Remember that Road Bike I had...

Well, it's now a mountain bike. Okay, in all seriousness it was always a cyclo-cross bike (the REAL hybrid bike), except now I have 40 mm tires that are ready to bomb the off road (expect a real review of these tires later next week after riding on em a bit more). If you too have recently purchased some wide knobby tires for your cyclo-cross bike here are some ways to enjoy them:

STEP 1: Choose the right route.

Choose both on-road and off-road, don't fear the hills!

Just because you have thicker tires doesn't mean you have to stick to only trails now. You're not really only a mountain biker! The bike is still light and has drop bars, so keep it on the road too before the trails! Show up those wimpy "weekend warriors" who drive their cars to ride their bikes, ride to the trailhead then ride it some more!

STEP 2: Choose the dirt.

Veer right, that pavement looks suspiciously easy.

Even though pavement is quicker, and you still can fly on it, take that single track! You'll get much more skill out of choosing the dirt, plus you'll have more mud to wash off your bike/yourself as you roll back into town.

STEP 3: Ride hard.

Little known fact, the larger the tire, the more dirt it likes.

Cyclo-cross is equivalent to hard tail. Just because you don't have those fancy shocks or absorbers or sponges or whatever you want to call them, doesn't give you an excuse to go over things slowly. Hit it hard! Take the downhills with vigor and attack those climbs like you never have before!

STEP 4: Remove that fender.

Hi, I'm mud, I'm here to make your day suck, or rule, but mostly suck.

Mud gets caught places. If you're riding a 40 mm tire on a cyclo-cross bike, chances are the clearance ain't much and mud likes to hide. It will hide in that nasty spot between the tire and fender and seize your whole rear gig, and it's not like you can just push it out with pedal strokes! You'll have to take off the wheel and scoop that hard muck out, no fun!

Hope you enjoy some wider tires soon on your trails! Tomorrow I'll give a full recap of this ride.