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When Prototypes Come Home

The Mo Pro

When you build prototypes you expect to see them again. As the first iteration of an idea, they are the canaries in the mine of innovation, and, if all goes well, when they return they bring back a load of valuable information with them. We now have Mo Bruno Roy’s elite race bikes back after they’ve been flogged hard on mud, grass and sand the world over. One is her Mudhoney SLX . The other is her Mudhoney PRO, known as the Mo Honey PRO when we first built it. Now we’ve done a debrief on what worked and what could have been better, and, as always, it’s time to get back to work.

Mo's Mudhoney SLX

Midnight Ride of Cyclocross

Seven Mo Pro down tube in RSC Blue and white

Last night Jake and I left work a bit early and headed west to Lancaster to compete in the Midnight Ride of Cyclocross.  This fast and fun mid-week race is in its second season and after hearing the rave reviews from last year I put it on my calendar as “can’t miss.” The Midnight Ride follows a similar course to November’s MRC race, but in the reverse direction. Since it’s still September, the course was dry and fast and the reverse direction offers less climbing and off camber turning than it’s November counterpart. Announcer Richard Fries was on hand for the event, which always makes things more exciting, and as he repeated multiple times throughout the evening, this race is the kickoff to what is now known in New England cross as “Holy Week.”

Racing as a beginner amateur and working at Seven, I’m in a great position for success. I have friendly relationships with some top Pro racers who have raced on the very same courses that I now compete on and they willingly offer up advice on things like tire selection. I ran into Mike Broderick and Mary McConneloug at Cross-Vegas last week and Mike gave me some tips on what to run for the Holy Week races. I heeded his advice and it paid off in spades. The treads that I had chosen were fast on the gravel and pavement and hooked up just well enough in the grass and loose loamy corners that I was able to walk that fine line that exists between speed and control. Line selection, not tire selection, would be the only fault in my race.

I’ve raced enough at this point that I am starting to get first row call-up and for this race I lined up one spot from the outside with a clear view of the first turn a few hundred yards ahead. At the whistle I jumped out in front and my first four of five pedal strokes put me out in front with a fair gap on the field. I had taken the hole shot, and it was suddenly my race to lose.

Having never been in this position before in any sort of bike race, I did my best to stay calm and just rode my ass off.  From what I’ve been told I actually put a sizable gap on the field and held it until my worst case scenario presented itself – a crash in a hard 180 degree turn on loose gravel. I got up faster than imaginable and got back on the bike, but after a couple more turns I lost the lead.

As we wove through the course and over the barriers I held onto second position for dear life and started to hear Richard announcing that the 14-year-old in the group was gaining on the leaders. I held second place for about a lap until the leader missed a turn in the woodchips and slid out – I was back in front.  For the next two laps I led this group of men and boys through the twists and turns of the Midnight Ride course and listened to Richard’ words about what it might mean to our egos to lose to a 14 year old.

He also seemed to give Jake’s single-speed a shout out every time he passed through the start finish area. When I finally saw the lead slip away for good, it was a newbie to cross, not a kid whose brothers have been notorious for cleaning up in the men’s field as juniors, who took it away from me.  I kept fighting and rode most of the last three laps in the 5th position and watched another young and new-to-cross racer, who had fought from the back row past about 65 other riders to take the lead with two to go.

When he went by the leaders he rode off in front with ease at a pace that none of us could match. I was cooked, and hanging on by a thread, dry mouth, blurred vision, etc., when I heard a friend yell “Joe!  Hurt!” Oh, yeah, I thought, this is not supposed to be easy, you have to hurt to win, there are no two ways about it. I kicked it back in but unknowingly was making it easy for the rider behind me. He was drafting me around the course and saving energy for a move in the last grass section before the pavement to the finish.

I feared if I let him around me so that we could work together that I would not be able to hang on, so my best bet was to keep him behind. It seemed to work, but in the end he made a move and went around me just as we came up on that speedy young teen who had finally run out of gas with just a few turns to go.

The result of these place changes left me squarely in 5th place, another top 5 finish in what has been a great start to my season.  A few more like this and the heckles along the course, hopefully, will be encouraging me to “cat up” into the 3’s, a place where many a family man can spend the bulk of his bike racing career.

Post-race, Jake and I grabbed a beer and heckled some friends as they suffered much in the same way that we just had, and then cheered on Mo Bruno Roy as she rocketed around this drag strip with apparent ease.  I picked up some tire tips from her husband and pit crew, Matt Roy, and he showed me some new treads that they are trying out for this season. It’s good to be an amateur, it’s great to get the inside line on tech tips from the pros, and it’s amazing to have the opportunity to ride and race on a bike that is just like the pros race yet uniquely built for me.

