Setting up carbon wheels for cyclocross is very different from what we normally choose for road or mountain biking. Inflation pressure isn't the only difference: we asked the mechanics of the Selle Italia Guerciotti Elite UCI cyclocross team for some tips on the best possible setup. Find out with us!
Cyclocross is a discipline that cyclists are increasingly enjoying , but about which there is still little knowledge in Italy. Currently, cyclocross remains a niche activity, reserved for a select few, or which some begin in the winter as training for the following year's road events. Therefore, we decided to present you with this article, which features relevant technical insights from Luca Damiani , mechanic for the Selle Italia Guerciotti Elite UCI cyclocross team . This team has been the Italian benchmark for cyclocross for over forty years, and this year it has also been competing against the best teams in the world in the Superprestige category. Luca follows Gioele Bertolini and Jakob Dorigoni on every trip to the extremely challenging Belgian and Dutch courses: who better than him to explain how wheels are prepared for this specialty?
Carbon cyclocross wheels: are they really the best solution?
Luca: "Of course, the Selle Italia Guerciotti Elite team switched to carbon rims several years ago, and we use them regularly on every track. You might think that carbon is a sensitive material for the type of courses you see in cyclocross, but that's not actually the case. In fact, the choice of carbon wheels satisfies a purely technical need. Can you tell me what that is?"
Us: “Some might say that carbon wheels are lighter than aluminum ones and therefore lend themselves well to cyclocross, an activity involving constant relaunches and where the bike must be carried on the shoulders of the athletes at certain moments.”
Luca: “That's certainly true, but I'd rather say that carbon offers the best possible compromise between lightness, strength, and rigidity. As we know, rigidity is crucial for achieving the best performance on a bike. This is also true for cyclocross; wheels must be able to form a single system with the bike, offering the right amount of rigidity to avoid losing pedaling power. For this reason, we always ask for hubs with thru-axles, which make the wheel more rigid and stable. This allows for precise steering, especially when cornering. Another important point is the rim profile height, which must be high enough to avoid getting completely stuck in the mud we find on more extreme routes. We've been very happy with the Miura TS37 Evo Disc , 37mm rims that have proven to be incredibly durable so far. You at Ursus know this well; over the course of a season, you may receive one or two pairs that need replacing... This is truly rare, considering that every week, all five of our team members compete at the highest levels. Excellent for performance and reliability. ”
These carbon wheels are disc brake ready, a real standard for cyclocross, right?
Luca: “Absolutely. If we used normal cantilever brakes, mud would collect on both the pad and the arch , making braking ineffective. In this respect, we're very similar to mountain bikes, where disc brakes are normally used. With this type of system, braking is applied directly to the hub instead of the often-wet braking surface. It's a matter of safety, but also of the bike's overall performance. In fact, if you over-brake, you could lose seconds, which in cyclocross, as in all competitions, are invaluable.”
Luca, you talked to us about performance: can you reveal some technical tricks for getting the most out of cyclocross?
Luca: “Well, let's just say that on cyclocross tracks, it's crucial for the wheel system to provide excellent grip. To achieve this, we need rims with a fairly wide internal channel, suitable for mounting tubular tires , which are inflated at a much lower pressure than road tires, thus providing a larger surface area in contact with the ground. If we used a narrower channel, we'd have problems with the tire's grip, which would risk peeling off, especially when cornering. Another reason we use low inflation pressures (from 1.1 to 1.8 bar) is that it allows us to use the tires to absorb the bumps on the tracks. You know how mountain bikes have one or two shock absorbers? Well, in cyclocross, the bikes are very stiff, and we developed this system to make the ride slightly more comfortable.
Conclusion
In this article, we've explored the best wheel setup for cyclocross, according to the mechanics of the Selle Italia Guerciotti Elite team. The profile outlined by Luca Damiani perfectly matches our Miura TS37 Evo Disc , a product developed and updated over the years thanks to Ursus' experience as the Italian team's technical partner. Discover it in the shop!
MIURA TS37 EVO DISC
