As the newest offerings in their TCS (Tubeless Compatible System), WTB is entering into the world of cyclocross with the ChrisCross rim and Cross Wolf tire. The rim is named for product manager Chris Feucht, after he wanted them on his bike badly enough to over see the project from start to finish. “Cyclocross needs tubeless, so I walked this rim from concept all the way to production, hence ChrisCross. Plus, it pays homage to one of my heroes, Chris Chance, who had a bike called the Chris Cross back in the day,” said Feucht.
When the Cross Wolf is paired with the ChrisCross, riders will have a raceable tubeless cross set up straight from WTB.
The ChrisCross i19 700c TCS rim boasts much of the technology found in other WTB TCS rims including 4D angled drilling, their WT-69 Alloy construction, and a machined braking surface. To keep the tire solidly on the rim even at low pressures, the ChrisCross has UST compliant bead hooks which mate perfectly with the Cross Wolf’s UST Compliant bead shape. The rim is 19mm wide internally, weighs in at 435g, and is currently available in 32 hole rims that retail for $75.
Certainly more of a damp to wet conditions tire, Feucht states, “The center ramping and linking really helps with speed over hard conditions. Piercing intermediate knobs and reinforced side supports help when things get sloppy or when setting up for a turn in dynamic conditions. Versatility with a healthy dose of bite is a great way to describe the Cross Wolf.”
Offered only in a UCI friendly 700x32c size, the dual compounds uses 60a/50a Dual DNA rubber for a harder wearing center and better grip for the cornering knobs. The Cross Wolf wieghs 360g for a 32mm tireand will retail for $54.99.