– Joe W.

Image: Matt Pacocha, Bike Radar.

Quad Cross

Mo Bruno Roy racing CS in the sun

Quad Cross is one of those races, shop-sponsored, very local, that signifies the beginning of cross season. Though small and perhaps insignificant in the larger scheme of things, Quad Cross is huge for the devoted dirt racers in our area. For most, it’s the first test of legs and lungs. It’s where you find out how good/bad your summer was, and where you learn what you need to work on for the coming races. Oh, and it’s fun as hell.

Team Seven Cycles rider Mo Bruno Roy (Bob’s Red Mill p/b Seven Cycles) found out she’s in pretty good shape, taking the women’s Pro 1/2/3 race by a wide margin on her freshly refinished Mudhoney PRO.

Mo on the top podium

Our shipping/receiving dynamo, Nick Maggiore came through 39th in the Cat 3 Men’s heat, while Seven’s newest addition back in the shop, Dan Cariolo, was 20th in the Cat 4 Men’s race.

Joe Wignall took an exceptionally strong 5th in the Men’s Cat 4 35+ race. Can you say “podium hopeful?” And Team Seven Cycles’ Jason Devarrenes was 13th in the Single Speed Men’s.

It was a warm, sunny day for racing, perfect conditions for going fast. The course was dry and perfectly tacky, so not the mud-fest some were anticipating. There were fast flat sections, technical bits for the mountain bikers, a couple short, punchy climbs and a hard right-hander into the finish that rewarded riders with something left in the tank.

As always Quad put on a well-organized event, and the local cross community certainly rode away satisfied. Cross season is on.

Bike Radar: Pro bike – Mo Bruno-Roy’s Seven Mudhoney Pro

By Matt Pacocha, US editor, in Madison, WI

When Seven Cycles put Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM racing) on their new prototype carbon fiber and titanium cyclo-cross bike, the top tube said ‘Mohoney’ – a play on the name of their Mudhoney ‘cross line. The Mohoney has since turned into the Mudhoney Pro, which will be a production bike in 2012.

The new bike, which was released as a prototype in October, incorporates additional carbon tubes into its design, when compared to the Mudhoney SLX bikes that Bruno-Roy has ridden for the past four seasons – not just the same model mind you, but the same exact frames.

While the SLX has carbon top and seat tubes, the Pro trades out its titanium seatstays, head and down tubes for carbon as well, in an effort to lighten the frame and further dampen the vibrations that reach the rider, while retaining the terrain hugging suppleness and feel of titanium.

Bruno-Roy’s Mohoney race rig was the first ’cross bike Seven assembled with carbon rear stays, which are an adaptation from the company’s Elium SLX and 622SLX road bikes. “This rear triangle was completely novel for them, in terms of ’cross,†Matt Roy, Bruno-Roy’s husband, team manager and mechanic, told BikeRadar. “So this was the first one and it became the basis for the new Mudhoney Pro.â€

Rob Vandermark, Seven’s founder, laser-cut all of the titanium lugs for the Mohoney frame by hand. On the SLX these lugs are structural but on the Mudhoney they’re there purely for aesthetic reasons, as the carbon tubes are mitered and bonded to each other. The new bike is roughly 1lb lighter than Bruno-Roy’s SLX rigs. “I don’t think they expected it to be that much lighter,” said Roy.

Bruno-Roy’s Mudhoney Pro gets the SRAM treatment, in terms of groupset and accompanying kit – Red with a compact crank and 44-tooth Thorne Components outer ring, and Zipp’s Service Course alloy cockpit. The handlebar is Zipp’s new Service Course CSL, which is made especially for smaller handed riders and has a ‘super-short reach’ and two-degree outward bend in the drops.

A compact gxp crank with 34-tooth sram inner ring and 44-tooth thorne outer ring: a compact gxp crank with 34-tooth sram inner ring and 44-tooth thorne outer ring Mo uses a 44-tooth outer ring. Since SRAM only make a 46t ring, she opts for one from Stu Thorne’s Thorne Products. Also note the ‘late model’ Shimano PD-M970 pedals, which remain more popular on the cyclo-cross circuit than the M980 model due to their better mud performance Deviations from the SRAM brand come in the form of Bruno-Roy’s TRP EuroX Mag brakes and Mavic wheel choices. She has both Cosmic Carbone Ultimate and R-SYS SL tubular models. The former are mostly used with Challenge Grifos (with both standard Challenge and FMB casings), whereas the R-SYS are set for mud with Challenge Limus and FMB Super Mud tires. Roy takes a meticulous approach to the upkeep of his wife’s bikes and it shows through in the finished product. When we saw the bike the day before the USA Cycling cyclo-cross nationals in Madison, Wisconsin it sparkled and gleamed, with touches like fully sealed and shrink wrapped cables, custom stickers on the Fi’zi:k TK saddle and an expertly taped handlebar.

