JohanOlivier Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 Hi,I am a newbie. I bought my MTB last year and I am LOVING it. I entered the Cape Town Cycle Tour (road race) and I am looking forward to it. I am not as fit as I want to be because I spent more time with our precious newborn baby than training. (diaper duty)So I want to do whatever I can to increase my chances of successfully completing the CTCT.I am contemplating fitting slicks with tubes onto my MTB but I am getting conflicting info from the guys around me. Some say I should go ahead and others say I should rather leave the "knobby" tyres on and just inflate it to 4bar.I am doing the Xterra light 2 weeks before the CPTC and I will need to "knobbies" for that event so I do not want to change the wheels unnecessarily. If I fit slicks I will have to do it a week before the CTCT race. If possible I also want to save on expenses. Most importantly, I want to make the CPTC race day as pleasant as possible for me. Can you please give me some advice? Is it worthwhile changing from knobbies to slicks and will the lessened resistance really help an unfit newbie like me or will I not really notice a big difference?(I am doing the road race not the MTB race.) thanks!!!!Johan
Boerklong Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 I have done it with both. Funny enough I did a better time with my mtb tyres, but then again I was better prepared. Slicks will roll easier and you will feel the difference. I am going with my crossmarks. Just check the max pressure your rims can handle as they normally cant take as high pressures as the tyres.
porqui Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 No brainer slicks. At least 15% less effort (kom stry nou)
Kalahari Vegmot Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 Get slicks. Will make a very big difference
s14phoenix Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 Get slicks. It is so much easier with slicks that you will actually enjoy it much more. but don't take my word for it. if you don't want to fit slicks then don't but then you WILL suffer more... sort of. Remember Rule#10,
Vetplant Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 Get Slicks, no question about it, definitely worth the investment. The effort to swap tyres is nothing compared to not being able to hang onto any group during the race and ending up doing the full course solo. You need to wheelsuck at every possible moment. If you were in PTA I would have gladly lended you my slicks for a week for you to feel the difference. Trust me, borrow a set from a fellow cyclist and then do a route with climbing and descending and compare the same route with your knobblies. You will be sold on the slicks. Plus a MTB with Slicks makes for a great commuter bike. I planned to get a spare set of rims to mount my slicks on, thus making the change easier, just haven't gotten around to it yet.
HOEKVLAG Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 It's really not necessary to get slicks - especially if you want to save some money. Of course they run slightly easier, but lots of people do it with MTB tyres. Over the last couple of years I've done 2 Jock's (160km on tar), 3 94.7's and a couple of other road races with MTB tyres. On a MTB the bigger concern if you want to stay in a bunch is running out of gears, hence if you want to race rather get a road bike. Otherwise, keep the knobblies, get a couple of friends together and go out and enjoy the day.
Mamil Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 I put slicks on my hardtail for my first argus last year and in the week before i was quicker on all my training rides. This year i have a road bike. If you are in ct i am happy to lend you the slicks i used.
Halfdoesyn Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 Get slicks. That's what I did before my road bike. After that, I got extra set of wheels because swapping tubeless knobblies is a PITA. PM me, I can hook you up with a cheap solution.
Kalahari Vegmot Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 It's really not necessary to get slicks - especially if you want to save some money. Of course they run slightly easier, but lots of people do it with MTB tyres. Over the last couple of years I've done 2 Jock's (160km on tar), 3 94.7's and a couple of other road races with MTB tyres. On a MTB the bigger concern if you want to stay in a bunch is running out of gears, hence if you want to race rather get a road bike. Otherwise, keep the knobblies, get a couple of friends together and go out and enjoy the day.So you've never tried them... Your stupid advise makes sense now...
usxorf Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 So you've never tried them... Your stupid advise makes sense now...There's a respectful way and then there's a baiting way to encourage discussion... You seem to be a master baiter. But I agree, slicks will make a big difference to an untrained rider.
HOEKVLAG Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 So you've never tried them... Your stupid advise makes sense now... There's a respectful way and then there's a baiting way to encourage discussion... You seem to be a master baiter. But I agree, slicks will make a big difference to an untrained rider.I've not tried slicks, but I have a road bike - which I used in races for a couple of years (and still do from time to time). I'm doing the CTCT on my MTB (on knobblies) this year - for various reasons - and I honestly feel that it is not only very doable, but it's going to be very enjoyable. Will it be easier on slicks? Definitely. Will you be able to complete it on knobblies and save a few bucks in the process (as the OP eluded to)? I would think so. If he can borrow a set of wheels/slicks it would be a win/win and this here hub would have added significant value - again. Also, in my experience, 4 bar is excessive - even when cycling on tar. I normally pump up the tyres to 2 bar on tar (1.7 bar for off-road conditions).
Patchelicious Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 I'm not joking about the road bike thing, if you are only going to do one road race, borrow a buddies bike.
Dubbin Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 If you run a tubeless setup on your MTB I wouldn't bother. Also if you run Maxxis Crossmark type tyre with a nice center groove. If you pump those up to 3 bar, they run real smooth. 4 bar is excessive for most MTB wheelsets. If none of the above, take up Mamils offer on the slicks. I also have two sets lying around somewhere that you can try if you have a lift going through Heidelberg to Cape Town.
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