Four flat bar cross bikes from B.C. provincial championships

Unique builds from the single speed cyclocross race at Victoria's Western Speedway

Terry McKall November 21, 2018

Western Speedway B.C. Cyclocross Provincial Championships Hung Mai ssxc cyclocross — Aidan Sullivan and Jessy Hoffman roll through Western Speedway’s moto track in the Single speed championship race. Image: Hung Mai Photography

Cyclocross has always been a little different on the West Coast of Canada.

Each of the several B.C.-based regional series’ has its own distinct flavour, but they all have shared features, too. B.C. courses are often quite technical, peppered with features that would make a UCI commissar blanche, and as influenced by mountain biking as they are by road.

It’s not surprising, then, that flat bar cross bikes have started to show up more regularly in B.C. and all down the West Coast. Flat bars offer a little more control, or a little more fun, on hairier sections of the course. More often than not, wide bars show up on the other peculiarity that seems more popular out west than other parts of Canada: single speed cyclocross bikes.

So, here’s four of the best flat bar single speed cross bikes from B.C. cyclocross provincial championships at Western Speedway in Victoria, B.C.

Trek Crockett

Trek Crocket

Single speed, with Trek's sliding dropout, but also Woven carbon hoops

Flat bars, disc brakes

Industry nine hubs and plenty of spacers, but just one gear.

Dayna Seaward's Trek Crockett

Dayna Seaward rode this Crockett to third in the women’s SSCX race. The current version of Trek’s Crockett was inspired by Sven Nys’ post-retirement foray into the messy world of SSCX for SSCXWXPDX – the 10th anniversary of the event. The original Crockett, though, was designed around prolific American cyclocross racer, and multiple time national champion, Katie Compton. Seaward took cues from both, crushing her way to third in the B.C. provincial championships women’s sscx field for the Last Call Racing team.

“WZRD” SSCX

WZRD

Paul canti brakes

Colour matched down to the details, like cable housing and Supacaz grips

SSCX Portland Limited Edition Challenge tubulars

Mounted to RandoGnar carbon hoops

36t Praxis chainring

Look X-Trac mtb pedals

Karu's running sliding track dropouts

Mark Karu has repainted this ultra-light sscx whip himself with an incredible sparkling pink/purple colour scheme. Other than its impressively light weight, just one way this bike is decidedly not UCI-legal, the standout is SSCX Portland edition Challenge Limus tubulars, and holdover canti brakes over disc brakes.

Focus Mares SSCX

780mm Race Face Turbine bars with pink Paul levers

Matching pink Paul canti brakes and Schwalbe Rocket Ron, hoarded after the tread was discontinued several years ago

Limited edition SSCWPDX16 stem cap from Chris King

Not the usual set up for a Mares, but not the only one like it on Vancouver Island, either.

Aidan Sullivan’s flat bar Focus Mares isn’t naturally single, but it’s been made to work here. Along with long-discontinued, but still coveted Schwalbe Rocket Ron tires, Sullivan is running monstrous 780mm wide bars on his sscx Mares. While the flat bar look is new, Sullivan is still running canti brakes on this Mares

Transition Rapture CX

Definitely inspired by the company's mountain bike line, the fork also throws back to classic DeKerf lines

A less rediculous width bar, but disc brakes

Endless Bike Co. purple annodized, single speed specific cogs

Still just one gear on this Transition Rapture

This Transition Rapture CX is owned by Sylvia Story, but was raced at Western Speedway by Sarah Hauser. Story stepped up with the loaner when Hauser had a irreparable mechanical during Saturday’s Cross on the Rock finals. It’s a good friend and a brave bike owner that willingly watches their personal ride roll off to the start line of a single speed race.