Originally Posted by ldmataya

My first cross mentor, when I asked this question, said a frame is a thing you hang your components on. Great advice at the time. I would rank importance of equipment in this order.

- Tire choice and tire pressure
- Brakes, hydro disc performs consistently and you can slow in the same locations each lap.
- Gearing performance. Do you have the right gearing for a course and how fast can you get into the best gear when your hands are frozen or wet.
- Pedals. How fast can you clip and start pedaling in either normal or muddy/icy conditions
- Fit and geometry of the bike. Are you a climber or cornering daredevil and does the bike fit your style.
- Small things that add up to be big things. Bottom bracket seal drag is very useful because then my cranks don't rotate on me when I drop the bike back on the ground. Are there cables in the way of where you try and grab the downtube. There are more of these...
- Overall weight.
- Saddle, is your kit hanging up on it, remounts are maybe easier with a smoother saddle.