CX tires comparison, X-one, Terreno, Limus, Terra

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dexvd
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2022 2:14 am

by dexvd

So going to race CX finally for the first time this year, I am in Atlantic Canada so north east of Maine, so likely to be damp to wet and cold like 15 celsius to 5 celsius through the late September to early November season. Seems like most courses are in fields, so damp to wet grass, sometimes getting cut up and muddy, don't expect any sand or anything like that.

Have done tons of reading on CX tires like this thread viewtopic.php?f=4&t=146546&start=60 but then my gravel bike I ordered summer 2020 didn't arrive till spring 2022, so didn't end up racing CX at all in 2020 or 2021 as I had hoped. Have been racing road and mtb a couple years but will be a complete beginner for CX. Have a Norco Search XR A1 so not ideal for CX, heavy and not an ideal gearing but may convert to 1x depending on how the first few races go.

One thing I do always try to splurge on and put a lot of thought into for all disciplines of riding is my tires. I have ruled a lot of options from reading threads like this and have kind of narrowed things down to the following tires and was wondering if anyone has ridden them and could share their thoughts on them. Super useful would be to compare them.

Considering the tubeless version of all of these, I'm <60kg so thinking I will probably want to run a really low pressure so the tires ability to run <25 psi pressures would probably be a consideration as well.

X-One Allround (was orginally looking at the Bite but read its overkill and rolls very slow)

Terreno Mix or Wet (maybe a combo of the 2, sounds like they inflate large and likely will on my 23 mm internal wheels but sounds like for my series that only an issue if you podium)

Terra S-Works (positive reviews on these an maybe they would actually be a legal width on my wheels?)

Challenge Limus (was originally thinking baby limus but from what I have read, I may actually want the full on Limus rather than Baby Limus or Grifo as a new rider expecting to mainly ride in damp to wet conditions).

Another tire I ruled out based on discussion was the All-Terrane which sounded like a good tread but was reported to be very unsupple compared to others.

Another thing I have noticed through reading is that it seems as compared to XCO a lot of CX people run a less aggressive tire in the front and more aggressive in the rear. Is this common, like if people mismatch they go more aggressive in the rear? For XCO I run the Ray/Ralph combo so more aggressive in front and also 2.35 in front with 2.25 rear, is it because the cornering is much slower in CX that you don't need a more aggressive front?

pb85
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2022 6:42 am

by pb85

Xone Allround is a great tyre but not for cx (I use it in my training set of wheel). It depends what condition are you going to ride. My favourite set I ride 90% of Cx races is Chicane in the rear and Baby Limus in the front- for dry or light rainy conditions. Second set is Limus front and rear but only for deep mud. Limus is rather slow to be universal tyre but very confident on mudy corners or mudy climbs.

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Fisherfreerider
Posts: 269
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:19 am

by Fisherfreerider

Unless you are riding in really sloppy mud the Limus will be overkill. It is the best mud tire available IMO, but takes a lot of watts to push if is dry or tacky. The Baby Limus is the best all around tread out there. I have personally never found a condition where a Grifo is good.

andrewbn42
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:32 pm

by andrewbn42

Baby Linus is much more versatile than Limus. It’s decent all around and better speed for sure. I would not recommend limus for anything but mud. No person with one tire should choose the limus. Terreno mix is quite versatile, and if you are in a series that measures tires, they make a 31 that might get you less than 33, though with a 23mm rim you’d be very close


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CrossRob
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 9:18 pm

by CrossRob

If you're going to be racing on wet grass or mud, you're going to be more concerned with cornering grip and traction than rolling resistance.

Baby Limus is a nice compromise and at your weight, you should be able to run it at low enough psi to deal with most mud.

I've been using Specialized Terras for the last few years in all but dry conditions and haven't felt the need to try anything else. On early morning damp grass that dries out as the lines develop, I usually use Terra on the front and Tracer (less grip) on the back. I'd rather have the back end give way before the front!

pb85
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2022 6:42 am

by pb85

I agree, Baby Limus is the best allrounder for one set of wheels for all season

liam7020
Posts: 1263
Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2010 10:04 am

by liam7020

Am I right in thinking that the Baby Limus is available in two tubeles versions - vulcanized and handmade? I'm assuming the handmade version offers a better ride and is obviously more expensive but is there much real difference in practice?
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FlatlandClimber
Posts: 2491
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:37 pm

by FlatlandClimber

I have had the S-Works Tracer and Terra on a ZIPP 25mm internal hookless rim. They are minuscule! Hardly 32mm.
Cervelo P5 Disc (2021) 9.1kg
Factor Ostro Gravel (2023) 8.0kg
S-Works SL8 (2023) 6.3kg

*weights are race ready, size 58/L.
Sold: Venge, S5 Disc, Roubaix Team, Open WI.DE, Émonda, Shiv TT, Crux, Aethos, SL7

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