Cyclocross Community, Chatter, and Culture (whatever that is)

National's Tire Pressures Advice

What did you/ what should have you/ what are you going to run psi in your tires (specify if clincher or tubular) at Natl's today-Saturday? Trying to determine as I predict the course will vary from a mix of wet playdoh to lake-bottom muck once the grass is gone. Does a firmer tire cut through it, or is it better to have softer pressures & more float?

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Permalink Reply by Josh on December 11, 2008 at 12:40pm: This morning, Thursday, for B29 I ran 26 front 28 rear. This worked well.I'm running Challenge Fangos in a 34c — I appreciated the extra cushion the 34's provided.

At 10 a.m. the course started out relatively hard and then transitioned from somewhat soft to super snotty. The grass is thick, covering downtubes, chainstays and brakes in a dense layer of sod.

Here's a shot of Andrew's bike after the B30-39 race.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tim B on December 11, 2008 at 12:52pm: Thanks! I think you early racers are gonna be the sodbusters for the event. By the time we Saturday racers go, It'll probably be a granular muck, with none of the fiber content on display on your bike. Cleanup will be fun.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by GeWilli on December 12, 2008 at 8:35am: does CX Mag need some tall person to test a Rainer Rig out in NE conditions??? *hint* *wink* *Nudge*; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kyle Bush on December 12, 2008 at 5:30am: Yesterday I raced at 11am in the B 30's and ran 26 front and 28 rear in tubular tires of course. The course was really slippery as the frozen top layer melted. Ran a Dugast Rhino in the front and a recent replacement with a Challenge Fango on the rear. It was the first ride on the Fango and I was very impressed with how it hooked up providing great traction.

Given the forecast for warmer temps and a lot of wind (40 mph), I expect the course to dry up some more by Saturday, so it will be a game time decision on which tires to run.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by andrew on December 16, 2008 at 5:58pm: what did you end up riding in terms of pressure and tires?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Hutton on December 17, 2008 at 4:55am: The first day I ran too much pressure at 29 front 31 rear because I dialed them in for the hard frozen ground we saw durring the warm up lap. Sunday's elite face was a little different. It was extremely tacky, but still was nice to push some lower pressure for more control. I ran about 27 up front and right around 28 in the rear and they worked great until I rolled the rear on the second lap in VERY good position in the race.

BTW, these were grifo's. I don't reccomend them for conditions like thursday (layer of thin loose mud over frozen earth, but REALLY enjoyed them sunday for the tacky stuff.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by andrew on December 17, 2008 at 4:38pm: oh crap, you rolled a tire? that sucks. was that your own bike and wheels? what was the gluing method?; ▶ Reply to This