Thursday, October 26, 2017

Where are the aggressive 36c CX tires?

I'm going to posit that 33c CX tires are not the optimal tire for CX. It's too low volume. Also that because of this, an entirely new wheel/tire was invented: tubular. However I'm not going to elaborate too much on the stupidity of tubular, except that you are gluing a tire to a wheel, so think about that. Obviously if you get a flat you are SOL, so not suitable for anything except maybe racing CX. And also WTF, you're gluing a tire to a wheel. What's the shelf life on the glue bond before the tire rolls off and you land in a ditch. What the tubular allows you to do is run lower pressure than a clincher would allow before burping, and presumably tubular rims, with a flatish profile can take more rock hits than a clincher, cause you are going to make contact with low pressure.

A 33c tire doesn't have much volume, unlike a mtb tire, but you want to run them low because the bumpy grassy will murder your body and slow your pace. But the only riders that are required to run 33c are UCI pros, so the remaining 99.1% of us are stuck with poor choices: tubulars or riding a tire that is really not optimal for CX. The non stupid solution would be to run a larger volume tire, something like 36c-40c, that can be run lower pressure w/o destroying you wheel when you hit a small rock, or sidewalk curb lip. The problem is these tires don't seem to exist that are both aggressive tread (like clement pdx) and tubeless, in 35c-40c size range. Most tires in this size are labeled "gravel".

Here's what I was able to find, none of which seem like great options:

Maxxis Rambler EXO TR Tire is available in 38c and 40c but it's not very aggressive. At 385g (claimed 38c) this is the best I've found so far.

Clement MSO 36c - not very aggressive tread. Similar to the Rambler tread. Weight not listed

WTB Riddler 37c - similar to the MSO and Rambler but with more side lug. 465g

Continental Cyclo X King Cyclocross is available in a 35c and is aggressive but not tubeless, so immediate disqualification. Seriously, who run tubes any more in anything but road?

WTB CROSS BOSS comes close in a 35c, somewhat aggressive and tubeless but the reviews hint at quality issues (problems sealing and out of round). 400g (claimed)

MAXXIS RAVAGER EXO/TR 40C IS AGGRESSIVE BUT KIND OF HEFTY AT CLOSE TO 500G

VITTORIA TERRENO MIX G PLUS TIRE IN 40C, SIMILAR TO RAVAGER

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Add Grip to Your Gloves

Pro Tip: put a smear of silicone adhesive on your riding gloves if they are slipping. Also good for arm warmers that slip or even bibs that don't have a silicone