GamJams Review Winter Training Tires (Assortment)

The first tire we'll look at here is the Vittoria Cross XG Pro. These are currently rolling on my multi use Velocity rims. I use them as my pit wheels/tires and for weekly training rides. They have a really cool silver tread and black sidewall. I just recently used these on the infamous Saturday morning Contes ride at the beach. I pumped them up to 60psi and they rolled rather nicely, and I never got dropped by the roadies! So, they roll very well on the road although by looking at the tread pattern, you'd think the opposite.


With this tread pattern, you can run the tire in either direction depending on what you're looking for. If you go with the middle arrows pointing forward, you will have the go fast option. I go that way in the front and run it the other way in the rear for traction.
Just lastnight I used these tires on our Wednesday night ride from the Norfolk Contes to Ipswich (trails) and back. It's a varied suburban ride with lots of road and bridges and some killer trails right in the middle of the ride. I failed to check my psi before the ride and did it with the 60 I had from Saturday. That was great on the road sections, but kind of a rough ride in the highly technical trails. I was bouncing off of the roots, and losing traction on turns. I wouldn't say this is the tires fault. You shouldn't be in the trails running that high of a psi!!!

The Specialized All Condition Pro tires have been used by me for just about a year. I picked them up last year as my winter road tire. Due to budget restraints I kept using them all year!!! They match my Slingshot CX bike so well that I think thats the main reason for the purchase.

Anyway, they seem to roll very well in all conditions and in severe cornering they have some very tiny knobs for added traction. They work most excellent in the rain! I had one incident where I cornered hard and fast in a parking lot and slid out on my hip for like 20 feet but I chalk that up to that particular parking lot being slick as hell when wet! (It was my good hip!)

As you can see theres still some life in them. I've noticed a bit of cracking forming like dry rot in the tires which I'm not too happy about. But I don't recall any flats while using them. They come in all kinds of color combos that will more than likely match what you've got.

Vittoria Cross XN Pro ---Both Vittorias were reccomended by Daniel Dalton. These I must say are the funnest most versatile tire I have! At home in any terrain, and suprisingly well in all of them. I've used these on Danbo's famous Ironcross training rides up in New Kent county which is chock full of varied content from road, crush and run, to dirt. These tires rock! They're not Ironcross worthy in my book though. And be careful with these, they wear out rather quickly on the road...

What review wouldn't be complete without talking about my tried and true race tires? The Tufo tubulars have done me right for the past 3 seasons (cx that is). No clincher even comes close to the feel of a tubular. I typically run these at 25 to 30 psi which provides me with a form of suspension and wicked traction with no chance of pinch flatting. This current season, I decided to glue the tires on myself. I found it to be very easy and take note of the clean glue job.

Whatever brand you go with cross tires, tubulars are the way to go! I use tubulars as road race tires too. All on Ksyrium SL's

The tried and true Maxxis Raze! These are my all time favorite corss tire period! I got these just before they were released here in the states from the Maxxis team truck at Wissahickon. They put a lot of work in the design of these tires. The row of knobs along the center line allow you to roll un interupted and the more aggressive knobs along the side ensure that off camber sections and turns will be slip free. This is the ultimate Ironcross tire, and all around CX tire. Works very well on and off road.
These are worn down more than 50% but are still riding really well. I'm not a big fan of buying semi-slicks when my half worn tires can be my semi slicks. I will be buying replacements of these for the next season.

These are my first cross tires. The Maxxis Locust. They work great on the road with those 6-pack blocks of knobs. But when things get wet watch out, they load up like crazy and don't shed the mud at all. I think the Raze model evolved from these.
And that wraps up my winter tire review. I was gonna just do the road tire, but thought that cross tires are used during the winter too so why not. Hope you enjoy it, and feel free to ask questions if you have any. And check GamJams atleast every week for all things cycling!