New for Thailand Cyclocross, the bike between Road and Trail

More and more you see bike manufacturers building production cyclo-cross bikes, cyclo-cross bikes are usually produced in small quantities and sell out fast, so if you want to get one, do not hesitate too long... Alternatively, you could make some tweaks to your existing mountain bike and get a taste of cyclo-cross action MTB-style with the minimum of cost or bike space.

Cyclo-cross bikes are not hybrids, more a stepping stone between road bikes and trail bikes.

Cyclo-cross adds a new spice to tail of the raining season's cycling, and it does wonders for your bike handling – if you can skate around in the mud on little more than a knobbly-tyred road bike, you will find returning to your mountain bike a welcome comfort. An if you're going to have a roadie stiffback bike, why not have one which can go off-road?

Cyclo-cross is heavily race-orientated. There is very little of a casual/social riding scene to speak of, and practitioners of the noble and balletic art of cyclo-cross are either racing or training for races. Most race organizers are now allowing mountain bikes to take part in their races. The race format is simple – how many laps you can do in an hour plus a lap. The race season is short, just at the end of the the raining season in October to mid November.

Your mountain bike can be rebuilt if you have the technology. If you can do fully rigid then do, since there is little need for suspension forks.

If you have a long-kept pair of rigid forks or are rigid already you can rest smugly. If not, buy a set of rigid forks. To make changing from rigid to suspension and back a cinch, buy the same headset for both forks, so that the crown races match whichever fork is in place. For those of us who are mildly talented mechanics an Aheadset system steering assembly fork changes will be the work of a moment.

Tyres should clear mud fast and be as narrow and grippy as possible. Old school cantilevers are still common in cyclo-cross, but not de rigueur, it is just that braking is different where the bulk of you speed control is done gently and/or without brakes to keep your upright and skid-free. V-brakes and stock cantis should work fine.

Toe clips and straps could also be purchased for those wishing to fit in. They never clog up or you could be doing a lot of running. Most racers use some sort of clipless pedal.

Hairnet helmets are common, more weird cyclo-cross culture. If you really must have one, a few old shops still sell them, just don't expect it to be effective in the event of a crash.

Drop handlebars are not a must – flats are now-a-day quite popular with the mud-crew. Some organizers may also insist on a max handlebar width of 50cm, but if they do your mountain bike will probably not be welcome either, so mud them...

Practise hopping, not necessarily over obstacles, some of which will be deliberately large, but on and off the bike. Swift, smooth dismounts and remounts will keep you upright and maintain your speed and will win you admires as it is what passes for style in the world of cyclo-cross.