Richard8655

I'm looking at replacing my Tricross Comps' (2007 and 2008) tires. I've been running the OEM Borough CX Armadillo all these years. Now looking for something with more grip for hard packed gravel bike paths and occasional road that's also puncture resistant. Don't need knobbies for dirt paths.

I called Specialized and they recommended the Crossroads Armadillo as perfect with Tricross for these surfaces. They said 700x38 should fit fine.

Anyone have experiences with the Crossroads tire, especially on the Tricross? Any other puncture resistant tire thoughts for cyclocross on packed gravel?

Barrettscv 

I also live in northeast Illinois, and I find the Vittoria Voyager Hyper to be a great tire. Lighter, faster and smoother than other touring tires, it's very durable with excellent flat protective. I use these on the Des Plaines River trail and am confident in the amount of traction available.

fietsbob

Tri Cross was first a tire made for Specialized , A Cyclocross tire with little 3 lobed Knobbies ..

Richard8655

Thanks for the good advice. The Vittoria Voyager looks like a good choice. Their Cross XG Pro seems a little more aggressive for gravel at the expense of road touring but has puncture protection as well.

Barrettscv 

Personally, I don't like a full knobby tire unless I'm on wet, muddy trails. A tire that has knobs on the shoulder with a dense set of blocks running down the center of the tire offers just as much traction on wet gravel, while rolling with less effort on pavement.

Consider the Clement USH for mixed wet or dry gravel and dry pavement: https://clementcycling.com/ush

Richard8655

After giving it some thought, I think your absolutely right. A wide, somewhat knobby tire is only going to decrease rolling resistance and that's not what I need, especially for long rides. Instead of going with a 38 (Crossroads), I think for these surfaces 32-35 with some nice tread is a much better fit for the packed gravel path I use (Illinois Prairie Path). The Des Plaines River trail you use is probably similar (and not that far from here).

The Clement looks like a great possibility. Thanks much for the suggestions and thoughts.

Barrettscv 

Here is another semi-slick, with a textured and fast center section and knobs on the shoulder;

Sammy Slick CX | Schwalbe North America

https://www.wiggle.com/schwalbe-sammy...clocross-tire/

I think you would enjoy the Des Plaines River Trail, especially the section in Lake County, see: https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus...l-grinder.html

gescom

I'm also running the OEM Borough CX Armadillo at the moment. The Schwalbe Mondial or Marathon Plus Tour tyres would be my next tyre. They seem to have a good tread on them.

However the rim width seems to be an issue when going for a bigger tyre on the Tricross. What size rims do Tricross owners have? My rims are ETRTO 622x14 on my 2013 Tricross Sport Disc. That seems a bit too narrow for a 700x35c or 40c tyre. Or would that size tyre be ok on that size rim?

Richard8655

I've got Roval Classique Pave rims that came with my '07 Tricross Comp. When I contacted Specialized, they said I could safely run up to a 38c (but not beyond) such as the Hemisphere or Crossroads in their line. My Specialized LBS recommended the Infinity 32c as comparable replacement for the Borough CX.


These came up for consideration as they come in Armadillo versions, which I need (or similar). I imagine your Tricross rims could take up to 38c as well.

Perhaps Barrettscv or other Tricross owners might have additional thoughts on rim size vs tire size. I'd also be interested.