For the question about using them as replacements for MTB’s then yes, all the time. I rarely ride my mountain bike nowadays, it’s just too slow getting to and from the trails. Ride the CX bike fast there, experience huge amounts of pain riding round the same trails I normally would, ride back really fast (perhaps grimacing a little bit).
do the tyres get mashed by flints? Also, I’d quite like to run a flat bar, would I die?
1/. yes in my experience – not on the south downs but regular riding on gravel tracks cuts up the side walls – some tyres are possibly worse than others – but worth regular checks
2/. no but that would be a hybrid and you’d need to get some panniers
I’ve just finished building a Croix de Fer. I’m intending to try a little gentle off road with it soon – what tyres do the experts recommend for riding to the trails, mincing round and riding back home again?
Is anyone running a different set of wheels for the road so they’ve more tyre pressure, if so what, I’m after some ideas, must be disc.
Nope – but for road use I have replaced the Racing Ralphs with a a set of Conti GP 4 Season tyres, which seem good – fairly slick with light tread and tough enough for the rough back roads round this way. Plus they come in 28mm which is the smallest recommended tyre width for the 19mm Mavic CrossRide rims. Rec pressure for them is 95psi (max 115psi).