Forget Your Brakes

Last Friday Jo Burt and I took the newly built Crosslight Pro6 into the woods for testing and a photoshoot with Geoff Waugh. Although super powerful brakes are not the most important thing for cyclocross, I was keen to show Jo how well the bike handled, climbed and accelerated and how great brakes added to the riding experience.


The Crosslight Pro6 is fitted with the new TRP ‘Parabox’ system to convert from cable drop bar levers to Hydraulic discs. After a bit of bedding-in, the system was doing everything expected of it very well, the braking was powerful but not overpowering for the CX tyres. But the real discovery came when we got to the fast, tight, rooted trails.


Real flow and control are only possible if you can be light and fluid with your machine. This is the same for any kind of sport where you are controlling an inanimate object over unpredictable surfaces at speed. You really need to forget your means of transport and concentrate on the riding. Wrestling with controls slows you down, saps your strength and makes it far harder to hold your line.

The beauty of efficient brakes really becomes apparent during the tight and tech sections of a race [or trail]. Tapping the levers from the hoods, changing line and charging on becomes second nature, there is no transferring to the drops to haul on the levers and deal with the judder.

You are freed up to forget your brakes, get loose and put 100% into the riding.

THIS is where a CX bike with efficient discs has the real advantage over a conventionally braked machine. Then add super stable braking on long descents, lack of rim wear, unchanged braking in muddy conditions, less mud build up, late braking tactics…

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