Cyclocross - wheels and tyres.

Tubeless technology works especially well for cyclocross, but all the parts you need are scattered across our website so we thought we should bring them all together in one place.

Rims

Most people use traditional lightweight aluminium rims for cyclocross rather than fancy carbon which will get scuffed up and damaged in the mud. Carbon wheels are best kept for important races. Popular CX rims are available from Stan's NoTubes, Ambrosio Excellight and Velocity A23. The Stan's Alpha 340 are the lightest at 350g each, and make tubeless easy using conventional tyres. They are also surprisingly strong. The Ambrosio and Velocity are a little heavier but come in a bit cheaper and are also good and strong. A wide rim will support the tyre better than a narrow one, especially at the fairly low pressures you should be running on a cross bike.

Hubs

Pretty much any hub used for road or MTB can also be used for 'cross bikes. The main consideration is the dropout width; many cyclocross bikes have 130mm rear dropouts, while mountain bikes use 135mm. Some hubs are convertible, others will only do one or the other. If you're using disks on a 130mm dropout bike, you will need to select a mountain bike hub which is convertible to 130mm, for example the American Classic disk 225.

You'll need a hub with reasonable sealing, and decent sized bearings. Almost any hub we sell will be suitable; maybe stay away from the American Classic Micro 58 as the bearings are very small (try the non-disk 105 instead). Be prepared to service or replace bearings after particularly sloppy rides or races; no hub is well enough sealed to be completely impervious to riding through deep sloppy mud for a hour. Well maybe a Chris King is, but even then I'd give it a quick check over every so often.

Wheels

Cyclocross wheels are like road wheels, only a little tougher. Go for a higher spoke count to provide more support to the rim, so for most riders that means 28 or 32, certainly stay away from the 18 or 20h options. Go for 2X or 3X spokes for durability and a bit of compliance in the wheel (so your teeth don't get shaken out). Aerodynamics are pretty unimportant for cross racing so go for strength, light weight and stiffness over aero. Save money by using conventional round spokes instead of bladed ones, and spend it on the hubs instead (or more tyres).

Tyres

Maxxis Raze kevlar

Tyre choice will depend on the type of riding you're doing. For racing in mud, we recommend the Maxxis mud wrestler, and for dry conditions, the Raze is an excellent tyre. Either of these will easily mount up tubeless on a Stan's Alpha 340 without the need for any rimstrips or faff. The Hutchinson Piranha and Bulldog are good for converting non-tubeless rims, but don't try them on a Stan's Alpha; they will fit too tight and the bead will probably snap.

Tubeless parts

If you're running a Stan's Alpha 340 then you just need to tape the spoke holes up with 21mm tape and then fit a tyre such as the Maxxis Raze or Mud Wrestler. Add 30-40ml of sealant and you're good to go, but keep the pressure below 40psi (3 bar) to be on the safe side. Any more and they could pop off the rim.

Many non-tubeless rims will need the Stan's NoTubes cyclocross rimstrip to convert them to tubeless - especially if you're using standard tyres. If you're using the Hutchinson tubeless ready tyres, often you'll only need 21mm yellow tape and a 44mm valve.

A word on tyre pressures

Many people run really high pressure in cyclocross in the hope that the tyre will "cut through the mud" or skim along on hardpacked surfaces. In reality all that happens is you have little grip and get bounced around a lot (making it feel fast). The correct pressure depends on rider weight; too low and you will bash the rim out of shape. Try 30 psi as a start. If you're running tubeless you should be feeling the rim bottom out every so often, but not so hard that it cuts through the tyre. A few rim dints are inevitable when riding a narrow tyre over rough ground; mostly they can be pulled out carefully with pliers, or just left if they're not too big.