Commuting, Cyclocross and Spanking in

robertharper
robertharper Posts: 6
edited February 2013 in Road general
Hello all,

I am a road racer(Cat 3, but road racer sounds good) and I have been commuting to and from work on my 'Felt F65X'. As I have never used anything other than slicks(conti gatorskins being the most tread) I have been having quite a few problems with the tyres on my cross bike.

It started with not being able to grip on steep climbs and has culminated with me trying to put a little bit of power down coming out of a corner and ending up with some impressive grazes on my arms and legs.

Just for some background info I have been using the felt as my winter training and have tried various different psi's without much help grip wise, especially on the hills. Also I'm no Nibali but my bike handling isn't too bad so I don't think its me just getting excited.

In summary: I'm being a donut and keep falling off my bike!



Is it a case of changing tyres for something more slick on my cross bike, I thought I would enquire before forking out!?

Thanks guys and girls, much appreciated.

Rob

Comments

  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Knobbly tyres aren't great on the road as you have 50% less rubber touching the road and rubber knobs squirm out the way. Stick to slick tyres if cornering hard on the road.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,708
    Truely honest answer you won't like much?

    Sounds like you need to work.on your bike skills, cross is not road riding!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • lotus49
    lotus49 Posts: 763
    Cross tyres are made for cyclocross where the tread pattern helps in the mud. On the road the tread just reduces the level of grip. Overpowering the grip on my tyres is not a problem I have ever had but you might also wait until you are fully upright again before putting down the power. Power sliding out of a corner is a difficult enough trick on a motorbike - it's not one I would try on a road bicycle.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,708
    Hang on are we talking about tyres for cross or using cross tyres on the road here...?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    I think the OP has a roadbike with gatorskins on and a cx bike with cx tyres on - he's slipping and falling off with the latter ...

    Not a problem I've had TBH! But, I have been swapping out CX tyres for slicks for the commute ..

    Q to the OP - what pressure are you running the CX tyres at and what are they?

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