We never get weather like this. It has been constantly raining, plus ice, the past 3 days. That is so unlike Kansas weather. It hardly ever rains all day like Seattle in the winter. Plus it is hovering just around freezing, so it is changing from wet to ice and back constantly. Half the time the roads are slick, then useable again, then bad. Not good conditions for outside bike riding.
But, on the upside, tomorrow is supposed to be the last day of this. I’ve been doing inside stuff, which isn’t stuff I like to do, but it is necessary. Just paid by car tags and have been catching up on bills, etc. Plus, bike work.
I still don’t have my cross bikes like I’d like them, but unless I feel like I’m a full time cyclo-x racer, they are fine. I glued a couple new tires on last night.
I’m thinking it is going to be pretty muddy up in Jingle Cross. It seems like everyone is going with less and less tread nowadays. I’ve never been upset with having a lot of tread. But there are so many choices. I still have a bunch of good tires left over from 3 seasons ago, so I’m using them now. They are 32 mm, not 33, but they are fine for now.
The “problem” with cross tires now is that there are so many choices. Too many. When is that a problem? Only when you’re not familiar with all the different tires and compounds, thus don’t know which to ride. It’s not like riding clinchers, where you’re changing them back and forth all the time. Once you glue on a tire, you’re not too big on tearing it off to try another one.
I guess the best option is having a good mud set on one bike and then a faster setup on your spare bike. But, I think I’ll just leave mud tires on all my wheels and make due for now.
Okay, back to the trainer again.
These are both FMB tires. The left is their mud tread and the right is some Michelin Mud tread I sent to FMB and were made custom. I have a few more of these and they work about as good as any tires I’ve ridden.