Puck90a

I live 4 miles away from work and thought a bicycle ride everyday could do me some good. I'm 28 years old, in decent shape, but could be better. But I also wanted to commute to feel less dependent on gas and a 2 ton oily hunk of metal.

I got a Schwinn Tourist hybrid a couple years ago at Target and now I'm putting it to use. I had to get a stem riser to make it comfortable to ride at my seat height. I've been commuting the past 2 weeks and I'm enjoying it, even in 96 degree heat.

I'm beginning to notice a few things I don't like about the Schwinn though. It feels a like a great bike and it's wonderful on smooth asphalt, but about 5% of my commute is on smooth asphalt. The rest is on cracked concrete and tons of pot holes. Lots of hills and curbs. Running 85psi in the 700x28c tires with the rigid aluminum frame is kinda miserable. I try to watch out for bumps, but not as much as I watch out for traffic. So it seems like the second I look up from the road to check for traffic, a pothole appears and I smack into it. BIG jolt to my shoulders, neck, and butt. There's one place where I can just about go the speed limit (30mph), and I did one day. Pretty fun, but hitting bumps at that speed felt down right dangerous. Seems like the bike could have jerked itself out of my hands (I don't go that fast anymore).

I've been looking into the Trek FX and DS series. I'm wondering if a front shock and bigger tires might do me some good, even though I LOVE the smooth skinnies on the 5% of my ride that is on smooth asphalt.

Here's a pic. Love how it looks, but it's beating me up a little. I may need to just man up and cope. I tried a seat post shock once but hated the feel of it. It seemed hard when I wanted it to be soft, and it seemed floaty and weird when I wanted it to be stable. I tried adjusting it, but meh. Maybe I would just have to get used to it.

dramiscram

Man up, princess!!! (bad joke, sorry)

I ride 700x23 at 110-115 psi on my 55 kms RT rural rode commute each day with a lot of pot holes, I don't like potholes but it's not a big deal for me. There's a way to 'absorb' the shock when you cannot avoid it that makes it no so bad.

The problem I find with bigger tires and suspension is the speed, it will make you slower but if speed is not a concern it will be more comfortable for sure

meanwhile

Ok -

- Decent shock forks are expensive and may throw off your bikes geometry; the sort of forks likely on a hybrid will repeat your experience with the seat

- Fatter tyres can eat shock, but your fork and chainstays will limit the width you can fit

- Tyres will eat relatively small shocks like the ones you are talking about better than even good forks - because tyres flex faster

- Fatter tyres don't have to be slower; you just need to pay for premium low-hysteresis rubber - go eg to Schwalbe's site and look at the speed ratings for tyres there

Your best bet is probably an all rigid mountain bike with fast geometry and fast +1.5 slicks. A cheap solution is to pick up a classic 90s race grade bike off ebay - I got a race grade Zaskar frame with ok components attached for about $300 last week in the UK; very tough, fast, agile, even lightweight. If a 1.5 slick wasn't enough suspension you could fit Big Apple balloon tyres - google for reviews, they're actually pretty fast and the shock absorb is just immense.

You could also try a better suspension seatpost - the only one I'd consider running would be a Thudbuster. But a Thudbuster and 28s is pretty insane - the whole idea of thin tyred bike with suspension forks and posts is.

Also: that front wheel has a very low spoke count! Especially if you're a heavy rider, I'd key an eye on it - check the spokes are all roughly equally tense by pinging them; spin the wheel upside down and watch the rim to see that it is still straight.

megalowmatt

My suggestion is try different/bigger tires but not the front suspension fork. Not all tires are created equal.

meanwhile

Actually you are being tough and slow rather than tough and fast. When the big European road races go over roads even fractionally that bad, the riders switch to specially built racing frames that can take wider tyres, or just cross frames, because 23s suck energy on poor road surfaces - they can't flex enough to absorb road variation, so pedaling energy is wasted. And pro riders only use 23s in the first place because they are moving at speeds where the slight aero reduction is worth the increase 23s bring in rolling resistance - for a sports even more like commuting, randoneuring, 28s and 32s have been proven faster.

