why not 'cross tires?
 

What is so terrible about using cyclocross tires, like Ritchey Speedmax that come stock on Surly Cross Checks, for commuting on mostly pavement? (I'm not talking about going out of your way to buy 'cross tires for my commuter, but if you just have them lying around...)

Are you the disadvantages so great, that you should really avoid using them like the plague? I think the disadvantages like increased rolling resistance and decreased cornering might be overstated, but I'd like to hear anyone's anecdotal stories.

If you have them and are just commuting and just want to avoid buying tires - by all means use them!

People buy mtb styled city bikes with knobby tires and most of them never leave paved bike paths.


Agreed, CX tires aren't an ideal choice, but for commuting, they'll certainly get you there.

If you've got them, wear them down and get some use out of them.

well, I do have a pair of used up Specialized Armadillo's (3,000 miles, they look much worse)) and a single Marathon Supreme (3,000 miles, too...was the front tire so it looks pretty good still) I can put on. I have some options. I'm just wondering why the strong aversion to cross tires? They're less than ideal, but what is better about thinner, smoother tires with higher PSI's? What advantages do I get when I buy Gatorskins, Armadillos, Paselas, Continental, etc.

ritchey speedmax cross on the commuter. Good for fresh snow, long wearing, and trips off the trail now and then. If I only rode dry pavement then I couldn't see the use either. Not impressed with flat resistance so far, but it could have just bee an unlucky month.

I crashed today, really slow...turning into my driveway. There were cars coming by, so I was just coasting waiting to turn in. I passed my drive way by a few feet. Then, I think I made a sharp, but slow turn and I just fell on my left side. Lucky there were no cars on either side. It probably was a sharp turn, but I have never had that happen to me, ever...until I put the Ritchey Speedmax Cross tires on last week.

The PSI is only 75, so lower than I even ran on the Marathons and I notice a whirling sound when I lean into turn and use the outer edges of the tire where the knobbies are more pronounced. That sound kind of throws me off like something is wrong. Is it possible I crashed because of the knobbies? Or was it just too sharp of a turn?

And how much slower on average than skinnies do you think knobbies go? I don't have a bike computer, so there's no way I can be sure how much slower they are.

The sound of knobs is normal. The only things I can think of is that cross tires, like MTB tires, will probably wear off quicker on asphalt and that knobby tires may provide worse traction on hard surface, due to less rubber contact with the pavement. Although I doubt it was the reason for your fall, the traction is not THAT worse. I rode on knobbies and never had problems other than noise and extra drag.

When you fell, did the front wheel skid or you just lost balance? But really, I doubt it was because of the tires.

Who's to decide what's best for their commute?
Does the experience of any other rider matter?

The answers are: That individual rider, and only when they discuss identical equipment or conditions.

I commute on a Kona Coiler Supreme, full suspension MTB, 2.1 tires, and I absolutely could not care less what anyone else thinks about its "efficiency". If you, the doubter, are such a p()$$y that you need to ride easy all the time, then by all means, do so. MY commute isn't just an A-to-B, it's a RIDE. EVERY ride I take has two purposes -- to go where I want or need to go, and to enjoy the journey. The Kona enables me to do that like no skinny-tired bike can.

The Japanese have said: "It is not the destination that matters, but the path to it." Time on the bike is ALWAYS quality time, to be treasured.

I tried commuting on some CX tires and made two key observations that made me change them out in short order.

1) The tires I tried were a little too aggressive for street use.....may have been good in the winter, but the rolling resistance was terrible and the ride was rough. My commute is 23 miles each way. As the distance increases, rolling resistance and efficiency become more important.

2) The CX tire did not corner well at speed (on pavement). There are a couple of stretches on my commute that regularly see me at speeds around 45mph. While they never lost traction, I could feel the tread flexing in transition from the center strip to the side lugs when getting into a deep corner, and I didn't feel safe with them.

I agree with the run 'em till you burn 'em up approach. That you fell today is very possibly not related. I've fallen doing something silly (trying to get a piece of garbage in a small opening of a garbage can while rolling) on perfectly smooth pavement, and perfectly good (nearly brand new) road tires. Man did I feel like a tool. We all fall eventually. Someone posted a Lance Armstrong quote somewhere yesterday (can't remembe where) which basically stated "if you're worried about falling, you'd never get on the bike". Truer words never spoken.

They will not corner on pavement as well as road tires, but you know that going in. Take it easy while cornering, and buy good road tires when you've burned 'em up.

