In my blog on the history of tracklocross, I managed to forget something. Something that I really shouldn’t have as I used to spend hours perusing their blog. I forgot about 63xc. 63xc was named after their preferred gear inches option for riding offroad. That should give you enough of an idea about the site.

We should probably also state that these folks were more into using mountain bikes or converted tourers. They were using these bikes for larger tyre clearance, and possibly a little bit more practicality than running a pure track frame offroad.

The site, like Sheldon Browns, is a repository of knowledge.Like Sheldon’s sit it was also born of a shop, in the case Sorted Cycles. Like Sheldon’s site, it was a place for the bike nerds to gather together. If you’ve ever wanted to turn a 22 tooth granny ring into a fixed cog well, this is the place for you. What I should point out is that the site was short-lived and made it to 5 years. It only lived between 2002 and 2007.

A lovely bit is explaining how to use a disc rotor to help make an ISO cog. I love ISO cogs as a way to go fixed. The good news I’m currently testing some ISO cogs that hopefully later in the year I’ll be able to put on sale (shameless self-promotion).

63xc.com became so popular that it eventually had 100,000 readers for every issue. 63xc.com was published as a magazine-style site and was updated by issue rather than when they struck a new blog idea.

It had a list of contributors that contained the cream of the top of bike nerdery. You had Andy Corson (Surly Bikes), Robin Mather, Charlie the Bike Monger, and most importantly Matt Chester, at the top of his powers before it all went wrong.

Honestly, it is a great site and much broader than your usual fixed gear site and is worth a peruse, especially if you want to see how people had to tinker in the past.