I tend to race a whole season on a 'general purpose' tyre. However courses seem to be either dry or muddy. So for the first time I'm thinking of buying slicks and muds to give me the two options, or the option to mix i.e mud on front and slick on rear when its 'intermediate'.
My big question is this. Manufacturers recommend slicks for dry and hardpack use. Now I've never ridden a cx course that could be described as hardpack, they're mostly plain grass with shed loads of off camber. Can grass be classed as dry?
I did notice a lot of blokes using slicks in the snow and icy conditions....that normal.
I'm using Panaracer Mach SS at the mo, dead cheap, really good on wet stuff, not tried in very muddy conditions.
Didn't realise they did that on 700c. TBH they all look the same, I suppose I just need to try for myself.
i used slick tubs in early season and snow
Small block eights are my choice for dry conditions. Fast rolling but still with some nobbly bits.
my experience of cx has been on the floor at least once a lap whatever the tyres. slicks should fill this requirement quite well.
i went down fairly hard in the snow and ice at southampton on michelin mud 2's.. had no idea what tyre to use in them conditions tbh, was ok i guess.
currently using some sb8 or some mich jets, good fast all rounders
would love to try some tubs, if only i could afford a couple of sets
When I used to race much more regularly 10 or so years ago (at a similarly tardy level as nowadays) I used to use a Michelin Sprint on the front and a Mud on the back as I liked being able to brake more controllably using the rear brake and leave the front end to get on with itself.
Currently I've got a pair of attic aged Michelin Muds which are working very nicely around the Surrey Hills and at Friston Forest the other week, and a combination of Tufo Flexus Cubus (fr)/T34 (rr) on sprint rims for the Peaks and other stuff.
Slicks (or more accurately in my case, file-treads) are fantastic in dry, fast conditions as they've got a big contact patch but not much rolling resistance. If they've got some edge grip they're also surprisingly good in sticky mud, as they don't sink into it.
That's with tubulars though, if you're running normal tyres and the corresponding higher pressures, then they might not be as good due to the contact patch being smaller.