lungimsam

Or is it better to just leave things alone if you have been training all season on what you have and feel comfortable on the bike.

Especially since I have just got my fit on the bike together over the last coupla months and the ride is in less than a week. I don't know if swapping tires would cause any negative effects, but I don't want any surprises on the century ride.

I have a 650b bike with Schwalbe Marathon puncture protected tires.
Was wondering if my Hetre performance tires will make it easier to ride on for an upcoming century, or is ti better to just leave things be.

ijsbrand

Never use tyres you have never ridden on. Never wear clothes or shoes you have never worn on the bike. Never eat food of a kind you have never tried before.

Which doesn't mean you could not put new tyres on your bike a couple of rides before a big ride. Or that you could never wear new socks on a big day -- new bibs would be a gamble though.

Homeyba

I always start big events on brand new tires. Everything else in new or near new condition. That's probably why I don't have mechanical issues very often. Switching tire brands before hand probably isn't a huge deal as long as they are good quality tires. A century isn't really a big deal anyway so I don't think it'll matter. If you were doing a 500 mile race or a 1200k brevet I'd be more concerned. I've done 600k's on a borrowed bike and a brand new bike that I got the night before. I don't stress too much on such things.

thebulls

Maybe that depends on the definition of "event tires". Are Grand Bois Cypres 700x30 or Pacenti Pari-Moto's "event tires"? If so, then yes. Usually I would be on Panaracer Pasela 700x32's or Grand Bois Hetre's (or Soma B-Line) as my regular training tires. Usually in the week or so before the event I'll ride my event bike with event tires to check that all is fine.

Nick

10 Wheels

Change them out and take a few rides.

The Octopus 

I've started events I really care about (PBPs, ultra races) on brand new rubber.
Other events? Eh, whatever's on the bike works fine, but I don't let things get too worn down/out before preventatively replacing them.
Longest I've done on a bike I never been on before was a double, so Homey, you've got me beat there, brother!

joewein

If you change tyres, don't do it the night before the event. Do at least a shake-down ride to make sure you made no mistake during the tyre change. Sometimes people pinch a tube during a tyre change, resulting in an early puncture.

I put new tyres on my bike before a 600 km brevet because the old ones had thousands of km on them and were getting fairly worn, with a number of cuts in the rubber that I didn't like the looks of. I then rode 25 km just to make sure I hadn't done anything stupid. Normally I try to change as little as possible before a big ride.

Homeyba

Definitely not the preferred way to do things but sometimes you don't have much of a choice. I had a frame break once and another one destroyed in a wreck. Either way it wasn't a huge deal. I know exactly how my bikes need to be set up so position wise there is no change.

jaypee

I train on heavy touring tires and use some lightweight CX tires for race day.

lhbernhardt

I believe you should have a set of event wheels with high-quality event tires already mounted. The wheels should be lighter than your usual wheels, so you get some speed benefit, plus they will usually already have been used in previous big events, so you know they will be reliable.

The night before, it's a good idea to deflate the event tires completely, and go around the tire, pinching the tread to find bits of glass or wired starting to imbed its way toward the tube. Then inflate the tires to operating pressure. Often, in the morning rush of the event, you may forget to pump up the tires, so it's a good idea to have the bike completely ready to go the night before.

If you don't have event wheels, and if it's a REALLY big event, I would install new tires and tubes a few days before. Ride the bike to make sure the tubes hold air (you'd be surprised at the leaking or broken valves that sometimes turn up) and that the tire is securely mounted. When I rode London Edinburgh London, I was using Velocity A23 rims front and rear. I had my usual new Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp mounted on the rear, pumped to 120 pounds. But on the front I had a Vittoria EVO CX racing clincher. I pumped it the night before to 120 lbs, and in the morning found it had blown off the rim. The EVO is not designed to be used with a 23mm rim! (It will work at 90 lbs, though!). This is why you want to mount the tires a few days before.

If it's just an event (not a REALLY big event), I just ride the bike as is. Treat it as training. But I also keep track of how many kilometers are on all my tires. If the rear is approaching 3500 km, then I'd consider replacing it for an event (though I've had Tricomps go 5,000 km).

Luis

yankhor

This is what I want to do.

Honestly I'm thinking in 3 pairs of tires.
Conti Tour Ride 32mm for general rides
Conti CX Speed 35mm for dirt rides (I don't race)
Conti GrandPrix 28mm for rando rides.

It seems good?