Cyclocross Racing - Tire pressure for flat dry course?
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Raced a kermesse Sunday and it was bumpy as hell, probably ran too much tire pressure.
What PSI are you guys running?
Thinking about upgrading to tubulars, I can get some Mavic Reflex/Ultegra wheels for a little over $250, worth it?
I ran most of my races between 25-40psi. For a hard, dry course I'd choose 35 or so. Obviously get it dialed during the pre-ride.
What pressure did you run?
I ran most of my races between 25-40psi. For a hard, dry course I'd choose 35 or so. Obviously get it dialed during the pre-ride.
What pressure did you run?
I'm guessing it was around 60...
acorn_user
09-09-08, 07:32 PM
I got down to 50psi with my clinchers last year. 1 pinch flat. To go lower than that reliably, you will need tubs. A team mate went to 30psi with clinchers and was hit with punctures as a result.
I was someone able to get down to 25-40 nonetheless. I'm pretty light (152lbs), and I try not to ride into stuff without taking weight off the wheels. The only time I had a pinch flat was in a rock garden at 25psi. Plenty of teammates went consistently sub-40psi on clinchers without problems.
truckin
09-10-08, 06:20 AM
I run 35 or so psi in my 700x28 Kenda Kwicks pretty consistently without any pinch-flat trouble. As above, I'm gentle and unweight or bunnyhop the bike when encountering anything sharp that I can't otherwise avoid. I weigh about 165 pounds. YMMV, etc.
flargle
09-10-08, 08:45 AM
If I were running clinchers, I'd use the Hutchinson tubeless tires with Stan's rim strips and sealant.
If you are running tubed clinchers, there is always a tradeoff between security and tire pressure.
If I were running clinchers, I'd use the Hutchinson tubeless tires with Stan's rim strips and sealant.
If you are running tubed clinchers, there is always a tradeoff between security and tire pressure.
I can fit tubeless to my clinchers?
flargle
09-11-08, 10:50 AM
I can fit tubeless to my clinchers?http://www.notubes.com/product_info.php/cPath/21_58/products_id/411
You can run standard cross clinchers tubeless, but if it were me, I'd use the Hutchinson tubeless-specific cross tires.
The wife and I both run our mtb's tubeless with standard rims retrofitted with rim strips. On the road, the wife runs her Ksyriums with road tubeless tires, no strip or tape needed because the K rims have no spoke holes. Stan's recommends using rim strips for CX tires, because of the low pressures and chance of burping air.
Price of converting to tubeless is about $140 (Stan's kit plus tires), which is less than the cost of two decent tubular tires (much less a pair of tubular wheels).
I think tubulars will always be the choice of elite racers, but tubeless is a very attractive option IMO.