What Do the BEST Crit Racers Choose?

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[@MaxwellPowers666]

Correspondents from nearly all the online cycling channels and journalist outfits do something like this especially at the Tour de France when all the new hot tech is released. I always watch those. So I think this is so awesome that you've done this for the domestic scene.

[@MxCraven]

This is more interesting to me because bikes are designed around the Tour and those kinds of races, you'll almost never see anyone doing something like a 170mm stem to be in a TT position, because you can't sustain that for 3 weeks. Niche tech is the most interesting stuff.

[@NorCalCycling]

Thank you Craven, I agree!

[@alpd7638]

Surprised legion didn't blacklist you 😛

[@geraldtone5914]

No that was just a minor hiccup.

[@jawaddb8061]

What happened ?

[@geraldtone5914]

@jawaddb8061 Jeff did a podcast where he had a few criticisms of Legion. Justin from Legion responded on social media, then Jeff made a video response to that. But nothing too serious.

[@octaviakf]

No, that would be petty, but essentially the words do go back-and-forth we need to 😂

[@terrellpickett7904]

This was very dope. Would love to see even more of these.

[@NorCalCycling]

you got it, editing the next one now..👍

[@nathanphillips875]

Eamon seems cool, always liked his riding in some of your older videos 👍🏼

[@biedawo]

future guest commentator?

[@gregrossolimo4981]

Love this! So cool to see pros customizing their frames - and being able to hear directly from them. 170 stem x 36 wide! Dang!

[@florianbusch94]

That's near death for me lol

[@lolbubs11111]

Hell yeah! My 32cm / 150mm stem / 165mm cranks track racing setup is trendy!

[@NorCalCycling]

ahead of the curve my guy

[@Gabrielle4870]

Except it's not UCI compliant.

[@peterplatt72]

this is awesome content! love seeing what the professionals are doing

[@liammerrick6399]

It's great see hear a bit about Eamon Lucas. Ive only been riding a yr and a half. I'm 6'4 and 200lbs with 8-10lbs to lose. Nice to know us taller heavier guys can compete and be useful.

[@xAudiolith]

6'1 here. Give it some time and you'll be an absolute menace on the flat. I can compete quite comfortably without sacrificing a healthy looking physique. I do live in a pancake flat area though haha

[@chriswitek9455]

You can tell Eamon is used to the camera 100% more then Johnny lol

[@Jstarr_97]

He’s a natural what can I say

[@NorCalCycling]

But I had the most fun in the Blazer tent, thanks again Johnny!

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... more than* (!)

[@mstrasser]

Awesome video. Thanks for doing it. Fun to nerd out on the crit tech since we see so many WT team bikes. Also that 170mm stem. Blimey!

[@ryandennison7519]

Great video, always interesting to see what others are running! Recommend a yearly one at whatever big race you go to!

[@bgruber]

your videos really make me want to try crit-racing. unfortunately there is not a lot that i have found here in austria. but well, its always fun to watch your videos :)

[@runsintheforrest1364]

Same in Germany. It's just not a thing over here. Would love to try it.

[@martins.3070]

@@runsintheforrest1364where do you live? Here in the south there is one almost every weekend. Did you look at Rad-net already?

[@Aniqa101]

@@runsintheforrest1364 There are definitely some in BaWü.

[@bgruber]

@@runsintheforrest1364 if i wouldnt be busy working a 40h job and having 2 kids i'd really like to get something going... but well.. others maybe ^^

[@runsintheforrest1364]

@@martins.3070 Yeah but those are for pros or riders from clubs. I would like to go to practice crits where one can get the hang of it.

[@JesseDishner]

The last guy you interviewed was really informative.

[@asfaltseksem7385]

Dont forget the handlebar reach. I have a 4cm difference on two of my bikes running the same stem lenght. The long one is a 02 pro setup while the short one is on a new scott. The 02 bike also has narrow handlebars at 38mm, so I guess that's not such a new thing after all.

[@yonglingng5640]

This is what many people miss out on. They think the same stem length works for their different bikes and handlebars, but cumulative reach (frame reach + stem length + handlebar reach) is the most important aspect. If one of those parts are shorter or longer, the other two parts need to have different lengths to compensate for the gain or loss. For example, I can run a 100 mm stem on a Size 48 2017 - 2019 CAAD12, but that's because the frame's reach is shorter. I'm not running the same stem length on, say, a Size 49 Tarmac SL7.

[@junomaxzoey5146]

Very nice people.....willing to teach and share wisdom...thank you so much

[@zorcycle]

Love it, thanks for making this video!

[@randnorberg4518]

Great seeing Sam in a vid. He’s the man.

