Originally Posted by
SvdSinner
So, I've made progress. I'm rebuilding the rear wheel with a Deore 36h hub so that I can upgrade to a 9 speed drivetrain. When I had the wheel apart, I put the calipers to it and found the inner width was 19.3mm, plenty small enough for a 28mm or larger tire (according to Sheldon Brown).
My initial assumption is to go as narrow, light and as high pressure (100psi) as I
reasonably can.
- Is there any reason to consider lower pressure tires? The soft, squishy steel frame of the triplet absorbs most bumps, so I don't know how much absorption the tires need to do. (But, I will listen to anyone with experience)
The real question is what pressure to run your tires at. Most tires can handle somewhat higher pressure than their rating. The answer, in your case, is probably no. The usual answers are that overinflation stresses the rim, makes the ride harsher, and reduces traction. You probably have enough weight there that you're not likely to run into issues. And with a tire in the narrower half of the range for the rim, you shouldn't be stressing it, even at somewhat higher pressure than rated.
Originally Posted by
SvdSinner
- Any disadvantages of 28mm or 32mm tires, opposed to a 35mm (1.5") tire?
Selection, mostly. For instance Schwalbe makes typically one (559 BSD bicycle) tire in each size until you get up to 1.35".
Originally Posted by
SvdSinner
- Are "Tandem" rated tires necessary, or should I be fine with any reasonable 26x1.5ish tire? I'll probably only use this set of tires for 6-700 miles, because I can only use them when I'm driving the bike and don't need to drive the gravel on road.
BTW, the tire I'm currently leaning towards is the
Serfas Seca 26. I'm new enough to this that I'd love to hear if there is anything bad about this tire that should sway me against it.
Ain't no such thing as a tandem rated tire. Most of us are willing to pay a little extra for improved puncture resistance, if only because there are two people inconvenienced if you flat. But those tires aren't specifically tandem rated. I don't think you'll get much information on the Serfas on this forum. Last time TandemGeek did a survey of tire brands and satisfaction levels Serfas didn't show up unless it was in the "other" category. And there were 450 responses.