Cyclocross - how do cross tires take riding on the road?

The roads will likely be wet.

and the tires. size is 700x35
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/pcospk/continental_speed_king/pp.htm

also they'll be on a fixed gear. but i am running a front brake.

Slower than slicks, and they'll wear pretty quickly (knobs.)

Knobbies have bad traction on pavement.

The biggest thing I notice is squirreliness on fast corners.

then i guess i'll save that for really bad days. i'm somehow managing to getaround in snow and slush on 23's that i had before on my road bike. thanks for the forewarning

^^^ a brave soul lurks within you.

actually it's probably a young, stupid and broke soul that lurks within me :D

try something like ritchey speed max tires. they have a pretty flat middle. you'll loose what little tread is on the middle but its no big deal they'll still work well when you go off road.

If a set of tires works well on road, they probably won't work very well offroad. If they work well off road, they probably wont work very well on road. You can certainly do it, but it'll never feel quite right.

My preference is wider slicks. They work well on road, and do pretty well offroad, as long as its not too muddy or gravelly (i know that's not the spelling).

If a set of tires works well on road, they probably won't work very well offroad. If they work well off road, they probably wont work very well on road. You can certainly do it, but it'll never feel quite right.

My preference is wider slicks. They work well on road, and do pretty well offroad, as long as its not too muddy or gravelly (i know that's not the spelling).


This is great advice for on/off road in dry warm conditions, but fat slicks unfortunately won't do much in the snow-- You've pretty much got to have some knobs. Semislicks like the ritchey speedmax are probably your best bet; just watch out for cornering on pavement because the knobs will make it squirrelly.

Another option is some sort of inverted tread or micro-knobby tire, like kenda's small block 8. they seem to be a good compromise, although I've never ridden snow with em.

I use CX tires for my commuter bike. When I pull the brake levers, the wheels stopped, but the bike doesn't.
Poor grip, and those tires turns to slicks in just three months.

I ride Continental Contacts here in Boulder, Co. 700 x 28 for the road bike and 32s for the Cross bike. Good traction on the snow but slower. I use the knobbies in the snow and on dirt primarily.

inverted tread pattern.

inverted tread pattern.

ftw!

I've personally found that CX tires offer no real advantage on the road. They're slow and squishy, corner poorly, and knobs mean that very little of the tire actually comes into contact with the road. For wet roads, considered grooved road tires instead. More of the rubber makes contact with the road while siphoning out the water underneath it.

AFAIK there's no evidence that inverted tread patterns "siphon" water any better than the natural, elliptical contact patch of a slick road tire.

Professional road racers use slicks on rainy days, and they have a vested interest in having the best traction.

inverted tread pattern.

thanks. i know i'll have to look for myself, but is there a tire you'd reccomend?

Panaracer Pasela TG 700x35c

Try Vittoria's Cross Xn Clincher in a 700x32. Small File tread pattern with very minimal rolling resitance, good traction on loose dirt or wet grass. Not a mud tire by any means and not a tire you want to lock up the brakes on asphalt so no fixed skidding. If not try the Randonnuer in a 700x28-32 or Randonnuer Cross also by Vittoria.

AFAIK there's no evidence that inverted tread patterns "siphon" water any better than the natural, elliptical contact patch of a slick road tire.

probably no evidence, but i've found them to work as the best as an all-around tire. in my experience i've found them to be better than cx tires, & better than 23/25c slicks, when it rains. might be placebo, but i doubt it. seems to work for automobiles though.


Professional road racers use slicks on rainy days, and they have a vested interest in having the best traction.

they have a vested interest in going fast. they're also professionals.


thanks. i know i'll have to look for myself, but is there a tire you'd reccomend?

i don't really have a reccomondation, just check out what your local shop has. try to get something around 30-32c, perhaps even 35, & something with a deep inverted pattern.

As others have said the biggest issue is that cross tires wear out really quickly on the road, my back tire is toast after a couple months of light riding mostly on pavement.


probably no evidence, but i've found them to work as the best as an all-around tire. in my experience i've found them to be better than cx tires, & better than 23/25c slicks, when it rains. might be placebo, but i doubt it. seems to work for automobiles though.



they have a vested interest in going fast. they're also professionals.



i don't really have a reccomondation, just check out what your local shop has. try to get something around 30-32c, perhaps even 35, & something with a deep inverted pattern.

For what it's worth Sheldon Brown says otherwise, http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#tread

understandable, but like i said: they've seem to work well for me.

I ride cross tires on the road and they work rather nicely... the tires have a flat middle section and knobs on the edges. thus they feel fast during normal road riding but i can still cut through grass/ gravel/ dirt. it is very true that having knobs on the road is just a good way to waste money though. if you don't need them get touring tires.

I am currently riding 700x35c Maxxis Raze which seem to move rather quickly on pavement enroute to the fireroads or trails etc. They do get a bit bumpy in the corners at high speeds. Once these burn up I plan on going back to Vittorias. I generally use larger (35c) tires for mtn trails etc to cushion the rigid ride. Other wise in a cross race I'll run a 32c.

Try Vittoria's Cross Xn Clincher in a 700x32. Small File tread pattern with very minimal rolling resitance, good traction on loose dirt or wet grass. Not a mud tire by any means and not a tire you want to lock up the brakes on asphalt so no fixed skidding. If not try the Randonnuer in a 700x28-32 or Randonnuer Cross also by Vittoria.

My current fav for winter commuting when the studs are overkill.

This is great advice for on/off road in dry warm conditions, but fat slicks unfortunately won't do much in the snow-- You've pretty much got to have some knobs. Semislicks like the ritchey speedmax are probably your best bet; just watch out for cornering on pavement because the knobs will make it squirrelly.

Another option is some sort of inverted tread or micro-knobby tire, like kenda's small block 8. they seem to be a good compromise, although I've never ridden snow with em.

You caught me, I do live in california... Snow is foreign and exotic.

i went with michelin city in 47. hope they fit. after the speed kings wear out, i have kenda kwick cross that i had lying around before i have to rely on the semi slicks. the longest trips i'll be making is 8-10 miles, so by the time both sets of knobs wear out, winter should be over.

toss 'm

I use a 28 to 32c michelin transworld city and love them. Even though I do a lot of offroading, i don't swap them out. I just corner more carefully. I think you will find that unless you are cutting sharp corners off road, you will be just fine with the city.