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hi, going tubeless for gravel grinder/cross races. Have a pair of Stan's Iron Cross on the way. Would like a 35 tire but there aren't a lot of options. WTB now has the Cross Boss, and they look pretty nice, but i feel like a while back i heard it was super brutal trying to mount them on Stan's Iron Cross hoops. 

Can anyone verify this? Would love to hear who's run this combo. Thanks!

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From my understanding TCS's tire in a 700c/29" size will not work with Stan's rims.  However I was told by Stan's that they will work on the Alpha rims (340 and 400).

thx - ended up putting Maxxis Mud Wrestlers on my new Stan's Iron Crossers...went on like a champ. 

Not sure if you are still interested but I have the Stans Grail rims and the WTB Cross Boss on them. Got them on the rim easily needed a compressor and soapy water to mount them. So far tires are pretty awesome and have helped get me on a couple podiums this year. 

I am running them on Alpha 400's.  Had to pump them up to 60 with a floor pump to get them to mount, but now no issues at all with about 20 rides and 2 races on them.

How low of pressure are you running them at? I feel like I can go down to the low 20s without bottoming out but not sure if that is improving the traction. Raced them on Sunday at 23.5F and 24.5-25B right after the frost melted and slid out while cornering a few times on the wet grass. I didn't feel like I had the traction even in the drier sections that I had the day before when I was at a few psi higher in each tire. 

Wondering now if lower pressure in tubeless is not necessarily better in slicker conditions like tubulars. Maybe you need to find that sweet spot and stick with it. 

23.5F and 24.5-25 in the back

I weigh 145 and was running the same pressure this weekend.  I think I can go lower as I had Slant Six's down to 21psi last year, though I bottomed the rim on some big roots...luckily with no damage.

Were you folding the tire over in the corners?  That could be causing you to slip and slide if the tire is squirming under you.  Also isn't the tread on the CrossBoss relatively closely spaced?  May not be great in wet/slick conditions.  Just saying there could be alot of factors besides PSI. 

What does does folding the tire over in corners feel like? Is it different than skidding?

I guess that is my question: Were the conditions to slick for the tire tread of the cross boss tire or was my pressure to low causing the tire to fold over?

It could feel like skidding or fishtailing.  Basically when you fold the tire the casing/sidewall is moving sideways separate from the tread and rim.  It is often referred to as "squirming" as well.  Think about the tire wiggling under the rim. 

 

Tire pressure is a personal thing, your weight, riding style, the tire, course terrain, conditions, etc. will all play a factor in what will be optimal for you in a given situation.  There is no silver bullet.  Often the elite riders are doing multiple passes with slight tweaks to pressure to try to find that optimal combination of cushion and traction.  So this is just one data point for you.

My pumping readings this for this weekend where 20psi rear and 19psi front.  No issues.

Just out of curiosity, whats your weight? Was this in a ross race?

I am 165lb and I get great traction in corners and steep climbs at this psi. Tires feel a bit squirmy though when remounting and I am afraid they might fold over on themselves during hard cornering. 

I am 145lbs and this is for cross racing.  The course yesterday was in an apple orchard with rain overnight.  Very firm ground with wet grass and some slime over hardpack in the corners, there were MANY corners.  elevation change was only about 35 feet for each 1.7 mile lap. 

 

I will try gong lower if it get real wet and muddy.

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