Drummerboy1975

I have a set of 700x28 Gatorskins I'm going to put on my Raleigh RX 1.0. I think I'll enjoy riding it on the river trail we have here, in lew of my actual road bike.

Let's see photos of your in road form.

Blue Belly

Road bike, road geometry. CX bike, CX geometry. Just don't see the point. Not that you are wrong for doing it. Just wouldn't, myself.

09box

I'm not running road tires per say but I run 700x38 non knobbies on my cross bike.

Darth Lefty 

One of the attractions of this style of bike is the opportunity to run larger tires at lower pressure than on a road racing bike, and more like a classic 10-speed. I've got 32's on my XR800, could maybe fit 40's

LUW

True, but if he only has a CX bike and wants to ride only on paved roads, that's what he should do.

Cyclosaurus

I don't have a photo of mine with the road tires on, but most of the time I run Continental 4 Season 28mm tires on my CX bike.

I think that's probably overstating the differences. I recall reading that CX geometry is actually very similar to that of classic road bikes, but that modern road bikes have shorter chainstays, steeper head tubes, less trail, etc. than in past decades. Certainly CX bikes are closer to road bike geometry than most touring bikes, the differences between road and CX are really not that dramatic at all. Unless you are racing, I don't see how a CX bike with slick tires doesn't function for all intents and purposes as a road bike.

Blue Belly

modern bikes have shallower head tubes. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with it. My cross bike just feels bulkier & slower in a turn than most road bikes I've owned. That may be a preferred trait, to some.

schmoab

I run a cross tire (Randonneur) up front and Gatorskin in the rear. Works for me since I mostly ride on the road with some dirt trails.

pacificaslim

30mm Strada Bianca

SlowJoeCrow

I run 700x32 Panaracer Paselas for road and commute duty. The road vs CX geometry issue is moot for me because I don't currently own a road bike and future bike budget is reserved for kids and a better tandem. I have 2 sets of wheels with slicks and an 11-28 cassette on one and knobbies with 12-27 gears on the other.

Drummerboy1975

I just put a set of 700x28 on mine.

Number400

Running my Raleigh RX 1.0 with cheap tubular wheels glued with continental training tires. They are light, fast and holding up well.

fietsbob

33.3 wide slicks are quite comfy, & wouldn't fit My Road bike because the side pull brakes limit the clearance.

IcySmooth52

That's a fast ride on pavement, and can easily handle packed dirt. Just don't expect wet grass, mud, roots, and loose/large gravel to go over as well.

Drummerboy1975

For sure! I have a set of 700x33 nobbys for that. I'm hoping to fit a set of 40's on it.

bikebreak

for commuting conti GP 4000s 25/28mm - which measure close to 28/30mm actual (unlike most conti tires)

ambro

perfectly fine. I've been riding this way for years. I keep two sets of wheelsets for easy switching. I actually run 28mm Panaracer Pacelas now - which is more of a touring tire but fairly light weight - when I do road rides.

In all honesty - most CX bikes are very similar to road bike Geos - the difference being a slightly longer wheelbase, and slacker head / seat angles - which make the bike slightly less responsive on very fast corners. Unless you are racing - you won't notice the difference and may actually be more comfortable. On one other note - I knew a Cat1 Crit racer who actually races on a Cross bike - (granted - it was a very high-end carbon one).

Supermau

My Anyroad isn't a true CX bike but I did switch to Gatorskins since most of my miles are paved commutes. Running 700x32. They're fine on hard pack but get a bit squirrelly in loose gravel and other sloppy off-road environments.

volosong

Thank y'all for this discussion. Looks like it can be done. On my new build, I was planning to have two wheelsets. One for gravel and one for asphalt. Of the bikes in my stable, I enjoy more those bikes with an 'endurance' geometry rather than the ones with a 'racing' geometry. The racing bikes are just too twitchy. Great when I want to go really fast, but for longer rides, the KOBH and FP6 are infinitely more comfortable. My new cross frame has a very relaxed geometry, compared to a racing frame.

Kopsis

Tires are Panaracer TServ-P in 32c on Pacenti SL32 rims. My CX race bike is also my travel bike so it sees plenty of road use. I've put 1000 road km on it since mid July.

side_FX

Isn't the Boone just a fat tired Domane?

sgtdirt

yep...conti on the rear and a Schwalbe One on the front. rolls like all get out.

DrIsotope

700x28 Conti Gator Hardshells now, 700x28 Thickslicks before (which actually measured to 32-33mm wide,) and 700x28 Schwalbe ONEs before that (which measured 30mm.) Post #2 still makes the chuckle sensibly-- Road geometry vs. CX geometry" and whatnot. Tell that to the countless MTBs cruising the MUPs every day. For CX bikes sure, it varies from brand to brand, but at least in the case of my bike, the difference in geometry between it and a comparably sized "road" bike (of the same mfr.) is a slightly longer headtube and chainstays, slightly higher BB, and half a degree difference in seat tube angle-- or basically, about the same dimensions as a typical "endurance" bike. If I'm suffering as a result of my CX-specific geometry, I guess haven't noticed as I have over 4,000 road miles on it in 7 months.

Soundtallica

I run road tires on my CX bike for general riding, since I hate the feel of CX knobbies in anything but a race. I have two wheelsets with road tires, one has 25c tires for if I'm joining a hard group ride or riding with friends that are faster than me, and one has 33c slicks for general riding. Those 33c tires are Forte Metro K's, which are fabulous. Not only are they cheap (can be found for $15 give or take, on sale they can go below $10) they actually perform really well. They have low rolling resistance, are very flat resistant (1 flat in 3000 miles so far) and are hard wearing (not much visible wear to speak of at 3000 miles). There's a difference in speed between the Metros and skinny tires, can't avoid that, but it's barely noticeable and their ride quality is great. I love to ride gravel and these tires work great and provide a lot of cushion off road, although like any slick you have to be a bit more careful when cornering. They're not perfect though. They're wire bead so they can't be set up tubeless, claim to be 35c but are closer to 32-33c, and are a bit heavy (390 grams, although that's not too bad). But for the price, these are killer tires if you're looking for a fat slick and aren't obsessed with weight and tubeless compatibility.

For the whole idea of running road tires on a CX bike in general, it's a great idea. They give up zero speed to a similar road bike given that your position is the same on both and that you put appropriate road gearing on it, even in a race situation (I've road raced my CX bike before in Cat 3 races and it's never held me back). The only thing different will be the slightly slower handling of the CX bike, which is down to preference. This is especially true if you have a high end carbon racing CX bike with aggressive race geometry like my Redline Conquest Team. This is a 1000 gram frame, and it's every bit as fast, if not faster, than my Focus Cayo Evo with Di2. While I love a fast road bike with aggressive handling, nobody NEEDS one, and most people are just as well served by a CX bike with road tires.

With Forte Metro K tires:


With 25c tires:

09box

I run a CST 700x38 in the back and a Kenda Kourier 700x38 in the front. I went to those from 700x32 knobbies. It might be a little slower and heavier but it rides pretty solid.