Cyclocross-29er hybrid perfect for beating sand and wind
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Ramses Bekkenk’s Koga BeachRacer prototype covered in sand after his second victory at the Noordwijk BeachRace(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Bekkink’s bike is fitted with Shimano’s hydraulic road disc brakes(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The production Koga BeachRacer isn't Di2 compatible, but Bekkenk’s is(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Bekkenk admits he’s taken a mix 'n' match approach to his component choices, and that’s a Carbon-Ti seatpost clamp to finish things off(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The sand’s not particularly bumpy, so an unpadded Selle San Marco Aspide Superleggera saddle suffices(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Shimano Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur is holding up well(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Insulating tape on the drive-side of the extended chainstays protect the frame(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Bekkenk’s Koga BeachRacer is fitted with SRAM XX cranks and a 42T single chainring going through a E-13 guide to prevent chain suck(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Crank Bros Candy 11 pedals are tough customers and Bekkenk customised his with blue cages(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Bekkenk is part of Schwalbe’s First Ride product development team and gets to try out prototype tyres(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
A Schwalbe Thunder Burt dons the front NoTubes Iron Cross Rim(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Salt and sand are the enemies of bike components and bikes are (usually) swiftly jet-washed down to slow corrosion(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Bekkink is a beach racing specialist and was favoured to regain his title(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Bekkink has fixed a Timex computer to his 100mm stem(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Koga developed the bars specifically for beach races: they give riders a stable aero platform on soft sand(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Koga BeachRacer has been making waves since the Dutch brand unveiled a prototype at the beginning of the year. On Sunday 8 December, Koga Mountain Bike Team pro Ramses Bekkenk (Koga MTB team) piloted the 29in wheeled bike to victory in the SRAM-sponsored 52km Noordwijk beach race. It was his second victory in the event, and he beat pros such as local rider Sebastian Langeveld (Orica-GreenEdge).
Bekkenk helped develop the bike especially for the discipline. Essentially it's a cyclocross-29er hybrid. This model – a 54cm prototype – has a slightly longer top tube than the production standard.
Everything about the frame is designed to make it steady when riding on sand. The seat tube angle is 74 degrees, to get the rider right over the cranks in a TT-like position, and the head tube angle is 71 degrees, to help provide a stable platform.
There’s an extra centimetre in the chainstays compared to the standard cyclo-cross frame, and it all adds up to give the bike a wheelbase of around 110cm. It may corner like an oil tanker, says Bekkenk, but on Holland’s wide, windswept beaches, nimble cornering is hardly a priority.
Koga produced the flat drop bars to help riders obtain a stable and aero position on the bike. While the production model is kitted in fairly standard componentry – sand and salt mean it needs replacing a lot and the company wanted to help customers keep costs down – Bekkenk’s BeachRacer was fitted with Shimano Di2 gearing and hydraulic disc brakes. The Di2 is holding up well to the sand, brine and frequent jet-washing, says Bekkenk.
Tyres – a critical choice to cope with the shifting soft sands – are a Schwalbe Super Moto on the back and a slightly narrower, more treaded Schwalbe Thunder Burt on the front, where there’s just enough clearance for the 2.1in width tyre in the custom fork. Bekkenk’s tyre pressure is incredibly low: 0.8 Bar (11.6psi).
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A chain and bottom bracket bearings will last about 500km and chainring and cassettes a couple more hundred kilometres. Bekkenk has a Mortop bottom bracket in the English-threaded frame because bearings are cheap and easy to replace.
Gearing is a single 42T front chainring coupled with an e*thirteen chainguide and an 11-28 cassette, which is just enough range to cope with barrelling tailwinds, power-sapping sand, and inevitable headwinds.
BikeRadar had a go at beachracing courtesy of Koga, so stay tuned for a feature on the resurgent discipline. In the meantime, click on the gallery for more photos of this radical bike.
Koga developed the bars specifically for beach races
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Koga BeachRacer (54cm custom) Fork: Koga BeachRacer Headset: Cane Creek 1-1/8 Stem: Extralite Ultrastem OC (100mm) Handlebars: Koga custom (40 at bend) Tape: Deda Front Brake: Shimano BR-R785 road disc Rear Brake: Shimano BR-R785 road disc Shifters: Shimano Di2 R785 (prototype) Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 11sp, 11-28 Chain: KMC X11sl Crankset: SRAM XX 42T Bottom Bracket: Mortop BSA thread Pedals: Crank Bros Candy 11 with custom cage Hubs: Shimano HB-CX75 (prototype) Rims: Notubes Iron Cross Spokes: Sapim Race and D-Light (mix) Seatpost: KCNC Ti Pro Lite , 27.2mm, Carbon-Ti seat clamp Front tyre: Schwalbe Thunder Burt Rear tyre: Schwalbe Super Moto Saddle: Selle San Marco Superleggera Aspide Accessories: e*thirteen chainguide, Timex computer
