bikebreak

Never raced before, just got my cx bike set up and been practicing in the park and backyard.

I have a 32mm XG and 33mm Grifo in the back, running under 30 PSI, and I've fallen a few times cornering on wet grass and dirt, and just feel a bit unstable on the narrow tires.

The same turns on my 29er with 2" wide tires are solid

So I'm thinking of running 40mm tires, trading better stability for weight. I don't want real heavy tires though! I was looking at the Continental Cross Ride 700x42, can't find anywhere if it works tubeless.

Any experience with or recommended big cx tires?

thanks

pacificaslim

Are you over 190 pounds? I think that's the minimum for using 40s.

justin1138

I had a pair of XG's and they only measured 29mm across, so yeah, not very wide.

Right now I'm using WTB Nano's for dry races and Clement PDX's for the wet ones. Both sets work well for their designated uses.

Still using tubes, can't help with the tubeless part...

fietsbob

UCI gage maxes out at 33mm , As I Understand .. local non sanctioned just for fun races it does not matter
though wheels stopping from sticky mud will happen sooner if the clearance is already scant.

A tubeless tire losing all its air in a corner is called Burping, and it happens ..

bikebreak

thanks, FWIW I was told you can use bigger tires in a regular race if you are not competing and trying to win points or however it works for the UCI ranking

pacificaslim

And I thought even UCI rules have changed to some sort of formula that allows heavier riders to use wider tires (up to 40).

justin1138

i think that was an April Fool's article at CX Magazine...

pacificaslim

Ha! Guess I fell for it.

grolby

To be clear, there is no tire size restriction in non-UCI races. That includes the non-elite races at UCI events, e.g. the only people who have to worry about tire width at GP Gloucester are the pros, Cat 1 and Cat 2 riders in the Elite fields. Everyone else can ride whatever they want. If you're a Cat 3 or lower, the tire width restriction does not affect you. Except in the availability of some tires, especially tubulars, in sizes wider than 33mm.

For what it's worth, I think that by the time you get to a 40mm tire, you're trading off more in weight and unwieldiness than you get back in traction advantage. Especially if you go with a heavy, slow-rolling tire like the Cross Ride. I would go to 35 or maybe 38 first. The challenge is in finding good tires at those widths. It's sort of a weird no-man's land once you get past 35mm. I won't say good CX tires don't exist in those widths, but they're like hen's teeth. One alternative to consider would be something with a grippier, more versatile tread design than the Grifo. That's not a very good grass tire. You would probably be happier with something like a Clement PDX or even MXP, or a Hutchinson Toro (tubeless compatible!). Something like that. Even in the same width, those will be grippier than the Grifo.

yochris 

I have a not raced on them but I have done a bunch of dirt/fire road rides on WTB Nanos. Not tubeless but they are a great tire. My one knock on them is the size makes them need a little more effort to get rolling, but once going they roll great, even on pavement.

FWIW I am thinking about running the WTB Cross Boss this season which is 35mm. A little more width but not so beefy.

uclamatt2007

I have been running Kenda Happy Medium 40c tires for the last year on my cross bike. They are not labeled as tubeless, but I have had them set up that way on 2 different sets fo wheels with no issues. They did require a compressor to set though.

They are a great dry weather tire but are can be a nightmare with any real moisture. I like them a lot for summer trail riding on the cross bike. They weigh in around 430g