Cyclecross commute

jamiedal

Hi

I’ve just bought a cube cross race for winter commuting (https://www.cube.eu/en/2019/bikes/road/ ... nred-2019/ )
looking for some suggestions for tyres to just use on the road over the winter it’s a 18mile commute, only one incline and mostly flat, I’m looking for maximum grip in the wet and puncture resistance and really don’t know what’s best.

Also I’m 18 stone so I’m not going to worry about a few grams in tyre weight

Thanks

monkimark

I've been using 25mm continental grand prix 4 seasons on the road bike for the last year.

Plenty grippy and not too heavy from what I can gather (weight isn't really a priority for me within reason). The rear tyre pretty much wore down and got it's first puncture after around 4500km last month. Front is still going strong.

There are lighter tyres and there are tougher tyres but these seem like a good balance for my riding (40 mile round trip commute a 3 times a week and occasional weekend spins)

I'm going to get another set of maybe 28mm to put on the cyclocross bike for winter commuting this year.

asprilla

On my CX last winter I used 30mm Schwalbe G-One Speeds on the road. It was reasonably quick (wind and wet weather makes a bigger difference) and incredibly comfortable.

However, taking the wet muddy frozen tow path on 40mm WTB Nanos was an absolute hoon. Not relevant, but amazing.

CitizenLee

If you're not worried about weight and are mostly concerned about puncture resistance then get some Schwalbe Marathons (or Marathon Plus). Those things will stop bullets.

fenix

+1 for the marathon pluses. Very resistant. Basically there's no need to take your pump and repair kit if you're on those.

(I still do - despite never needing them on the road in years riding them)

jamiedal

Cheers for the replies will prob go with the marathon plus

asprilla

It's not all unbridled joy in the world of Marathon+s.

1) Wooden wagon wheels are notoriously difficult to puncture as well, which would explain why they have the same ride characteristics as Marathon Plus.

2) Road bike tyres achieve grip by deforming to maximise the contact patch with the road surface. Softer compounds that increase grip are more prone to puncturing and vice versa. Marathon Plus use one of the hardest compounds there is and so they sacrifice a lot of grip. Its so I worth noting that rubber hardens in the cold, so in the winter I generally have less grip than in the summer.

joe_totale-2

Asprilla wrote:

It's not all unbridled joy in the world of Marathon+s.

1) Wooden wagon wheels are notoriously difficult to puncture as well, which would explain why they have the same ride characteristics as Marathon Plus.

2) Road bike tyres achieve grip by deforming to maximise the contact patch with the road surface. Softer compounds that increase grip are more prone to puncturing and vice versa. Marathon Plus use one of the hardest compounds there is and so they sacrifice a lot of grip. Its so I worth noting that rubber hardens in the cold, so in the winter I generally have less grip than in the summer.

I'm with you 100%

If your main concern is not getting a puncture then get the Marathons.
However, if you want to enjoy the commute and also have plenty of grip in sketchy conditions I'd look elsewhere.