'Cross Wheels & Tyres

[sylvan]

Baseless speculation here, but if I was to get 'hold of a 'cross bike and was contemplating wheelsets and tyre combinations, what might I want? What if I had one set of tubulars and one set of clinchers? Would I want one set of really hard-nosed studly tyres for gnarly conditions and one faster set? Maybe 34's for the gnarlies and 30's for the fast ones? Tubulars for the fast ones and clinchers for the gnarly ones? Other way 'round? Any specific sets that would be recommended? What to run on a Saturday Crosserfest ride in the Stewart Mountain zone? I know that area really well and there are lots of areas with nasty babies' heads and sharp rocks and other hazards.

[Roland]

Cross courses around here are too rough for expensive wheels and tubulars unless you are rich. Get a decent sturdy wheel and Michelin Mud2s.

[sylvan]

Michelin Mud2's!!! They of "superb performance, with efficient mud evacuation, exceptional grip, outstanding cornering adhesion and low rolling resistance. 700x30mm. 127 TPI / 340g / black". Cool, thanks.

[AdamD]

Pedal suggestions Roland?

[Josh.E]

I went for shimano pd-540 spds.
$52 at MEC. Exactly the same thing as $134 "XT" spds, with the exception of the spindle housing. I don't really see any advantage to "4-sided" entry of eggbeaters. The pedal always goes to one side or the other.

[Roland]

Pedal suggestions Roland?

Egg beaters of course.

[AdamD]

Thanks Josh I will take a look at those. Any thoughts on these which are in the same price range? http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_deta ... 4302693563

[Roland]

I went for shimano pd-540 spds.
$52 at MEC. Exactly the same thing as $134 "XT" spds, with the exception of the spindle housing. I don't really see any advantage to "4-sided" entry of eggbeaters. The pedal always goes to one side or the other.

They shed mud far better. The four sided entry is great when you miss the cleat first try.

That said, SPD and Time Attack are popular as well.

From the cross on the rock survey last year:

Crankbrothers: 61%
Shimano: 33%
Time: 6%

Top model of Crankbrothers was any variation of the EggBeater Model. 75% of the Crankbrothers Pedals counted were Eggbeaters.

If you want cheap pedals, Crank Brothers Smarties come as OEM pedals on a lot of mountain bikes. Most get taken off before the bike is even sold. I think OBB has a pile of them. You can usually get them cheap. You'll probably get one season out of them.

[Roland]

Thanks Josh I will take a look at those. Any thoughts on these which are in the same price range? http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_deta ... 4302693563

I'm not a big fan of the Candy. The platform is too small to be of much use, while making it slightly harder to clip in. Good price however.

[AdamD]

How about crank bros. candy, thoughts?
edit: what are you paying for when you go to higher levels of egg beaters?

[Roland]

How about crank bros. candy, thoughts?
edit: what are you paying for when you go to higher levels of egg beaters?

I used Candys for a few seasons, they are ok.

Bling. Weight. Reliability. The cheaper ones can't be rebuilt with new bearings.

[Josh.E]

Higher end eggbeaters are really nice. Cheap crankbothers pedals are kinda crap. I think shimano spd has far less variation in quality from a $52 pedal to a $225 xtr pedal.

Roland, have you ever had a problem getting into an spd because of mud? I can't say I have.

[Katie]

Roland, have you ever had a problem getting into an spd because of mud? I can't say I have.

I have. Late season races get *really* muddy and I found it really frustrating clipping in to spds. With all the running in 'cross your cleats get clogged pretty quickly and then it's tough to clip in. Bigger problem was clipping out of spds - everything got jammed with mud and grit and I ended up under water in a creek unable to detach myself from my pedals. Bikes don't float.

I have had no problems with mud and Crankbrothers. They seem to just work even when the cleats are muddy.

[AdamD]

OK i went with the egg beater ones from MEC and some exustar shoes, they have some removeable toe studs and im wondering if there a good idea or not? thoughts?

[wonger]

I like toe studs because they provide grip and there seems to be less wear on the cleat/shoe bottom overall.

[EricS]

Careful the studs can be slippery on rocks. Also check the tightness after a couple of rides. 3 out of 4 of my Exustar studs are now part of the trail system at Hartland. I do (did) like them in dirt, grass etc...