CX tyres for South Downs way

fittriman

Afternoon all. Am doing the CX100 sportive on the South Downs in July on my cyclocross bike and having never ridden on the downs I was wondering about tyre choice. Am currently using on old pair of Continental Speed King 35mm which are reaching the end of their life so need replacing anyway. Any advice particularly from those of you who have ridden this route before would be much appreciated. Cheers Andy.

Jterrier

You might find a gravel tire better, and if you do, the fatter the better; depends what your frame will allow. And if you can go tubeless, do it.

fittriman

Many thanks for the response. Am off to look at gravel tyres.

TonyJams

Impact punctures abound if you hammer it on the descents, you want as fat a tyre as possible and have them as hard as they will go. Also, if its wet the chalk will be as slippery as you can imagine.

fittriman

Thanks for the advice. Will see what size I can get away with for the frame. Praying for a dry day then

ugo.santalucia

Something robust, avoid the flimsy 330 grams race tyres... it's mostly about avoiding stones and roots destroying your side walls. The thread and pattern doesn't really matter if you ride in July

lostboysaint

TonyJams wrote:

Impact punctures abound if you hammer it on the descents, you want as fat a tyre as possible and have them as hard as they will go. Also, if its wet the chalk will be as slippery as you can imagine.

That.

SDW is predominantly flint and chalk. One is sharp as razor blades the other as slippery as soap. Don't go lightweight unless you want to spend a lot of time repairing punctures at the side of the trail.

fittriman

Thanks all still doing my research.

ex-pat scot

I#m looking at doing the same. Not sure about a few things: tyre choice, travel options and carrying of kit.

TonyJams

ex-pat scot wrote:

I#m looking at doing the same. Not sure about a few things: tyre choice, travel options and carrying of kit.

Get the train, both ends are on mainline train lines. Watch out for cycle/time restrictions though
Travel as light as you possibly can. Definitely keep the weight off the bike and on your back or in your pockets. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way. And take double the amount of inner tubes that you think you'd need, just incase.

Lots of general rider info here http://bikesy.co.uk/features/knowledge/ ... downs-way/

ex-pat scot

TonyJams wrote:

ex-pat scot wrote:

I#m looking at doing the same. Not sure about a few things: tyre choice, travel options and carrying of kit.

Get the train, both ends are on mainline train lines. Watch out for cycle/time restrictions though
Travel as light as you possibly can. Definitely keep the weight off the bike and on your back or in your pockets. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way. And take double the amount of inner tubes that you think you'd need, just incase.

Lots of general rider info here http://bikesy.co.uk/features/knowledge/ ... downs-way/

Wow! What a day.

A few learnings and reminiscences.

1. travel. I got the last train from Waterloo to Winchester Friday night - marvellously entertaining with the SW London drunks. I arrived Winchester around 2:30 then kipped on a bench at the start for a few hrs.
The organisers noted that the first train Sat morning arrived 06:40 (it's around 15 mins to the start from the station) - the official start was off around 6:40 so they waited for about 12 to arrive off the train before they packed up.
I didn't speak to anyone who actually got this train, but assume it was OK. I was a bit concerned that I might not get the bike on the train, as you can't prebook a bike reservation, and also if the train was delayed. That's why I got the earlier one.
I booked the 21:35 back from Eastbourne to London. I had envisaged a leisurely end to the ride, with fish n chips on the beach and a good book to while away the hours. (it was £8.50 but I couldn't amend it to an earlier one when I got to the station).
Riding back to N London from Victoria was surreal. There were punters everywhere, bare chested and boozed up and high on Pride and the Hyde Park concert. My legs (and bottom) were complaining. A lot.

2. the course. Wow! I'm pretty sure it's around 95m off road and 5 m on road. It's tough. Lots of climbing but the hard part was the descents on the CX bike. Mechanical discs (TRP spyres) were a popular choice but by heck my hands, arms and shoulders were screaming at me. The MTBs shot past on the many downhills.

3. tyres. This is where I misjudged. Badly!
I have a nice new set of Hunt 50 disc wheels, that came pre-fitted with Schwalbe G One 30mm tyres. (actual 31.75mm per my Vernier calipers).
I thought they'd be OK if pumped hard. Wide enough, compared with the alternatives I have (Crosslight wheels with WTB Cross Wolf 32mm).

