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FEATURES: ALL THINGS CYCLOCROSS WITH TIM JOHNSON
Zap
December 5, 2011
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Like every other lot of humankind in the world, “cyclists” are a group
made up of many different character types. The family tree of pavement
riders has a variety of limbs consisting of everyone from racers, fun
lovers, rec riders, tech geeks, ultra-long distance masochists, commuters and multiple
off-shoots of various fixie clans.
And then there’s Tim Johnson. A veteran Pro mountain, road and
cyclocross racer, the 34 year old Massachusetts resident is not the type
of cyclist who can be easily categorized. Tim quit racing the road
full-time last year to dedicate himself to cyclocross. Despite his
admitted “slow start” to the 2011 season, the six-time National
Cyclocross Champion remains an icon in the sport due to both his
generous personality and some great bike riding skills.
For the last two weeks Tim has been racing a prototype carbon Cannondale
SuperX ‘cross bike with front and rear disc brakes. You can probably
expect this to be an early release 2013 bike sometime next year. The 2011 non-disc model retails for $5200.
I recently got the opportunity to go out riding with Tim and one thing
that struck me was how he interacts with his bike. Like many seasoned
Pro riders, Tim seems to have a natural ability to “be one” with his
bike. When he’s not turning smooth circles on the pavement, he’s bunny
hopping curbs on his Cannondale Super X ‘cross bike like some rag-tag
BMX grommet. The next thing you know he’s pulling off a long sit-down
wheelie before hooking his handlebars to use his front wheel like a
hockey stick to swat a discarded can into the street. Impressive.
But beyond the handling skills, Tim has a particularly sharp acumen for
the tech side of things that stands apart from many racers. Over the
years I’ve met many racers who seem to have only a cursory interest in
the bike, preferring to put all their effort in pedaling. Ask them a
tech question and they’ll just shrug. That’s not Tim. As a long time
development rider for sponsors that include Cannondale, Sram, Zipp and
Cyclocrossworld.com, it’s obvious that he thinks about the products he
rides a lot. Similarly, I’ve found mountain bikers like Travis Brown and
Ned Overend who share a similar trait and Tim agreed that the dirt bikers’
are probably more tech oriented due to their bikes having so much more
going on with them than the far simpler road bike.
When I rolled down to the Rose Bowl I was surprised to see Tim sitting in a dirt lot surrounded by all his gear. Turns out that Alex from SRAM had forgotten all his gear and had to drive back to Hollywood to fetch it - tip # 1: remember to pack your gear before you start driving!
For the two-plus hours we spent on our bikes, Tim was relentless in
sharing set-up tips and talking about how some products work better than others –
and why. Having raced ‘cross for as long as he has, Tim definitely has
the skinny tire/off-road experience down to a science. We had a great
ride that started on the pavement at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena before
hitting the rough fire road up to the Brown Mountain saddle and then
back through Altadena via Milliard Campground. I can say that I was
learning something the whole time.
After almost crashing Tim twice before we even got to the dirt, he made the wise choice to stay (way) in front of me for the rest of the ride.
"Well, maybe I took a little too much air out!" said Tim after I flatted almost as soon as we began descending. SRAM's Alex Wassmann worked the air cartridge while Tim and Cyclocrossworld.com's Stu Thorne looked on with amusement.
Halfway up the hard-packed and rain rutted Brown Mt. fire road Tim asked
how much air I was running in my tires and when I replied that it was
somewhere close to 80 psi, he simultaneously started
laughing and immediately got off his bike. “Way too much,” he said as he neared the
valve stems with a sparkle in his eye. Soon enough the sound of escaping
air could be heard when he added, “When I’m racing (on tubulars) I
usually run 23-28 psi. With clinchers I would run around 30-32 psi.” When I
told him that I had over inflated them for the road section, he was
still dismayed, before adding, “Even if I do a road ride to get to the
dirt I run about 35psi. I guess if it’s more than 45 minute road ride I
might start with more, but what about the ride home – I’m not going to
stop to re-inflate them, so I just get used to riding with the lower psi."
One thing I realized on our ride was that with many aspects of off-road
riding on a ‘cross bike involves dismissing road centric notions about things like bike handling and traction. With
standard road tires, I would be hesitant to attack a steep and twisty descent with 32psi as I would with my more typical 100psi. Tim showed no such hesitation (although he was on tubulars) and in an instant he was gone. Soon enough though, I began to increase my level of trust in the bigger 33c Specialized Tracer 'cross tires, although still never feeling fully confident.
No matter where he is on his bike, Tim remains in constant contact with the outside world.
