As the title says

Going to use 2 bikes this year and will be running the Schwalbe land cruisers on one bike for the 3 peaks descents etc but last year they proved to be very draggy on the road sections and so this year going to run my second cross bike with some Cross specific road type tires? hence the post

Suggestions and ideas please??

The schwalbe land cruisers roll really well on road use them ever day to ride to work with.

I disagree bungle!

Bit confused. Do you need a a tyre for100% road or a bit of both? If 100 then any fast road tub. If not something with a file tread like clement LAS but I’d be surprised if even that is not slower than a land cruiser?

Don’t know why everyone raves about Landcruisers, they’re heavy and draggy. Although they’re pretty puncture resistant, I’ll give them that.

The Sammy Slick is a good tyre, that’s available as a tubular.

Bit confused. Do you need a tyre for 100% road or a bit of both? If 100 then any fast road tub.

You’re not allowed road bikes or CX bikes modified to be road bikes. Comes from the days when some riders would swap to full on road bikes for the road sections which isn’t really in the spirit of the event. Although that doesn’t stop some people… Personally, I’d ban bike swaps altogether if I was in charge!

FWIW, I’ve more or less stuck with the Schwalbe Smart Sam since Specialized saw fit to discontinue the Houffalize CX tyre. It’s about the best of all worlds although it’s a pain that it’s only available as a wire bead.

Clement PDX’s pumped up to 80 psi? good for offroad too, especially if muddy, best tyre ive ever used.

Fair enough. What’s the point in swapping for tyres then? 😆

I raced regular cx with PDX’s last year – they are an all out race tyre with no puncture protection (heavy mud tyre too so draggy)…I wouldn’t.

I take it the TUB thing is so you can use your existing wheel sets?

I’d just get something that will be good for your TT’s too..that way you get your £££’s worth.

scwalble do another tyre similar to the land cruiser but with a wider central area (still got knobs on the outers but not as many) -better rolling but you sacrifice some traction. same rugged build quality though…and thats what matters.

a puncture takes a lot longer to fix than draggy tires.

something with a file tread, pumped up hard.

Never saw the obsession with land cruisers. The punctures I saw people getting were pinch flats and that can be solved by pumping up your tyres hard and not riding like a sack of potatoes through the rocky bits*.

*Going to be cursed by punctures this year if I get a place.

Thanks for all your input so far people.

Crazy-legs i will check out the sammy slick thanks.

As crazy-legs says your not to run road specific tires on the bike, they have to be cross tires to keep with in the spirit and like you crazy-legs i have to agree if they just made one bike compulsory then it would take away all this confusion/hassle of which tires to run etc

Perhaps though i need to get out more with the draggy land cruisers and just MTFU and train better this year

We will see…need to get entry first too!!!

oh, would have to be a file tread type then.

check clements, challenge etc.

Just out curiosity, how are you planning to do the bike changes?

You’d need a support crew at Cold Cotes to give you a ‘road’ CX bike, then another at the base of Whernside to swap onto the ‘mountain’ CX. Would a single support team have enough time to get past you and into position? Likewise from the Viaduct down to Horton.

In my few attempts at the 3 Peaks I only ever used a single bike, with a support team (family etc) carrying spare wheels, pumps etc. I used to wonder about how many bike changes were practical..

Is the faff worth it? I guess so…

Used to enter the Corrieyairack Challenge every year, not in same league as 3P in any way, but it had a huge climb, a huge descent, and then a road section. You couldn’t swap bikes though wheel changes were permitted, I tried a couple of times with tyre swaps (pain) and with wheel swaps (slightly better though rim widths, cassette differences meant it was fraught – nearly dropped the chain once and I couldn’t do up the front brake cable..)

TBH I ended up just running an OK tyre for the ups and downs (centre bead) and then pump it up like bu@@ery for the road section, it just seemed easier..

You’d need a support crew at Cold Cotes to give you a ‘road’ CX bike, then another at the base of Whernside to swap onto the ‘mountain’ CX. Would a single support team have enough time to get past you and into position? Likewise from the Viaduct down to Horton.

That’s the problem with it. If you’re mid-field, it’s risky whether the support crew have time and space to swap bikes, mount the discarded bike to the car, drive to the base of Whernside, unmount the bike and have it ready again.

It almost demands dangerous driving, stupid overtakes and inconsiderate parking as support crews slam their car into any available layby, rush around with bikes/wheels etc, then pull out and roar along to the next point, rushing past other cyclists and then trying to find a parking spot (or more usually, just abandoning the car any old how along the roadside in amongst 200 other cars).

They really need to ban bike changes altogether.

They really need to ban bike changes altogether.

I marshalled last year; in part to guarantee my entry this year, but also to see the race first-hand.

I was surprised at the antics of some of the support crews where I was standing. I really felt that some of them were getting in the way of the competitors. The guy cycling up Pen-y-Ghent Lane on a MTB with two wheels strapped to his back in the middle of the field took the buscuit.

I do have support and that comes in the way of a very good friend with good local knowledge of the area.

I had the use of my friend last year and had no problem finding him as we pre planned where he was going to be beforehand and anticipate that we will stick to the same places this year, though this year instead of being there with supplies he will be there with my more or less identical cross bike with the exception of better tires with less drag than the land cruisers for the road sections.

As for being mid pack you never know but i will be hoping to make a bit higher than that with some specific training, i mean i didn’t go to bad last year with not that much training so am hoping to be higher placed, but like everyone knows anything can happen to prevent that!

Once again thanks for the tips etc

I agree with the comments on banning bike swaps. Imagine if everyone swapped bikes for the road sections, it would be pandemonium! The guy with the wheels on his back, I remember him. He got some choice words from me when I finally passed him!

Challenge Grifo XS are a nice tub. I have a pair of 34s but I believe the 32s would suit you better.

They really need to ban bike changes altogether.

This^^^^

Wheel changes are acceptable but bike swapping is just plain dangerous with support cars blasting around everywhere.

I finished 3rd last year and rode the same bike and wheels from start to finish (Landcruisers on Hope Hoops). Infact I gained advantage at ribble head as the guy I was with changed bikes to his slick but never caught me back up!

I rode tubs the whole way the one time I rode it (never again…) I’d say a good quality all round tub (used Challenge Grifo IIRC) pumped up firmish is your best option if you are a reasonably smooth descender.

As for being mid pack you never know but i will be hoping to make a bit higher than that with some specific training

Faster pit stops? 🙄

They really need to ban bike changes altogether

This again^^^^
It also doesnt seem like a level playing field. Those with the money can try and buy an advantage?

Infact I gained advantage at ribble head as the guy I was with changed bikes to his slick but never caught me back up!

How much do you gain on the road sections v’s lose out on bike changes?

Biggest advantage on the road is managing to get a good working group together, not changing your bike. Suppose this doesn’t count if you are right at the front and there are no groups but I’d guess anywhere from 3h30m back there would be?

If you are on a faster bike it will be fractionally easier but you aren’t going to beat a good group.

Rules 5 and 83 I reckon. 😉

Seems insane to me to allow the swapping of bikes when it’s predictable that such an allowance will increase the number of vehicles near the event.