What CX tyres for a beginner?

macondo01

Had my first CX race last weekend at Northwich. I used Schwalbe pro road cx tyres 30c at about 80psi.

I guess tyre pressures and tyres might vary for the course but ballpark are these generally the right tyres and at the right pressures for cx racing? I am 65kg if that makes any difference!

Thanks

andyp

80 psi? :shock:

You need as much grip as you can get so generally the lower the pressure the better. Clearly with clinchers the lowest pressure you can run is limited, but I often race with 35-38 psi in my clinchers (lower if I'm racing with tubulars).

I've no experience of the Schwalbe tyres, but would recommend Michelin Mud 2 tyres as a good all rounder.

macondo01

Ah, so 80psi is about twice the pressure I should be riding on! Ha ha! Oh well may be next time I do a race I can look forward to feeling the difference.

Thanks for the tyre tip too!

VamP

Macondo01 wrote:

Ah, so 80psi is about twice the pressure I should be riding on! Ha ha! Oh well may be next time I do a race I can look forward to feeling the difference.

Thanks for the tyre tip too!

The CX Pro (not road) is a good all-rounder, if a little narrow. I have these on my spare bike. I would say to stick with them until you have had sufficient exposure to racing to decide where you want to go with gear.

For CX tubulars are king, but not everyone wants to spend the requisite, especially bearing in mind that you might want three different tyre types to cover diverse conditions, and back up wheelsets to cover puncture eventualities.

Obviously you will see a big improvement when you run lower pressures. Don't go too low as with clinchers that leaves you open to snakebite punctures. I have gone as low as 30psi on a soft surfaced course and got away with it with my Schwalbe Rocket Rons, but that's definitely borderline territory. Good clincher for CX that BTW

FransJacques

First off - there are no beginner tyres just like there are no expert tyres (unless you're talking tubs). Why not try a different rule of thumb? I've been experimenting with running AS MUCH pressure as I can stand while maintaining decent cornering capability, steering control, and still having my gnads attached on a bumpy course.

Just b/c it's off road doesn't mean rolling resistance is negligable? Plus Sept & Oct have have been the driest, warmest, hardest conditions I've seen in CX so began to think over the last 8 races that grip has never once been a factor, but speed has.

That might all change now it's been raining most days for 2 weeks straight but don't be scared of running a bit of pressure. You're not on tubulars after all.

If you feel you need comfort and grip then go for big volume. Panaracer Cinder Cross are wide, so are Challenge Grifos, Panaracer Cross Blaster are not.. Anything Vittoria is NOT wide, I'd avoid them if you want balloon tyres. B/c the UCI passed the 33mm rule (even tho no one here rides in UCI sanctioned races) tyres have unf. gotten a little narrower but if you can find a 34c Hutch Bulldog that's about the biggest vol tyre I've ever seen. I rode mine off-road on the South Downs until they rolled no more.

MikeWW

Absolutely no point running higher pressure apart from the obvious one of avoiding pinch flats
As others have said Michelin Mud2's work well enough in most conditions-if you see any green ones they are better than the later black ones
If you do get hooked tubs are the way to go but it does get expensive!

Monty Dog

If you're riding your local CX League, then no-one will be checking your tyres so don't worry about width. Tyre pressure should be the minimum that you can run without risking snakebite punctures, so depends a lot on your weight and course conditions and getting a test ride beforehand. Even with the best tyres and right pressure, sometimes you'll still be lacking in grip and that's where rider skill comes into it and what makes CX a bit more fun / challenging. This year has been characterised by warm, dry and fast racing but don't expect it to last!

macondo01

Thanks for the friendly feedback and tips everyone. Appreciated. I will definately be running my tyres lower next time. It will be interesting to feel the difference.

The race was hard but it was fun. I think I may have caught the cx bug.