If there was one thing that talking to Tim reminded me about it’s the
humorous level of dissension that remains so prevalent among the
different camps of cyclocross riders. This came up first when we spoke
about the disc brakes on his bike. Tim just laughed at the negative
response he’s gotten from some ‘cross geeks who disparaged his embrace
of modern braking. “I mean, since when is better braking a bad thing,”
he asked rhetorically (a question we have been asking ourselves!). If I
can race faster because I can brake better, that’s a good thing to me.
Some people also say disc brakes would complicate wheel changes, but
this isn’t NASCAR, we don’t ever change wheels.”
Tim also commented on how some “traditionalists” would insist that no
“real” cyclocross bike should have water bottle mounts. (In UCI races
racers can “feed” themselves, but there is no official feed zone apart from the
pits where adding water bottles to the mix of the frenetic bike swaps
would be impractical). While Tim admits that it's rare that a cyclocross course allows the opportunity to sit up and take a drink, he still recalls a
race in Kentucky last year where the temperature was in the high ‘80’s.
Tim decided to race with a bottle (mounted on the seat tube only) and he says it made all
the difference in his ability to race hard and win. The lesson? Whether you use them or not, it's not such a bad thing to have frame with bottle mounts and most important of all, don't be afraid to do what works best for you.
Unlike the standard 160mm rotors used on Avid’s BB mechanical disc brake, Tim runs the 140mm rear rotors taken off the higher-end hydraulic
XX disc brake. He also runs a very, very cool set of highly polished,
high flange White Industry hubs laced to a set of Zipp 203 carbon rims
mounted with Dugast tires. On his non-disc bike, Tim runs Avid’s Shorty
Ultimate brakes.
Tim’s #1 Tip: When I rolled up on my Specialized Crux test bike,
the first thing Tim recommended was to rotate the bars about two degrees
forward so that the brake levers would sit further back and up from the
more typical road friendly position I had them in. Not only does it
prevent you from feeling like you’re falling (or being pulled) forward
over the handlebars through rough sections, but more importantly, when
riding on the hoods in their rolled back position it will simultaneously
re-position you with a more upright posture in the saddle which will
help provide better & easier forward visibility.
The forward visibility thing seems important to Tim as he also lambasted
me for wearing a cycling cap under my helmet because the visor blocked
my view from looking down the course…yeah, but it kept my head warm!
For gearing, Tim always runs two chainrings. “I tried running a
single a long time ago and had it ended up being more trouble than it
was worth. I think the performance you get with all the different chain
guides is inconsistent so for me it’s a 42/46 combo up front with an
11x26 spread in the back.”
ASSORTED TIPS
• While we were coming down the fire road I started out with my hands on the brake hoods, but didn’t feel I was getting the stopping power I needed (the brake levers also kept hitting my fingers that were wrapped around the hoods). I tried to look behind to see what position Tim was using, but couldn’t due to the undulating trail. So I switched to the drops for awhile before Tim yelled to get back on the hoods. He acknowledged the perceived difference in braking power, but again pointed out how keeping your hands on the hoods keeps you in a more upright position for better visibility.
• The word “flow” was one that came up often as Tim dissected his method of descending. “Think about like riding your bike like an old mountain bike before suspension.” Translation for anyone not old enough to know what that’s like? Stay loose and let the bike “float” underneath you as much as possible. Ride “softly” and let the bike rise and fall relying on your natural flex points (elbows & knees).
In addition to his ProLogo saddle, Tim runs a Zipp Service Course SL aluminum stem/handlebar/seatpost combo.
• When I asked what he does with his saddle position, Tim said that except on some really technical courses (where he might lower it just a bit), he maintains the same saddle height on his ‘cross bike that he does on his road bike.
• When it comes to cornering and getting through all the stutter bumps, Tim pointed out that many ‘cross rookies have the tendency to lose ground by spinning too much in their low gears. He said that would "kill you" in Europe where, especially in the corners, you have to keep your momentum going and the only way to do that is to push a taller gear. For Tim, it’s better to try and muscle it through in a taller gear than to spin and lose time.
• Last, but not least, the six-time champ offered a few words about dismounting (which is only done on the left side of the bike to avoid the chainrings) and remounting. “When you’re dismounting, don’t worry about all the “step-thru” technique that so many people talk about. Just get off the bike as cleanly as possible. I can tell you from racing in Europe, the Belgians don’t worry about a proper “step thru” sequence (bring your right off and over the saddle and smoothly position the stride between your left leg and the bike), they just fall off and get back on as quick as possible."
After you clear the run section, the most important thing is to control your bike. You want to be sure to avoid slamming your bike back on the ground which causes it to bounce and can also cause the chain to drop off. Mounting and dismounting is one aspect of ‘cross that is definitely worth practicing. |
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