Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi All,

I've got a Giant Crosscity 1 2018 and it came with these "S-X2" tyres. What the hell are they? They are un-google-able.



I'm looking to replace them soon and to decide I'd like to know something about what I had on there before. I estimate I've done 5000 km and had zero punctures, so that is amazing and I'd like something with similar levels of protection.

So, does anybody know some specs for these, e.g. weight? What would be similar/equivalent on the market today?

S-X3 seems to be the replacement now.

Foo

Giant seems to have some strange ones like that.

My new Giant Roam 1 2022 (obviously current model) came with Giant Crosscut S 700c x 42mm tyres. These tyres also do not appear in any Google search - a few other flavours of Crosscut, mostly the ERT type (with "built-in" tube - AT, Metro, Gravel, Tour etc), but my Crosscut S take conventional Schrader valve tubes. I have even tried searching Giant USA and UK, and found nothing at all.

Giant also substituted the front air fork for something that "doesn't exist". The specs say it is supposed to be a Suntour NCX-D LO 700C Air (which does exist), but the bike arrived with a RST Volant Air. I can find a RST Volant (on the RST website) but it is described as a coil spring shock, not air.
I am a bit annoyed that they substituted a known shock for something that is unknown, and RST shocks appear to be at the cheap end of the spectrum (cheaper than Suntour). I don't think there is anything I can do about it though ?

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:13 am

...
I am a bit annoyed that they substituted a known shock for something that is unknown, and RST shocks appear to be at the cheap end of the spectrum (cheaper than Suntour). I don't think there is anything I can do about it though ?

You'll find somewhere buried in some document somewhere something like "Subject to change without notice".

What they shouldn't do is advertise one level of component and swap it out for an inferior level, but it can be hard to prove. So you are right, there is SFA that you can do about this 'substitution'.

Re the tyres/parts that are "ungoogleable" - many larger firms get suppliers to manufacture items specifically for them only, whether it is the same or really similar to something else, it will have a unique part number that can't be purchased by retail, as it is a manufacturer supplied part only

MichaelB wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:45 am

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:13 am

...
I am a bit annoyed that they substituted a known shock for something that is unknown, and RST shocks appear to be at the cheap end of the spectrum (cheaper than Suntour). I don't think there is anything I can do about it though ?

You'll find somewhere buried in some document somewhere something like "Subject to change without notice".

What they shouldn't do is advertise one level of component and swap it out for an inferior level, but it can be hard to prove. So you are right, there is SFA that you can do about this 'substitution'.

Re the tyres/parts that are "ungoogleable" - many larger firms get suppliers to manufacture items specifically for them only, whether it is the same or really similar to something else, it will have a unique part number that can't be purchased by retail, as it is a manufacturer supplied part only

Thanks Michael. That was my feeling about it - no less annoying though.

The jury is out on whether I really like the Crosscut S tyres or not (too early to tell), but if I did, it would seem that I would be unable to buy more which seems a bit odd. I would guess that Giant does not make their own tyres and gets someone to make them for Giant, which is fine, but since Giant lists several other tyres on their website, why not these ? My wife's Liv MTB has tyres that just say "Giant" and the size - they don't even list a name/model on the tyre, so who knows what they are ? Why go to the trouble of having a "special" Giant branded tyre that is only fitted in the factory and not sold retail (unless you know that it is a cheap and nasty POS that no-one will ever buy through choice . In which case why fit it to a bike and potentially damage the brand reputation through a poor customer experience - tyres are an important component on a bike and can influence the handling etc quite dramatically) ?

The simple answer to that is economics behind manufacturing.

Not only restricted to bikes, but anything. Same reasoning as to why you can't buy individual parts (in most cases) and many items are no longer 'repairable'.

Simple answer is consumerism and desire to get the best deal along with profits.

I had some Giant Crosscut AT1 that came on my Revolt Advanced 2.
I wouldn't go searching for them again.
Slow, heavy and rough riding compared to the Tufos that have replaced them.
Yes they appear durable though.

The bike rides so much nicer with a simple tyre change.

Have these on my commuter:
https://www.pushys.com.au/continental-g ... -tyre.html
would do again - light, fast, quiet, similar puncture protection to their other road tyres (never had a puncture with them). measure up slightly undersize so width shouldn't be a problem.

What Marty K said. Or Maxxis ReFuse
My current fave are panaracer pasella but they cost a bit more

Thanks for any concrete tyre recommendations, especially from somebody that updated their urban bike's factory tyre and found it better.

I might do 30% riding by some creeks/nature-reserve and a lake, which is gravel and dirt. The Conti. Grand Prix might be too slick for that?
I did consider going up from 32 to 35mm for comfort.

