Williams has brought to market a cyclocross specific tubular wheel set that is a strong performer yet durable enough for even the most aggressive Clydesdale. The wheels are built with stout 14 straight gauge spokes: 2-cross lacing on the front and 3-cross on the rear. The semi-aero, aluminum rim is robust, benefiting from a simple tubular cross section. The rims are completed with a brilliant white paint scheme, and their `cross-specific pedigree is emphasized by bold decals.

Cyclocross in July? Sure, it’s been done before in densely-populated New Jersey. But at a resort in Central Washington, a good 90 minutes from the closest major city? It seemed like a harebrained idea by the folks at Raleigh that had little chance at drawing out all but the most hard-core cyclocrossers.

Like the Cinder-X, the CrossBlaster has a versatile tread that does well on all types of terrain, but its narrower width handles grass better than its bigger brother.

The beauty of clincher tires is that changing tires is a snap. Plan to hit the dirt on the cyclocross bike? Got a dirt or gravel road on your commute?

UPDATE: 8:00 PM Russell Stevenson wins, Zach McDonald takes second, with Craig Richey in third. Russell takes the cash prize, the Raleigh RXC Pro bikes, …

Raleigh goes from making one cyclocross frame to an impressive eight models in 2012.

Schwalbe’s CX Pro Sport is one of the few ’cross tires available for 26 inch wheels, making it a great choice for mountain bikers looking to try out cyclocross, or for a 26” wheeled ’cross bike.

It’s a cx-ers Midsummer Night’s Dream: a cyclocross race in July! Raleigh sponsors (and offers huge prizes) at Midsummer Night’s Cross in Washington State.

With a similar tread to the Challenge Grifo, the Vittoria XG Pro has a universal tread pattern that’s been proven over the years.

The Hutchinson Piranha is currently only one of three ‘cross tires officially made for tubeless use, but you’re able to run the tire with a conventional tube as well.

Michelin’s Mud2 replaced the famous green Mud tire six years ago with an updated black tread and sidewalls, but not everyone thinks the changes were upgrades.

The Steve Larsen-designed Mimo CX looks like an old Vittoria Tigre on steroids and LSD. The round knobs vary in size and surface, with ramped center knobs surrounded by small, smooth knobs and flanked by rows of medium- sized knobs with X cutouts.

The Kenda Kommando was the biggest surprise of this group. With such an understated tread and small, short knobs, this tire is fast and begs to be raced on a dry grass or hardpack dirt course.

Specialized has been working on a new line of cyclocross tubular tires for several years now, and with input from riders like 2010 National Champion Todd Wells, it developed several prototypes last season. The Specialized Tracer cyclocross tire comes in three configurations: the 290tpi, 423g Tracer Tubular, the folding 282g Tracer Pro clincher, and the Tracer Sport wire bead clincher (weights are average of early prototypes, as measured by Cyclocross Magazine) . All three models are listed at 33c to fall within UCI regulations. Our early tubular versions measured out at 32c, and Specialized informed us that the production versions will have slightly larger casings.

Tired of black tires? How about red, blue, or pink? That might be enough of a selling point for some. But rest assured, this miniaturized version of Panaracer’s Fire XC-Pro tire isn’t just designed to look pretty.

The Raze is Maxxis’ newest cyclocross tire. At a svelte 322 grams and with a versatile tread, it’s well-suited for many types of courses and terrain.

n Transitions, the ’cross movie, we witness former pro and former Hutchinson guy Marc Gullickson clipping some of the knobs off his old Hutchinson clincher before a race to get ready for the “peanut butter” mud he expects to encounter. Perhaps the Bulldog is the type of tire he was trying to create at the time.

A tread that’s been around longer than most ‘cross racers has gotta be pretty good, and these “open tubular” Challenge tires, sporting the legendary Clement tread, are great all-around tires that can handle most conditions well.

Continental adapted its popular Speed King mountain bike tire for ’cross, and it’s easy to see why this tread has been popular in the fat tire world.

This is the big brother of the CrossBlaster. If you race mostly deep grass courses, the Cinder-X is not the tire for you. But if you ride and race your bike on a mixture of surfaces, this tire could be an ideal choice.

The Ritchey Excavader is aptly named, as this tire digs into the soft dirt really well. On the pavement, the tire rolls quite smoothly, thanks to its semi-continuous center tread.

Tire Review: Maxxis Locust Cyclocross Tire Review Racing and Riding Impressions: Like the Kenda Small Block 8, the Locust is a great ’cross tire for …

WTB has created an aggressive ’cross tire in the Cross Wolf, and the tread excels in rougher conditions found in WTB’s NorCal backyard.

Cyclocross Tire Review: Michelin Jet Cyclocross 700x30c Clincher Riding and Racing Impressions: The Michelin Jet replaced the well-loved green Michelin Sprint cyclocross tire, and like …

The Ritchey Speedmax is a time-tested design and has been around longer than any other clincher tire in this test. There’s a good reason for that, as it’s a fine choice for fast, dry courses, especially as a rear tire. The low profile center tread grips grass, dirt, and pavement well. Cornering traction is very good thanks to the raised knobs. The Speedmax does better as a rear tire, and when things get muddy or loose, reach for a different tire. The Speedmax is also available in 35 and 40c widths.

It’s a popular belief that if you can upgrade only one part on your bike, it should be your wheels. There are a lot of good reasons behind this, as wheels have a profound impact on predictable handling, braking, acceleration and even coasting. In cyclocross use, we’d argue that most of these variables are exaggerated when compared to road cycling and that upgrading to a new set of wheels for cyclocross is even more justified.

Cyclocross Wheel Review: Zipp 303 Carbon Tubular Wheelset

Rolf Prima VCX Cyclocross Clincher Wheelset Review

The Ibis Hakkalugi disappeared, went on a crash diet, got a new wardrobe, but is still waiting for your next cyclocross adventure. The two standout features of the bike have got to be the handjob rear cable hanger and “Phlegmish” paintjob. Ibis shows its mountain bike heritage in the frame’s geometry, with a slightly sloping top tube, bottom bracket a bit on the higher side (6.2cm drop) and slacker angles (71.5 head angle, 72 degree seat angle on our 55cm test bike).

Kona gets single-minded with the scandium Major One. The Major One singlespeed cyclocross bike, at $1099 retail, is a capable allaround workhorse of a bike and a great way to try the fun of singlespeeding.