Katie Compton, aka KFC, aka Katie F’n Compton, is pretty much a cyclocross household name at this point. Coming off of her 9th consecutive national championship, Katie is back at it for the Trek Cyclocross Collective. We caught up with Katie and Mark Legg-Compton in the pits to check out the new Crockett 9 she raced to victory just the evening before at the Cincy3Kings CX race, one of 3 races for the Cincy3 Cross festival weekend.
Check out some of the custom touches for Katie’s bike including a sneak peek of the new XXX carbon disc tubulars after the break!
Built with Katie’s direct input, the new Crockett 9 is the aluminum bike that replaces her previous Trek Ion CX, also an aluminum frame. Built specifically for cross racing, Katie opts for the disc brake equipped model. In addition to KFC, and the Tuned By M sticker (Mark Legg-Compton), Katie was also sporting Amy Dombroski’s name tag in honor of Amy who was tragically killed while training in Belgium. This was a pretty common sight in the pits, as many riders bikes’ wore decals to remember Amy.
One of the big standouts for the bike were the likely forthcoming Bontrager XXX tubular disc carbon wheels, with FMB white tires, with pink PRO casing.
The wheels were looking fairly production ready, with Mark telling us that these were a lighter version than the ones she had previously raced. Without a brake track, these are clearly disc only which would make them one of the first disc specific cross carbon tubulars that we know of. The hubs are Bontrager XXX Centerlock similar to the hubs on the Rhythm Pros as far as the stacked lacing. Katie was riding 140mm Avid HSX centerlock rotors front and rear.
When asked about the tires, Mark told us that the PRO casings were about more than just looks. Available in the Super Mud, Grifo, and SSC Sprint, the latex coating (only available in pink apparently) doesn’t absorb water like the cotton casings which makes the tires last longer, and because it offers more side wall support, Mark says they are able to run about 2psi lower than with a cotton casing. Additionally, the white rubber for the tread is a bit softer durometer which they have been liking for improved grip.
The cockpit is all carbon with a Bontrager XXX stem, RXL IsoZone Bar, and a Bontrager Race XXX Lite seatpost.
One of the few racers I saw with this shifter treatment, the SRAM Red 22 shifter paddle’s grip has been increased by the addition of a sand/epoxy mixture.
No cable crimps here – heat shrink is used on both cables to keep them from fraying. Drivetrain is a standard Red 22 group, though without the chain catcher since the Crockett has one built in.
Look closely at the rear dropouts and there is clear sealant that seals the vent holes in the tubes.
Instead of the standard Red chainrings, Katie is running her usual WickWerks chain rings, though this year it is a 42/34 combination.
The fork gets a cool stars and stripes motif, and sees 140mm post mount disc tabs.
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 pedals finish off the bike.
