Tyre opinion - mix of road, gentle trail, snow/ice

[Throbbe]

Not strictly CX, but probably the best fit! I've got a Trek 7.3 (road oriented hybrid) mostly gathering dust since I got a road bike. It comes out when I ride with my children, or I’ve broken something on the main bike, and occasionally gets used on a turbo.

Yesterday I decided I didn’t want to risk icy roads on the roady, so it came out for a few laps of a local reservoir (Grafham Water) mostly crushed limestone and bitmac roads/footpaths, but with a few muddy sections, and also there was snow on the ground in places. Long story short, it was a hoot and I want to do it a bit more regularly, but with something a little more suitable than the gatorskins it’s currently wearing so I can keep the MTBers in sight on the muddy/stony bits and catch them on the smooth bits.

Tyre choice needs to reflect the fact that it’ll still be used on road, so nothing too soft/knobbly that’ll wear out in a few weeks, and it’s a spare bike, so nothing too expensive (say £20 limit). I’ll scrounge a spare wheel for turbo use. Current thoughts are Schwalbe Land Cruiser, or possibly Sammy Slicks. A friend is using the latter on his commuter through the winter and is very impressed with how they handle frosty roads. Worth spending more on the Sammys? Any obvious alternatives that fit the bill?

Thanks

 

[mjr]

What rims are on it? What clearances does it have?

The only thing I've discovered so far says it came with Bontrager Race 700x32c so probably 32-622 tyres. Land Cruisers come in 37-622 as smallest, so clearance may be a problem, plus that's not ever so wide so won't really roll over the rough stuff as smoothly as the MTBs can - I feel you'd probably want 47 to 52mm width for that (allowing pressures of 30f/45r psi for a typical rider IIRC), which I think few hybrids can fit.

Sammy Slicks come only in 35mm for 622 wheels, but look good for a semi-slick. And either would be better than Gatorskins. I'd also look to see if any of the Michelin "trail" series come in 622 sizes.

 

[Throbbe]

Anecdotally 38mm is about the limit, although ime stated widths and actual widths can vary a bit, so that may already rule the Land Cruisers out.

I appreciate this is still pretty narrow, especially on soft ground, but I'm not looking to do anything too adventurous (or at least I can blame my tyres rather than lack of ability if I try and fail!). As you say, either will be a noticeable improvement on gatorskins, and if I want to try anything more technical I'll probably try to borrow an MTB to see how I get on before entering into N+1 negotiations with Mrs Throbbe.

I'll take a look at the Michelins, thanks.

 

[Spartak]

Schwalbe Rocket Rons

Search on eBay there was a shop selling them for approx £22 !

 

[outlash]

If all you're doing is Grafham then semi-slicks on your hybrid will do you just fine (Sammy Slicks or CX pros are a great choice IMO), but there are a few trails off of there that are fun, and you may well need knobblies for those. Challenge Grifo's or aforementioned Rocket Ron's will do you proud.

FWIW, I'm a lot slower on my MTB round Grafham than I am on my crosser. There's very little around here that you 'need' a mountain bike for.

 

[oldroadman]

If all you're doing is Grafham then semi-slicks on your hybrid will do you just fine (Sammy Slicks or CX pros are a great choice IMO), but there are a few trails off of there that are fun, and you may well need knobblies for those. Challenge Grifo's or aforementioned Rocket Ron's will do you proud.

FWIW, I'm a lot slower on my MTB round Grafham than I am on my crosser. There's very little around here that you 'need' a mountain bike for.

There's not much outside extreme trails you need an MTB for, when I was very young (and God was a boy) we went off road lots in the winter on normal "winter" bikes. It was called then "rough stuff", and didn't need any special kit at all, we just took it steady and fell off sometimes. Most enjoyable and improved fitness and skill. This may be a surprise to some members of the younger age groups.

 

[outlash]

Oh definately. In fact the guy who holds the current KOM on Strava for a lap round Grafham (anti-clockwise) did it on a road bike with 23's. 90% of the trails round these parts are perfectly doable without a mountain bike. The CC I belong to do a homage to Paris-Roubaix on the same weekend as the race on these trails and plenty do it on road bikes.

 

[oldroadman]

Oh definately. In fact the guy who holds the current KOM on Strava for a lap round Grafham (anti-clockwise) did it on a road bike with 23's. 90% of the trails round these parts are perfectly doable without a mountain bike. The CC I belong to do a homage to Paris-Roubaix on the same weekend as the race on these trails and plenty do it on road bikes.

It's an odd thing that MTBs are more use in towns with awful roads, and most of them never see proper off road where they are actually needed. I think the people using hybrids and CX bikes for pottering about have probably got it right. No point in hauling a heavy old lump with suspension that's designed for speedy downhill when you don't have to!

