The Maxxis HookWorms are the original freeride / urban assault tire and likely the largest tire my frame will accept. The plan is to pick these up on Friday and install them on the CF mtb bike where they`ll probably stay. The Geax Tattoos will be moved over to an electric bike that I`m working on.
The speed limit on the bike paths is only 20 km/hr and the weather is starting to change so I`m expecting more traffic on the bike paths which will mean I`ll likely spend more time in the street where the Hookworms will be right at home with whatever the city can throw at them.
Update: It was Saturday before I could get these installed and the speedo re-calibrated to the larger circumference but the bike is now ready to roll where skinny tires fear to tread! Heavier than the Geax Tattoos not just because of the larger size but because they`re not available as folding tires. I did minimize the weight issue by skipping the heavy duty downhill tubes that a lot of people use with these tires. I`ll be commuting in the city after all and although some of the roads are in poor shape - an off-road downhill course would be harder on both bike and tires.
The initial results after the first day out are boringly similar to everything else! With 15.04 km on the odometer the top speed is 54 km / hr and the average speed to date is 23.0 km / hr. Shucks! So whatever happened to fat tires being boat anchors??? The only big difference I`m noticing is that the road problems I`d avoid with the road bike - I`m seeking out and driving right over with these tires! Yeah - there should be a `FUN` barometer attached to products!
Update as of June 7th 2011. With 46.18 km on the odometer we`re almost at the halfway point and the numbers don`t reflect any penalty due to the extra size. Average speed is currently 21.8 km / hr and top speed is 58 km /hr. There is no problem cruising with these at 30 km/hr and although braking performance isn't quite as good as the Schwalbes - its still outstanding and the bike can be hauled down from 50 km/hr to a stop in about 25 ft. They`ll also easily handle road conditions that I wouldn't even consider subjecting a road bike to. Dropping the tire pressure would also make a front suspension unnecessary for the street.
So here we are at June 8th and the average speed has crept up to 23.10km/hr with 81.29km on the odometer. But a few other things have changed too. There are still headwinds and hills but the past few days have been warm and sunny and I was able to drop the rain gear and ride with fewer and more formfitting clothes (spandex). That probably had far more of an effect on average speed than any differences in rolling resistance between tires - which is actually one of the points I`m trying to make with this post.
Final update as of 10Th June 2011: With 112.65km on the odometer the top speed is still 58 km/hr and the average speed now stands at 23.3 km/hr. And lets keep things in perspective. The lighter clothing is an advantage to all tires. The Schwalbes now have 163.23km on them and their average speed has crept up to 23.0 km/hr.
