Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Tubeless for Cyclocross (it's getting better)

Last year I ran a tubeless set of wheels, Mavic Aksiums with Specialized Captain CX tires.  It worked pretty well, was an improvement over clinchers, but I still burped air a few times, and was no comparison to my tubulars. 

This year I've got the Easton EA90 RT with a wider external rim width of 22mm, and a "proprietary rim design".  In training, I dropped the pressure down to see how low it would go, and was consistently hitting the rim without burping air, but the real test is a race situation when you're pushing the cornering limits harder.

First the Captain CX: these tires are like claws.  During the muddy TownHall race, I never felt like I ran out of cornering traction (just cornering skills).  I rode the steep hill every lap (including the SS race) and I think that is largely due to the excellent traction from these tires.  I did crash a few times in the 1/2/3, but the problem was my handling, the tires had so much grip, they were pulling the casing away from the rim bed before slipping out.


I noticed this grass in the wheel after the race, but I didn't notice the collection of rocks stuck in there until a few days later when I was cleaning the bike.


Although I didn't check the tire pressure, it feels the same, and I don't see any evidence of losing sealant. 

I'm also running Stan's cyclocross rim strips (along with his sealant) and that combination seems to be solid.  I'll have good confidence with these on the muddy and slippery days.

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