Anything else I should consider other than folding Maxxis Raze which are top of my list at the moment?
Don't need to be a great mud tyre, just something fast for hardpack that's also fast on tarmac but won't kill me in the wetter bits off road.
Have some Maxxis Locust on at the moment which I find really drag on tarmac.
Just for titting about not racing
I use Racing Ralphs - very fast.
they look nice but rather expensive, hmm
Yeh, they rock.
I bought mine from [url= http://www.zepnat.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,18/Itemid,48/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=18&Itemid=48&vmcchk=1 ]zepnat[/url] for £28 each, dunno what their price is this year or if the still have them.
edit: just checked and they have them for £31.66 now - strange price.
Sammy Slicks (cheap Furious Freds sort of)
Rocket Ron's getting good reports. Got a Nobby Nic (1.8") up front and will buy a 1.85" RR for the rear once my Spesh Sauserwind (1.8") wear out. Thin tyres and high pressures really help turbo boost a bike.
1.8 on a cx bike?
Have used fast fred - fast just fitted maxiis Raze they are the same size but have not used them yet.
1.8 on a cx bike?
I went by the requirements, not by what the magazines tell me I should use for a particular "category" of cycling.
The tyres I mentioned fit the bill perfectly.
SpeedKing?
Speed kings are alright, even on tarmac. Infact I've just ordered Supersonic versions for my MTB.
Edit Furious Freds and their cheaper cousins Sammy Slicks are both slicker than Fast Freds.
[i]I went by the requirements, not by what the magazines tell me I should use for a particular "category" of cycling.[/i]
Really, what mags discuss tyre choice for [b]cyclocross[/b] then. What cx bike are you using that takes 45+mm tyres?
Speed kings are pretty fragile. need silly psi (50psi IIRC) fast but anything other than tarmac smooths trails you get bounced all over the place.
Racing Ralphs are doing it for me at the minute
Anyone have feedback on the Schwalbe CX Comps?
CX Comps? Personally I found them 'too' narrow and they dug in too far in the soft stuff and not to good on cambers.
I recall one race that had a damp sandy gradient, most of the riders cruised it leaving tyre tread marks as they went, my CXPs sunk in about two inches, hell they were.
For the coming season if a lightweight Speed King isn't available I'll go for Rons or Ralphs.
I run 32C Kenda Small Block 8's in dry conditions and 31C Panaracer Crossblaster's when muddy. Both fast rolling very light (under 300g) tyres.
Used for racing but equally good for general riding.
I strongly suspect you will quickly regret the 1.85" Ron Mat, the 2.1" is a much more sensible option.
Ralphs would get my nod on the cross bike.
The tyres I mentioned fit the bill perfectly.
😯
are you really really sure?
I strongly suspect you will quickly regret the 1.85" Ron Mat, the 2.1" is a much more sensible option
Why? I have been running 1.8" Sauserwinds for a year and love them. Now they don't make them any more.
Because the Ron is a narrower tyre than the Sauserwind, in fact even the 2.1" is comparable to the 1.8 Sauserwind. Plus, the Sauserwind is a stiff tyre with thick sidewalls so you can run them reasonably soft, do that with the Rons and you will pinch flat more regularly and they'll squirm horribly, they're a much much thinner carcass.
I can see no point whatsoever in buying the 1.8, I actually only found out they did one recently, I don't know anyone using them. I reckon it'd be a slower tyre with less grip and more puncture susceptibility!
I presume someone is mixed up re cx/xc
Well the 1.8" Nobby Nic up front is doing a sterling job. No flats yet.
Have you actually tried narrow tyres or are you just guessing? I've had everything from 2.3" to 1.8" and am getting on with narrow tyres much better.
They roll very well, they cut through mud, they shed dirt quickly and they are very light indeed.
Being subtle isn't working - Surf-Mat the guy is after tyres for a cyclocross bike not an xc bike.
Okay but why are others recommending MTB (not cx) tyres without any snidey comments from you or others then?
Yes, this has gone OT, but I'm gonna bite anyway!
Well the 1.8" Nobby Nic up front is doing a sterling job. No flats yet.
It's a substantially thicker carcass than the Ron, stiffer and more puncture proof.
Have you actually tried narrow tyres or are you just guessing? I've had everything from 2.3" to 1.8" and am getting on with narrow tyres much better.
Yes thanks, I have some 1.5" Black Shark Muds in my tyre arsenal which are actually good in the mud, also used 1.5" Cross Countries, 1.8" Nics and Sauserwinds.
They roll very well, they cut through mud, they shed dirt quickly and they are very light indeed.
Which are? The Rons have less tread, so you'll cut through the mud (is that really necessary for a summer tyre?) but you won't have the tread to actually get any grip!
The 1.8" Nic is a reasonable choice for a winter tyre if you don't live anywhere too rooty/rocky IMO, the Ron isn't.
Okay but why are others recommending MTB (not cx) tyres without any snidey comments from you or others then?
Because the Ralph, Speed King etc are available in 700c, as is the Ron actually, but the 26x1.85" is not a CX size!
njee - fine. You were heavily recommending RRs the other day and that's what led me to check them out. If as you say, they are too fragile, I'll stick an RR on the back too. And no I didn't know RR and Speedking came in 700CC. Cheers!