WRONG!

Firstly, 30mm is just too narrow. the compromise was that they were rock hard pressure, to avoid pinches, so I got battered.
Secondly - sidewalls. I got a nasty sidewall strike about 5 miles before Amberley.
Thirdly - flints. I got another couple of direct punctures from tack-sharp flints at various points.
Fourthly - tubeless (or not).
The Hunt wheels are tubeless ready. Indeed you cannot use normal tyres, as there are no sidewall rim hooks.
However- the shop from where I purchased said wheels is very road-biased and adamant that road tubeless is the work of the devil. Consequently, they set the tyres up with tubes. I've never used tubeless before, so was a little bemused, but as they were supplying the tyres free (long story) I didn't complain.
Nor did I actually check them, and how easy they were to fit - the shop did tell me they had been "quite tight" to fit.
All fine, until the aforementioned sidewall slice.
It took me and a fellow rider 30 MINUTES to get the d@mn tyre unseated from the edge of the rim. "Tight" does not even start to describe it. I even rang the shop to ask if they'd done something odd like supergluing to the edge of the rim - they were stuck so fast. We couldn't get the tyre to budge far enough away from the sidewall to be able to squeeze a tyre lever in the gap.
Eventually we got it, through brute force, and swapped tube. Fine for another 2 miles then a pinch puncture (which was much easier to fix, as the tyre hadn't had enough pressure to really tighten against the sidewall).
Ditchling Beacon (roughly 75 miles) I got past the CP then another flat a mile further. Couldn't get tyre off rim. Walked back to CP to use their brute force and tools. Valve extender snapped. Pinched the other off the rear, only to get the removable core falling out too.
Fixed the holed tubes.
Tube starting to bulge through the sidewall slash - Patched the tyre with a homemade boot (cut section of a plastic milk bottle).
Decided I couldn't face flatting over the next section, so rode on the road down to Brighton and followed the coast to Eastbourne. I figured the road would be low risk of flatting, whereas the official route would be high.

Conclusion: wide as you can get. I saw a few with 40 / 41mm tyres. I need to investigate thick sidewalls. I need to investigate proper tubeless operation (I think that would have sorted all the previous problems, frankly).

Oh well. Older, a little wiser.

TonyJams

ex-pat scot wrote:

TonyJams wrote:

ex-pat scot wrote:

I#m looking at doing the same. Not sure about a few things: tyre choice, travel options and carrying of kit.

Get the train, both ends are on mainline train lines. Watch out for cycle/time restrictions though
Travel as light as you possibly can. Definitely keep the weight off the bike and on your back or in your pockets. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way. And take double the amount of inner tubes that you think you'd need, just incase.

Lots of general rider info here http://bikesy.co.uk/features/knowledge/ ... downs-way/

Wow! What a day.

A few learnings and reminiscences.

1. travel. I got the last train from Waterloo to Winchester Friday night - marvellously entertaining with the SW London drunks. I arrived Winchester around 2:30 then kipped on a bench at the start for a few hrs.
The organisers noted that the first train Sat morning arrived 06:40 (it's around 15 mins to the start from the station) - the official start was off around 6:40 so they waited for about 12 to arrive off the train before they packed up.
I didn't speak to anyone who actually got this train, but assume it was OK. I was a bit concerned that I might not get the bike on the train, as you can't prebook a bike reservation, and also if the train was delayed. That's why I got the earlier one.
I booked the 21:35 back from Eastbourne to London. I had envisaged a leisurely end to the ride, with fish n chips on the beach and a good book to while away the hours. (it was £8.50 but I couldn't amend it to an earlier one when I got to the station).
Riding back to N London from Victoria was surreal. There were punters everywhere, bare chested and boozed up and high on Pride and the Hyde Park concert. My legs (and bottom) were complaining. A lot.

2. the course. Wow! I'm pretty sure it's around 95m off road and 5 m on road. It's tough. Lots of climbing but the hard part was the descents on the CX bike. Mechanical discs (TRP spyres) were a popular choice but by heck my hands, arms and shoulders were screaming at me. The MTBs shot past on the many downhills.