Puck90a

I didn't mean put a shock fork on this bike - I was talking about maybe getting a Trek DS. But yeah, I could imagine it have a mushy feel similar to the shock seat post I didn't like. I'm not too worried about speed. And I always pedal sitting down at a medium cadence, so I'm not always mashing the cranks trying to maximize speed, so I'm not sure the shocks would cost me a whole lot of power. While I'm not worried about high speed, I don't want to feel like I'm pedaling through molasses either. I do like the high psi feel of skinny smooth tires and how they help me glide. That's why I was thinking about getting a DS with fairly smooth tires and high psi so I can still glide, but have a shock to compensate during sudden jolts. Just some 1.5 inch slicks may better serve my purpose, and I'll learn the route better.

The Schwinn tourist has a lot of fork and chainstay clearance from what I can see. I'm just wondering what the rims would accept.

Puck90a

Thanks for the tip. I will check on that. I weigh 130lbs btw

UberGeek

I feel your pain (Really, I do). Same bike, same types of road surface for my 5 mile commute.

Are you posting over the potholes, or sitting? Posting helps greatly with the "pain" of the potholes. I've been kicking around getting new wheels, with more spokes, as I figure the more spokes might absorb some of the road a bit better too (Not really sure if it works that way or not).

dramiscram

Thanks for the info, I bike a lot but I don't know much technicaly. I was refering to my personal experience: my winter bike is an old mtb with 26x1.75 and I'm much slower on that bike then on my road bike on 700x23. Next time I have to replace tire I'll check if I can fit something bigger on the bike.

nfmisso

Get a set of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Kenda-700X35-K...I3K0T6JZZA6ZDT

You will be amazed at the improvement. They are 35mm wide, and 42mm tall, with very hard, relatively smooth tread, and a nice flexible sidewall. They will fit your rims fine.

Puck90a

Well, it probably kinda comes down to me being a rookie too. I've always just ridden on bike paths and neighborhoods. I've never been out in traffic, so I'm trying to pay close attention to that. Also, road imperfections haven't been as much of an issue on bike paths, so I'm not real used to having to look out for that either, although I have been motorcyclist in my past. But motorcycles have suspension that helps some.

I feel like constantly dodging crap in the road is distracting. I try to keep an even cadence and be in the right gear, and keep an eye in the rear view, keep an eye out for spooky pedestrians, cars that are passing me, traffic lights, and if I'm constantly having to look at the ground to miss bumps and decide when I need to stand up or swerve or slow down, then I'm missing other important stuff. But maybe as I learn the road conditions better I won't have to pay as much attention to that and the bike will be fine.

jyl

Change to a larger tire, 35mm or larger if you can fit them, but leave room for fenders which you will want come fall/winter. I'd suggest going to a LBS for this.

On those larger tires, you can run much lower pressures which absorbs shock better.

See

https://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

Though I would run about 10 psi higher than recommended there, since you hit potholes a lot.

As you get more comfortable on the road, and get more familiar with the route, you'll hit fewer potholes and will learn to "ride light". Riding light means lifting your butt of the seat just a little, softening your arms and legs just a little, so that when the bike hits the bump, the bike moves freely without being jammed into the bump by your body weight. It also means lifting the front wheel just a bit when you come to the bump. And of course it means swerving around potholes when you can. On a route that you ride regularly, you will come to remember where the worst potholes are.

Puck90a

I just ordered a pair of the Kenda 700x35's that Nigel recommended . I like the looks of those tires. I bet that will help.

meanwhile

Well check, but in that case - do NOT worry! (I weigh 225lbs.)

I might have gone +40mm depending on the size of the cracks, but 35 will be a improvement. (What matters is the amount of air in the tube cross, which goes with the square of size - so 35 to 40 is a big increase in suspension. But 28 to 35 is a big jump too.) Play around with the pressure on them as they can be run 50-85 PSI: there will be more, suspension lower in the range, but they'll be slower there too. You have to find the sweetspot for your own needs.

Oh - and you might find shock less irritating if you use a handle bar with some sweep back to give a better wrist angle, eg Mary Bars



Changing bars shouldn't hard - as long as your cables are long enough for the new bars it's an allen key job. But Marys and similar bars do need a front loading stem - ie one where you remove a faceplate and insert the bars from the front.

meanwhile

I have a physics degree; my father managed a tyre plant. That's why I am so interesting!

The average 1.75 MTB tyre is a boat anchor. The legendary Avocet Cross slicks are back on sale - try those and a rigid fork. Or if you need grip for soft ground on your winter bike, mail me and I'll dig out some spreadsheets I have on rolling resistance for 26ers - even among premium offroad tyres drag can vary by a factor of two. A good MTB with the right slicks or even semi-slicks and a rigid fork can fly across bad roads. If you want to be a real winter badass you could go tubeless, lowering drag still more, and put dirt drops on the bike for aero.

deeth82

Not to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but I own the same model Tourist, and I highly doubt that V-shaped rim will accept anything as wide as a 32mm tire, much less a 35mm. It will probably only accept 28mm tops.

