Bontrager CX3 Team Issue TLR Cyclocross Tyres

Bontrager's CX3 TLR tyre comes with a 'Team Issue' tag and overall it works well as a cyclocross race tyre. There's good traction available in a range of conditions and tubeless means low pressures and no pinch flats.

I did managed to poke a hole in one of the sidewalls, and as usual there was a good deal of variance in the way the tyres sealed on different rims, but overall they're enjoyable tyres to ride and an option to consider for Sunday mornings in the winter.

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Built on a 120tpi carcass with an all-conditions tread and a tubeless-ready bead, the CX3 TLR is designed as a tyre for racing. Tubeless has a major advantage for 'cross: the lack of a tube means that you can't pinch-flat them against a root or a rock. That means that you can run lower pressures without risking a flat, and that means more grip and a comfier ride.

I'm a big lad (92kg) and the lowest pressure I can reasonably get away with on a tubed 'cross tyre is about 45psi in race conditions. I dropped these CX3s down to 30psi and the difference in the ride was chalk and cheese: much more supple over the rough ground and much better traction on loose terrain, especially when climbing. I found that the tyres tended to roll a bit in the corners when that soft so I ended up at 35psi front and rear.

When you're running lower pressures it's more important that the seal between the tyre and rim is good, so that you don't separate the two and burp air out. This has much more to do with the physical interface between the two components than the sealant: if the seal is tight, then it's much less likely to open up under load.

>>Read more: Buyer's Guide to Cyclocross Bikes

I had mixed results here. On one race on carbon rims (Reynolds ATR) I managed to lose a fair bit of air out of the front tyre. This was on the very hottest day of summer (a stupid time to be trying to race CX) so the rubber in the tyre was probably more pliable than it would be in the mud in winter; also on a bone dry course there's masses of grip, so the forces trying to pull the seal apart are greater.

Since then I've had them fitted to a set of alloy wheels (Zipp Course 30 Disc) and the results have been much better. I had to add some extra tape to the rim bed to stop the beads falling in to the rim well when I initially sealed them, but since then they've been impeccably behaved and stayed up through hits that would definitely have flatted a tubed tyre. Lots of them.

I managed to put a hole in the sidewall of one tyre, big enough (just) that the sealant wouldn't close it: probably a sharp flint. I patched the inside with a standard inner tube patch and it's been fine ever since, but it did ruin my unremarkable mid-table position in one race.

The tread pattern is not particularly deep or aggressive, and fairly open. It sheds mud well and is pretty good across the range of conditions you can expect, ie everything. It's not the best dry course tyre I've used, or the best mud tyre either, but if you're looking to fit a pair of tyres for the season and rock up at each race hoping they'll be okay for the conditions, they're a good choice.

Verdict

Good all-conditions race tyres that work well in the wet and the dry