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07-15-08, 09:54 AM
I'm starting to plan out my cyclocross bike for the fall cross circuit that takes place here in and around Ottawa. It's going to be my second year doing the series. I race in the novice level. Last year I did half of the races on my touring bike, and the other half on a converted mountain bike. This year I'm going to use my new 29er, a rigid voodoo dambala. I'm having a difficult time decided what route I want to take regarding tires and wheels.
The current wheelset is built up with Mavic A719 rims. Last year when I raced on my touring bike, I also road on A719 rims with some 700x35c (I think) cross tires. I didn't like the setup very much, I found the rims were too wide for the tires. I found they made the tires wide, but if you dropped the pressure to smooth the ride, you would quickly be bottoming out the tires on the rim. Not fun! So, I think I have two options:
a) ride the rims I have now with tires in the 700x40 to 700x50c range
or
b) build up a set of cross wheels (open pro or cxp33's) and run normal cyclocross tires
I've done some research, and it seems like there aren't many racy tire options for a, so I might go the wheel build route. Suggestions? If I go the wheel build route, are open pros/cxp33's a good width of rim? Too narrow?
I'm also considering changing the crank on my dambala. Currently I a nice but heavy Race Face Atlas 175mm crankset on there. I'm thinking of going to 170mm for more ground clearance and to make me spin more...
The current wheelset is built up with Mavic A719 rims. Last year when I raced on my touring bike, I also road on A719 rims with some 700x35c (I think) cross tires. I didn't like the setup very much, I found the rims were too wide for the tires. I found they made the tires wide, but if you dropped the pressure to smooth the ride, you would quickly be bottoming out the tires on the rim. Not fun! So, I think I have two options:
a) ride the rims I have now with tires in the 700x40 to 700x50c range
or
b) build up a set of cross wheels (open pro or cxp33's) and run normal cyclocross tires
I've done some research, and it seems like there aren't many racy tire options for a, so I might go the wheel build route. Suggestions? If I go the wheel build route, are open pros/cxp33's a good width of rim? Too narrow?
I'm also considering changing the crank on my dambala. Currently I a nice but heavy Race Face Atlas 175mm crankset on there. I'm thinking of going to 170mm for more ground clearance and to make me spin more...