[@thomasjackson4702]

Nice video and insight into the 'Pro' setups... also good to see the out takes with my coach, Jonny Brown.. Lololol

[@Digital.Done.Right.]

Most interesting video. Well, many are interesting but this BTS was really great

[@jpjipperwong]

That 170 stem feels like a safety hazard. 😂😂

[@lisashiela9137]

Awesome@!

[@PatrickLino]

Man…Eamon Lucas is so cool. He exudes that Cali awesomeness!

[@JohnSmith-mt5ok]

Great content thanks for sharing

[@franciscoalmonte6953]

Awesome video, more like this please. 👌🏼

[@NorCalCycling]

More to come!

[@Timtimzi]

170mm long stem holy cow. I could understand it though. I was playing “kiss the stem” the other day.

[@joehiatt1992]

AWESOME...wish all these races would do this instead of worrying about giving free advertising, we all like this stuff

[@Paggi10no]

Don't think any of them mention their frame size would have been good to know as most are riding with long stems interested if they've gone down a frame size to do that

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

In crit you usually ride the smallest frame possible with the shortest wheelbase possible for maximum agility. If your regular size is 56 cm with a 12 cm stem, your crit setup would be 52 cm and 15 cm stem. Wonder how these guys got a hold on 17 cm stems, though.

[@yoyo510]

165mm cranks, 170mm stem, 38cm bars... oh wait this isn't a track bike video? 😅

[@MaciekSkorko]

awesome stuff

[@brunospasta]

Eamon in full advertisment mode :D

[@matthi2358]

damn that VITUS bike looks 10/10

[@liamburke1436]

lol can confirm about the bugs in Chicago :)

[@Jstarr_97]

Lol so bad😂

[@rockytalkndawoods3057]

Choosing what your sponsor gives you is just coincidence. 😅 💛💚🌲💚💛

[@razorree]

wow ! everyone talks in centimetre there !! :D

[@pierrex3226]

Interesting that everyone is shilling for SRAM hard. A smaller chainring will cost you half a watt, using the 10T cog will cost you a watt, the flat top SRAM chain is the slowest chain around, basically the SRAM track record in recent years is backwards engineering.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

I’ve been racing gravel in the SE USA for two seasons, now. SRAM is definitely more plentiful than Shimano. There’s no “shilling” of guys are sponsored by their own wallets.

[@goldenretriever6261]

Where do you buy a 170 stem?

[@joaoletelier8735]

If Eamon is pushing 1800 I wanna know what his sprinter is doing.

[@HuntShootOffroad]

Only 1 aero bar, super interesting

[@h20s8804]

Interesting - board man on 165’s! I want to know tires tho! Size? Tubeless? Psi?

[@Djalmatec91]

Love it!

[@solma1]

sick video i love it

[@jackharley8564]

How are they running 130-170 stems? Are they riding frames like 1-2 sizes smaller?

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

For crit you usually go two sizes smaller than your regular frame.

[@goldenretriever6261]

Who is the first guy?

[@nblck3232]

This was great! Do I get a prize for being the 1000th "thumbs up"??? I've never gotten to see it go from 999 to 1k before!

[@DiMeolis]

No Shimano?

[@mbastos1000]

This guys are the real deal Jeff!!! What are you doing there??? You are the real joke of the competition! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@adriengoux]

My life in a nutshell: screen shot each bike Go to my wife "which bike should I order to start crit racing?"

[@NorCalCycling]

Good luck!

[@rawrwoww]

These stem lengths sheesh. What is the reason for these lengths? Getting in a more TT position? Would be interesting if these are only race bikes or if they are training on them too.

[@Jstarr_97]

Same set up for training and racing for us. Only difference is we us the 303’s on our training bikes

[@FuriousFilipino]

One to two sizes smaller on the frame compared to your average amateur rider necessitates the need for a longer stem. What they’re really chasing is the lower stack of the smaller frame. I typically run a 53cm top tube/90mm stem, but if I were to emulate a lower front end position like these guys, I would run a 49cm top tube/130mm stem. Bear in mind that the smaller frames proportionally have less room to lower the stack, so for my height, there might be no reason to go shorter than a 51cm top tube/110mm stem with a negative rise.

[@Dustydayzz]

first guy should just get 38 wide bars

[@SuperJimic]

Did the last dude leave you hanging on the fist bump?!? How rude. 😅

[@tylerkrieger3819]

6’3” on a size 58 bike? Is that normal in the crit world?

[@lukasparbst9655]

Im 6’5 and ride a 58 with a slammed 110mm stem. Honestly the best fitting bike ive ever had. My dads the same height and rides 62cm bikes and they feel so stretched out and hard to get low and aero

[@yungyono]

That's within the normal range.

