^^^ Perfect, thanks.

Would anyone know if a Bianchi San Jose could theoretically accept 650bx42 tires with room left over for fenders? I say "theoretically" because I don't think it has been done before - at least not publicly - but I can't shake off the idea.

Is it ok to install the spoke without spoke prep? Would using Phil Wood grease be enough?

Linseed oil

I read about linseed oil before, people say that it catches fire or is self combustible. Being a klutz, I think its best that I stay away from it

My dad swears by the stuff. He built the last pair of BMX wheels I raced on as a teen as well as the Archetypes X Phils I'm using now and both sets of wheels have remained true with little-to-no maintenance.

FWIW ive replaced a spoke without grease or spokeprep and it hasnt needed any attention in about 3000 miles

YMMV

I get by with grease. Grease all the spoke threads and take a Q-tip dipped in the grease to grease the spoke beds (if they're metal) in the rim, too.

Hmmm, wonder why they're called spoke beds instead of nipple beds...

Alright, thanks for the input and help guys

Anyone know of good limited-space indoor bike storage solutions, maybe wall racks and such? I'm looking for something a little more elegant than leaning them against the wall in my apartment. Currently housing two, may be looking to add a third soon.

Has anyone here stripped paint off spokes? I'm looking at this GT Gutterball, and I don't mind the rims and hubs but it has orange spokes that make it look like a jack o lantern. Would the paint come off or are the spokes anodized?
thanks

Doesn't the San Jose use cantis? Generally, converting a 700C bike with cantis to 650B is a no-go.

Spokes are generally stainless steel, so I doubt they're anodized. They're probably powdercoated, which could be removed with chemical stripper.

Thanks -- you are correct and I have since abandoned that idea.

What tires have folks here had good experience with in terms of wet traction? Or would width and tire pressure be the more important factors to consider? (i.e., increase your contact patch by going wider and lower, respectively)

my 23mm durano plus' had me eating **** constantly in the rain @ 100/115psi

28/32mm paselas however never bucked me off because of the weather @ 50/75psi

could very well be the contact patch / psi combination though

Challenge recommends a soft compound, supple casing, low pressure (meaning wide, unless you're running tubulars) tire with a herringbone pattern. I've had good results with that combo.

Here's a good article on the subject:
Technical FAQ: Tire grip in wet conditions - VeloNews.com

Thanks. Great information, though now this has me looking at pricey Challenge Paris-Roubaix tires. D'oh!

lol of course they recommend that, thats every single tire they make

get a tire that can take some punishment, when that grit-paste accumulates it tends to bring the sharp **** with it

What makes a tire grip is not subjective. High-end tires grip and roll better, but they're also typically fragile. If you want better wet traction (which was the question asked), you're going to sacrifice some durability. If you want better durability, you're going to sacrifice traction.

Tread patterns on bicycle tires = :roflmao:

Makes more sense to think of it as a texture, rather than a tread pattern. A tire with a fine herringbone or file tread corners differently than a full slick in the wet.

I pretty much agree with [MENTION=362748]SquidPuppet[/MENTION].

The road itself with all its surface variations is the tread.

The only place where road tires with tread really makes sense is on snow/ice or an extremely smooth surface in the rain. Those metal plates they use to cover construction holes for example, are like ice when they get wet because they are smooth. Even there a little tread isn't going to help much and I avoid those plates altogether.

But yeah, let a U shaped tire be slick. The road is the tread.

I think it is Schwalbe, or one of the tire manufacturers, who say that the only reason they make road tires with tread is because of customer (mis)perception/demand.

Less rubber is less material for the asphalt to bite.

Unless we are talking about standing water vs wet surface.

A lot of folks are also under the misconception that tires bite the road, when in fact the tiny sharp points of the asphalts surface bite into the soft tire.

As you mentioned, slick surfaces will not bite the tire. Adding a tread pattern or texture is 100% futile.

Standing water is a whole different animal as well. Unlike car tires, airplane, bike, and motorcycle tire contact patches have pointed leading edges to cut through puddles and disperse the water outward. That's helpful but not perfect. With enough standing water and enough speed, any vehicle can hydroplane. Bikes and riders normally can't achieve speeds high enough to get their combined weight onto a plane.

"....Tread patterns have no effect on surfaces in which they leave no impression. That is to say, if the road is harder than the tire, a tread pattern does not improve traction. That smooth tires have better dry traction is probably accepted by most bicyclists, but wet pavement still appears to raise doubts even though motorcycles have shown that tread patterns do not improve wet traction."

Tires with Smooth Tread by Jobst Brandt

I'm not sure I agree with this assessment, and I'm not sure the issue is as simple as it's made out to be. Let's look at the widely accepted facts about bicycle tires:
-Tread pattern matters a lot in dirt, mud, gravel, snow, grass, etc.
-A bicycle cannot hydroplane the way a car does, so it follows that treads with directional channels designed to displace water are kinda bogus.
-A soft, fast-wearing tire compound grips better than a hard, long-lasting tire.

I don't know that we can really say that a full slick (like the Schwalbe Ultremo) will grip better than a textured tire (like the Vittoria Open Corsa) in all conditions, wet or dry. This is one case where I think looking at what the pro's ride is valid, since tire choice is only somewhat dictated by sponsorships. Most tires in the pro peloton have some form of texture on the tread.

This.

Apparently, for asphalt a microscopic tread pattern does improve traction, but we are talking about "scuffing in" a new tire.

Obviously, loose surfaces or off road do require varying degrees of thread/lugs.