With the sunny weather now with us thoughts turn to hitting the trails with increased frequency, and for many there’s a summer of cross-country racing to get their teeth into.
If you’ve never dabbled in cross-country racing, you really should, it’s a lot of fun. There’s racing for all levels and abilities, with a packed schedule of events right across the UK. If you’re thinking about starting out (you should start with reading our beginners guide) or looking to upgrade your bike to something lighter and faster, there’s a vast range of suitable bikes that are ready to race straight from the shop floor.
We’ve picked six ready to race bikes that we would have no qualms taking to a race and zip tieing a number to. The six bike include a mix of choices, a with 29ers and full-sussers, so there’s something for all tastes.
Cannondale Flash
Like the Scott Scale, the Flash has been built from carbon fibre to be not only as light as possible, but also comfortable with it. There’s little point in having the lightest and stiffest frame if it kills your back after 30 minutes of racing.
The Flash frame weighs just 950g, and the a SAVE seatpost and rear stays are designed to flex 30-40mm for added comfort. Cannondale’s BB30 bottom bracket forms the backbone of the frame and is a wide junction for the flared and oversized seat tube. There’s an oversized head tube with Cannondale’s Lefty fork plugged into place. Continuous carbon fibres flow from the top tube into the chainstays to remove excess material and increase the lateral stiffness.
Not the cheapest option, but one of the lightest and undoubtedly fastest choices.
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