Blind Date Cyclocross - 3 weeks to go!

Hoo Boy! Only three weeks remain until our favorite Cyclocross series starts up again! The night time is the right time to knock off work early and roll out to Alpenrose Diary for some super-fun evening / nighttime CX racing.

If you've never been, then you're in for a treat. Whether you're new to CX or a seasoned racer looking for a low-key event to keep the skills sharp you will love the Blind Date. If you've been out there with us in years past you know what's up.

As always, we'll be out there with the 21st Ave Neutral Support tent, offering mechanical support and FREE demo bikes to those who have yet to try out the new generation of 11-speed, disc-brake equipped CX race rigs. This year's demos are Giant TCX SLR 2 models. Pretty sweet, right?

And, of course, we will be wrangling prizes from our favorite bike stuff companies for the top three in all categories except "A" - who get $$$$ cash money payouts anyhow.

Check the schedule and info at www.crossseries.com

Our Hand Built Wheels Beat up Your System Wheels

Yep. We said it. "System" wheels can be cool and all, but at the end of the day they are 100% less special and 47.8% more likely to contain tough-to-replace parts than a set of wheels built around quality hubs. The wheelset pictured was laced up for Cyclocross racing and off-season exploration. 28 hole White Induistries CLD hubs offer durability and servacibility- Titanium freehub bodies last way longer in the mud pits of CX. Also compatible with multiple axle configurations, these hubs should be at least a little Future Proof.

Wheels need rims, and we like these HED Belgian Plus models quite a bit. Sure they're almost 500g ea but they make a 33mm tire look like a 36 and are pretty darn tough and tubeless-ready to boot! We've had other sets go out under heavy riders on dirt roads and come out just fine after years of riding.

Gotta hold hubs and rims together, and can't bear Sapim CX-Ray spokes. Light and even a wee bit aero. The whole package was around 1570g without rim tape and valves, which is pretty darn competitive. More importantly, they will ride great and if anything ever breaks or wears out, it can be repaired or replaced without having to hunt high and low for parts.