Cycling as a sport is based very much on tradition – traditional practices, races and a traditional aesthetic. For many of us this is something we love – after all, who hasn’t gazed just a little bit longingly at a classic racing bike from, say, 50 years ago, dripping with chrome and history.
Of course, there are times when we roll our eyes and wish the sport would get with the programme. The UCI’s attempt, ultimately abandoned, to press rewind on the Hour record and standardise all bikes and equipment to Eddy Merckx’s 1972 ride, is the perfect example.
“Two by 12 is probably the most versatile set-up,” says Mason. “We’ve got the most range, but it’s quite close range – though we’ll often do full races in the big ring, just the way that the gearing is set up.”
He is considering a move to shorter 165mm cranks from his current 170mm set-up, he says, but is currently carefully working out exactly how it – and the ensuing change in saddle height – might affect the torque he can put out and his ability to push power over the back wheel. It’s not just a case of blindly going with the latest fad.
Returning to those gravel-sized tyres, he says: “On some courses, we’d also go faster on a mountain bike – but we’re not doing mountain bike racing. So these rules have to be in there just to keep cyclo-cross cyclo-cross, otherwise it turns in something else.”