3. tyres. This is where I misjudged. Badly!
I have a nice new set of Hunt 50 disc wheels, that came pre-fitted with Schwalbe G One 30mm tyres. (actual 31.75mm per my Vernier calipers).
I thought they'd be OK if pumped hard. Wide enough, compared with the alternatives I have (Crosslight wheels with WTB Cross Wolf 32mm).

WRONG!

Firstly, 30mm is just too narrow. the compromise was that they were rock hard pressure, to avoid pinches, so I got battered.
Secondly - sidewalls. I got a nasty sidewall strike about 5 miles before Amberley.
Thirdly - flints. I got another couple of direct punctures from tack-sharp flints at various points.
Fourthly - tubeless (or not).
The Hunt wheels are tubeless ready. Indeed you cannot use normal tyres, as there are no sidewall rim hooks.
However- the shop from where I purchased said wheels is very road-biased and adamant that road tubeless is the work of the devil. Consequently, they set the tyres up with tubes. I've never used tubeless before, so was a little bemused, but as they were supplying the tyres free (long story) I didn't complain.
Nor did I actually check them, and how easy they were to fit - the shop did tell me they had been "quite tight" to fit.
All fine, until the aforementioned sidewall slice.
It took me and a fellow rider 30 MINUTES to get the d@mn tyre unseated from the edge of the rim. "Tight" does not even start to describe it. I even rang the shop to ask if they'd done something odd like supergluing to the edge of the rim - they were stuck so fast. We couldn't get the tyre to budge far enough away from the sidewall to be able to squeeze a tyre lever in the gap.
Eventually we got it, through brute force, and swapped tube. Fine for another 2 miles then a pinch puncture (which was much easier to fix, as the tyre hadn't had enough pressure to really tighten against the sidewall).
Ditchling Beacon (roughly 75 miles) I got past the CP then another flat a mile further. Couldn't get tyre off rim. Walked back to CP to use their brute force and tools. Valve extender snapped. Pinched the other off the rear, only to get the removable core falling out too.
Fixed the holed tubes.
Tube starting to bulge through the sidewall slash - Patched the tyre with a homemade boot (cut section of a plastic milk bottle).
Decided I couldn't face flatting over the next section, so rode on the road down to Brighton and followed the coast to Eastbourne. I figured the road would be low risk of flatting, whereas the official route would be high.

Conclusion: wide as you can get. I saw a few with 40 / 41mm tyres. I need to investigate thick sidewalls. I need to investigate proper tubeless operation (I think that would have sorted all the previous problems, frankly).

Oh well. Older, a little wiser.

Proper Adventure! Exactly how it should be.
Reminds me of my first attempt back in the 80s, split sidewalls, too much luggage, frostbite setting in from the snow and a hunt to find the nearest station. I know you'll be back though, and probably in the not too distant future!!

TonyJams

TonyJams wrote:

ex-pat scot wrote:

TonyJams wrote:

ex-pat scot wrote:

I#m looking at doing the same. Not sure about a few things: tyre choice, travel options and carrying of kit.

Get the train, both ends are on mainline train lines. Watch out for cycle/time restrictions though
Travel as light as you possibly can. Definitely keep the weight off the bike and on your back or in your pockets. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way. And take double the amount of inner tubes that you think you'd need, just incase.

Lots of general rider info here http://bikesy.co.uk/features/knowledge/ ... downs-way/

Wow! What a day.

A few learnings and reminiscences.

1. travel. I got the last train from Waterloo to Winchester Friday night - marvellously entertaining with the SW London drunks. I arrived Winchester around 2:30 then kipped on a bench at the start for a few hrs.
The organisers noted that the first train Sat morning arrived 06:40 (it's around 15 mins to the start from the station) - the official start was off around 6:40 so they waited for about 12 to arrive off the train before they packed up.
I didn't speak to anyone who actually got this train, but assume it was OK. I was a bit concerned that I might not get the bike on the train, as you can't prebook a bike reservation, and also if the train was delayed. That's why I got the earlier one.
I booked the 21:35 back from Eastbourne to London. I had envisaged a leisurely end to the ride, with fish n chips on the beach and a good book to while away the hours. (it was £8.50 but I couldn't amend it to an earlier one when I got to the station).
Riding back to N London from Victoria was surreal. There were punters everywhere, bare chested and boozed up and high on Pride and the Hyde Park concert. My legs (and bottom) were complaining. A lot.

