Originally Posted by
chas58
Weknowdis. However, if you are not doing nationals or Cat 1-2, no one cares. CX is laid back. Its much different than road. But again, I stated: "
UCI rules do not limit the tire width For CX races for anyone I know." Never had an issue with our races, and I've never heard of anyone here in the CX racing forum having a problem with tire size either. But yes, of course - at the higher levels things are going to get tighter.
@
LNKFixed could do a CAT5 with a mountain bike, and no one would care*. Gravel bike with 40mm tires - no problem. Just show up, run what ya brung, and have fun. Please, if I'm wrong - if you know of a CAT 5 race that limits tire size as you stated, show me the web site.
(*and read the rules just to make sure your race organizers are not unusually uptight for a CX race, lol).
This.
I've been racing CX since 2014 in a fairly large series in the midwest that has fields of 100+ racers. We have no rules on tire sizes. Run whatever you want. We see fat bikes and MTB's in the Cat 4 and 5 races every weekend, and there are a few MTBers that regularly podium in the Masters fields. That said, the majority of racers seem to stick to 33mm CX tires, though with the explosion (not literally) of gravel tire options I'm seeing more larger sizes at races.
Our series also overlaps with USA Cycling's Midwest Regionals and Illinois State Championship races. The 33mm UCI rule
may apply to those, but I've never noticed anyone checking tire widths. I have heard of checks at Nationals.
Here's what I found on our local series website:
Q: Can I use any size tire? I heard the UCI has a width limit.
A: All CCC categories are amateur races so you can race the tire that works best for you. If you are a pro your mechanic should have it figured out for you. If you’re on a fatbike and not in the Cat 4/5 race you may be “doing it wrong”.