Hybrid Bicycles - I'm getting another bike

My boyfriend has a kuwahara bike (I think it's a MTB) that he doesn't want and is giving to me. I have to replace the rear tire but it's in working condition besides that. I dunno the vintage and I have no photos yet but it's a mens style frame. When finances allow, I plan to hybridify it, if possible. :thumb:

My boyfriend has a kuwahara bike (I think it's a MTB) that he doesn't want and is giving to me. I have to replace the rear tire but it's in working condition besides that. I dunno the vintage and I have no photos yet but it's a mens style frame. When finances allow, I plan to hybridify it, if possible. :thumb:

just get some skinnier slick tires.

it has a weird tire on the back, I think you would call it "slick" dangerous for this constantly raining town. The front tire is the original one. He's trying to send me a photo so I can show you guys. He had it on this goofy trainer type of gizmo he never used so that's why he put a different tire on the back. Tires are stupid cheap at MEC in any case.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdycanadian/3897489520/

Sorry for the horrible photo, he's not into still photography like I am. I don't like putting that on my Flickr even lol.

I'm so excited. Even if it's a *** I don't care, another steed for my stable. :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdycanadian/3897489520/

Sorry for the horrible photo, he's not into still photography like I am. I don't like putting that on my Flickr even lol.

I'm so excited. Even if it's a *** I don't care, another steed for my stable. :D

course you'll need a big rear rack and huge cargo bag :)

Precisely. I hope it is capable of having a rear rack, I dunno yet. Plus fenders!

I like Kuwaharas, hope yours is in OK condition. Contrary to "common sense" slicks are not less safe than nobbys on wet tarmac. On gravel and singletrack they suck but in the city narrow slicks like Tom Slicks or Continental Sportcontacts are a much better choice than offroad nobbies IMO.

It used to have a rear rack, so I'm good there, dunno about fenders.

The bike shop he got the rear tire put on at told him not to use that tire in bad (heavy rain) weather and not to take corners too hardcore. Were they fulla crapola?

Yep, they know not of what they speak.

Slicks, or, semi-slicks, will be fine.

by the way - that looks like a fine candidate to hybridize.......

Exactly, my thoughts precisely. I can picture it with black fenders, rear rack, bike computer, a bell, lights everywhere all tricked out. I like black bikes. It's going to be badass. If only I had $$$ to do it sooner, rather than later.

I have found slick tires to offer much less traction on wet pavement compared to lightly treaded ones. Be extra careful on painted tarmac and metal grates and fast cornering, yes.

hmmmm

Maybe I'll take it to MEC and see what they can do.

it has a weird tire on the back, I think you would call it "slick" dangerous for this constantly raining town.


Slicks have better wet grip on the road than any other sort of tyre, all things being equal. See http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html. Bike tyres don't work like car tyres, which do need treads.

In fact off road tyres are dangerous on the road even when it is dry (same source):

Knobby treads actually give worse traction on hard surfaces! This is because the knobs can bend under side loads, while a smooth tread cannot.

The bending of knobs can cause discontinuities in handling; the tire grips OK for mild cornering, but as cornering force exceeds some critical value, the knobs start to bend and the traction suddenly goes to Hell in a handbasket.

Add wet roads to that and it gets much worse.



Tires are stupid cheap at MEC in any case.

Stupidly cheap tyres ARE dangerous on wet roads! Really. Cheap tyres are made from cheap low grip rubber compound. A good tyre is a crucial piece of safety equipment, will make your bike go faster, and have fewer punctures. If you don't which tyres are good, ask. But I'd suggest Rubino Pros for a hybridized MTB. If these are hard to find, than Marathon Pluses. Marathon Supreme's are great if you don't mind the price.

You should also switch to wet weather brake pads (Kool Stop Salmons) and check that your rims are alloy, not stainless steel, if you intend to ride in the rain. Otherwise your braking time will be about 4 times greater than it need be.

I have found slick tires to offer much less traction on wet pavement compared to lightly treaded ones.

That will be because the lightly treaded tyres you happened to try had a compound that had better wet weather grip than the pure slicks, not because of the tread itself. There's nothing wrong with light tread - ie grooves in a tyre - but it doesn't really do anything useful except sell the tyre, and perhaps provide a wear marker. From the Sheldon Brown again - always the first place to look for cycling advice -


Bicycle tires for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tires are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!

