cm at the flat drops.

Ritchey WCS Superlogic Venturemax. 50mm at the hoods. Kona Ouroboros. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

All together, the Kono Ouroboros Supreme is 23.1 pounds for the size 56 review bike we have. It’s 14.1 pounds without the wheels.

Kona Ouroboros Supreme: The Ride

Our size 56 Ouroboros Supreme review sample has a long reach and high stack. Combined with a short stem, wide bars that have a shallow drop, 40mm of damped front suspension, and a dropper post, this bike put me in a confident position off-road. The bike came with 30mm spacers under the stem, including the 10mm tall top headset cap, which leveled the handlebars with the saddle.  The Ritchey Superlogic Venturemax handlebar is the widest drop bar I’ve ridden in a long time. The drop is shallow and the lower section is flat with palm swells. Set up as it is, this bike is meant to be ridden in the drops.

The saddle is level with the top of the handlebars on our review bike. Kona Ouroboros Supreme. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

When the trail points steeply down, you feel confident on the Ouroboros as if on a mountain bike. Your weight is not heavily forward and with the dropper down, you can stay low over the bottom bracket. The big tires add traction, and the tread of the Maxxis Ravager is a good combination of knobs for a wide variety of off-piste terrain.

To qualify that, this is still a gravel bike compared to mountain bikes today. I always enjoy the underbiking aspect of riding a cyclocross bike off-road. That said, being in control is arguably more fun and certainly safer. Also, it is proven that smoother is faster.

On the Road Again

Road manners are not extraordinary, but not dull. The Ouroboros does not draw attention with any handling quirks. It is like a touring bike from the days of yore.

The rider position is also touring bike-like, upright with wider bars. If you pump the big tires up and lock the fork out, only the buzzing of the big tires reminds me that I’m on an off-road-oriented bike. The long trail is not noticeable on rambling road rides as the bike follows your desired line with a gentle lean of the bike.  Take the Ouroboros on a more aggressive road ride with multiple linked 90-degree turns and sprints out of the corners and it comes out of its element. The Ouroboros requires steering correction that uses physical and mental effort to get through the chicane, and the acceleration is a bit lackadaisical, thanks in part to the big knobby tires.

If you use the dropper post, leaning the bike harder feels more comfortable, but without a berm to lean against, you still need steering input to bring the bike around the turn.

It’s Not a ‘Cross Bike

The Kona Ouroboros in action. Smoother is faster. ©gurufoto/Cyclocross Magazine

Aside from riding the Ouroboros on the usual cyclocross test courses, I raced the Ouroboros in three cyclocross races and a short “dirt classic” race. The cyclocross race courses varied, with dry and dusty early September racing and then a back-to-back race weekend following a rain storm the week before. These local races do not have a tire width restriction in most categories, so running the 50mm tires or front suspension is not an issue.

The biggest demerit is the weight of the bike. On any section that requires lifting the bike, the extra 5 pounds is a burden. Accelerating with the big tires and relatively heavy wheels is also noticeable. The extra-wide Ritchey Adventure Max handlebar is an additional complication on narrow sections where I might clip a post or tree. The long wheelbase and slack front end slow you down on tight-linked turns on a compact course as you must steer the bike a bit if there are no berms to lean on. Undoubtably, a lighter more nimble bike with a higher bottom bracket has the advantage on many cyclocross courses.

The big tires pay back with track-smoothing traction.  The 1300-gram (2.9 pounds) fork with 40mm (1.5 inches) of travel is unnecessary but adds front traction over roots and steps on the ‘cross track. I did not have to be as careful with line selection and could stay seated applying power on the bumpy sections of the track. Through wet mud and sand, the big tires float on top. Smoother is faster in many cases.

The Ouroboros is fun to race on the cyclocross course, with some advantages and disadvantages, but it takes away from the underbiking “Spirit of Cyclocross”.

Gravel Racing and Adventure

Gravel racing has no equipment restrictions aside from an aero bars ban at the pointy end of some races. On the bumpy sections of the cyclocross course, it seems smoother is faster, so on the longer courses of gravel where fatigue plays a bigger role, the same is true. At least, smoother is more comfortable and contributes to better control. 50mm is a common gravel racing width and the Ouroboros can go a bit larger than that officially (2.1 inches, or 53.3mm). Much of my gravel riding was with tire pressure at 20 psi or just below, for my 155 pounds.