Complete bike specification

  • Frame: Seven Mudhoney Pro prototype
  • Fork: Seven CX
  • Headset: Chris King NoThreadset, 1-1/8in
  • Stem: Zipp Service Course SL, 80mm, -6°
  • Handlebar: Zipp Service Course CSL, 40cm
  • Tape: Fi:zi’k Microtex Bar:tape
  • Front brake: TRP EuroX Mag w/ SwissStop Yellow King pads for Mavic wheels
  • Rear brake: TRP EuroX Mag w/ SwissStop Yellow King pads for Mavic wheels
  • Front derailleur: SRAM Red w/steel cage
  • Rear derailleur: SRAM Black Red
  • Shifter: SRAM Black Red
  • Brake levers: SRAM Black Red
  • Cassette: SRAM PG1070, 12-28t
  • Chain: SRAM PC1091
  • Crankset: SRAM Black Red Compact, 170mm, 44/34t
  • Bottom bracket: SRAM Red GXP ceramic
  • Pedals: Shimano XTR PD-M970
  • Wheelset: Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate (or R-SYS SL w/ mud tires)
  • Front tire: Challenge Grifo, 17-21psi, Aquaseal coating
  • Rear tire: Challenge Grifo, 17-21psi, Aquaseal coating
  • Saddle: Fi:zi’k Aliante Donna K:ium
  • Seatpost: Zipp Service Course SL

Critical rider measurements

  • Rider’s height: 161.9cm/5ft 4in
  • Rider’s weight: 48.08kg/106lb
  • Saddle height from BB, c-t: 66.4cm
  • Saddle setback: 1.8cm
  • Seat tube length, c-t: 50cm
  • Tip of saddle to center of bar: 46.5cm
  • Saddle to bar drop: 2.9cm
  • Head tube length: 9cm
  • Top tube length (virtual): 49.5cm
  • Total bicycle weight: 7.4kg/16.33lb

Gallery Images

Mudhoney PRO
Maureen Bruno-Roy’s Seven Mudhoney Pro prototype
brakes
Bruno-Roy sticks with TRP’s old-school EuroX Mag wide-profile brake
front end
Bruno-Roy’s Mudhoney Pro carried her to a top 10 finish at the 2012 USA Cycling national championships
brakes
SwissStop Yellow King pads for the TRP EuroX brakes
crankset
A compact GXP crank with 34-tooth SRAM inner ring and 44-tooth Thorne outer ring
pedals
Shimano’s stalwart XTR M970 pedal
seat post
Fi’zi:k’s Arione Donna women’s saddle
saddle
Matt Roy hand placed the Fi’zi:k logos
headset
The Mudhoney Pro uses a carbon head tube that’s wrapped in titanium. Mo’s is just 90mm tall
down tube
The Mudhoney Pro also employs a carbon down tube…
seat tube
… and a carbon seat tube
rear end
The mixed carbon-Ti seatstays
rear brakes
The Ti sheaths extend so to hold the brake bosses
top tube
Mo’s bike
sticker
Inspiration from the mechanic – that’s an alien with a ray gun
front derailleur
The steel caged SRAM Red front derailleur
fork
Seven’s carbon CX fork
tire
Roy uses Aquaseal on the sidewalls of Challenge’s Grifo
top tube
The Mohoney turned into the Mudhoney Pro
handlebar tape
An expert tape job with a custom finish
stem
Zipp’s Service Course cockpit
brake lever
The Service Course CSL bar has a compact bend with a super-short reach
bottom bracket
The Red GXP ceramic bottom bracket
front derailleur shim
Roy finds that clamp-style front derailleurs are stiffer and shift better; Seven use a set of shims to more evenly distribute the clamping load on the carbon seat tube
sizing up
Mechanic Matt Roy running us through Mo’s bike
lug
Custom sealed cables
barrel cable adjuster
Roy uses shrink tubing found at electronics stores to seal the cable system
rear derailleur
He even seals the cable as it exits to the rear derailleur anchor bolt
details
More custom sealing
details
Seals on the front derailleur; Roy also uses the shrink wrap as a cable end cap