2. the course. Wow! I'm pretty sure it's around 95m off road and 5 m on road. It's tough. Lots of climbing but the hard part was the descents on the CX bike. Mechanical discs (TRP spyres) were a popular choice but by heck my hands, arms and shoulders were screaming at me. The MTBs shot past on the many downhills.

3. tyres. This is where I misjudged. Badly!
I have a nice new set of Hunt 50 disc wheels, that came pre-fitted with Schwalbe G One 30mm tyres. (actual 31.75mm per my Vernier calipers).
I thought they'd be OK if pumped hard. Wide enough, compared with the alternatives I have (Crosslight wheels with WTB Cross Wolf 32mm).

WRONG!

Firstly, 30mm is just too narrow. the compromise was that they were rock hard pressure, to avoid pinches, so I got battered.
Secondly - sidewalls. I got a nasty sidewall strike about 5 miles before Amberley.
Thirdly - flints. I got another couple of direct punctures from tack-sharp flints at various points.
Fourthly - tubeless (or not).
The Hunt wheels are tubeless ready. Indeed you cannot use normal tyres, as there are no sidewall rim hooks.
However- the shop from where I purchased said wheels is very road-biased and adamant that road tubeless is the work of the devil. Consequently, they set the tyres up with tubes. I've never used tubeless before, so was a little bemused, but as they were supplying the tyres free (long story) I didn't complain.
Nor did I actually check them, and how easy they were to fit - the shop did tell me they had been "quite tight" to fit.
All fine, until the aforementioned sidewall slice.
It took me and a fellow rider 30 MINUTES to get the d@mn tyre unseated from the edge of the rim. "Tight" does not even start to describe it. I even rang the shop to ask if they'd done something odd like supergluing to the edge of the rim - they were stuck so fast. We couldn't get the tyre to budge far enough away from the sidewall to be able to squeeze a tyre lever in the gap.
Eventually we got it, through brute force, and swapped tube. Fine for another 2 miles then a pinch puncture (which was much easier to fix, as the tyre hadn't had enough pressure to really tighten against the sidewall).
Ditchling Beacon (roughly 75 miles) I got past the CP then another flat a mile further. Couldn't get tyre off rim. Walked back to CP to use their brute force and tools. Valve extender snapped. Pinched the other off the rear, only to get the removable core falling out too.
Fixed the holed tubes.
Tube starting to bulge through the sidewall slash - Patched the tyre with a homemade boot (cut section of a plastic milk bottle).
Decided I couldn't face flatting over the next section, so rode on the road down to Brighton and followed the coast to Eastbourne. I figured the road would be low risk of flatting, whereas the official route would be high.

Conclusion: wide as you can get. I saw a few with 40 / 41mm tyres. I need to investigate thick sidewalls. I need to investigate proper tubeless operation (I think that would have sorted all the previous problems, frankly).

Oh well. Older, a little wiser.

Proper Adventure! Exactly how it should be.
Reminds me of my first attempt back in the 80s, split sidewalls, too much luggage, frostbite setting in from the snow and a hunt to find the nearest station. Well done on making it as far as you did.
I know you'll be back though, and probably in the not too distant future!!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

From the very small bit of the South Downs Way I've seen on my road rides, it looks perfect for fatbikes with 4"+ tyres, but if I went with my 29er wheels and 2.35" G-Ones it would be ~3Kg lighter!

Might try some of it this summer, perhaps Winchester to Butser Hill and then cycle back to Bitterne.

But well done on your effort, you now have a much better knowledge of what to equip yourself with next time.

Jezwick

I run WTB Nano 40s on my bike and have no issues on the SDW at all ...

w00dster

I recently did the SDW on a rigid 27.5+ bike with 3" tyres, no punctures. Enjoyed the downhills but the 25kgs of bikepacking gear made it less fun going up hill. I ran very low pressure in the tyres so was uber comfortable.
The route is not technical but it is rough in parts and for 10 or 11 hours in the saddle I would say a 29er hardtail is the ideal bike. But I'm old and getting beaten up on a bike for 11 hours isn't a great deal of fun anymore.
I ride my cross bike on off-road routes for an hour or two and I'm fine. But any longer and it loses the fun factor for me.