Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.RainmanP
11-21-03, 06:33 AM
I feel like I have come close to full circle in my commuting career. After a few commutes on my DAUGHTER's Sears "mountain" bike I bought a fairly inexpensive Giant Cypress comfort hybrid with wide tires. This worked great until I got the itch (see my signature). Over the next year I transformed the simple beast into a heavy road tourer type configuration with drop bars, STI, and narrowish 25 mm tires. As time passed I acquired more road bikes. Two I left pure road, but two older ones, including an old Trek 10-speed pulled from someone's trash pile as the truck was coming down the street. The Trek became my fixed gear bike. The other old bike was a road worn but sound Schwinn Voyageur true touring bike. That one became a single speed for quite a while and alternated with the fixie for daily commuting. These two wore 25-28 mm tires. All was well.
Then the itch came upon me big time a couple of months ago. Sometimes in winter my road riding buddies like to get on their mtbs and go off road a bit, but, alas, I have no mtb. But the old Schwinn has old centerpull brakes that will accomodate wide tires. I acquired a couple of 48 hole Mavic T519 rims on clearance dirt cheap, and one built up into a nearly bombproof wheel with an inexpensive freewheel hub. Slapped on a 5 speed freewheel, rear der, one downtube shifter, rear only, just one chainring up front, nice wide Specialized tires and voila, something approaching a simple cyclocross bike capable of some limited offroad horseplay. I am using 35 mm Nimbus and 38 mm Crossroads Specialized tires. These only moderately aggressive tires have similar tread configuration with a big almost continuous rim down the middle. I have always avoided wider tires like this because I didn't want the added rolling resistance or noise. To my surprise, I notice no difference at all in road resistance. Since these tires have 100 psi max they are good and firm, riding almost entirely on the "rib". Noise is almost negligible. As an added benefit, they give a much softer ride compared to narrower tires. With the already supple ride of a long lugged steel frame they eliminate or soften most bumps.
Fat tires GOOOD!
Rainman is a happy mad scientist.
Then the itch came upon me big time a couple of months ago. Sometimes in winter my road riding buddies like to get on their mtbs and go off road a bit, but, alas, I have no mtb. But the old Schwinn has old centerpull brakes that will accomodate wide tires. I acquired a couple of 48 hole Mavic T519 rims on clearance dirt cheap, and one built up into a nearly bombproof wheel with an inexpensive freewheel hub. Slapped on a 5 speed freewheel, rear der, one downtube shifter, rear only, just one chainring up front, nice wide Specialized tires and voila, something approaching a simple cyclocross bike capable of some limited offroad horseplay. I am using 35 mm Nimbus and 38 mm Crossroads Specialized tires. These only moderately aggressive tires have similar tread configuration with a big almost continuous rim down the middle. I have always avoided wider tires like this because I didn't want the added rolling resistance or noise. To my surprise, I notice no difference at all in road resistance. Since these tires have 100 psi max they are good and firm, riding almost entirely on the "rib". Noise is almost negligible. As an added benefit, they give a much softer ride compared to narrower tires. With the already supple ride of a long lugged steel frame they eliminate or soften most bumps.
Fat tires GOOOD!
Rainman is a happy mad scientist.