Cyclocross bikes may look like road bikes but the demands they face are far, far apart. Perhaps it is best explained in the comparison of race experience. A road race? Three, sometimes four, hours of tactical pacelines, extended grinding climbs and occasional sprints. A cyclocross race? An hour of intense mud, barriers, breakneck speed and fork-stuttering braking only to be followed by the cruel fate of a high-pressure hose for post race clean-up. If you think you’re exhausted after a race, imagine the punishment sustained by your equipment.