I am looking ahead to next season and am thinking about new wheels and tires. So, I would love feedback on what tires you all used (tire, front or back, pressure, ground conditions, etc.?) and whether you liked them or will ride something different next year.

I rode Kenda Kross Supremes and found them to be okay. I am about 210 lbs and rode them at about 60+psi on grass/pavement course and 55psi on a grass/partially frozen dirt course. They seemed to clog a little in the mud but I did not slip around too much.

I am real curious about Michelin Sprints for a mostly grass and pavement course as compared to a grass and frozen (hard) dirt track type course.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Panaracer tires? They are listed as very light.

Thanks. DavidK

So, I would love feedback on what tires you all used (tire, front or back, pressure, ground conditions, etc.?) and whether you liked them or will ride something different next year.

Tufo Tubular Clinchers.

I rode races with grass, wet grass, dusty dirt, mud, pavement, wet pavement, hard-pan pasture (that was awful), etc.

Tufos.

I started the season (when it was dry) on Mich Sprints. They were fine until I pinch flatted and got a big fat DNF. So then I switched to ...

Tufos.

I rode a race where more than 25% of my field (B race w/ 72 riders) got DNFs -- many due to pinch flats. I finished and scored my second best placing of the series. So I have just one word:

Tufos.

agreed, Mich. pinch flat cost me a spot on the podium the year before. I like the muds and the sprints, great tires but for bigger guys (I'm 230) they are prone to pinching. to counter it you run higher psi and lose traction.
what did I do...
Tufo 34 Tubulars (have 2 sets). Their biggest tire, great for big guys, have a set of Tub/ Clinch. 30's as well. I love these tires. Seriously for a race set, peruse the web for a good used tubie wheelset (D/A or ULt. Hubs to whatever rim, check older posts) and build a tubie wheelset with Tufos or Challenge Grifos (either in 34) for a guy your size you'll be quite happy and you can usually get the wheels for under $200.

I am looking ahead to next season and am thinking about new wheels and tires. So, I would love feedback on what tires you all used (tire, front or back, pressure, ground conditions, etc.?) and whether you liked them or will ride something different next year.

I rode Kenda Kross Supremes and found them to be okay. I am about 210 lbs and rode them at about 60+psi on grass/pavement course and 55psi on a grass/partially frozen dirt course. They seemed to clog a little in the mud but I did not slip around too much.

I am real curious about Michelin Sprints for a mostly grass and pavement course as compared to a grass and frozen (hard) dirt track type course.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Panaracer tires? They are listed as very light.

Thanks. DavidK
I had a brand new set of Bontrager CX Jones in spring. By CX season, commuting & weekend play, they were in so-so shape for racing. I raced twice with them anyways before switching to the Jets.
1st race course was really, really tough (+60psi). It rained right before the race & the practice laps tore up the course pretty much, mud, single track, sand, loose gravel, very small paved section at the start/finish line. The tires hooked up well in all conditions. This course was meant for MTB riders.
2nd race course was smooth & more suited for CX bikes (+60psi). The course was wide open, grass/pavement course. It was a cold morning & the grass was frozen & certain sections was ice covered. Of course, once the sun came out, the course conditions changed too. OK hook up with the Bontragers but the tires were at the end of their life.
I switched to Jets in the last race of my season (+60psi). The race course was underneath snow, in the beginning, eventually slush/mud/wet grass. I could not get enough traction & the wheels slipped quite often. Did not shed the mud too well either, which caused 1 crash when the front would not hook up on a particularly sharp turn coming off a hill. Admittedly, I have read that these tires should be used for dry conditions.

I will use the Jets (already mounted on the rims) for commuting this season, very soon now, & weekend fun. I will see about buying another set of Bontragers or Michelin Muds for the CX season.

I have the same question as I change tires all the time in the elusive search for speed, dirt cornering, road cornering, mud acceleration... and finally... PUNCTURE RESISTANCE!!!