Unfortunately, most people assume that a smooth tire will be slippery, so this type of tire is difficult to sell to unsophisticated cyclists. Most tire makers cater to this by putting a very fine pattern on their tires, mainly for cosmetic and marketing reasons. If you examine a section of asphalt or concrete, you'll see that the texture of the road itself is much "knobbier" than the tread features of a good quality road tire. Since the tire is flexible, even a slick tire deforms as it comes into contact with the pavement, acquiring the shape of the pavement texture, only while incontact with the road.

People ask, "But don't slick tires get slippery on wet roads, or worse yet, wet metal features such as expansion joints, paint stripes, or railroad tracks?" The answer is, yes, they do. So do tires with tread. All tires are slippery in these conditions. Tread features make no improvement in this.


Although I wouldn't be so insistent on the "perfectly smooth" thing. Grooves don't hurt.

The other place to look for advice is the major tire makers' websites, especially Schwalbe and Continental. Obviously they hype their own tyres, but they do grade accurately inside their own ranges on eg speed, cost, wet grip, durability. So it's easy to find eg Schwalbe's best wet grip road tyres and then select either the fastest or the most durable of these.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdycanadian/3897489520/

Sorry for the horrible photo, he's not into still photography like I am. I don't like putting that on my Flickr even lol.

I'm so excited. Even if it's a *** I don't care, another steed for my stable. :D

Looks good, and it seems that the price was right.
If you must ride while using the stove, please be sure to wear protection. ;)

I have heard this very reasonable theory, but my experience is that smooth tires slide on wet pavement more than treaded ones. I'm currently using 26in Armadillos and 700c Gatorskins which are both basically smooth, I agree that the rain siping grooves add little to the grip. I'd like something with diamond pattern in the middle and close spaced diagonals on the corners, not because of scientific evidence, just because. I make do with what's available and reasonably priced. I should look into it further. Sorry for offering anecdotal advice.

Put Bontrager Race wheels on it and lets have a Death-Race on the Manhatta/West Side bike trail :giver::speedy:

or... yeah... you can hybridify it as a backup grocery getter :winter2:


No time to waste - im starting my training tonight:winter:

"Hybridify??" :eek:

:roflmao2: :roflmao2:

That qualifies as a new word! Let's all use it a lot and see it end up in Wiki! :twitchy: :lol:

I rode it home...it's awesome :D. I like the gear shifter thingies etc. Seems to be in good condition. Yippee!

Bike tyres don't work like car tyres, which do need treads.

That's truly amazing.

meanwhile apparently kicks ass, who knew?

Dear gods how I love this steed, I can almost feel that this is no dept store piece of **** but a well-made solid beast just screaming to be HYBRIDIFIED and cleaned up.

I like Kuwaharas, hope yours is in OK condition. Contrary to "common sense" slicks are not less safe than nobbys on wet tarmac. On gravel and singletrack they suck but in the city narrow slicks like Tom Slicks or Continental Sportcontacts are a much better choice than offroad nobbies IMO.
+1. For riding exclusively on pavement and in the rain, slicks are my preference.



I rode it home...it's awesome :D. I like the gear shifter thingies etc. Seems to be in good condition. Yippee!
It's really important to have shifter thingies that you like. :thumb:

:D took me a few minutes to figure them out, the left gear shifters don't seem to do anything...

I have heard this very reasonable theory, but my experience is that smooth tires slide on wet pavement more than treaded ones.


It isn't a theory. Read the link. Millions of dollars of test have been done - this is a key safety issue for motorcycles and aircraft.



I'm currently using 26in Armadillos and 700c Gatorskins which are both basically smooth


Two of the worst choices you can make for wet weather, according to my memory! Spec tyres in general tend to be nasty in the wet - the Fat Boy is awful. My theory is that they test in some US desert...



, I agree that the rain siping grooves add little to the grip. I'd like something with diamond pattern in the middle and close spaced diagonals on the corners, not because of scientific evidence, just because. I make do with what's available and reasonably priced. I should look into it further. Sorry for offering anecdotal advice.

Go to Schwalbe's website and check out their tyre ratings for wet grip. The Marathon Extreme (mild "non-walking" road safe grip) adventure tyre is probably *the* best tyre for wet grip, but it costs about the same as two decent ordinary tyres. Probably a brilliant choice for a bike that has to handle well on road and for light to moderate off road - I'll probably be putting a pair on my 26'' crosser/mtb.

Oh well - back to my girlfriend's swine flu..

your gf has h1n1? Dude, hope she's gonna be ok.

your gf has h1n1? Dude, hope she's gonna be ok.

