NEC Cycle Show goes cyclo-cross crazy with elite race & loads of new stuff + discount for roadcc users

This year's edition of The Cycle Show, at Birmingham NEC, September 26-28, will play host to a series of cyclo-cross races on the final day, and feature new cyclo-cross bikes and gear from a range of manufacturers. Plus you can also get in for less with a special discount for roadcc users (more details on that below). 

With cyclo-cross racing on the up, and cyclo-cross bikes and their close relatives increasingly popular for both racing and general use where ruggedness matters, the bike industry looks set for a bumper cross season.

Organised by the Derby Cyclocross team, the races will include categories for elite men and elite women, plus a mixed industry race for staff from bike shops, distributors and cycle media. There will be a ￡1000 prize pot on offer for both the men’s and women’s elite races.

The course will start and finish inside the show with outdoor sections taking in parts of the woodlands at the NEC. The course will be a suitably tough challenge for top riders and guarantee some great racing to showcase the sport to visitors.

Chris Holman, event director at organisers Upper Street Events, said: “It’s really exciting to be hosting cyclocross races at the show and arguably it’s long overdue given the growth in interest in the sport here over the past few years.”

Exhibitors including Condor, Hope, Raleigh, Kinesis and Pivot will all be showing their latest cyclocross bikes and kit, as well as having experts on-hand to give advice about the sport.

Raleigh will be showing its aluminium RX Pro with all-carbon 15mm thru-axle fork and SRAM's Rival 22 HRD hydraulic brakes, plus the top line RX Team with carbon frame and fork, Cole tubular wheels and SRAM’s new cyclocross-specific Force CX1 groupset – which will also be displayed in its own right by Fisher Outdoor.

Ridley considers itself the worldwide leader in the cyclocross market, with a large range of cyclocross bikes. The standout model is the X-Night 20 Disc, built around the X-Night frame, Ridley's lightest, but brought up to date with Ultegra Di2 and the new Shimano R785 hydraulic disc brakes.

Kinesis UK will have its Crosslight Pro6 frameset and versatile Crosslight FiveT model, which has clearance for three rings, twin bottle mounts, rack and mudguard eyelets making it suitable for touring or commuting.

American brand Pivot Cycles will be showing the Vault bike, which shares DNA with their LES mountainbike. The full carbon frame has a lower bottom bracket height, slightly shorter chain stays and an overall fit and finish that Pivot says makes it the “ultimate cross and gravel crushing design”.

Condor will be showcasing the Bivio-X and the championship-winning Terra-X framesets, which have all been tested by the Rapha-Condor JLT pro riders. The frames are hand-built in Italy, disc brake-ready and feature internal cabling and a tapered head tube.

Lancashire component manufacturer Hope Technology will be showcasing its range of disc-brake compatible 700C wheels, V-Twin hydraulic disc brake conversion kit that enables riders with cable discs to  upgrade to hydraulic discs, and the Retainer Ring, a narrow-wide single ring specifically designed for use cyclocross use.

To buy tickets at the specially discounted price of £11.50 just go to the booking section of  The Cycle Show's website and enter the code RCC. The normal advanced booking price is £13.00 and tickets on the day will cost £16.00.