As the fondness for cyclocross grows, so do the wheel decisions available to the major cross racer. It could be a disheartening job when trying hard to select what sort of wheel will work best for you. In this post we will discuss the pro's and cons of each sort of cyclocross wheel. From carbon to aluminum, clincher to tubular. Each has their own advantages relying where and how you race.
Carbon: The Good
In recent years carbon fiber has become the go to material for many pro riders and groups and for excellent reasons. Carbon wheels are extremely light and strong. A light weight wheel will accelerate faster out of corners which is vital in a twisty cyclocross course. Seconds ad up quick! For super muddy races a deep dish edge is quicker and saves energy as the rim itself will not hold mud and will cut through the goo with less friction. There are some deep dish aluminium rims too but not as deep as what you can get in carbon. Carbon wheels used to be available only as a tubular but in recent times technology has progressed to the point where corporations like Easton, Reynolds and Enve are manufacturing some super nice carbon clinchers as well. With ore and more selections there is a carbon wheel for pretty much each rider. Plus carbon fiber wheels just look damn cool.
Carbon: The Bad
A big turn off to carbon is the price. You can get 2 sets of nice aluminium wheels for the cost of a top end carbon set. Ouch! Cyclocross is hard on apparatus so lots of riders will spec their bikes with much less expensive parts than their road bikes knowing they're going to break/wear out much faster. Not to say carbon wheels break less complicated it is just a lot less expensive to replace an aluminium rim than a carbon one.
Braking on an aluminum edge is far better and more predictable than carbon. In dry conditions it is easy to get comparable braking on either but when it becomes wet there is truly no contest. Aluminum is king. If you race mostly in wet muddy conditions sturdiness of the braking surface is also a concern. Brake pads in mud are like sandpaper and both carbon and aluminium will finally wear out so replacement cost becomes an argument again. Not one of the racers I know in Portland Oregon as an example use carbon wheels in their weekly races, they simply don't hold up.
Tubular vs. Clincher
OK, some would say this is a subject that would fill volumes and still not be determined. I agree to a point. What's coming is just my opinion and by no means indented to settle this debate. If you're serious about cyclocross and you're looking to take the next step up then tubulars are really the sole serious choice. In cyclocross traction is king. The key to tweaking traction is tire pressure. The worse the conditions (snow, mud) the lower the pressure. The pro's (especially the Euro's) routinely run pressure in the 20's. There's simply no way to do that with a clincher and not rick a pinch flat with each turn of the pedal. A tubular edge has a much flatter profile that a clincher so there is no shaper edge to pinch the tube between the tire and the edge. While it still is possible to pinch a tubular it is very , very rare. I weight 195 and almost never run more that 35psi in my tubular and have not begun to pinch. Also the ride quality of tubulars truly needs to be experienced to be credited. The flexible sidewalls allow the tire to conform to the ground and absorb the tiny high frequency bumps thatch sap power. Even a beginner rider can immediately see the difference when riding tubulars for the first time. They ride so good they make you forget the work it takes to ride them (more on that to come)
Clinchers still have their place. As mentioned earlier tubulars are a lot of work. The method of stretching and gluing tires is a long and regularly frustrating process. It is also expensive. A flat on a tubular means replacing the whole tire at $50+ a pop vs a $4 tube on a clincher. Also thanks to the replacement cost nobody truly trains on tubulars so that implies another wheel set with clinchers, rather more cost! The flexible sidewall of a tubular does not square up to rocky terrain very well either, they are so easy to slip. If you live in an area where almost all of you races are dry and rocky I'd keep away from tubulars.
Another plus for the clincher is there are tons of tread choices available also. Thanks to the expense and work of switching tires on a tubular the majority are stuck with what the fastened on for the season while the clincher rider can swap out tires relatively fast and inexpensive. Top pro's like Sven Nys will have in over 20 wheels sets all stuck up with different tires for every condition. It is good to be the king!
So fundamentally my. Advice for the weekend warrior is to go with clinchers. If you're winning all your local races (and have a large budget) and are trying to find an edge then tubular is the way. Be careful though because once you go tubular it is really tough to go back!
