F
I'm racing in my first cyclocross race (Cat 4) this weekend and have a
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?
My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.
Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?
What are your opinions?
question about wheel size/tire choice. I had been planning on racing
on my mountain bike (XT and XTR components) with the fork locked out
with 26" wheels with Kenda Klimax tires which are very light weight
(350g) and have a low rolling resistance and much smaller tread than a
normal mountain bike tire. It looks similar to a cross tire but
larger in size. They are between a 1.75" and 1.9". I'm wondering if
I can pump these up higher than people on dedicated cross bikes and if
I'd get the same ride/speed as someone on a thinner tire at lower
pressure. Would higher pressure on a mountain bike sized tire be
detrimental at all on a cross course? I know riding on a technical XC
course higher pressures are to be avoided. Or would it be worth it to
run it at 40 psi or so so I could just roll through the sand and mud
easier and hook up easier on uphills and downhills?
My other alternative for this weekend is to race my touring bike. It
has cantilever brakes, drop bars, and STI shifters. I don't have
cross tires for it yet but I could pick some up this evening. The
bike is fairly heavy at about 26lbs (its a steel touring frame with
lower end components - Tiagra/Deore) so it weighs about the same as my
mountain bike.
Which bike/wheel/tire choice do you think would be the fastest? I
watched some videos of a Cat 4 race on the course that I'm racing
(Beacon Cross in NJ) and notice that people were going pretty slow
down a pretty steep hill and either dismounting or going slow through
the sand pits. I'm thinking a mountain bike would have an advantage
here although the bigger tires could be slower depending on the
pressure I run them on the flats and roads. The gearing on both of my
bikes would allow me to ride up pretty much any hill. Is it faster to
dismount and run up some hills?
What are your opinions?