PeteAU wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 11, 2021 9:45 pm

I might do 30% riding by some creeks/nature-reserve and a lake, which is gravel and dirt. The Conti. Grand Prix might be too slick for that?

Only if there's wet grass...

warthog1 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:42 am

I had some Giant Crosscut AT1 that came on my Revolt Advanced 2.
I wouldn't go searching for them again.
Slow, heavy and rough riding compared to the Tufos that have replaced them.
Yes they appear durable though.

The bike rides so much nicer with a simple tyre change.

The Crosscut AT1 appears to be one of their ERT tyres with the built-in tube which seem to be heavier than the "normal" tyres without a built-in tube. I haven't heard great reports about them. At least Giant lists them so that some information is available, although in usual Giant fashion, there are no weights provided.

The Crosscut S that I have is not listed anywhere (that I have found) - looking at the treads of the S vs AT, the pattern seems similar, but the S doesn't seem as deep (less "blocky" pattern), and seems to ride reasonably smoothly (considering it is not a road slick - much smoother than the small block MTB tyres anyway). Short of taking one off to weigh it, I have no idea how heavy it might be ?

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 12, 2021 9:38 am

warthog1 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:42 am

I had some Giant Crosscut AT1 that came on my Revolt Advanced 2.
I wouldn't go searching for them again.
Slow, heavy and rough riding compared to the Tufos that have replaced them.
Yes they appear durable though.

The bike rides so much nicer with a simple tyre change.

The Crosscut AT1 appears to be one of their ERT tyres with the built-in tube which seem to be heavier than the "normal" tyres without a built-in tube. I haven't heard great reports about them. At least Giant lists them so that some information is available, although in usual Giant fashion, there are no weights provided.

The Crosscut S that I have is not listed anywhere (that I have found) - looking at the treads of the S vs AT, the pattern seems similar, but the S doesn't seem as deep (less "blocky" pattern), and seems to ride reasonably smoothly (considering it is not a road slick - much smoother than the small block MTB tyres anyway). Short of taking one off to weigh it, I have no idea how heavy it might be ?

Mine is a gravel bike.
I replaced then with Tufo gravel Thundero on the front.
Tufo gravel Speedero on the rear.
They weigh about 440gm in a 40c
The crosscut in a 38c weigh about 590gm

Anyway the crosscuts are slower, rougher and don't appear to grip any better despite more aggressive tread. They may be better in mud, but I am uninterested in mud.
They just went in the bin.
The bike is so much nicer to ride with better tyres I am interested in them.

PeteAU wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 11, 2021 9:45 pm

Thanks for any concrete tyre recommendations, especially from somebody that updated their urban bike's factory tyre and found it better.

I might do 30% riding by some creeks/nature-reserve and a lake, which is gravel and dirt. The Conti. Grand Prix might be too slick for that?
I did consider going up from 32 to 35mm for comfort.

They're fine on hard pack gravel, but can be sketchy on loose stuff. But probably not much different to any other 32 short of a cyclocross knobby. Not impossible to ride with attention and care, but you can't go into it without anticipating some loose handling.

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:13 am

I am a bit annoyed that they substituted a known shock for something that is unknown, and RST shocks appear to be at the cheap end of the spectrum (cheaper than Suntour). I don't think there is anything I can do about it though ?

GAAAHHHH! The cheapo Suntour forks are pretty awful. Now they've opted for something worse?

trailgumby wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:50 pm

GAAAHHHH! The cheapo Suntour forks are pretty awful. Now they've opted for something worse?

You are being generous there I reckon.
How do you define fork stiction?
The Suntour XCM forks on my Aldi mtb bso.

I've got a Giant Crosscity 1 2018 and it came with these "S-X2" tyres.

How much do you weigh?
Daughter has the same bike and tyres - same no flats in and around all the glass that is spread about Canberra -they seem good.
When they wear out will possible put on some Continental Top Contact II in 32 mm, they are folding and the more importantly they have reflective sidewalls - am 80kgs used these in Sth America but in 37-622 and was surprised how well they handled the shard like sharp stones & rocks - who needs to fight getting Schwalbe Marathons on and off when these are easy to fit, good to use and and and so easy to remove!!

trailgumby wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:50 pm

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:13 am

I am a bit annoyed that they substituted a known shock for something that is unknown, and RST shocks appear to be at the cheap end of the spectrum (cheaper than Suntour). I don't think there is anything I can do about it though ?

GAAAHHHH! The cheapo Suntour forks are pretty awful. Now they've opted for something worse?

