In the ongoing effort to get off the mountain bike for a while and hit the paved road, I've decided to set my sights on a new cyclocross bike (possibly Specialized '07 Tricross Expert double).

For rides I knew I would be on 100% road, would it be fitting to tear off the 36's and toss on a pair of normal 25-27 pure road tires? The rims should be able to handle a smaller tire/fit, correct? Just looking for increased speed and efficiency... don't want to be the 'slow guy' on the cross bike when I go riding with my road bike buddies...

Thanks,

-Bill

Seems like you already have the answer. I did that for a while and I'm sure a few people others do too. I now have two sets of wheels (one for road and the other true cyclocross tires). Takes two minutes to set it up if you decide to ride on a different surface.

Yeah ..... a couple sets of wheels are the way to go if you have only one bike. Did that most of the winter, then got a road bike for the summer.......

2 sets of wheels is the easiest, but yes, it works just fine

Sounds good to me, thanks for the confirmations everyone.

I guess I'm just making sure I'd keep up on the longer road rides with some buddies of mine if I'm on a cross bike /w road tires. I have a good mountain bike, but wanted to go on long road rides on the weekends and probably start bike commuting 20 miles a day 3 or 4 days a week. Not to mention if I'm on a road ride I can hit that random side dirt trail if I want without having worry about busting up my road bike.

There is a used (excellent condition) 2007 Specialized Tricross Expert double on sale around here that's exactly my size for $1500, hoping to pick it up sometime later this week

Thanks again everyone,

-Bill

I would check to see how skinny you can go. I do use 23c skinnies on my Tricross, but with a narrower rim width set of wheels, Easton Circuits. The Roval Paves are quite wide, and I'm thinking 28c is the narrowest tire that can fit on the Paves.

Why not get a simple normal road wheelset with narrow rims to swap in when you use the bike on paved roads? I use my cross bike for a lot of road riding, especially when the weather is bad...

Right now a separate (decent) wheel set would be a bit too much to spend on top of the new bike, about to take a nice hit this week when I buy it. Definitely an option I'll be looking into soon however, maybe catch a sale at the end of the summer and pick up a decent set of rims.

Thanks again,

Bill

I don't know about everybody else, but I think my Double Cross handles better with the Vittoria Randoneer Pro 700x32's than with the Michelin Axial Carbon 700x25's I use here and there. It's easier to ride with no hands, they handle a little dirt and gravel better, and they're better for carrying groceries home too. They're definitely slower but I'd rather hang back some than hammer along at the front. There are more pretty girls back there.

talk to your local bike store. most often times when you are buying a bike they are always willing to flex the price here and there. If you are spending 1500$ + taxes I'm positive your LBS will through in a bottom of the line road tire set for free or for like an extra 50$. Talk with them, that's what they are there for. If they want your business they will be glad to accomodate.

I agree with the 32's. I ride my cross check on the road with pasela 35's and rack on the back. They're more stable than skinnies, corner way better and are less likely to go out on you on gravel or wet roads. My guess is that they're 5% slower than the skinnies. Bad for racing, good for passing those Lance types on the Madone's or cornering inside them. Makes 'em crazy.

I consider my ultragators 700 x 28's to be the perfect "all-around" tire. A lot depends on the air pressure. 110 psi and I go fast, provided it's not raining and I'm not jumping curbs (though I have done and I'm 200 lbs). 85 psi and I can go anywhere except off road.