# Best all around 'cross clincher?



## jobster (Jan 7, 2009)

Looking for a consensus on the most versatile clincher 'cross tire(s). This will be my first year racing 'cross (in New England) and I'm tempted to go with a Michelin Mud 2 in front and Jet in the rear.

Thanks in advance.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

Those are both good tires and I have run that same combo. For my conditions the jets were too slick in the back and wouldn't grip. I got pinch flats in the Muds. If you'll be racing mud and grass maybe they'd be better. Both tires are a little soft, so don't ride them on the road regularly. The Muds are pretty grippy in slop.


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

I wouldn't bother with a Jet on the back if you're only going to own one pair of tires. If you can afford a pair of each, swapping for the conditions would be good, but you'd probably be happy with Muds front and rear for 95% of your racing.

There are other good clinchers (Hutchinson for more volume, Challenge open tubulars for a supple ride, etc.) but really you should go with one that works, race it for a season and consider tubulars if you are getting hooked on cross.


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## carlosflanders (Nov 23, 2008)

Run mud on the front and swap mud/jet out on the back depending on conditions. For a small amount of mud, the jet will be fine. For significant mud (more than a couple of corners) go with all muds. The jet is definitely faster if there are significant tarmac sections or hard fast ground.


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## velociped jones (Mar 21, 2005)

michelin mud 2's. haven't tried the jet but used to have a michelin sprint (the jet's precursor) and didn't care for the feel.


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## TedH (Jan 1, 1970)

Michelin Mud's or Challenge Grifo or Fango clinchers. Have experience with both and, while it comes down to preference, they are both very good. For your first year, I'd say point and shoot; you can get picky after a few races. NE sees all conditions, so either way.


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## Cyclo-phile (Sep 22, 2005)

I'd suggest the Challenge Grifo clinchers. In my experience, they flex better and thus hook up in corners better than the Michelins. They also shed mud better (ironic?) because of the open spacing of the knobs.


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## DPCX (Nov 11, 2004)

Cant go wrong with Muds.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

jobster said:


> Looking for a consensus on the most versatile clincher 'cross tire(s). This will be my first year racing 'cross (in New England) and I'm tempted to go with a Michelin Mud 2 in front and Jet in the rear.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


I went to Hutchinsons last year for the volume, made a HUGE difference running them at 28 psi with tubes and not a single pinch flat.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

The muds are a nice tire and very popular here in the northeast, you can do well on them all season. they wear quickly if you ride them on the roads, it's nice to have a fresh pair just for racing.

The Maxxis Larsen is a similar tire that is also nice


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## OutOfBreath (Aug 29, 2007)

Challenge Fango, Schwalbe Racing Ralph (Old Style, haven't tried the new RR)


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## skinny jay (Nov 27, 2006)

*+1 for hutchinson*

I switched to the piranhas after using some vittoria xg's as well as panaracer cross blasters and really enjoyed them. Like those above, I could run pressures into the high 20's and low 30's without really too much concern at all. Really conform well to off camber stuff and smooth out choppy things pretty well for a clincher. Also did the classic *smack* onto something expecting a pinch flat, only to keep on riding.


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## wibly wobly (Apr 23, 2009)

I kind of like Maxxis' Locust tyres. The tread is a bit deeper then usual but, it lets me grab the loose stuff a lot better. They don't seem to clog up that much either. They're pretty fast on pavement to.


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## B15serv (Apr 27, 2008)

What about a cross tire for mostly riding on crushed limestone? not to thread-jack but just wondering


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## carlosflanders (Nov 23, 2008)

Redline Kross Supreme is great for rocky or loose stuff. They don't corner well on pavement though and are superb at collecting mud. Can be had for very good prices..


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## BetterThanAliens (Nov 4, 2007)

Would anyone object to Maxxis' Locust tire? Looking for a solid all around tire.


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## JPHcross (Aug 15, 2006)

Best "all-around tire" is anything with a tractor tread eg. Challenge Grifo, Vittoria XG. The reason I say this is that if you only have 1 set of tires these work in nearly every condition on nearly every course. The Michelin Muds and Jets are great tires but only in the right conditions. Put the Muds or Racing Ralphs onto a dry, rock hard and screaming fast course with pavement corners and they are squeeeeemish, or if you ride the Jets, Maxxis Raze or anything with a file tread and there is some rolling, wet grassy sidehill action and you will be sliding all over the place or walking. The tractor tread is not ideal for all conditions but it works pretty well and is a good place to start for someone who only has 1 set of tires.


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## JPHcross (Aug 15, 2006)

B15serv said:


> What about a cross tire for mostly riding on crushed limestone? not to thread-jack but just wondering


I would look at something with a file tread, Challenge XS, Conti Speed, Vittoria XN. Something with a little more tread that rolls really well is a Maxxis Raze.


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## seahuston (Sep 2, 2005)

Definitely go for the Michelin Muds. They are pretty good fro the wide variety of courses in New England though they do excel in the slippery stuff (something we saw a lot of in NE this past year). Being that its your first cross season, the Muds front and rear will also offer some confidence and be more forgiving of errors in bike handling. Not saying you will not be able to ride your bike but cross does take some getting used to. 
If you feel really slow on the muds front and rear pick up a jet for the rear and swap it out as needed. Thats the beauty of clinchers.