The Rudy fork is adjustable,  has minimal stiction, and has a lock-out. It seems quite active over small gravel beyond what the big tires can absorb. On bigger hits that you might not avoid in the early morning or late afternoon light, it absorbs the sharpness, converting it to a dull thud. I rarely lock the fork unless the climb is long with a lot of standing, or if I am sprinting for the town limit sign.

On these longer off-road or mixed-terrain adventures, bike weight is not a factor. But if there is a lot of elevation change over the course, 5 pounds less for every 1000 feet of climbing would no doubt save some energy.

When the course points downhill, the Ouroboros geometry and suspension pay some dividends.

Smooth on fast descents. The Kona Ouroboros Supreme in action. ©Joshua Posamentier/Cyclocross Magazine

The high stack keeps your body balanced over the pedals as the trail points down. The dropper and wide handlebars aid that. The Ritchey Adventure Max drop is so shallow that, combined with the high stack position, you can comfortably descend in the drops. Some people are more comfortable in that position than others anyway.

The drops are for descending. Jacqui Phelan. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine

The 1.5 inches of suspension takes the jarring out of small drops when coming down a trail, and on a rough, loose surface, it helps keep the wheels planted.

Why not a Cross-Country Hardtail?

The Ouroboros handles like a gravel bike and is geometry-corrected for a short travel suspension fork. A modern cross-country hardtail is suspension-corrected for a suspension fork with at least twice that amount of travel. Some modern cross-country race bikes break the 23-pound range. A mountain bike typically has a slightly higher stack, a higher bottom bracket (less drop), and a degree slacker head tube angle with a longer front center. This makes the mountain bike less suitable for efficient pavement and fire road riding. There is certainly some overlap, so you have to decide whether you prefer a bike for true mixed terrain, or one primarily for off-road riding.

The Verdict

The Kona Ouroboros is perhaps best for guys like me who like mixed terrain with a lot of off-road riding. The ride starts or finishes with a long road ride before the off-road section. Although these rides have some technical sections, they’re shorter and smaller than where you would take your mountain bike. The rider position on the Ouroboros is between the most efficient gravel race position and the mountain bike position. The reach and drop is like a gravel bike, but the stack and trail are like a mountain bike. You might think the bike is a master of none, but with a more optimistic view, the bike expands the all-road/gravel bike into mountain bike territory.

The Ouroboros Supreme is luxurious with wireless shifting and dropper-post actuation. For half the price, the Ouroboros CR DL gives you SRAM eTap AXS 2X 12-speed group, with a rigid fork and standard seatpost. For USD 2800 the Ouroboros CR gives you a SRAM Apex 1X12 mechanical arrangement with a Fox TC32 40mm fork and a TranzX 125mm dropper post.

Kona Ouroboros Supreme

MSRP: USD 6,999 as tested
Frame: Kona carbon monocoque 12 X 142mm through axle, PF86 BB, SRAM UDH compatible
Fork:  RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR, 51mm offset, 40mm travel, 12 X 100 through axle
Weight: 23.1 pounds, as tested with no pedals; 14.1 lbs without wheels or pedals
Shifters: SRAM Force eTap AXS
Crankset: SRAM Force 1 DUB Wide, 40T, 175mm arm
Brakes: SRAM Force flat-mount calipers, SRAM Centerline center lock rotors 180mm front and rear
Cockpit: Ritchey Trail 7cm stem, Ritchey Venturemax WCS 48mm width, 4-degree back sweep and 24-degree flare
Seatpost: RockShox Reverb AXS, 125mm travel, 36.1mm diameter
Saddle: WTB Volt Medium, stainless steel rails
Wheels: Zipp 101 XPLR 27mm inner width single-wall carbon rim, 28 spokes
Tires:  Maxxis Ravager TR EXO, 700C X 50mm
Warranty: Frame lifetime against manufacturer defects to the original owner, complete bicycle 1 year.
Country of origin: Taiwan
More info: Konaworld.com

The post Ridden and Reviewed: Kona Ouroboros Supreme Gravel/Adventure Bike appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross and Gravel News, Races, Bikes, Media.