My speed setup that suits the road but can rally on dirt ok: Continental 32 Contact front, Contininental gatorskin 28c rear. It's certainly road leaning but the speed and cornering are unbelievable on road and I can still bomb the dirt. Useless in mud as the rear tire is pretty much smooth. Flats are rare with this setup.

My dirt focus setup: Bontrager & Panaracer. 32/28 Both have nearly identical square knob treads. It does 'aight. The Bonty "anti pinchflat foam" may reduce but doesn't eliminate the pinch flat.

I was running the IRC Cross Country and really enjoy the handling with the 35c tires. Rolling resistance was low and the tires floated well and cornered aggressively. The problem with them was puncture resistance. Totally worthless in that regard. If they added a protective layer to the carcass I would stick with these.

These days I'm running the twister pros. I rode a snowwy trail and they tractered along without issue. This may have been unusually favorable snow but I was surprised how well they did. Unstoppable. My new favorite tire on dirt but not ideal for fast pavement descents.

If I had to do a race, I'd run the twister pros if it was a wet muddy race. If it was and more like clay, I'd opt for a pair of the contacts. Dry and sandy, I'd go with a pair of the IRCs. I wouldn't run IRCs day-to-day as they're worthless from a puncture resistance perspective.

If I could only pick one, I'd have to opt for the twisters.

I have the same question as I change tires all the time in the elusive search for speed, dirt cornering, road cornering, mud acceleration... and finally... PUNCTURE RESISTANCE!!!

My speed setup that suits the road but can rally on dirt ok: Continental 32 Contact front, Contininental gatorskin 28c rear. It's certainly road leaning but the speed and cornering are unbelievable on road and I can still bomb the dirt. Useless in mud as the rear tire is pretty much smooth. Flats are rare with this setup.


You answered a question of mine unintentionally, Conti Gatorskins! How are they on the road? Long wearing? Good on wet days? How about wet grass? Might have to set the Jets aside for the Gatorskins.
BTW, pinch flatted once with the Bontragers & it seemed quite harmless at the time, but flat as a pancake.
Thanks!
A-Hawk

Most of my riding is on grass/dirt with little mud. I've ridden:

1-Ritchey Speedmax 700x32
2-Kenda Kwick 700x32
3-Michelin Sprint 700x30

and like them in that order. I have the Conti GP 4 season tires (700x28 similar to the Gatorskins with good flat protection) on another set of wheels and think they're great, but they are a road tire. They wouldn't do too well on wet grass or loose terrain.

Ummm.....

I am looking ahead to next season and am thinking about new wheels and tires. So, I would love feedback on what tires you all used (tire, front or back, pressure, ground conditions, etc.?) and whether you liked them or will ride something different next year.

I rode Kenda Kross Supremes and found them to be okay. I am about 210 lbs and rode them at about 60+psi on grass/pavement course and 55psi on a grass/partially frozen dirt course. They seemed to clog a little in the mud but I did not slip around too much.

I am real curious about Michelin Sprints for a mostly grass and pavement course as compared to a grass and frozen (hard) dirt track type course.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Panaracer tires? They are listed as very light.

Thanks. DavidK

Never used in a race but they worked well for trail riding. They are one tire i cant roll over in a turn and feel pretty confident about. They do shed alot but never had a problem with traction.

I switched to Jets in the last race of my season (+60psi). The race course was underneath snow
When I read this I cringed in my seat, knowing how $hite Jets are in general, I could not imagine running them in snow specially at 60+psi!!
I can run Mich @40psi and not pinch flat (o.k once but I ride/race 4 times per week in season) and the Jets still spin out. ONLY good for dry grass etc., not even hard pack as cornering if iffy with no side knobs. Sprints if you can get em are a good compromise.
Tubs definately but I guess the question is: is another set of wheels + tyres that you can not reuse after flatting worth it if you are a casual CXer. I know there are people who repair tubs for $15-20 U.S + p+p, when a tube is only $3-4.
Just a thought.