[@tylerkrieger3819]

@@lukasparbst9655 wow, maybe I’ll have to try this. I’m on a 61cm as a 6’4 rider

[@billkallas1762]

It depends if you are all leg, or all torso. I'm 6'2" and always ride a frame with a 58 top tube, with either a 13 or 14 stem. (depending on head tube)

[@thevirtualeconomy]

Sounds perfect to me

[@matttilley8620]

Apologies if I missed something here, but do riders really set tire pressure at 55 psi? I would have guessed 110 minimum.

[@brasso9393]

They do especially when they are lightweight rider and running hookless 25mm and above inner width rim with 28/30mm tubeless tires.

[@matttilley8620]

​@@brasso9393 Thanks for reminding me that I'm old. You lost me when you said "running hookless 25mm...blah, blah, blah." I come from the 32-spoke Mavic MA40 rim era, when the thought of racing at 55 psi would seem like riding your bike on the beach.

[@brasso9393]

@@matttilley8620 no worries mate alot of older riders around here acted the same way too. I ran 150 psi on tubular when racing last time. Puzzled at why riders will run 50-60psi nowadays. Until i tried it myself then I realised why. Im merely answering your question abt why rider set pressure at 55psi nowadays. Yes they do and you can run whatever pressure you like which of no concern to me 😉

[@yonglingng5640]

ZIPP hookless rims have a maximum tire pressure of 72 PSI. This is the typical limit for hookless rims that must use hookless-compatible tubeless tires, whether you decide to run them with inner tubes or not.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

@@brasso9393 I still doubt that they can read their pressure gauges correctly. 55 psi is below 4 bar, that's a pressure even my commuter bike on 38 mm tires starts to feel slow. 5.5 bar (80 psi) on 28 mm tubeless tires is just about right, everything lower feels squishy and lethargic.

[@leonschumann2361]

do it sniff tho?

[@paddyotoole2058]

No mention of tyres on any of the rigs - width, tubeless etc?! Big miss.

[@Jstroman221]

Read in another comment he is editing that part now.

[@NorCalCycling]

Yup, it deserves it's own video, coming soon.

[@paddyotoole2058]

@@NorCalCyclingok, good stuff. Look forward to that.

[@tomermahlis12]

Why such low pressure? You could save a lot of watts

[@NorCalCycling]

not as much as you think, and control in the corners is much more important

[@tomermahlis12]

@@NorCalCycling I guess the roads in the USA are very different to Europe if I run 55psi I’ll fold the tyre in the corner due to all the potholes

[@decoherence926]

Oh no, look at all those Zipp wheels. Where are all the drones getting their panties in a twist over hookless?

Thumbnail Oofy

[@opex8396]

gp 5000

[@YtseHWSW]

Stem length and crank length, etc. is totally meaningless and unnecessary to share without knowing rider height, inseam length, etc.

[@turner02]

170mm stem...WTF!?

[@JeremyLeipzig]

i've never heard of a stem length matching the crank length

[@NorCalCycling]

🤯

[@solracz113]

How are there some many US national champs? 😂

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Lots of SRAM.

[@durianriders]

This is a more accurate video title bro hehe. *What do the BEST crit racers in the USA get SPONSORED TO RIDE FOR MARKETING REASONS.

[@slowcyclist4324]

How about choosing a career or job that pays you dentist money instead?

[@st.bimbam]

Damn and I am thinking about going from a 110mm stem to a 100mm one :D Crazy how long some of these stems are. Its really interesting how short cranks are becoming more and more popular...

[@okimy3668]

What's important is that it fits you and you can put out power. But shorter cranks are really helpful for low positions (as they said in the video, more open hip angle and cornering clearance). They have been fairly popular in the TT/Tri scene for a while

[@Dustydayzz]

Whaaaaat! Ma mans is running a crank arm for a stem😢...oh and by the way this was a treat Jeff. Loved it

[@NorCalCycling]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@h4rdcor31]

Forgot to ask about tires! brand, width, tube/tubeless Great stuff

[@mattkennedy1203]

I can tell you I’ve sold a pair of Vittoria Corsa NEXT to Sam boardman at the shop, he bought 28s tubeless. Others appear to be racing Pirellis.

[@NorCalCycling]

Working on that edit now, it's coming...

[@Dakota-cz5od]

Really cool video, would love more of these! I’m an aspiring crit racer and I binge a ton of your videos to build my knowledge. +1 for the long stems! I just put a 140mm zipp sl sprint on my bike and I’m absolutely loving it.

