Let’s talk about the best tires and wheels for crits. I’m around 170 and am currently on Open Pros laced to Ultegra hubs. How are those for wheels? If I had to upgrade, what should I look at? Anything that Neuvation has that would rock for crits (I ask because I’m on a budget).
As for tires, I’m probably going to go with Pro Race 3s unless someone tells me they suck for crits and I should go with something else.
For the most part I’ll be racing on pavement that’s as smooth as a baby’s butt, but occasionally I’ll race on some streets that have some nasty bumps, whumps, potholes, and manhole covers. Open Pros can hit those at full speed and not get destroyed, but would another wheel be better for this type of terrain?
I’m dumb when it comes to wheels and tires. The only wheels I’ve known are the Alex rims that came with my bike (total shit and I was popping spokes after the first 6 months) and my Open Pros that replaced them (super durable and have yet to need to touch a single spoke…I’m not sure about the weight, or if that even matters on a flat crit course). As for tires, I’ve always run either Armadillos or GatorSkins, so I’m hoping that the switch to Pro Race 3s on race day will be holyshitthesegriplikecrazysuperfuckingawesome.
So talk to me about wheels and tires for someone who weighs around 170 and rides a (mostly) stock aluminum Specialized Allez. Oh, I’ll be adding latex tubes for race day. I’m guessing the best bang for the buck for performance will come from race rubber, but if you know differently, I want to hear it.
Specialized Allez Elite
Mostly 105 (ultegra rear der)
Compact cranks
12-26 9spd
open pro - ultegra
probably going to go with Pro Race 3s unless someone tells me they suck for crits
PR3’s are pretty soft, and sticky in dry conditions, and wide, so they work well for cornering, but they tend to get cuts faster than my PR2’s. Your wheels are just fine for the run of the mill industrial park crit, and rolling road races.
I’d say you actually have the perfect crit wheels: Open Pro with Ultegra hubs. Don’t worry about them. PR3s are a very good all around tire as they are pretty soft as was mentioned - I’ve been through a few sets already on my roadie and I’m still using an old PR2 on my TT disc wheel (clincer) for 2+ years!
Ha, Ha. Great. As i posted, I wondered if you’d chime in. Unfortunately, there is no track in town, or even in the state. Atlanta does have one, and I may need to make at trip over there. But from what I recall of your posts or your blog or whatever I read before, it takes several sessions before you’re ready to race. But what the heck, even to ride around a track one day in a beginning lesson would be awesome.
Careful with changing tires on raceday as you run risk of bead/pinch flatting, especially with latex tubes. Check em good.
x2. Check them and then check them again. Ideally, get a training ride in after the change.
That setup’s good to go (bombproof, but not overly heavy). Crits = crashes so you don’t want to crack expensive carbon wheels in a pileup (they can be kid of fragile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT7f6Ac3FHI ). If you’re going to go hard core into crits, look at getting some tubulars; they’ll corner better than clinchers.
Solid wheels, in terms of Tyres you’re solid. if it’s wet, you could consider getting michelin’s Pro Grip 2 or 3’s they’re a bit grippier in the wet conditions. I currently am racing crits with Xero X-Lite 1 wheels with Schwalbe Stelvio tyres on and that set up has done me justice (raced my last 3 crits of the year with them and got a 4th, solo breaked at the end and ended up leading out a teammate to win the bunch sprint for second, as one guy had slipped away with 15min to go and people forgot about him, and then a 2nd place finish in my last crit (1inch from victory, 1 inch ahead of my teammate in 3rd). Before that I ran PR2s and raced the whole season with them (a wet year for races here) and had no crashes.
Don’t waste nice carbon race wheels on crits unless you’ve got wicked sponsors who will replace them for you if you break them in a crash, just stick to bombproof training type wheels.
