Can cross tyres really slow me down on the road?

Rode to work today for the first time since before Christmas and felt rough. Now I didn’t eat all the pies over Christmas….so the only difference I can think is that I’d left the cross tyres on my cx, rather than putting the slicks back on like I normally use.

I was close to collapse on the way home, so can it make that much difference on a 20 mile journey each way?

Short answer – yes, they make a big difference.

Illustrated example – my winter commute in is about 6miles through traffic and takes about 25 mins on CX bike with Spesh Houfflaizes on it (knobblies), and about 21-22 mins with Borough tyres (slicks with a little bit of tread on the edge). Both weigh about the same and both have a 32mm nominal size. Extrapolate up to 20 miles and you have about 10-15 mins difference assuming you’re putting the same effort in. I normally run the knobblies so I can take a long way home, or do some cheeky cut-throughs that miss out the worst of the bottlenecks on the direct route, which makes the whole thing so much more pleasant.

CX bikes rock massively for commuting – FACT.

my Tricross came with knobblies which I used on the road for about 9 months, simply because I didn’t want to waste a pair of tyres and buy new ones. I was amazed at the difference when they wore out and put some normal road tyres on.
Better grip, more comfortable (less buzz), faster.

think width is the issue – my cx fugly thing is lighter than my “entry level” trek road bike but with 32mm boroughs v 19mm slicks whatever i lose about 4-5 mph average on rides that i’m ok with on road bike – flip side is i’m happy can do bits of offroad when i fancy … and have you checked the pressures?

antigee – Member
think width is the issue

She’s said that before eh…

Taxi.