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## Thom H (Aug 25, 2009)

Like the others IMHO Mich Muds and the Griffos are the top two picks I would choose for racing. However if you ride a lot of hard pack and pave those tires will wear fairly fast. I train a lot on Ritchey Speed Max. I do have a 1/2 hour street ride to and from our course so I like the road durability of the cheaper Max tires.l


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

+another for Hutch, although mine are set-up tubeless.


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## Nashua (Aug 1, 2007)

if this is your first season, most likely you will be racing in the morning, so the conditions will always be slick with either dew or frost. I like the the muds


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## andy13 (Aug 22, 2008)

Ditto on Hutchinsons but tubeless. We had a wet season so I ran Bulldogs tubeless last year. GREAT tire. I love the high volume and low pressure.


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## cyclevt (Aug 6, 2004)

*Yup!*



wibly wobly said:


> I kind of like Maxxis' Locust tyres. The tread is a bit deeper then usual but, it lets me grab the loose stuff a lot better. They don't seem to clog up that much either. They're pretty fast on pavement to.


+1 for the Locust tires

pretty good all-around option. I train on them; race on tubulars.


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## Todd_H (Nov 20, 2009)

Another vote for the Grifo clincher. I borrowed a set for a race last year and on reasonably poor conditions I felt very confident. Though I haven't ridden them, I like the looks of the Vittoria XM Pro for my local conditions, not sure about NE.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

I like the Maxxis Raze, the rubber is grippy and the sidewalls are tough but supple. If I were still running clinchers I'd probably try out the Mud Wrestler tread for wet days.


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## wobblyRider (May 10, 2009)

I'm new to cross. Did two rides on Long Island up in Kings Park last year on a hybrid (trek 750). This year I have a 2006 Jamis Nova. I have a pair of knobby tires but both races last year where on dry hard packed trails. I'm thinking of buying a pair of Continental Cyclocross Speed Clincher Tires for dry conditions. I will probably only race 2 or 3 races this year. Think this brand is a good choice for me?

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/continental-cyclocross-speed-clincher-tire


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## dlab07 (May 5, 2006)

*Clement*

The new Clement mud tires look good.


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## NextTime (Oct 13, 2007)

I'd be interested in hearing thoughts about which tire performs best in a steep off-camber: the Grifos, Muds or the Bulldogs. Thanks.


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## Bigpikle (May 15, 2010)

so many recommendations....

I get my (secondhand) new CX Canondale tomorrow and need tyres for a season of racing in the UK. Was thinking 2 sets, with Muds for the worst of it and a more general purpose tyre for the rest of the time...but it does sound like the Grifo might be a good place to start. They're a bit more expensive though over here.


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## JPHcross (Aug 15, 2006)

wobblyRider said:


> I'm new to cross. Did two rides on Long Island up in Kings Park last year on a hybrid (trek 750). This year I have a 2006 Jamis Nova. I have a pair of knobby tires but both races last year where on dry hard packed trails. I'm thinking of buying a pair of Continental Cyclocross Speed Clincher Tires for dry conditions. I will probably only race 2 or 3 races this year. Think this brand is a good choice for me?
> 
> http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/continental-cyclocross-speed-clincher-tire


The diamond tread is very good for fast and dry courses, but I would caution against this particular tire. If you look closely and compare this tire versus the Vittoria, Challenge or Dugast, or the Conti tubular version you will notice that this tire has tightly packed little squares, where the other tires have pyramid shaped tread. The Conti rolls extremely well but the little squares act like fingers and they pick up and hold every little thorn, small stone and piece of glass that they roll over, I have never had so many flats before. I also did a training ride on these that transitioned from packed gravel to pavement and every time I hit the pavement it sounded like I had studded tires from all the little rocks stuck in the tread.


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## JPHcross (Aug 15, 2006)

Bigpikle said:


> so many recommendations....
> 
> I get my (secondhand) new CX Canondale tomorrow and need tyres for a season of racing in the UK. Was thinking 2 sets, with Muds for the worst of it and a more general purpose tyre for the rest of the time...but it does sound like the Grifo might be a good place to start. They're a bit more expensive though over here.


Try looking at the Vittoria range, they may be cheaper, the XG is virtually the same tread as the Grifo.


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## Bigpikle (May 15, 2010)

JPHcross said:


> Try looking at the Vittoria range, they may be cheaper, the XG is virtually the same tread as the Grifo.


thanks

I just paid my LBS a visit and they recommended some Conti tyres as a good all-rounder for the next few months while its drier, then a specialist mud tyre went it gets bad again. 

Only question was that they said the rules had been changed recently and the max tyre size had been reduced to 33mm so they suggested not buying a 35 as i wouldnt be able to race on them. I just did a little reading and it seems that this is the case for UCI international events but not domestic events so I dont think it will realte to an amateur like me!


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## tsunayoshi (Dec 3, 2009)

http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/11/bikes-tech/clinchers-for-cross-three-good-choices_101423


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