Chip seal roads!
06-01-12, 12:22 AM
#1
blah blah blah
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,520
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Chip seal roads!
I finally found a little stretch of good bumpy chip seal roads near me. It's pretty cool because it's a nice change from the abundance of very smooth pavement all around here -- lots of repaved roads with new bike lanes. Some of my friends are wimps, so I can't wait to drag them over these roads, hehehe!
A few questions though... Does this bumpy stuff wear your tires faster? Are you more likely to flat on chip seal? Is it better to run lower pressures? I ride 700x23 tires at about 90/95 front/rear PSI (130 pound rider).
A few questions though... Does this bumpy stuff wear your tires faster? Are you more likely to flat on chip seal? Is it better to run lower pressures? I ride 700x23 tires at about 90/95 front/rear PSI (130 pound rider).
Last edited by milkbaby; 06-01-12 at 09:13 AM.
06-01-12, 04:01 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
313 Posts
Keep an eye out for potholes and barking dogs running down the driveways. They seem to go together with chipseal.
06-01-12, 06:09 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 2,745
Bikes: S-Works Roubaix SL2^H4, Secteur Sport, TriCross, Kaffenback, Lurcher 29er
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
06-01-12, 06:43 AM
#7
High Modulus
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, NJ
Posts: 663
Bikes: Cervelo R3, Ridley X-Night
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
06-01-12, 06:56 AM
#8
Retired USAF, C-130 Guy
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cape Carteret, NC.
Posts: 867
Bikes: Shopping
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
3 Posts
I ride the colonial parkway which is chip seal, that runs about 20 miles from Yorktown to Jamestown. I Changed to 25mm tires and its really not a bad ride, a carbon frame is a big plus..
Last edited by M_Wales; 06-01-12 at 07:00 AM.
06-01-12, 07:00 AM
#9
Keep on climbing
I finally found a little stretch of good bumpy chip seal roads near me. It's pretty cool because it's a nice change from the abundance of very smooth pavement all around here -- lots of repaved roads with new bike lanes. Some of my friends are wimps, so I can't wait to drag them over these roads, hehehe!
A few questions though... Does this bumpy stuff wear your tires faster? Are you more likely to flat on chip seal? Is it better to run lower pressures? I ride 700x23 tires at about 95/90 front/rear PSI (130 pound rider).
A few questions though... Does this bumpy stuff wear your tires faster? Are you more likely to flat on chip seal? Is it better to run lower pressures? I ride 700x23 tires at about 95/90 front/rear PSI (130 pound rider).
06-01-12, 07:48 AM
#11
Should Be More Popular
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 43,043
Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 560 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22587 Post(s)
Liked 8,924 Times
in
4,157 Posts
06-01-12, 08:10 AM
#12
Underwhelming
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Mississippi
Posts: 1,263
Bikes: Lynskey R330 Ti, Dean El Vado Ti, Trek 4300
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I use 23mm Fusion 3 tubeless tires and they work just fine on chipseal. Got well over 4K on the rear tire. Running them at 90-95 PSI.
06-01-12, 08:22 AM
#13
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ffld Cnty Connecticut
Posts: 21,843
Bikes: Old Steelies I made, Old Cannondales
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1173 Post(s)
Liked 927 Times
in
612 Posts
They put down nice, fresh smooth pavement on a road near me .... what a joy ..... then 3 weeks later covered it in chipseal .. 
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
06-01-12, 08:37 AM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Syracuse, NY
Posts: 1,018
Bikes: 2018 Lynskey R 260 Disc; 2008 Trek 4.7 Madone; 2017 Framed Minnesota 3.0 Fat Bike; 1984 Nishiki International
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 111 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Did about a 5 mile stretch of fresh chipseal during a 75 mile ride last weekend. Hands and teeth are still buzzing. I hate that stuff, at least before it sets up. Luckily, not too much of it around here.
06-01-12, 08:38 AM
#15
Blissketeer
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 1,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Chipseal a joy? Sarcasm? Chipseal sucks, can wreck tires, and kicks up into the wheels and frame resulting in.... chips and dings. Have fun I guess....
Yes
Maybe
Chipseal a joy? Sarcasm? Chipseal sucks, can wreck tires, and kicks up into the wheels and frame resulting in.... chips and dings. Have fun I guess....
06-01-12, 10:03 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 8,276
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 42 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Just an fyi to anyone looking to smooth out chipseal on rides - Topolino wheels totally take the edge off of it. They have carbon/kevlar spokes that span from one side of the rim to the other. They dramatically improve the ride quality going over chipseal.
06-01-12, 11:14 AM
#17
Senior Member
Riding chipseal is like banging your head against the wall...it feels so good when it ends. It's a sick man that seeks it out.
__________________
2014 Specialized Roubaix2003 Interloc Impala2007 ParkPre Image C6 (RIP)
2014 Specialized Roubaix2003 Interloc Impala2007 ParkPre Image C6 (RIP)
06-01-12, 04:37 PM
#21
blah blah blah
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,520
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks for the tips! I think it may just be the novelty factor of finally riding really rough chip seal that I'm enjoying. Plus, I like to hurt my friends... you always hurt the ones you love the most. 
06-01-12, 04:48 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Orange, CA
Posts: 2,201
Bikes: Roubaix / Shiv
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
Specialized Roubaix on regular 23mm GP4000s's here, and chipseal is a non-issue for me. I couldn't care less if a road is chipseal or not.
On my aluminum hybrid on 28mm tires, it's a lot less pleasant im sure.
On my aluminum hybrid on 28mm tires, it's a lot less pleasant im sure.
06-01-12, 05:04 PM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Ellensburg,WA
Posts: 3,179
Bikes: Schwinn Broadway, Specialized Secteur Sport(crashed) Spec. Roubaix Sport, Spec. Crux
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 179 Post(s)
Liked 167 Times
in
83 Posts
Answers really depend on the rock used to make it. Hate to be the one to break it to you datlas but chip seal is asphalt! It is made with either a hot asphalt oil UN1999 or an asphalt emulsion placarded HOT. What you are calling asphalt is likely hot mix pavement, where the hot oil or emulsion is mixed with the rock prior to being paved onto the roadbed. Chip seal you lay the oil and drop rock on top, roll, sweep and stripe. Sharp chip seal might not wear tires faster but you could not prove that with my expierence. Tire life on my Secteur with armadillos is rather short. Based on where it is today I'm guessing <2K miles rear tire.
__________________
Sir Mark, Knight of Sufferlandria
Sir Mark, Knight of Sufferlandria
