Originally Posted by bostontrevor
No, what you have is a probably a 26" tire for a hybrid. The argument is that in a straight line, it's nice and smooth for low rolling resistance but if you take it off-road, it gives you some traction in the dirt on corners. In practice it's not really worth anything.
A cross tire is shorthand for a cyclocross tire, a 700C tire with decent girth (anything above, say 30mm) and some light tread.
Yeah, I didn't think it was worth much. I know I won't match it on the front wheel, and I will probably replace it soon. OTOH, it isn't really slowing me down much. It's a half inch wider, but just as hard as the old slick.