She'll be fine, I'm sure. I've just arranged to pick up flu meds.

Re tyres, Schwalbe's ratings chart:

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires

Obviously, choose a tyre that has 4 or 5 marks for grip and either a + or ++ for wet conditions.

Automobile tires need specific tread patterns to push out water that could cause the vehicle to hydroplane... you cannot ride a bicycle fast enough to create this effect.

Armadillos are among my least favourite tires... puncture protection aside, they are heavy, have too much rolling resistance on dry pavement, ride quality is poor, and they suck when it is wet.

My Schwalbe Marathons and Hurricane mtb tyres are great in the rain.

Armadillos are among my least favourite tires


Plus it's cruel!

MEC doesn't carry schwalble (I checked their website) so if the price is right, I'll get them at a different LBS.

MEC doesn't carry schwalble (I checked their website) so if the price is right, I'll get them at a different LBS.

If they carry Continental or Michelin or Kenda, then check those company's sites for tyre guides too. Schwalbe probably make *the* best general purpose tyres if you're willing to spend on Supremes or Extremes, but the tyres below that level aren't significantly better than the other top brands' - as long as you pick the tyre that matches your needs.

Two of the worst choices you can make for wet weather, according to my memory! Spec tyres in general tend to be nasty in the wet - the Fat Boy is awful. My theory is that they test in some US desert...

I've had good luck with All Condition Sports,Nimbus,and Infinitys,but I've always used the plain Flak Jacket models.


Go to Schwalbe's website and check out their tyre ratings for wet grip. The Marathon Extreme (mild "non-walking" road safe grip) adventure tyre is probably *the* best tyre for wet grip, but it costs about the same as two decent ordinary tyres.

My Marathon Supremes are ridiculous in the rain. I once got the rear tire off the ground coming down a hill in the rain and the front just bit in without sliding. They're like sportbike radials.

I've had good luck with All Condition Sports,Nimbus,and Infinitys,but I've always used the plain Flak Jacket models.


I'd forgotten the Nimbus - the ones I rode years ago were fairly good rain tyres.



My Marathon Supremes are ridiculous in the rain. I once got the rear tire off the ground coming down a hill in the rain and the front just bit in without sliding. They're like sportbike radials.

That really is amazing. I'm having such a hard time choosing between Supremes and Marathon Extremes (same compound, but with a bit more grip for offroad) for my two bikes. And possibly 1.5 Rubino Pros for the 26''.

LOL I'm trying to figure out how to get the Kuwahara AND the asama to LBSes tomorrow. Bar ends came in for my Asama today (thanks LEs!) I would like to at least swap the tires and put fenders (plus get the brakes fixed) on the Kuwahara.

meanwhile apparently kicks ass, who knew?

Yeah, but when it's your ass he's kicking, doesn't feel so good. Haha

Meanwhile, keep bringing it, good stuff.

The fatboys you mention are what turned me off the the slick tire thing so many years ago.

Took the Kuwahara into MEC today (took the bus home when the Asama was getting bar-ended.) The gears aren't working quite right, there's some play in the bottom bracket (can be adjusted) and the front wheel has a little play but a tune, some cable replacement, greasing etc will probably get the bike working better than it does now. I'm getting some inexpensive but pretty robust tires put on (talked to the bike mechanic about different tires etc, I went cheaper for now.) rear rack, plastic fenders (the labour to put on the hardcore metal ones is OUCH!) drink cage, front and rear light. It needs one new inner tube too. All in all, the guy said for a free bike, not bad at all.

Gonna cost me somewhere around $100, which I can live with, gonna be a great B bike.

I can second ( third? ) the recommendation for Marathon Supremes, but the price is a bit on the silly side. If your rims are wide enough, 19mm at least, consider Schwalbe Big Apples, they grip almost as well as the Supremes, and are even cushier. The price is slightly less ridiculous as well.

I can't swallow the cost of those right now, I went with stupid cheap but meaty tires, hopefully they'll do the job for now. I hope they can get the gears to work right and get the slight wobble out of the front tire.

IIRC the bearings are fine, um the one in the handlebar tube is fine (I forget the technical names, sorry) so all in all, could be a lot worse.

Gonna be several days before I get her back, so be patient for photos, eh? :)

Get some Schwalbe Fat Franks and hybridify the rest. You will get a Retrovelo Paul at a much lower cost! :thumb::)

Wassa Retrovelo Paul?