Upgrades in the Middle of Cyclocross Season: Our Masters Ambassador's New Von Hof CX Frame

If you haven't heard yet, the cyclocross family at Von Hof got a new member, with local New Jersey Masters Racer and all-around rad guy Tony Utitus becoming our newest Ambassador. He wanted to show off a local bike brand, but he had one hitch: he didn't want a completely new bike with new parts as he just upgraded his drivetrain over the offseason. He loves the way his cockpit, saddle, and components worked, but wanted a frame and fork to match.

Not a problem from our end! We captured out step-by-step process to show how much love we put into each frame, whether you want something completely new, or are looking to retain as much of your old steed as you can.

While everything actually begins with our American frame builder and painters, once a customer (or in this case an ambassador) falls in love with our bikes, we start with a little frame prep before taking care of the PressFit30 bottom bracket and tapered headset.

These were two components that Tony wasn't able to pull from his retired bike. We offered him a few choices to make, and of course he opted with the components that have some of the most impressive staying power: Chris King, with their latest BB30 bottom bracket and Inset 2 headset.

These beautiful Thomson seatpost collars come on all of the Von Hof CX frames, so we really had to twist Tony's arm to part with his blank aftermarket collar. We've built up several bikes with Thomson cockpits and seatposts. Although Tony is going traditional with his seatpost choice, we have often been tempted by some growing trends in cyclocross.

Red... Yellow... When Tony made his decision on what frame accent choices to go with, we'd like to think that he was memorized by the colors to the bikes and kits of the Cyclocross Magazine Racing Team, and was inspired to go big in 'cross by opting with Orange.

Next comes the cutting and installing the fork. Just remember the old rule of thumb: measure six times, cut once. ENVE supplied the workhorse that keeps the front-end of the cyclocross bike trucking with their CX Disc.

Hydraulic brakes might be all the rage in 2015, but for the wise 'crosser that doesn't want to upgrade from their mechanical brake group just yet, we have a little trade secret. That housing you see me installing above is compressionless brake housing. I've written about the technology plenty in my time as an editor, and I wasn't kidding around. Here I'm using Jagwire's Pro housing set, which helps remove that squishy feel that can come with mechanical disc brakes.

Those cables lead down to a set of Shimano CX77 mechanical disc brakes, which are dual-side adjustable. In the hands of a loving mechanic, these babies will have you nice and controlled the next time your local promoter decides to pull an Adam Myerson with a pro-featured descent.

We transferred the rest of the drivetrain over from Tony's older bike to his Von Hof. Pro Tip: that 40 tooth narrow/wide chainring is plenty even for many of the Elite riders. This technology has been hot since the last World Cup season in 2014-15 when even plenty of Euros were adapting it.

We added the rest of the drivetrain, which pairs well with our frames if we do say so ourselves. We'll leave you with one last image. If you come out to BubbleCross on Sunday (to come for racing and our clinic), you'll be able to get a firsthand look at it yourself. Tony, can you do us a favor? The bike looks like it could use a bit of mud to finish it off...