[@chupa_mi_dongle]

Stem longer than the cranks!?😮

[@aubreyxengland]

yeah idk about this.. it must change the way the bike handles, but in a crit it might not matter a whole lot.

[@darthjohn0]

I'm looking forward to this new trend of longer stems than your cranks.

[@taylorclarke2550]

Does anyone know why crits pros are using such long stems? Thanks!

[@tobiasmadero2727]

Jeff im curious about the CRIT bikes. Why they dont have more simple configurations like one chainring, etc? Is a CRIT BIKE a thing or just an Aero road bike?

[@navaronedupont434]

As to why most still run 2x, I suspect it's to get your chain back on your big ring quicker in case of a drop or to prevent the drop outright

[@flippyflipflop4997]

just me or does jonny brown look like ryan reynolds

[@bjornturide]

Great video Jeff! Also, these guys are all coming out to Austin, TX for the 1st Annual Wrong Turn Crit... are you going to make an appearance?

[@NorCalCycling]

would love to but unfortunately won't be able to make it this year. I'm planning on it next year though.

[@David-cc3un]

I love these nerdy bike fit videos ❤ keep making these!

[@BlueJayGer]

Low is pro, narrow is aero 😂😂❤

[@echtogammut]

Glad to see Time pedals doing some sponsorship. I purchased some on a whim after I had a couple sudden cleat releases on Looks. Great pedal and despite how the cleat looks, they last about 3x as long as Look cleats. It's not a perfect pedal and still recommend Shimano to most people, but as alternative pedal, especially for people that are have cleat position issues, Time is worth a look.

[@michadebicki6534]

I went back from Time to look after having a couple of unexpected cleat releases on time pedals (Xpresso 7 xarbon). After 3 accident with these I noticed, that the carbon spring deloped a linear crack. And this is sad because I really liked time pedals, great float and feel but I stopped trusting them.

[@echtogammut]

I guess we can't win with any setup. I've been running the XPRO 15 for about 6000 miles and so far (knock carbon) no cracks. I've never done it, but I thinking carbon springs are replaceable (I just may be thinking of my Look blades).@@michadebicki6534

[@adamrichter9881]

I'm seeing saddles far forward. Would you say most crit racers ride beyond/in-front of the KOPS position? Great vid and thanks for posting!

[@thecoffeeblog]

17cm stem that's gorilla arm length. I didn't even know you could get them that long.

[@danielberry1635]

God I wish I could do it all over again kids, move to Cali and enjoy the great weather and race bikes instead of living in the U.K.

[@mateagoston8145]

I am well surprised at the first 2 guys not using aero handlebars while using insanely long stems.

[@AntonioGGATX]

Are the long stems in use now because forearms in the handlebars aero position got banned?

[@roddas26]

170mm stems👀 Awesome to see what fast guys are using, when it's up to them.

[@tedwilson2510]

Fantastic video! If possibly could you do a video following up on what all stats mean with pro/cons? Thanks!

[@StachePower]

this is super awesome. thanks for this video Jeff!

[@NorCalCycling]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@unclespliff_productions]

is that 170mm stem custom?

[@travisgibbon936]

This was super cool!

[@rockymanbro]

I want that 52 big boy all these guys are running on their “stock” bikes.

[@Jstarr_97]

You can! 52’s available right on sram

[@gangstermonke1]

Love this content, more of it please ❤

[@BevandEdMusic]

Eamon b cool, fr fr

[@LuffLab]

Love gear talk 😎

[@tubbytoast2]

Equivalent to 57 11 like what.....

[@NorCalCycling]

the math checks out 52x10 is about the same as 57x11

[@billkallas1762]

Great video.

[@log_it8282]

I don't get it. Why is he wearing a national jersey? Isn't Quinn Simmons the national champ?

[@NorCalCycling]

quinn is the pro national road champ, ama is the amateur national road champ. USAC is confusing 😂

[@log_it8282]

@@NorCalCycling Ah alright. Is this like a WBA vs. WBO vs... type of thing a just a different discipline? If so what happens if QS decides to race a crit or isn't he allowed to at this level?

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

Crap bikes by the look of things

[@NorCalCycling]

awful, right? 😂

[@the.communist]

170mm, Longest stem ive ever seen

[@yonglingng5640]

Try 200 mm, I saw this on a track bike.

[@richardkeller2883]

Dammit Jonny you made this video NSFW.... Bwahahahahahaha

[@Jstarr_97]

People need a little laugh every once and awhile. My goof giving that

[@davemellor4697]

According to the master Durrianrider any modern bike is rubbish he recons he can beat ANY pro rider up hill and on any stage on a 2002 specialized s tarmack sl2.......Thoughts please!

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Apparently nobody cares about that nut job.