Gatorskins feel like your wheels are made of cement. :(

I don't know. I was seriously coasting. I wasn't going fast at all, I missed by turn by 8 feet, made the turn and before I knew it, I was on the ground. It's always such a shock to crash like, "wtf just happened?" I'm still trying to figure out what I did wrong, so I can avoid the same mistake in the future. It might have been too sharp of a turn, but I had no idea. It happened so fast. No skid, though. Just fall. Haha...With my other tires, I feel like I can tell when I'm turning to sharp. Maybe these cross tires are so fluffy that I didn't get that warning feedback. Anyways, yea...I think I could make do with them. I figure they're at least half road tires, right? I've been warned away from them like it'd ruined my bike before, so I was just asking why no one rides knobbies.

Really? In the sense that they're hard riding over potholes, cracks, and uneven road surfaces and that they feel like a jackhammer on your hands and rear? I've heard Armadillo's feel like riding on solid rubber tires. At the recommended PSI, that is so true. A very rough ride. That's why I always run them at 15 PSI below the recommended 115-125 PSI. I read that Gatorskins offered the same flat protection, but with a cushier ride. I was planning on buying some Gatorskins as my next set of good tires.

I didn't think that my Gatorskins were all that terrible (now of course I do :-\) but no, they aren't the most supple tires in the world. It's all a trade-off. Anytime you rate puncture protection and longevity as your primary concerns, you're going to sacrifice feel and grip. The tires I've been using for the past 4 years are the Ultremo DD tires. Great feel and grip in a puncture protected tire, but they don't last long and they are quite expensive. Gatorskins will last quite a bit longer and are much less expensive, but once you've become accustomed to buttery smooth tires that grip like crazy, it's hard to go back.

That said, Gatorskins will be a marked improvement over cross tires without a doubt.

With 180 pounds of rider, 15 of luggage, and 90-95 psi front and 95-100 psi rear my 700x25 Gatorskins ride nice enough. About like GP4 seasons but longer wearing and maybe with a little less rolling resistance. Not as nice as GP4000S. Way better than Armadillos and older (Ultrasports?) Continental designs.

Cross tires on pavement make baby Jesus cry.

Now that made me laugh.

Cross tires aren't so bad for commuting. Once you wear them in a bit they are pretty quick. If you're going to use them try and find a set with a rounder profile as opposed to squared off edges. Makes for a better cornering tire on pavement.

I rode my fastest ever work commute to work with cross tires...

People ride knobbies on pavement all the time. They won't ruin your bike. They may just make some noise and you may feel the vibration from the knobs. The traction loss I mentioned is real, but won't matter to most of us most of the time, I just mentioned a couple of negatives since you asked, but none is a showstopper.

Oh, and about falling at slow speeds, LOL :) It happened to me many times. I think you just lower your guard and easily get caught... well, off guard. The last one was when I leaned over my handlebars WHILE STOPPED to check my pannier's hook, and the next thing I knew I was on my four. Embarrassing.

Nothing wrong with running cross tires, if that's what you want to do... actually some of them can be very good in snow. One thing to keep in mind is that some knobbies wear out very fast and have very little flat protection. Personally I've had very good results with Schwalbe CX Comp and CX Pro ,they roll good on pavement, have good traction in all conditions, reasonable tread wear, good flat resistence, and good for riding off road trails.

My CX commuter came w/30mm cx tires stock. Had 2 flats in 2 weeks. Changed them out for some 28mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus' and had 2 flats in 3 years.

what size were your tires? Mine are 700x32. That probably makes a difference. I never go that fast, but that's the feeling I get when make turns at intersections. It feels like it might lose traction, so I try to ease into it and not turn jerkily. But you say that effect is exaggerated at higher speeds, huh?...

by the way, a 46 mile round trip commute is really respectable. I do 18 miles one way in about an hour and a half, but the way back stretches out to two hours. I guess I'm tired after.

Hm, well I'll be going to Korea next month for a whole year. I hear it snows there in the winter. Never seen snow in the city, only when we drive up to the mountains. Maybe I'll save my cross tires for snowy commuting. How different are they from studded winter tires?

haha, mine are brand new. =/

The music in your video makes me laugh. It sounds like a video game. Do you remember your average speed?

Studded tires are much safer to ride if there is a lot of ice...But if it's just 1 or 2 inches of snow then
some skinny knobbies can do just fine.