As the admiration for cyclocross grows, so do the wheel selections available to the dedicated cross racer. It may be a frightening proposition when trying to select what type of wheel will work well for you. In this article we're going to discuss the pro's and cons of each type of cyclocross wheel. From carbon to aluminium, clincher to tubular. Each has their own advantages depending 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 massive turn off to carbon is the cost. It's easy to get 2 sets of nice aluminum wheels for the price of a top end carbon set. Ouch! Cyclocross is hard on gear so a large amount of riders will spec their bikes with much cheaper parts than their road bikes knowing they'll break/wear out faster. Not to say carbon wheels break simpler it is simply a lot cheaper to replace an aluminum edge than a carbon one.
Braking on an aluminium rim is much better and more foreseeable than carbon. In dry conditions it's possible to get equivalent braking on either but when it gets damp there's actually no contest. Aluminium is king. If you race typically in wet muddy conditions durability of the braking surface is also a concern. Brake pads in mud are like sandpaper and both carbon and aluminum will at last wear out so replacement cost becomes an issue again. None of the racers I know in Portland Oregon for example use carbon wheels in their weekly races, they just don't hold up.
Tubular vs. Clincher
OK, some people would say this is a topic that could fill volumes and still not be chosen. I'm in agreement to a point. What follows is just my opinion and in no way indented to settle this debate. If you are serious about cyclocross and you are looking to take the very next step up then tubulars are actually the only significant choice. In cyclocross traction is king. The key to refining traction is tire pressure. The worse the conditions (snow, mud) the lower the pressure. The pro's (particularly the Euro's) typically run pressure in the 20's. There is simply no way to do that with a clincher and not rick a pinch flat with every turn of the pedal. A tubular rim has a much flatter profile that a clincher so there is not any shaper edge to nip the tube between the tire and the rim. While it is still feasible to pinch a tubular it is extremely rare. I weight 195 and nearly never run more that 35psi in my tubular and have yet to pinch. Also the ride quality of tubulars really must be experienced to be believed. The pliable sidewalls permit the tire to agree with the ground and soak up the little high frequency bumps thatch sap power. Even a novice rider can instantly feel the difference when riding tubulars for the 1st 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 discussed earlier tubulars are a large amount of work. The process of stretching and gluing tires is a long and often annoying process. It's also costly. A flat on a tubular means replacing the entire tire at $50+ a pop versus a $4 tube on a clincher. Also because of the replacement expense no one really trains on tubulars so that means another wheel set with clinchers, more expense! The pliant sidewall of a tubular doesn't stand up to rocky terrain very well either, they're really easy to slide. If you live in an area where most of you races are dry and rocky I might avoid tubulars.
An additional plus for the clincher is there are lots of tread selections available too. Because of the cost and labor of switching tires on a tubular most people are stuck with what the fixed on for the season while the clincher rider can swap out tires comparatively quick and cheap. Top pro's like Sven Nys will have in north of 20 wheels sets all fastened up with different tires for each condition. It's good to be the king!
So basically my. Recommendation for the weekend soldier is to go with clinchers. If you are winning all of your local races (and have a gigantic budget) and are on the lookout for an edge then tubular is the way. Use caution though because when you go tubular it is truly hard 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 massive turn off to carbon is the cost. It's easy to get 2 sets of nice aluminum wheels for the price of a top end carbon set. Ouch! Cyclocross is hard on gear so a large amount of riders will spec their bikes with much cheaper parts than their road bikes knowing they'll break/wear out faster. Not to say carbon wheels break simpler it is simply a lot cheaper to replace an aluminum edge than a carbon one.
Braking on an aluminium rim is much better and more foreseeable than carbon. In dry conditions it's possible to get equivalent braking on either but when it gets damp there's actually no contest. Aluminium is king. If you race typically in wet muddy conditions durability of the braking surface is also a concern. Brake pads in mud are like sandpaper and both carbon and aluminum will at last wear out so replacement cost becomes an issue again. None of the racers I know in Portland Oregon for example use carbon wheels in their weekly races, they just don't hold up.
Tubular vs. Clincher
OK, some people would say this is a topic that could fill volumes and still not be chosen. I'm in agreement to a point. What follows is just my opinion and in no way indented to settle this debate. If you are serious about cyclocross and you are looking to take the very next step up then tubulars are actually the only significant choice. In cyclocross traction is king. The key to refining traction is tire pressure. The worse the conditions (snow, mud) the lower the pressure. The pro's (particularly the Euro's) typically run pressure in the 20's. There is simply no way to do that with a clincher and not rick a pinch flat with every turn of the pedal. A tubular rim has a much flatter profile that a clincher so there is not any shaper edge to nip the tube between the tire and the rim. While it is still feasible to pinch a tubular it is extremely rare. I weight 195 and nearly never run more that 35psi in my tubular and have yet to pinch. Also the ride quality of tubulars really must be experienced to be believed. The pliable sidewalls permit the tire to agree with the ground and soak up the little high frequency bumps thatch sap power. Even a novice rider can instantly feel the difference when riding tubulars for the 1st 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 discussed earlier tubulars are a large amount of work. The process of stretching and gluing tires is a long and often annoying process. It's also costly. A flat on a tubular means replacing the entire tire at $50+ a pop versus a $4 tube on a clincher. Also because of the replacement expense no one really trains on tubulars so that means another wheel set with clinchers, more expense! The pliant sidewall of a tubular doesn't stand up to rocky terrain very well either, they're really easy to slide. If you live in an area where most of you races are dry and rocky I might avoid tubulars.
An additional plus for the clincher is there are lots of tread selections available too. Because of the cost and labor of switching tires on a tubular most people are stuck with what the fixed on for the season while the clincher rider can swap out tires comparatively quick and cheap. Top pro's like Sven Nys will have in north of 20 wheels sets all fastened up with different tires for each condition. It's good to be the king!
So basically my. Recommendation for the weekend soldier is to go with clinchers. If you are winning all of your local races (and have a gigantic budget) and are on the lookout for an edge then tubular is the way. Use caution though because when you go tubular it is truly hard 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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