Still gutted Sauserwinds have stopped being made - tough, light, cheap and fast.
No, I strongly recommend the 2.1", as I've said in numerous threads it's my 'default' tyre, the 1.85" is neither one thing nor t'other, too narrow for a summer tyre, not enough tread for a winter tyre.
Just don't expect the Rons to last as well as the Nics.
I might just stick to the RR for the rear too. Another dilemma caused by you njee... 😉
Depends how fast you mean by fast.
I've been using 2.0 Schwalbe Big Apples on the road for the last couple of months and then decided to risk them on some hardpack/gravel/sand/stone trails and they zipped along perfectly (except on the same - no grip whatsoever).
Having fish-tailed on some wet mud I suggest you stick to dry use only.
Racing Ralph? Or Rocket Ron?
I do aim to cause dilemmas.
The Rons are lighter and gripper, but wear out faster and are more puncture prone. I cut one of my Rons the first time I rode it (on the road), but haven't had a single flat since, and I've used them in most races in the last year including a 12 hour solo, and riding at Afan and stuff. They are pretty well on the way to dead now though!
I've recently used a speedking 35 on the front and a specy borough 32 on the back - the borough is kind of semi slick but actually grips ok (unless it's muddy then I use a conti explorer)
Oh dear, there seem to be 2 threads going on here now!
To both conversations: I'd recommend either a Racing Ralph or a Rocket Ron in a 700x35 (CX) or 26x2.1" (MTB), Ron if you want light, Ralph if you want durable.
Sorted!
I mean NNs and am going slightly mad.
For the OP, those Maxxis Raze's look ideal.
righto maxxis raze it is I think, thanks all for the other suggestions...and for the xc/cx confusion 🙂
nickc 50PSI is indeed a stupidly low pressure to be running. I run my Speed Kings at 70 - 100 PSI depending on conditions.
do you mean on road surfr? I run 35-45 with clincher tyres and 25-35 with tubs on the cross bikes
Off road! Well 70 off road and 100 on road
Christ! I used to run my cross tyres around 50 off road with clinchers around Ashton Court, I think 70 would have killed me.
Ashton Court - many a comedy fall riding the bombholes there! A real asset to Bristol IMO.
45 for my Speed Kings 700c's 35 would be better, any higher and components start to snap 😯
This is odd.
I mainly use mine off road on rocky singletrack and have no problems at all at 70PSI. I'm 13 stone if that matters. I'd be pinch flatting every 5 minutes with less than 50 PSI on them. Conti themselves recommend 58PSI.
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20speedkingcross.shtml
[img] 
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35 PSI on this sort of terrain? madness I say.
I may have been wrong with my assumption of 100PSI for road use. I think I'm confusing my road wheelset there. I read the max inflation from the sidewall and inflated to that when I was using speed kings on road. So 85PSI by the looks of it
I haven't used the contis, but on the more rock/tech stuff (including french trails similar to the above pic) I do occasionally pinch flat my michelins. However, that's a compromise I'm willing to make to avoid me and the bike bing shaken to bits! 12 stone here
I have ridden cross bikes all my life though, so perhaps I've adjusted my riding style to suit?
A real asset to Bristol IMO.
It was the best that was easy to get to and navigate, but I personally found it very dull on an MTB (hence using the cross bike), and not worth touching in winter! Used to just go over to Cwmcarn once a week for a decent MTB ride.
I did used to put 90psi in my cross tyres for road though, rolled pretty well.
It takes some getting used to running low cross pressures but the pay off is worth it. Even if I train on my cross bike on/off road I go 60 max.
Hoping to do the Three Peaks and God knows what I'll run for that.
right.....stop talking if you dont know cross.
okay.
for cross you want to run something light and flexable with decent bead if your riding clinchers.
conti's and schwalbe's are not really suitable,if you want to get decent feel similar to tubs first get some latex tubes.
The go on zepnat and find some challenge tyres they are very similar to tub in feel and make a big difference.
if you want faster rolling then you can get giffo xs with less knobbles or the standard griffo's.
hope this helps.
Bruce
Well the issue here is that there's cross, as in CX racing, around fields, where you can run your tyres really soft for tonnes of grip, or there's the sort of riding many people are doing on CX bikes, like that above, really it has totally different requirements!
It makes it even more convoluted than an MTB 'what tyre' thread.
this is totally true.....thats just my bit for racing cx or just riding xc on a cx bike.
It was the best that was easy to get to and navigate, but I personally found it very dull on an MTB (hence using the cross bike), and not worth touching in winter!
LOL!
As an experiment, I am going to write a sentence. Let's see how long it takes you to disagree with or criticise it...
"I am 35 and live in Cornwall."
@bikerbruce
Long shot here, but do you race in the Peak? I'm desperately trying to trace a mate called Pete Sharkey. I raced with him years back, but he moved to the Peak and took up cross?
i do an i know pete sharkey...go on the matlock cc website forum he's on there
Bruce
**** me this sites great, cheers.
back to OP - I had Maxxis Locusts on my Jake the Snake which I use for a variety of stuff, but not racing. Also thought draggy on the tarmac - i have now got a set of Specialized Borough's on and much prefer them.
HTH