[amahana1]

Nearing the end of my cannondale custom cross bike build up. The only thing stock on this bike is the frame and fork. The only thing I have left are tires. ANY suggestions?

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[Surferbruce]

i haven't tried em yet but i want some hutchinson pro gold 32's. they look like a great all around tire. right now i have irc mythos slicks(they're not slick tho!) which seem pretty good. check out cyclocross.com, they have a nice selection to browse.

[Racing Aardvark]

Nearing the end of my cannondale custom cross bike build up. The only thing stock on this bike is the frame and fork. The only thing I have left are tires. ANY suggestions?
what are you going to do with it? Race it? Ride trails? Ride fire roads?

[amahana1]

I am going to race it and some other riding on and off road.

[jeff williams]

I went IRC Mythos xc Kevlar rear, Notos xc non K front, 1.95.
The tires are round profile and corner very well. The rubber is a fairly soft grippy type, not suited to rock climbing.

The IRC are a thinner side wall and I generally run with a higher psi, this also makes you a bit faster! They are a medium priced tire, I like, perhaps not the best for a real heavy rider (thin wall).

The Michelin set up I didn't go for was $120, I did up the IRC set @ 75$ w\ sale.
I have this thing for red tires, expensive for just looks...well I guess they are dual compound or something.

[Surferbruce]

bianchiusa has the blue kenda kwicks on sale at their websit for 20$ a tire, but don't tell anyone!

[jeff williams]

bianchiusa has the blue kenda kwicks on sale at their websit for 20$ a tire, but don't tell anyone!

They gotta be red, everything red> reds fastest.

[Racing Aardvark]

I swear by Tufos. You can use the tubular/clinchers if you don't want to spring for a tubie wheelset. I had a pair of the Hutchinson Pro Golds, and had plenty of issues. Tore the knobs off both tires, and had lots of pinch flats, even running at near max PSI. That's part of the reason I just made the switch to Tufos.

[Homer]

I'm new to Cross- it seems like tires area really a local thing. Depending on what the dirt/grass is like where you live AND what the courses are like as well as the amount of rain- you need different tires on a wet day vs. a dry day.

Around Portland Oregon- the Tufo tubular clincher is considered very good for our conditions most of the time.

I just picked-up a Bianchi '05 Axis with IRC Mythos, 700x35 tires. In the really soupy clay soil they are useless. Yesterdays race was a skate-fest. The tires have a finer knob in the mid section that really packs in the mud. I slid out really hard on a concrete section. I talked to a Pro mechanic in the pits after my C race. He actually thought the tires would have been good at the right pressure. I was running 65 psi. He said his guys were at 50 yesterday.

Another thing- I flatted and rode the last lap on the rim. The mechanic told me that most new CX bikes come with tubes for 19 to 23mm tires even thought the tires are 32-35mm. Sure enough when I got home and pulled it apart- it's was a narrow tube.

[Iffacus]

Your best bet as suggested above is to go and see what other riders in the area are using,

i run Michelin Mud 2's most of the time but also have a pair of Vitoria grass tyres (28mm) for use only when its very dry and fast

[flythebike]

I'm enjoying the Tufo Tubluars and Tubular clinchers. The Mud2s are nice when traction is an issue but they are very slow on hardpack. I think that the Bontrager Cross Jones is a good all-around tire. Good link is here: http://members.aol.com/napavelo/tires.htm
Tire pressure is everything!