just been out “roughstuffing” on the Swift with the commuting CX tyres on it, did a lot of the trails i do locally on a MTB and blimey! you really need to pick your lines a lot more carefully, concentrate on traction on climbs and turns when descending and pick your braking spots in the mud/leaf mulch/wet roots combo that’s near me, i think i’m a bit spoilt with fat knobblies and how good they are now

i don’t think you need to pay for a skills course just fit some CX tyre/wheels and go riding, it’ll improve your bike handling tremendously when you go back to riding on fat tyres

Just got some small block 8’s off CRC for that very job.

Albeit on a Cotic Roadrat not a true CX bike.

Quite looking fwd to it.

Good isn’t it 😉

the SM8 cx tyres are great and bargain price on CRC (tempted to get a 2nd spare pair while they have them still). Good for skills training in the winter and as fast as’ in the summer. Can be ‘fun’ on corners in the Chilterns clay at the moment too 😯

It’s all I’ve been doing lately: Hitting my muddy local trails/forests/singletrack (normal mountainbikey stuff) on my Uncle John with 35mm Panaracer mud tyres. Certainly sharpens up your handling skills. And picking good lines is an absolute must. I’ve raced Cross for the the last few years so I’m no stranger to the bikes, but taking them round MTB trails in deep mud is nicely different. I’m still alarmed how much traction you can squeeze out of 700c 35mm tyres up a muddy climb if you pedal properly 😀

i bet a proper cx bike is a laugh, mtb (29er) with them is a lot of fun if a bit scary at times!

CX bikes are brilliant 🙂 As you say it’s amazing what you can actually ride with the skinnies if you think about what you’re doing.

35mm tyres up a muddy climb if you pedal properly

‘pedal properly’ i.e. don’t slow down, for the love of god don’t slow down! 😀

Ditto all of the above, including the small block 8s. Makes you realise there is not such thing as a dull trail if you de-biggify your bike a bit.

got speed kings on atm, bought for a song on classifieds

‘pedal properly’ i.e. don’t slow down, for the love of god don’t slow down!

More kinda get your weight in the right place and pedal in circles rather than just “push, push, push push…” 😀

It’s actually been something of a revelation: To go for a ‘normal’ local MTB ride (ie 3 or 4 hrs round foresty singletracky trails), but on my (now only) cross bike. No camelbak, just a bottle. Back pockets stuffed with the bare minimum. Peak-less helmet. Oh, and lycra not baggies 😀

Mind you, I do tend to get some funny looks from those pushing their £3k’s-worth of full-sussers uphill 😉

would not surprise me that the ebb and flow of the industry it doesnt start to focus on ‘less-is-more’ – less suspension, less fat tyres, less kit = more skill…. more respect….?

Ha, no chance. Less is more = less parts that wear out shockingly quickly or break, or just never worked in the first place. The industry won’t like that one bit!

They’re already adding disc brakes and slack geometry to CX bikes (see the new Whyte). Give it a year and they’ll have suspension too…

i’ve got a Michelin jet on the back of my cx now. im amazed how fast it is on the road and even more amazed how much traction it gives off road.
anyway 1 Michelin jet costs more than 2x small block 8’s so i bought 2 of them to try out sometime.

Panaracer cindercross are very nice.

i don’t think you need to pay for a skills course just fit some CX tyre/wheels and go riding, it’ll improve your bike handling tremendously when you go back to riding on fat tyres

Not the same thing at all.

Agree everyone should try different stuff – road riding mostly 😎

I agree Al, it’ll cost less and you don’t have to go miles away from home to do it

Good work on the SB8’s on CRC, my Speed Kings have worn down quite alot after <600km commuting so will be nice to get the SB8’s to try at a sensible price!

😀

You’ll have to deal with patronising twatooed 29er riders who know nothing and say loudly to their mate “here come the shit bike 2 work riders”.

I’m not sure that’s limited to ‘twatooed 29er riders’. There are sad, judgemental feckers across all the groups of mtber IME. Just like in normal life.

Oh yes…

Skinny tyres off road are a lot more fun than they should be 🙂

What are good ones to try? I had Small block 8’s on my mountain bike and they were ok until you needed to turn and it was at all slippy then they became next to useless a they always seemed to slip out

Another vote for Panaracer Cindercross here.

CX bikes are primarily designed for carrying. Its like designing a car with back end thats good for being pushed.