Since I'm much heftier than Puck (220lbs), I ordered these for a larger spoke count (they only really accept about a 25mm wide tire; MAYBE a 28mm...I ended up putting 25mm RiBMo's on them), and to better adjust to my height, I put on some beach cruiser bars from the parts bin. I hate to keep posting this pic, but here's my current setup:



A lot of your discomfort probably comes from A) being on an aluminum frame (they take bumps a bit more stiffly than steel), and B) being a "rookie" of sorts to riding like that. Not sure if you're able to dodge the potholes, as a lot of times riders get sort of pigeon-holed into those situations where it's either "eat pothole" or "eat car grill". For situations where I know the bumps will be bad, I usually lift off the seat a little and loosen my knees/ankles just a tiny bit to absorb the shock instead of tensing up. For what it's worth, part of my commute (about 1.7 miles of 7.5) is on roughly-paved gravel, and I feel the difference in every ride when I decide to take the Tourist over my regular steel Racer.

The Tourist is a decent bike with modifications, but lots of people L-O-V-E the Trek FX series.

meanwhile

That's pure superstition. Read

https://www.63xc.com/scotn/metal.htm

This is because there are other differences between the bikes - wheelbase, fork trail, tube diameter, tube wall thickness, fork design, rider position - not because one is steel and one is alu.

If the OP can't fit the 35s on her(?) rims - and it is very unusual for a hybrid to come with rims that don't allow the fork and stay width to be used - then I suggest he/she try lowering the pressure of the current tyres towards the bottom of their recommended range.

UberGeek

This brought to mind a page I recall reading about tire pressures.

At 130lb, you should be riding on the lower end of the pressure rating.

Puck90a

That's what I suspected, but hey, what do I know?

I'm not sure if it's too late to cancel the order, but it's been a while. They may have already been shipped.

I run the tires at 80psi. I like that partly because it goes faster, but I'm also afraid if I go much lower than that, I'll bump the rim, which I have done before in a bad pothole.

I donno though. I'm thinking the 35c might fit.

Dunbar

Even if the Tourist uses 622x15c road rims the 35's should fit. I do it my town bike with Shimano R500 wheels. Sheldon Brown's site says you should only use up to 32mm tires on 15c rims but admits that's being conservative.

Puck90a

I canceled the order. I just dropped the pressure in my tires down to 60psi (I should probably do something like 55 front 65 rear). I weigh 130, so it probably won't be a problem. That seemed to help, and I'm learning the route better. Had to drive around for work this morning. I ate lunch at my house and decided to take my bike to work in the scalding mid day heat and high wind. Not sure if the lower tire pressure had anything to do with it, but it was a hellacious ride.

UberGeek

Maybe. It's really a trade off: Lower rolling resistance vs comfort. Pick whatever one feels best to you.

dynaryder

I would be amazed if 28mm was as wide as those rims can take. As in,I think you're wrong.

Puck,look on your rims for a sticker that says "622x(n)". That second number will be your rim width. Compare it to this chart:
https://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_in...dimensions#rim

That will tell you what width tires your rim will take. Looks like you have plenty of clearance for 35's,maybe wider. My old Dr Good had an alloy fork;I went from 32's to 37's and it made a big diff.

As for the frameset,alloy frames aren't that bad,but straight blade alloy forks suck. Check your fork with a magnet;if it doesn't stick,your fork is alloy. I would first go with wider tires,but if that doesn't work,a steel or CF fork would help alot.

deeth82

If I'm wrong about the rim-to-tire ratio, I apologize. It just seems like a 35mm or even a 32mm wouldn't seat right with the proper size tube on that narrow/deep of a rim. I could most definitely be wrong, but mine came with some Cheng Shin 28mm's stock, and when I tried to stick some 32mm Kenda's on there, they just seemed too large. Who knows? if a 35mm will fit, it could make all the [comfort] difference in the world.

Puck90a

There's a sticker that says 700C/622. I read the schwalbe stuff and thought I would probably be ok with the 35s, but I think I was really probably just running a psi that was a tad higher than practical. I think I'll be okay with it the way it is. Thanks for the help guys.

Nice forum. Some forums are ghost towns but it seems pretty active here.