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My first Cyclo-cross bike (Vitus Energie 2018at )

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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

My first Cyclo-cross bike (Vitus Energie 2018at )

Old 05-13-18, 01:16 PM
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My first Cyclo-cross bike (Vitus Energie 2018 )

Greetings,

I have recently become the proud owner of a Vitus Energie 2018 model after happening on a very good deal for an ex-display model.

For the last few years I have cycled exclusively on roads and mostly on my commute to work as a money-saver, so I am by no means experienced! I have one other bike which is an old Talbot french 'racing/touring' steel frame which I have been slowly breathing more life into as I've learned more about bike repair and maintenance; it has been a rocky (but informative) road and I have really enjoyed riding and so I decided to purchase a modern reliable bike which will hopefully give me fewer arcane continental surprises. So I am quite used to a road bike and I realise that the setup for a cyclocross bike should be quite different.

I chose a cyclocross bike for the supposed versatility and because I would definitely like to get into CX racing at some point. Like everybody, I want one bike that is slick on the road, capable on difficult terrain, racing, tundra, rainforest, underwater etc etc.. For me, I'd like to setup the bike for light-weight touring that would most likely be 80 percent road, 20 percent trail. After taking the bike out for a couple rides on the road I have found it a bit sluggish, although the general stability of the bike and effectiveness of the disc brakes has been quite the revelation.

I should think that the feeling of sluggishness comes from the smaller chain ring and the 35mm treaded tyres (I am used to 23mm slicks). After altering my position on the bike a bit taller and further back and getting both tyres to 85psi it does feel markedly improved but still not quite what I was expecting.

I am a compact 5'- 6" at 57kg (the frame is 52cm) and so I always assumed that I might suit generally slimmer tyres. The stock tyres are WTB Crossboss 700x35c and I think I'm right in believing that they are not gonna give me what I want on the road(?) Would a swap to say, 25 or 28mm tyres with more subtle tread be a good idea? The inner width of the rims are 23mm which I'm guessing might limit what tyres I can safely operate.

Would a set of vittoria rubino pro 25mm be viable? What might the lower limit on tyre width be for these rims. I've read that operating slim tyres on wide rims can increase the chances of pinch flats.. I will definitely sacrifice some slickness for reliability, I also don't intend on going on full-on trails anytime soon and when I do, I imagine the stock tyres will be more than suitable.

Any words of advice would be very much appreciated!
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Old 05-14-18, 03:32 PM
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Good questions there.

Congrats on the bike, it should be great for what you want to use it for.
Generally, I do not find cross bikes to be sluggish. And on my favorite strava segments and commutes, I don't find cross tires to be particularly slow (if you have a high end tire). Some of them are surprisingly fast.

I do find cross (and gravel) tires to be a little heavy. So maybe they accelerate a little slower. Any knobby tire is going to feel slow - although this is likely mental as schwalbe knobby tires have an incredibly low rolling resistance - still they are slower than a slick and not all brands are that efficient.

Here is what I do:
First - decide if you want tubeless or not.
I have two sets of wheels (although for you one might be enough).
on fast rides, commutes, road I use the slicks. 28mm is the smallest you want to go on those rims, but you can get a light fast 28mm tire easily. Did I mention 28mm tires have less rolling resistance than smaller tires (for supple tires, apples to apples)? No need to go smaller.
I use 28 or 32mm slicks on my cross bike.
If/when I want to do gravel/single track (or all winter spring around here), I'll use 40mm tires more like what came on your bike.

The rim size on the chart below is based on internal width. So, that kind of answers your question. I'll use a 28mm tire on a 22mm internal rim though, as that is about 28mm external.

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Old 05-14-18, 05:15 PM
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Get a decent 32-35mm tire with minimal tread. Panaracer Gravelking or Soma Supple Vitesse. Absolutely no reason to go under a 32mm unless you are doing crits or time trials.

Also, never inflate a 35mm tire to 85 psi. It is unnecessary and you are risking a blowout. I would go max 65psi, depending on your weight.
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Old 05-17-18, 04:15 AM
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Thanks for the info, gonna slap on some slicker 28mm tyres and see how I fare


Originally Posted by TenGrainBread
Get a decent 32-35mm tire with minimal tread. Panaracer Gravelking or Soma Supple Vitesse. Absolutely no reason to go under a 32mm unless you are doing crits or time trials.

Also, never inflate a 35mm tire to 85 psi. It is unnecessary and you are risking a blowout. I would go max 65psi, depending on your weight.
Probably should have read the side-walls of the tyre before having done that (!), have brought them down a bit
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