Its almost cyclocross season and while other companies are getting ready to show off the new toys at the TDF this year Guerciotti has struck first with getting us their 2016 cyclocross bike. The Lembeek is their top of the line mud stud. The bike shown is made fromCarbon Fiber and the Ultegra bike as shown tipped the scale at 18.73 lbs in a Large.

Ok, so how is this frame set made and what kind of carbon fiber is it made of? Well luckilyI just happen to be in communication with Alessandro Guerciotti and here is what he had to tell us about the production of the Lembeek.

System of production : Molding process innovative pre-Bladder Molding Manifold with variable section. Structure enriched with ribs and internal cable passages from the previous version 2014 The technology of composite materials graphite and epoxy high performance used in the production of the frame uses the same system used in the materials of the aeronautical and aerospace structures, such as A380 and B787.

Material and carbon fiber used : - 10% 46Tons Super High Modulus HS40 Carbon Pre-Preg -25% 30Tons High Modulus MR60 Carbon Pre-Preg – High strength - 60% 24Tons High Modulus T700S Carbon Pre-Preg Strength -5% 3K Weave Carbon Pre-Preg

So lets talk about the tube shapes! The top tube sports a unique shape that I have not seen on any other cyclocross steed. The front 3/4 of the top tube is round and then it flattens out near the end. not only does this make shouldering easier but it also creates a place to put your hand on a dismount. Yeah so? well here is the deal on that. If you pick the bike up from the front the front wheel will come up and you will drag the rear wheels into a barrier. This we will call BAD. So when you place your hand on the top tube and its flat your hand placement is good. If you grab a round tube then your hand placement is not so good...

The down tube is a diamond shape which we will increase the stiffness of the bike to torsional stresses, ie twisting. Heading back up to the seat tube juncture you will notice that the seat stays have a unique whish bone shape.

The chain stays are beefy and very vertical which makes them strong while allowing ample mud clearance. going up front you will notice that the top tube head tube and down tube flow seamlessly into one another. Making the head tube this beautiful section that is almost like a piece of art. This leads me to another sexy part of the bike and that is the fork. For me I have always liked the look of a strait fork. The fork on the Lembeek is large thin and sexy looking. Its obvious to me that with the integration of disc brakes you need a fork that can withstand the breaking forces that go with them.

When we contacted Guerciottidirectly about the frame design we received a responsefrom Alssandro Guerciotti about what when into it. The literal translation we wont put up. But to translate it into regular English goes like this.

" Hi Scott, the design of the rear end of the bike is a result of intensive research. We understand that the rear triangle of the cyclocross bike is very important in how well it will preform. Our research covered some of the hardest conditions that you will encounter in a cyclocross race. This design that we have come up with maximizes the bikes performance in the hardest conditions while still being able to preform at the highest level. This includes the meadows, asphalt and the mud. this solution was made possible by our CLS Carbon Design who represent our No Limit Carbon Engineering. this design yielded the best solution for comfort, lightness and stiffness. These we feel are the three most important features for a top of the line cyclocrossframe set."

The history of Guerciottiis long and deep. The company started in 1946 and has its roots in cyclocross. Not many bike companies can claim to be 50 AND have their roots in cyclocross. And so the brothers (Italo and Paolo) opened up a bike shop with a modest 20 square meters in Milan. Italo was already into racing cyclocross and got his brother racing in 1961. Paolo grew to excel in the discipline of cyclocross and dedicated himself to the sport and would later ride in the world championships in 1979. During that time the shop grew so much that it was moved to a larger location in Corso Buenos Aires and then again in Via Tamagno in 1975. That same year Guerciotti started exporting bikes all over the world and into the United states. During that time the sport of cyclocross was in its infancy and if your were into cyclocross you knew that there were only a few companies that made cyclocross bikes and at the top of the list was Guerciotti.