Tyres

[Psycolist]

I'm just in the process off putting together an off road/cyclocross type bike for excursions around the unmade lanes and roads around my home area that are a bit too rough for my current hybrid. I would be interested in any advice IRO tyre choice. I am leaning towards a pair of Schwalbe Fast Freds, ( I do luv Schwalbe tyres ) they seem to be a reasonably priced option that is said to give good grip off road while offering low rolling resistance on road. Any body have any experience with these or have any suggestions for alternatives. I'm not looking for anything too expensive ! Thanx in advance.

 

[jdtate101]

Vittoria XG Pro's good all rounder with good off road grip and on road speed.

 

[Andy_R]

Schwalbe CX Pro's, good and grippy off road, not too shabby on road.

 

[Howard]

Conti CX Speeds are not bad for this kind of thing - unless you are planning on getting very muddy. File tread but a nice big carcass. Roll nicely on road.

 

[jdtate101]

Conti CX Speeds are not bad for this kind of thing - unless you are planning on getting very muddy. File tread but a nice big carcass. Roll nicely on road.

I had a pair of those on my CX bike when I bought it. Found them quite prone to punctures as they have a minimal puncture strip under the tread. They do roll quite fast though. So if using these my recommendation would be to get some stans notubes into your inner tubes to seal them should you puncture.

In fact I use stans on every CX inner tube regardless of the tyre. It won't stop snakebites if you're running low pressure, but for everything else...it's magic stuff.

 

[Howard]

I wore a pair of those contis out without a puncture. I liked them.I'm quite fortunate with tyre failures though it seems.

+ 1 to Stans though.

 

[AndyPeace]

Looking at these for a cheap set of tires...I'm guessing their biggest weakness is lack of puncture protection... I'm only riding for fun so they seem a good starting point? or not?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=94617

 

[AndyPeace]

Spent a few days looking through tire reviews and my head hurts servilely! It seems every tire has bad reviews. I'm thinking maybe I'll just get some hiking boots and not worry about riding off road!

 

[jdtate101]

Unless you are going riding in the mud you might get away with using normal heavy duty winter tyres (like gatorskins) I'd seriously recommend getting some Stans (it's only about £3 per bottle...one bottle per tyre), but it's magic and should stop all but the most disastrous punctures. You will need an inner tube with a removable core to use it (such as Continental one's).

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOiDrZ7dOHY

 

[AndyPeace]

Unless you are going riding in the mud you might get away with using normal heavy duty winter tyres (like gatorskins) I'd seriously recommend getting some Stans (it's only about £3 per bottle...one bottle per tyre), but it's magic and should stop all but the most disastrous punctures. You will need an inner tube with a removable core to use it (such as Continental one's).

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOiDrZ7dOHY

Thanks, it is gatorskins (25's) that I'm running, and they have no traction to climb off road, which is my main incentive. The local trails I want to ride include the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, as well as other local spots. Were I went the other day was mostly soft ground with a good splattering of mud, and the forest sections were obviously covered in leaf mulch. There are also tracks there on firm, well walked ground with the odd patch of slate rock sticking up, which would be ok but it's the steep climbs I want to ride and my gatorskins just spin on them, no bite at all.

 

[Howard]

Spent a few days looking through tire reviews and my head hurts servilely! It seems every tire has bad reviews. I'm thinking maybe I'll just get some hiking boots and not worry about riding off road!

If you mean every CX clincher tyre has bad reviews, this is likely because they are all crap to race on when compared to tubulars, which is what the reviewer is probably doing. Most knobbly CX clinchers are absolutely fine for dawdling around light trails and singletrack. I'm sure the racing ralphs will be fine if you can get them on your rims and there's enough clearance on your frame - they are 29er mtb tyres after all. If not get some Maxxis Raze or Michelin Mud iis if you are feeling flush.

 

[AndyPeace]

If you mean every CX clincher tyre has bad reviews, this is likely because they are all crap to race on when compared to tubulars, which is what the reviewer is probably doing. Most knobbly CX clinchers are absolutely fine for dawdling around light trails and singletrack. I'm sure the racing ralphs will be fine if you can get them on your rims and there's enough clearance on your frame - they are 29er mtb tyres after all. If not get some Maxxis Raze or Michelin Mud iis if you are feeling flush.

I went for the Michelin's. The 29er thing is weird..as I understand it the Racing Ralphs would have fit well, being 622/35. The Michelin Man seems to have hummour in tire sizes too with it being listed on it's sidewall as being 30/622 (700X30) (28X1.5/8x1.1/8) ... tires feel really smooth running, though I've only had chance to get a few miles in so far... hoping for some rain to fully test them.