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09-17-08, 06:40 PM
so, i raced my first cross race last weekend and am racing again this weekend. needless to say, i'm hooked.
until now, my cross bike wasn't a race bike. i typically used it for commuting to work and everything else i didn't strictly use my road or mountain bikes for. so, now that it is a race bike, i'm obsessing over potential wheel and tire setups.
i typically run 32c speedmax's or 38c wtb something or others for everything. for the race i used some heavy wire bead twisters i had laying around, as there was actually mud! they were so heavy though, i'm not sure i want to use them much more. the speedmax's are good for dry, fast conditions, but i was considering getting a more aggressive all conditions tire for racing use... (vittoria xg or schwalb racing ralph's or the like) all of which seems like the beginning to a crap load of tire swapping. a second wheelset seems appealing, but here is my dilemma:
i have a set of nos campy victory strada 36h tubular rims, a friend has some ultegra hubs he'll give me... but then i need spokes (i'd want rev's to keep it light... 72 of them won't be cheap) , tubular tires (even the "cheap ones" are pricey), and i suppose a second cassette. even though i already have the hubs and rims, there is still a large cost in getting that second race wheelset running. i doubt i'll be racing anything past the 3's eventually, so is a tubular setup overkill? the looming cost of such seems like a lot for my newbie-ness. also, the cost seems close to building a second clincher set and running less expensive clincher tires. maybe constant clincher swapping isn't that big a deal after all...
cliff's notes:
do i get spare sets of tires to save cash, or get a second wheelset to save hassle? then if so, tubular or clincher? what are you all doing?
until now, my cross bike wasn't a race bike. i typically used it for commuting to work and everything else i didn't strictly use my road or mountain bikes for. so, now that it is a race bike, i'm obsessing over potential wheel and tire setups.
i typically run 32c speedmax's or 38c wtb something or others for everything. for the race i used some heavy wire bead twisters i had laying around, as there was actually mud! they were so heavy though, i'm not sure i want to use them much more. the speedmax's are good for dry, fast conditions, but i was considering getting a more aggressive all conditions tire for racing use... (vittoria xg or schwalb racing ralph's or the like) all of which seems like the beginning to a crap load of tire swapping. a second wheelset seems appealing, but here is my dilemma:
i have a set of nos campy victory strada 36h tubular rims, a friend has some ultegra hubs he'll give me... but then i need spokes (i'd want rev's to keep it light... 72 of them won't be cheap) , tubular tires (even the "cheap ones" are pricey), and i suppose a second cassette. even though i already have the hubs and rims, there is still a large cost in getting that second race wheelset running. i doubt i'll be racing anything past the 3's eventually, so is a tubular setup overkill? the looming cost of such seems like a lot for my newbie-ness. also, the cost seems close to building a second clincher set and running less expensive clincher tires. maybe constant clincher swapping isn't that big a deal after all...
cliff's notes:
do i get spare sets of tires to save cash, or get a second wheelset to save hassle? then if so, tubular or clincher? what are you all doing?