Which MBC Bike Would We Take to This?

Deep inside, most of us at Ben's Cycle look at a race like The Hilly Billy and cringe.

Others start to grin.

It's 70 miles of gravel, dirt, mud, and some pavement outside of Morgantown, West Virginia. Watch this video from In The Crosshairs.

Here's the description: 
"This course will take you over dirt and paved "State Roads" around Monongalia County in Northern West Virginia. Finish times could be 6 plus hours for some riders. Road conditions may include missing bridges, car-sized potholes, gravel, mud, black top, cow paths,and maybe a piece of road kill or two.That's what we call good riding! Leave your expensive Flux-Capacitors and fancy wheels at home and maybe bring the cross bike. It might be the best tool for the job, but bring whatever you think is best for you. However,if you show up with Zipps on your road bike we may laugh and point at you. This race course has just about everything a cyclist says they want when they're talking it up with their buddies.Now let us see ya ride it! Course will have fully stocked aid stations along the way. "

So we're looking at our schedules and wondering about our sanity.

The race would clearly be a test of bike, rider, and will power. Looks like a boatload of fun.

Ben's and Milwaukee Bicycle Company Offer Cross Clinics

Cyclocross is the fastest growing type of racing in the U.S.

And it's the most fun you can have on two wheels. 

Cross racing is typically held in parks, where cyclists ride over grass, through sand, around obstacles, pick up the bike and run up hills and over barriers. It's generally an obstacle course on bikes. 

Curious? 

The Milwaukee Bicycle Company Racing Team, supported by Ben's Cycle and Milwaukee Bicycle Company, is hosting a series of cyclocross clinics in August to teach beginners the basics of cross.

These clinics, held on three consecutive Mondays, focus on the skills you'll need to try out cross for the first time.

Races last 30 minutes for beginners so while the ride is a challenge, it doesn't require huge training or a huge commitment of time. 

At the very least, learning to race cyclocross helps you develop cornering and riding skills, while also learning how to handle your bike on different surfaces.

 

The experienced riders of Milwaukee Bicycle Company Racing Team, which races cross, mountain bike, and road events throughout the Midwest, is hosting the clinics. The team, which promotes the Milwaukee Bicycle Company bikes including the Mettle, the cyclocross race bike, is also promoting the Cross-Shooshko Cyclocross Race Oct. 4.

Here is the Wisconsin Cycling Association schedule of races. Here is the Chicago Cross Cup schedule.

Ben's/MBC: Your Source For Cyclocross

The cyclocross season starts in just over two months, and Ben's/ Milwaukee Bicycle Company is your source for everything you need!

For those of you who don't know about cross, racers get to ride usually in parks, over grass, sand, pavement, and mud. They are forced to get off their bikes and run over barriers and up hills. It's a bit of NASCAR, steeplechase, and a bike obstacle course all mixed up in a crazy blend of fun on bikes. 

The cross season typically starts in September and runs until the national championships in the U.S. in January. So that means cross weather can be beautiful, warm, and sunny or it can be cold, icy, and snowy, or somewhere in the middle. 

It's an awesome sport, one for everyone to try at least once. 

Here's are ten great reasons to rely on Ben's and Milwaukee Bicycle Company to support you during the whole cross season.
1. Our Mettle, the Milwaukee Bicycle Company cyclocross bike, is one of the best cross bikes available. 
2. We stock Specialized Crux bikes in both aluminum and carbon. We also stock the Focus Mares cross bikes, and we can order a variety of other bikes for you. 
3. We run a series of cyclocross clinics that start in August. Details coming soon!
4. The Milwaukee Bicycle Company sponsors Cross-Shooshko, a cyclocross race Oct. 4 at Kosciusko Park. Details coming soon.
5. We build disc and non-disc wheels with your choice of hubs (Chris King, White, Shimano, DT Swiss), spokes, and rims for clincher, clincher tubeless, and tubular.
6. We glue tubular cross tires.
7. We stock a huge variety of tubular and clincher tires, wheels, shoes, cleats, and other bike parts for the cross season.
8. We offer specials during the season on bike cleaning where you bring your bike in on Monday, we clean the mud and grime off, re-lube the chain and cables, adjust the brakes, and get the bike back to you Tuesday or Wednesday. 
9. Our highly-trained mechanics are able to fix any problem you bring us, including mechanical and hydraulic disc brake issues. 
10. Our shop-sponsored team, the Milwaukee Bicycle Company Race Team, has some of the best cross racers in the region and will race throughout the Midwest. 

Milwaukee Bicycle Co. Mettle Now in Stock in 53cm, 56cm and 59cm!

The Mettle, Milwaukee Bicycle Company's cyclocross bike, is now in stock at Ben's Cycle!