OOh and Panaracer's are great tires but not for 200lbs + fellas, walls are too thin = pinch flat

Granted they are the only two tires I've used. The Crossblasters were great. Stuck to wet off camber grass, didn't clog, good wear, light feeling. Don't know about pinch resistance. I'm 140 and rode them just under 40psi.
Now, I rode an entire season on the Crossblasters, and liked them. But I went with the Tufo Elites last year. Due to a number of rotten circumstances, I only raced a single event. I swapped them for the Crossblasters during training. They felt faster than the Crossblasters on every type of terrain. The one race I did in the fall was a mix of gravel, pavement, hardpack, rocks, roots, and about a two hundred meters of pure grassy slop. The Tufos packed up, like any other tire would have, but they shed the guck fast. Great tires. Hard to mount the only negative.

and the Tufo sealant eliminates about 99% of all punctures. The stuff works great and only adds a little weight. considering you save weight (no tube) it's a fine tradeoff.

Now, I rode an entire season on the Crossblasters, and liked them. But I went with the Tufo Elites last year. Great tires. Hard to mount the only negative.



I've heard before. How difficult?

it gets progressively easier as well. first one is the hardest, took me about 15-20 minutes. Now I can do them in about 5 or under, just follow the instructions and make sure the strip is on the rim edge.

Rough estimate but should be pretty close to what I actually rode...

70% of races were done on Tufo Prestige 30's. (good all around choice for most mid Atlantic courses)
10% were done on Tufo file tread front, Tufo 28 rear. (great combo when course is very dry and fast with mostly hardpack surfaces)
10% were done on Michelin Mud front and rear (deep mud races)
10% were done on Michelin Sprint front Mud rear (muddy races where traction up slippery or off camber slopes was a concern)

I ran a set of michelin's all season. Mud front and sprint rear. Usually at about 60-70 psi. Conditions were primarily dry, with some soft sandy stuff mixed in. The last race was frozen/slimy. Never had a problem with them at all. No pinch flats(I'm 230) at all. In fact no worries about flats. This was my first full season of cross as well.

I'm 230 as well and I've run Mich's that high as well, if you go around 50 you'll pinch. The sidewalls are very supple and if we were 145 lbs we could run them at 'normal' psi of about 45 lbs. High presure is good for pinch resistance but bad for traction. Sprint rear, mud front is a great combo. We just tend to have roacky courses here in SoCal, lots of sandstone with river rocks poking through. Ya can't dodge them all and this is where the problem arises.

10% were done on Tufo file tread front, Tufo 28 rear. (great combo when course is very dry and fast with mostly hardpack surfaces)

Years ago I ran an old clement grass track file tread on the front for about 4 seasons (+/- 200 races) about 32mm, never flatted, hardly ever slid and I bought it used for about $4 at an auction! Gutted when it finally blew out mid training race (I kinda just stood there in disbelief as if one of my own had died - yes I was somewhat attached!)

Have tried the tufo file and was not too impressed, although our conditions are generally grassy and therefore fairly slick.

Maxxis Larsen Mimo are pretty good, very round profile and good shoulder knobs, hook up really well in loose hardpack (rode them at a local MTB course) they got me up hills in a 42x26 that usually give trouble on a 2" full knobby and require a 32x28 on my full sus. Nuff said.

Michelin Muds F and R. Although now I want to try the Tufos....

here in NE it is usually muddy or snowy... or like 2 days ago, icy trails (ouch my butt is still sore from the slips)...

Sew-up's are great if you can deal with the hassle & expense. I used to run tubs exclusively on my roadie, but after I sold it I decided to go with clinchers.

My vote goes to the Vredestein Campo. I've had no issues with them in off-road situations running at around 65 psi (I'm about 200 lbs.) Great traction in most terrain, and very good on-road too.

