Schwalbe X-One Allround tyres

Designed to offer off-road grip in mixed conditions and speed on the road, the Schwalbe X-One Allround is pretty much the perfect tubeless tyre for the privateer cyclo-cross rider. These provide decent grip in slick mud, but roll really well when the course is dry.

• Pros: A great tyre for the whole UK cyclo-cross season; easy tubeless setup; safe at low pressures
• Cons: I still prefer tubulars for pure racing; price is rather high

Cyclo-cross is a great way to have some fun in the winter while getting in a good workout. It can get rather pricey for equipment, though, so having one set of tyres that will allow you to race and also head out on the road helps. The X-One Allround is that tyre. I found these to be capable in all but the heaviest mud, but also happy to buzz along the road with ease.

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The Allround sits in the middle of the X-One range. You've got the Speed for bone-dry conditions and the Bite for the worst mud. The Allround leans a little more towards the Bite in design. You've got prominent knobs that are really soft and flexible. They're spaced closer together on the Allround, and there are more of them. The central knobs are shorter than those on the Bite and all of this combines to give you a tyre that is faster on drier courses.

In fact, this is a fast tyre in general and it doesn't lose much to a wider road tyre. I took this out on quite a few rides with a mix of tarmac, gravel, grass and muddy forest trails.

Before you head out on these tyres, you'll probably be wanting to make them tubeless. From flat, I was easily able to get them seated on some Prime Black Edition wheels and a set of DT Swiss rims. There's no fuss involved which meant I was straight out on the bike, not wasting time in the shed. Schwalbe's TL-Easy system works perfectly.

For my 62kg weight, I was able to run these down at 20psi with no issues. I could have nudged them down to 18psi, but felt that burping the tyre would be too risky. For general riding, I found the mid-30s to be a good sweetspot for mixed terrain.

Even down at those super-low pressures, I've had no punctures after bottoming out on some pointy rocks.

Having previously reviewed the X-One Bite Microskin, the Allround certainly feels fast and I think it's a better option for a full UK cyclo-cross season, especially if you've got a summer league near where you live. Sure, the grip in the worst mud isn't as great and these won't clear as quickly, but you can solve the first problem with careful pressure choice and line selection.

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The weight is still not as good as a tubular system but 340g isn't bad at all. The X-One Bites I tested were 378g each so there's a decent weight saving with these. Another option is the Challenge Grifo. These now come in a tubeless version, but if you're just racing then the much more supple 300tpi Grifo Pro clincher (£67) would be my choice with latex inner tubes.

I'd still pick my tubulars for racing, but the X-One Allrounds have certainly opened up my options for the 'cross bike. It's also clear that a good tubeless tyre like this is a much better option for a combination of racing and general riding.

Overall, they're a great option for a CX bike that you want to use for more than just racing. The grip levels are good in all but the worst (best for CX) conditions, they roll very well on the road and are easy to set up tubeless.

Verdict

Fast, grippy and easy to set up tubeless, they're excellent tyres and well worth the money