 

[outlash]

Perhaps a leftover from the 'heyday' of hardtails where people think fat tyres and front suspension means something that'll handle the 'rough & tough' of the urban landscape? A bit like those 'urban' off road cars that only go off road when they're parked on the driveway I guess. You've nailed it though, if I had to have only one bike, it'd be my crosser as it does pretty much everything I ask of it.

 

[outlash]

Actually, this guy makes doing a downhill course on a crosser look more fun than on a MTB: http://singletrackworld.com/2016/01/video-yoann-barelli-rides-cx-on-downhill-course/

 

[JPBoothy]

Not strictly CX, but probably the best fit! I've got a Trek 7.3 (road oriented hybrid) mostly gathering dust since I got a road bike. It comes out when I ride with my children, or I’ve broken something on the main bike, and occasionally gets used on a turbo.

Yesterday I decided I didn’t want to risk icy roads on the roady, so it came out for a few laps of a local reservoir (Grafham Water) mostly crushed limestone and bitmac roads/footpaths, but with a few muddy sections, and also there was snow on the ground in places. Long story short, it was a hoot and I want to do it a bit more regularly, but with something a little more suitable than the gatorskins it’s currently wearing so I can keep the MTBers in sight on the muddy/stony bits and catch them on the smooth bits.

Tyre choice needs to reflect the fact that it’ll still be used on road, so nothing too soft/knobbly that’ll wear out in a few weeks, and it’s a spare bike, so nothing too expensive (say £20 limit). I’ll scrounge a spare wheel for turbo use. Current thoughts are Schwalbe Land Cruiser, or possibly Sammy Slicks. A friend is using the latter on his commuter through the winter and is very impressed with how they handle frosty roads. Worth spending more on the Sammys? Any obvious alternatives that fit the bill?

Thanks

Not strictly CX, but probably the best fit! I've got a Trek 7.3 (road oriented hybrid) mostly gathering dust since I got a road bike. It comes out when I ride with my children, or I’ve broken something on the main bike, and occasionally gets used on a turbo.

Yesterday I decided I didn’t want to risk icy roads on the roady, so it came out for a few laps of a local reservoir (Grafham Water) mostly crushed limestone and bitmac roads/footpaths, but with a few muddy sections, and also there was snow on the ground in places. Long story short, it was a hoot and I want to do it a bit more regularly, but with something a little more suitable than the gatorskins it’s currently wearing so I can keep the MTBers in sight on the muddy/stony bits and catch them on the smooth bits.

Tyre choice needs to reflect the fact that it’ll still be used on road, so nothing too soft/knobbly that’ll wear out in a few weeks, and it’s a spare bike, so nothing too expensive (say £20 limit). I’ll scrounge a spare wheel for turbo use. Current thoughts are Schwalbe Land Cruiser, or possibly Sammy Slicks. A friend is using the latter on his commuter through the winter and is very impressed with how they handle frosty roads. Worth spending more on the Sammys? Any obvious alternatives that fit the bill?

Thanks

Not strictly CX, but probably the best fit! I've got a Trek 7.3 (road oriented hybrid) mostly gathering dust since I got a road bike. It comes out when I ride with my children, or I’ve broken something on the main bike, and occasionally gets used on a turbo.

Yesterday I decided I didn’t want to risk icy roads on the roady, so it came out for a few laps of a local reservoir (Grafham Water) mostly crushed limestone and bitmac roads/footpaths, but with a few muddy sections, and also there was snow on the ground in places. Long story short, it was a hoot and I want to do it a bit more regularly, but with something a little more suitable than the gatorskins it’s currently wearing so I can keep the MTBers in sight on the muddy/stony bits and catch them on the smooth bits.

Tyre choice needs to reflect the fact that it’ll still be used on road, so nothing too soft/knobbly that’ll wear out in a few weeks, and it’s a spare bike, so nothing too expensive (say £20 limit). I’ll scrounge a spare wheel for turbo use. Current thoughts are Schwalbe Land Cruiser, or possibly Sammy Slicks. A friend is using the latter on his commuter through the winter and is very impressed with how they handle frosty roads. Worth spending more on the Sammys? Any obvious alternatives that fit the bill?

Thanks

Sorry for butting in so late.. Over the years I have purchased expensive tyres and cheap tyres, but I have come to the conclusion that the old saying "you get what you pay for" does not apply to tyres. They all appear to start 'softening' around the same time, and a nasty big piece of glass/metal can rip them open and ruin no matter what the price. I am currently using Continental Twisters on my Cannondale CAADX, and I change from trail to road surfaces constantly with no issues at all. I even tried my hand at a Cross race recently