I had lots of different clinchers over the past 2 years... Specialized, Ritchey, Kenda, Bontrager, WTB. They all had good and bad traits. Some rolled fast and were good for dry courses, and the more aggressive-knobbed tires were good for traction in anything.

But being tired of pinch-flats ( I bought tubes by the case once) and compromizing treads, I built a new wheel set for tubulars. I bought a set of Challenge Grifos in 34 mm width and glued them on. Holey cow, what a difference!

The tread does well in every condition. The knobs aren't too high where they kill speed, but they are deep enough to provide massive traction. Cornering is excellent, as the combination of round and edged tread along with a supple sidewall dig in nicely. Braking is excellent as well.

The biggest thing I noticed was a pick-up in my overall speed. It is due to the suppleness of the tire. At 170 pounds, I usually run it at 40 poundsof pressure. Even at 60 psi, the sidewalls flex and grab, keeping a good profile and contact patch. The tire melts over the terrain to grab it. The added traction and softness (which takes the harshness out of the ride) have allowed me to keep speed up and really blaze. And I've had zero flats in 4 months, even with some road riding thrown in.

I'm happy.

and the Tufo sealant eliminates about 99% of all punctures. The stuff works great and only adds a little weight. considering you save weight (no tube) it's a fine tradeoff.

There's always that ONE STICK though, huh?

(said with a big, shite-eating grin on my face!)

Mike

it gets progressively easier as well. first one is the hardest, took me about 15-20 minutes. Now I can do them in about 5 or under, just follow the instructions and make sure the strip is on the rim edge.

If you're going to go thru all the trouble of using a combination clincher/tubular, you may as well bite the bullet and go whole hog.

Mmmmm, tubulars! (then again, I race track too, so gluing tubulars isn't THAT much of a problem for me...)

Mike

Michelin Muds- not bad, but did have the "oh crap I am gonna die" feeling a couple times. People around here were having issues with their Tufo's this season- not sure why. Many of them switched to the Michelin Muds, maybe due to the sloppy conditions.

Sew-up's are great if you can deal with the hassle & expense. I used to run tubs exclusively on my roadie, but after I sold it I decided to go with clinchers.

My vote goes to the Vredestein Campo. I've had no issues with them in off-road situations running at around 65 psi (I'm about 200 lbs.) Great traction in most terrain, and very good on-road too.

Expense and hassle... If you've got a training set of wheels and a race set of wheels, keep the tubulars on the race wheels, and train on whatever.

Keeps the expense and hassle down.

Mike

Keeps the expense and hassle down.

both my tubie wheelsets with tires cost me about $350, shop smart

sorry $430 with second set of Tufos

has anyone else had trouble with Tufo pros (tubulars)? This season I couldn't glue them on and get them round to save my life. (yes, my wheels are round)

I ended up with lots of bumpy rear tires.

Am I gluing them wrong or have I gotten a run of bad tires? I think it is probably a matter of gluing technique.

Doods -

I'm not arguing that clinchers are better than tubs, because overall tubs beat clinchers except that they're a pain in the a$$.

What I mean by the "expense & hassle" of sew-up's is: did ya ever just put a nice new tire on, especially after getting it stretched for easier mounting (taking several weeks), just to get a flat shortly after?? You've just lost $40.-$80., and now you gotta take that new tire off and go through the whole mounting process again. :mad:

Please, don't tell me about repairing ("sewing-up") the ruined tire, because most people don't know how to do that or don't want to know. And by the time you pay someone to fix it for you, you could just about replace it with a new one anyway.

Tubulars: I love 'em...but I hate 'em.

Tubie wheelset w/ 30 tufos mounted and 2 extra sets of tires on ebay $50 right now...sheesh

That's ridiculous! :eek:

That's ridiculous! :eek:

Yeah, too bad I already have 9 pair of wheels... and am about to build another!