Carbon: The Good
In recent years carbon fiber has become the go to material for many pro riders and groups and for excellent reasons. Carbon wheels are extremely light and strong. A light weight wheel will accelerate faster out of corners which is vital in a twisty cyclocross course. Seconds ad up quick! For super muddy races a deep dish edge is quicker and saves energy as the rim itself will not hold mud and will cut through the goo with less friction. There are some deep dish aluminium rims too but not as deep as what you can get in carbon. Carbon wheels used to be available only as a tubular but in recent times technology has progressed to the point where corporations like Easton, Reynolds and Enve are manufacturing some super nice carbon clinchers as well. With ore and more selections there is a carbon wheel for pretty much each rider. Plus carbon fiber wheels just look damn cool.
Carbon: The Bad
A big turn off to carbon is the price. You can get 2 sets of nice aluminium wheels for the cost of a top end carbon set. Ouch! Cyclocross is hard on apparatus so lots of riders will spec their bikes with much less expensive parts than their road bikes knowing they're going to break/wear out much faster. Not to say carbon wheels break less complicated it is just a lot less expensive to replace an aluminium rim than a carbon one.
Braking on an aluminum edge is far better and more predictable than carbon. In dry conditions it is easy to get comparable braking on either but when it becomes wet there is truly no contest. Aluminum is king. If you race mostly in wet muddy conditions sturdiness of the braking surface is also a concern. Brake pads in mud are like sandpaper and both carbon and aluminium will finally wear out so replacement cost becomes an argument again. Not one of the racers I know in Portland Oregon as an example use carbon wheels in their weekly races, they simply don't hold up.
Tubular vs. Clincher
OK, some would say this is a subject that would fill volumes and still not be determined. I agree to a point. What's coming is just my opinion and by no means indented to settle this debate. If you're serious about cyclocross and you're looking to take the next step up then tubulars are really the sole serious choice. In cyclocross traction is king. The key to tweaking traction is tire pressure. The worse the conditions (snow, mud) the lower the pressure. The pro's (especially the Euro's) routinely run pressure in the 20's. There's simply no way to do that with a clincher and not rick a pinch flat with each turn of the pedal. A tubular edge has a much flatter profile that a clincher so there is no shaper edge to pinch the tube between the tire and the edge. While it still is possible to pinch a tubular it is very , very rare. I weight 195 and almost never run more that 35psi in my tubular and have not begun to pinch. Also the ride quality of tubulars truly needs to be experienced to be credited. The flexible sidewalls allow the tire to conform to the ground and absorb the tiny high frequency bumps thatch sap power. Even a beginner rider can immediately see the difference when riding tubulars for the first time. They ride so good they make you forget the work it takes to ride them (more on that to come)
Clinchers still have their place. As mentioned earlier tubulars are a lot of work. The method of stretching and gluing tires is a long and regularly frustrating process. It is also expensive. A flat on a tubular means replacing the whole tire at $50+ a pop vs a $4 tube on a clincher. Also thanks to the replacement cost nobody truly trains on tubulars so that implies another wheel set with clinchers, rather more cost! The flexible sidewall of a tubular does not square up to rocky terrain very well either, they are so easy to slip. If you live in an area where almost all of you races are dry and rocky I'd keep away from tubulars.
Another plus for the clincher is there are tons of tread choices available also. Thanks to the expense and work of switching tires on a tubular the majority are stuck with what the fastened on for the season while the clincher rider can swap out tires relatively fast and inexpensive. Top pro's like Sven Nys will have in over 20 wheels sets all stuck up with different tires for every condition. It is good to be the king!
So fundamentally my. Advice for the weekend warrior is to go with clinchers. If you're winning all your local races (and have a large budget) and are trying to find an edge then tubular is the way. Be careful though because once you go tubular it is really tough to go back!
About the Author:
Art O'Connor has been racing cyclocross since the early 90's. As a consequence he has very powerful opinons about cyclocross wheels.
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