These were mounted on a 1988 Miyata equipped with ITM Dual Aero Bars and a Mavic Cosmic Elite wheelset. Just picked up the speedo today for this one and didn't have a chance to install it.
However acceleration off the line and a slightly higher sustainable speed are initial impressions. That may just be an impression, however, due to the harsher ride resulting from the higher tire pressure. Any real advantages were completely offset by the flat picked up on the commute back home when traffic forced me through an area that I would have preferred to avoid on these tires.
A 15 minute delay to swap tubes and inflate a tire is a bit much to swallow on a 15 minute commute. Could be just a fluke, but even averaged out over 10 or 15 days - this will give these tires a handicap.
Update as of June 8th: I`ll be finishing up with the Maxxis Hookworks this week and in the meantime will be installing a speedo on the Miyaya to resume testing of these tires. In a velodrome The gearing and frame geometry alone would give this machine an advantage - but the condition of the streets and going to limit how fast I can actually drive. All the flats I've changed in the shop this month have been on tires less than 700 x 35c so I`ll be carrying a spare tire and tube on every outing - kinda silly on a 15km commute. In any case - the warm weather is here so less clothing and more overall aerodynamics should give these tires an additional advantage.
Update as of 12 July 2011. Today was the first official day commuting with these and it was raining AGAIN!! There are only 13.77 km on the odometer and the numbers so far give an average speed of 23.8 km/hr and a top speed of 54.5 km/hr.
In spite of the larger chain ring (50T) the overall diameter of the wheel is actually smaller than the Hookworms or Schwalbes or Tattoos and that limits top speed somewhat.
The bike is fun to drive and will maintain a higher average speed on the flats, but is less relaxing to drive in traffic because I have to watch traffic and road surface conditions simultaneously. On a closed track it would be great - on this commute its a little nerve racking because of road conditions.
But no flats on this outing and if the weather clears I`m expecting the numbers to go up too.I`m actually very attached to this bike but very aware that a MTB bike is better suited to what I have to deal with. The gearing on this machine isn't ideal for hills and there are a few of them on the way in to work.
The braking performance of the tires / brakes on a road bike compared to a hybrid or MTB also leaves a lot to be desired and driving in traffic I want to be able to stop in as short a distance as possible. I did find myself braking with this bike more than with any other - simply because the bike / tires can`t handle road conditions as well as the others.Compared to a 2 or 2.5 in tire - they just don't have much contact area. That might decrease rolling resistance - but it also reduces stability and braking effectiveness.
OK so here`s the update as of June 15th. The odometer has 50.19km which is pretty much the halfway point. Maximum speed is still 54.5km/hr and the average speed is 23.5km/hr. But the numbers are a little deceptive.. On smooth road the tires are a dream to ride. But the rims are radial spoked and designed for just that - straight line riding. They lose stability when forced to do the S-turns on the bicycle path that weren`t a problem with other tires/rims.
So the net result is that although I can drive faster with these tires - I`m on the brakes a lot for turns, cobblestones, pavement/ sidewalk interfaces and road repairs. Things that I`d ignore on wider tires. So the net result is a lower average speed than these would do on good road surfaces. But so far -- no more flats. I`m not the only one with these issues. I`m noticing most other riders on higher end wheel sets have similar issues. I`m going to swap the tires over to a 700 series 36 spoke wheelset with an interlaced spoke pattern before continuing the testing of these tires on my commute.
These tires/bike currently have 65.63km of test commuting on them. Top speed is still only 54.5km/hr but average speed is up to 23.8km/hr. Considering that I`m driving exclusively in the drops which is more aerodynamic and also not carrying a heavy tool pack when commuting - I was expecting better.
The 2in Schwalbes are currently at 268.45km and have an average speed of 23.4 with none of those advantages.