To be fair, the Roam 1 (and 0) has the air forks which are a bit better than the cheapie 100mm coil spring forks found on the entry level MTBs. Still not exactly top-shelf though

Parts supply has been really effed-up the last almost two years, meaning bike manufacturers have often had to respec bikes due to what they can actually get in order to get them out to market. As mentioned earlier, there has always been the "subject to change without notice" caveat on bike spec lists, to cover the potential for an inability to source the intended bits.

As for "untraceable" bits like tyres or certain fork configurations, again as mentioned earlier they are often custom-spec (OEM) bits that are not available on the general market. Neither Suntour nor RST rate highly on the suspension radar, so the substitution of a RST fork in place of the originally-specced Suntour is more of a sideways step than a downgrade.

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 12, 2021 8:21 pm

trailgumby wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:50 pm

Andy01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:13 am

I am a bit annoyed that they substituted a known shock for something that is unknown, and RST shocks appear to be at the cheap end of the spectrum (cheaper than Suntour). I don't think there is anything I can do about it though ?

GAAAHHHH! The cheapo Suntour forks are pretty awful. Now they've opted for something worse?

To be fair, the Roam 1 (and 0) has the air forks which are a bit better than the cheapie 100mm coil spring forks found on the entry level MTBs. Still not exactly top-shelf though

.
Yep. I did say "cheapo Suntour". They seem to be making an effort to do better with their air forks, but not having ever ridden them, I'm in no position to make informed comment.

warthog1 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:42 am

I had some Giant Crosscut AT1 that came on my Revolt Advanced 2.
I wouldn't go searching for them again.
Slow, heavy and rough riding compared to the Tufos that have replaced them.
Yes they appear durable though.

I also have a Revolt Advanced 2. Heavy the Crosscuts might be, but I haven't upgraded from the 2+ kg wheelset yet, so they probably don't make much of a difference! After burning through WTB Riddlers in 3 months of 5km lockdown bubble and not being able to mount Gravel Kings on those hoops I went back to Crosscuts... the AT2 which has a wire bead. Durable they certainly are, and pretty good on the road and a variety of unpaved surfaces.

I don't spend $500+ a year on tyres for my car so I'm not disposed to spend that much on Riddlers or other fast-wearing tyres!

Audioio wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:00 am

warthog1 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:42 am

I had some Giant Crosscut AT1 that came on my Revolt Advanced 2.
I wouldn't go searching for them again.
Slow, heavy and rough riding compared to the Tufos that have replaced them.
Yes they appear durable though.

I also have a Revolt Advanced 2. Heavy the Crosscuts might be, but I haven't upgraded from the 2+ kg wheelset yet, so they probably don't make much of a difference! After burning through WTB Riddlers in 3 months of 5km lockdown bubble and not being able to mount Gravel Kings on those hoops I went back to Crosscuts... the AT2 which has a wire bead. Durable they certainly are, and pretty good on the road and a variety of unpaved surfaces.

I don't spend $500+ a year on tyres for my car so I'm not disposed to spend that much on Riddlers or other fast-wearing tyres!

It is a lot cheaper to upgrade tyres than wheels.
I haven't upgraded wheels yet either.
Imo the tyre upgrade will make more difference than the wheel upgrade.
The Tufo speedero on the rear and thundero on the front roll, ride and grip well. They appear to be wearing well too. Much faster and more pleasant to ride.
The crosscuts went in the bin the difference was so marked.

What is it that stopped you fiting the gravelkings? Unable to seat them?
I have 2 in the draw that will go on next. 700x38.
I have a 240volt workshop compressor that I used to seat the Tufos and plan on using that again on the gravelking SK's

warthog1 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:26 am

What is it that stopped you fiting the gravelkings? Unable to seat them?

Sorry, Warthog. I completely missed this at the time you posted it.

Yes, I couldn't mount them, even with a booster pump primed to 180psi and every trick on Youtube. They seemed to sit "floppily" around the valve stem and that's where air would leak out. No pressure would push them far enough toward the edge of the rims.

Audioio wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:18 pm

warthog1 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:26 am

What is it that stopped you fiting the gravelkings? Unable to seat them?

Sorry, Warthog. I completely missed this at the time you posted it.

Yes, I couldn't mount them, even with a booster pump primed to 180psi and every trick on Youtube. They seemed to sit "floppily" around the valve stem and that's where air would leak out. No pressure would push them far enough toward the edge of the rims.

Yeah I have a 240volt air compressor with a large storage tank.
Couldn't seat em with that either.
I googled seating them and found a you tube clip of somebody having trouble seating them.
He popped a tube in, seated them with that.
Unseated one side and removed the tube. Then used compressed air to reseat the one side that was unseated.
It worked for me too.

Found the tyres… some guy on Australian cycling forums is talking about them.