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Smoothing out a ride

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Old 09-11-11, 08:51 AM
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Smoothing out a ride

So I just got my Dawes SST Al set up yesterday and went for a ride and was surprised at just how harsh the ride is. It has a carbon fork and 700X25 tires so my thoughts were either go down to 23 tires or maybe a carbon seat post(I've found them on ebay for 50-100 dollars)

Which is going to net the best smoothing for the dollar? Or should I just HTFU and drive on?
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Old 09-11-11, 09:27 AM
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Smaller tires will have the opposite effect. Might want to drop the air pressure a bit on the 25s.
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Old 09-11-11, 11:44 AM
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Dropping your tire pressure is the best way to smooth your ride and it's free!
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Old 09-11-11, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by jduvall
So I just got my Dawes SST Al set up yesterday and went for a ride and was surprised at just how harsh the ride is. It has a carbon fork and 700X25 tires so my thoughts were either go down to 23 tires or maybe a carbon seat post(I've found them on ebay for 50-100 dollars)

Which is going to net the best smoothing for the dollar? Or should I just HTFU and drive on?
What are you comparing it to?

What tire pressure do you use?

How much do you weigh?
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Old 09-11-11, 04:26 PM
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Cheap aluminum frames are usually incredibly harsh. A carbon seat post would be a great way to throw away money. The other guys are right though - tires are the answer. Try running lower pressure, just don't go so low that you end up destroying your rims. Bigger tires have more air volume and can run lower pressures more safely, so you could try to fit some 28s on there but you will be limited by how much clearance your frame and brakes have for bigger tires (keep in mind that the tire gets proportionally bigger in diameter as well as in width).
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Old 09-11-11, 04:38 PM
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Check the recommended range for your tires, and go toward the bottom of that. My 25s say "100 - 115 psi". I run the front at 100, and the rear at 105. My other tires (on two different sets of wheels) are 32s, so I worried that the 25s would be harsh, but mine aren't at all.

And yes, if 28s will fit, that would be even better.
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