Mike

Tires, tires, tires..... but does anyone have any suggestions or input on different tubes? Or has anyone used any of the cross specific tubes? when running clinchers... :confused:

I try to use latex tubes as often as I can, but they're getting harder to find. They seem to roll easier, and certainly ride better than butyl tubes. Make a good clincher ride about as good as a tubular. Downsides are: they cost more and need to be aired up before each ride.

Which latex tubes have you used? Did you use road size tubes (22-23 mm) or find cross sized ones? If you used road tubes, how did they work out? I had latex (or urethane, I can not remember) tubes in a set of wheels that lasted forever and road very well.

Also, thanks to everyone for replying to my original question. It looks like will make my next set of tires the Tufo 34s unless a great deal on something else falls in my lap.

David Krahulik

only come in Tubie. Tub / Clinch go to 30. If interested in Tubies drop me an e. I may have an extra set of T-34's I may be talked into parting with.
art@nativethreads.com

The tubes are Michelin, as it says in my sig, and though I like some of their car tires, I've never been a big fan of their bike tires, (through no fault of my bike handling skills OR the conditions, I broke my right wrist crashing on a pair of Sprints on my MTB, and I don't get along well with the Axial road tires either.) :mad:

The tubes are regular road-size, 23-25c or whatever. Haven't had any particular problems with that size, but they must be stretched a bit thinner going into 28-30c tires.

So, is it the concencius of the forum that most people just stretch out their latex 23-25c road tubes and have decent results with that?

This past season I rode the Tufo Elite 30's in awesome blue, front and rear, tubular clincher version. I also ride the cheaper T-30's on my singlespeed. I cant state how much these work for me!

I had my first full season of racing, I think I raced 16 races, one a week, two a week and one weekend I raced three races. All on the eastcoast, from the mid-atlatic series upto MA.

I'm not a pressure geek, pretty sure I run higher than most @60psi, I hate bouncing on the start or feeling sluggish on the finish line sprint.
This year was rather dry, except from the regional cup race where is was a little damp and a bit sloppy around the baseball field. No worries.
The only problem I encountered was that I got a few thorns that pierced the tread, no problem while racing, they just took a while to find when I got home. Not one DNF.

As far a wheels I ride 32h open pro's laced 3x to daytona hubs, strong, light around 1670g and inexpensive, I paid $200 with cassette (weight does not include cassette). I also have a spare wheelset, campy moskva laced 3x to chorus hubs with tufo prestige 30 rear and diamond 28 front, only used the front wheel in CT race.

PS I have a pair of kenda quicks, that I aquired via Fuji promo at a MAC race, new and unused. Any interest, I'll trade for something. I need a rear canti brake, my SRP does not set up well with my narrow rear stay Canti post c-c is 55mm! I'd like to try the Empella froglegs, Spooky's or Paul's. I can offer some extra $ in the trade.
zaeli@(nospam)graffiti.net

Stockholm -

Where are you seeing a "consensus" here? AFAIK, I'm the only one on this thread that's said he uses latex tubes. I don't know what the other guys are using.

Obviously, if a tube is sized for a 23c tire, it must have to expand to larger than intended to fit a 28c or 30c tire. That's all I was saying.

Stockholm -

Where are you seeing a "consensus" here? AFAIK, I'm the only one on this thread that's said he uses latex tubes. I don't know what the other guys are using.

Obviously, if a tube is sized for a 23c tire, it must have to expand to larger than intended to fit a 28c or 30c tire. That's all I was saying.
Sorry, I guess that was a bad choice of English wording (and maybe we could keep in mind that not everyone on this forum is American or native English speakers)..

What I meant to ask the forum members was, does anyone else also do this and just as likewise, have good results?

By the way, what is AFAIK?

Sorry Stockholm, I didn't mean to offend. I take it you're from Sweden? You are supposed to be riding skis and toboggans at this time of year - not bikes! ;)

By the way, what is AFAIK?

Abbreviation for "as far as I know".