We just took delivery of 53cm, 56cm and 59cm frames from Waterford. Our current turn-around on new frames is only about 10 days, including any custom color of your choice. Cyclocross season is right around the corner!

The disc-brake Mettle could be the best cross bike you've ever ridden, stiff, supple, smooth in the corners. 

The Mettle May Just Be the Perfect Cyclocross Race Bike

The Mettle, Milwaukee Bicycle Company's new cyclocross race bike, might just be the perfect cross bike. 

Crossers have always loved the feel of a steel bike but bemoaned the lack of stiffness or the straight head tube. And racers have often disliked the ride of aluminum and the cost of carbon. 

But the Mettle is different. The Mettle combines the ride feel of steel with the near stiffness of aluminum or carbon. And a full Ultegra-equipped Mettle will be less than $2,500. 

Here's what you need to know: 

1. The bike is made of OX Platinum steel from True Temper in Waterford, Wisconsin.This tubing is stiff, lively, and has a compliant ride. For cyclocross, ride quality matters a lot more than the lightness of carbon. This bike frame is everything you need and more in a high-quality cross race bike.

2. The frame has double-butted down, top, and seat tubes. We also widened the top and down tubes from 28.5 mm (1 1/8 inches) to 35 mm for the down tube and 31.8 for the top tube. This means added stiffness from our previous version. 

3. The chain stays are externally tapered, ovalized, and dimpled. The disc brake tab is ISO-standard. The rear brake cable is routed on top of the top tube to allow easy shouldering of the bike in run-ups.

4. Customers can choose any solid color for their frame. Adding panels will cost extra. 

5.  The frame alone weighs 4.4 pounds. Together with the Whiskey 7 fork, Cane Creek headset and seat collar, the weight comes to 5.5 pounds. 

6. While many customers purchased the older version of the cross bike, which came out in 2012, to use as a touring bike; the Mettle is still a versatile bike, it is designed for cyclocross racing. Milwaukee Bicycle Company will release its gravel bike, the Fugitive, in late summer(crossing our fingers, earlier), and that bike will be an excellent choice for touring, gravel racing, commuting, and general riding. 

7. Ben's will have frames in 53, 56, 59cm sizes by the end of June or first week of July; 50 and 62cm sizes will arrive a few weeks after. Customers can place their orders through the Ben's Cycle website. 

8. The geometry of the bikes will be the same as previous models of the cyclocross bike. The geometry was thoroughly researched and tested in race conditions to provide the perfect fit for a cyclocross racer. 

9. The new Mettle was designed and refined through racer feedback of the previous cyclocross bike. MBC tapered the head tube to allow for a tapered carbon fork and added stiffness. We also increased the diameter of the top and down tubes for additional stiffness. 

10. Check the internet. Look for semi-custom high-quality cyclocross race bikes. The Mettle has everything a discerning and fast cross racer needs : stiffness, snap, a pliable ride, custom builds.  Starting build costs for complete bikes include everything except pedals. Customers can also choose to upgrade and change build kits. 

Shimano Sora group:      $coming soon
Shimano Tiagra group:    $coming soon
Shimano 105 group:       $coming soon
Shimano Ultegra group:  $coming soon

Introducing the Mettle Cyclocross Bike... Start Drooling

We introduce to you the Mettle. 

The 2014 Milwaukee Bicycle Company Mettle. A true cyclocross race bike.

The USA made Mettle frame features a full OX Platinum tubeset as our original cross frame; but has a larger diameter top and down tubes for increased stiffness. Add a new tapered head tube for the stiffest, strongest carbon forks, and you have a bike that rides like steel with near stiffness of aluminum. 

We re-designed the Mettle to have a tapered head tube.

The Mettle features a thin stainless

 steel plate to protect the frame from the rotor during wheel changes. 

Disc-brake tab drop-out

Information updates HERE
 
Be Different. Ride a Milwaukee. 

A Cyclocross Bike Gets Customized

Addie, a Ben's customer, came in to Ben's looking for a bike to do long rides with her husband.  She wanted to get on the Glacial-Drumlin trail, do the Door County Century, and do long, leisurely rides.

"My husband bought me a hybrid five years ago," she said. "But it was too heavy and that grandma seat just wasn't comfortable."


We suggested she try out the Milwaukee Bicycle Company cyclocross bike. A lot of our customers have been customizing the bike and using it for touring.


"It reminds me of the comfort of riding a bike as a kid," she said while getting an initial fit from professional fit guru Brett Meinke.


Addie said she appreciated being able to customize the bike as well as getting a fit from Brett. She said she was glad as well to buy a product made in Wisconsin.


Even though she already has a carbon-fiber road bike, she said the weight difference was minimal.



Addie is scheduled to return for a final fit with Brett where he will trim the steer tube, adjust the saddle position, and change out the stem.

Addie's Milwaukee Bicycle Company cyclocross bike. Steel beauty.