Comments on: Before you buy bike tires http://www.incidentalcyclist.com/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/ Cycling in and around Union County, NC Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:57:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: David http://www.incidentalcyclist.com/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/comment-page-1/#comment-806 David Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:19:55 +0000 http://blog.hammerton.net/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/#comment-806 Good info...thanks for the input. I've always preferred a skinnier tire for speed and a wider tire for comfort Good info…thanks for the input.
I’ve always preferred a skinnier tire for speed and a wider tire for comfort

]]> By: Bud http://www.incidentalcyclist.com/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Bud Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:05:22 +0000 http://blog.hammerton.net/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/#comment-95 Actually this is absolutely true of over-inflated tires, especially when cornering. This is one of the reasons why cycling tires are made with much more supple casings than car or truck tires. The issue is when a tire is over-inflated it has a tendency to bounce over irregularities rather than roll over them. More bouncing = less rolling = less speed, although you may think you are going faster! By over-inflated I don't mean more than the stated maximum on the tire label, I mean more than is appropriate for rider weight and road conditions. A normal amount of psi would be enough to prevent pinch flats, not more. If you are on a track with very smooth surfaces then 140-160 psi might be warranted, but on the road, even at my clydesdale weight more than 120 psi may be too much. If you try an experiment try riding a familiar route with your normal tire pressure, then again with 10 psi less, I doubt you will see much difference in speed, at a great increase in rider comfort. Now do it again at about 10 psi more than your norm, more than likely you will feel like you are going faster, but the time won't be better and you will feel worse at the end of the ride. Most cyclist over-inflate tires, you know "more is better" mentality. Now you need not take my word for this, here is a <a href="http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#pressure" title="Sheldon Brown article on tire pressure" rel="nofollow">link to an article</a> Sheldon Brown did on the same issue. Actually this is absolutely true of over-inflated tires, especially when cornering. This is one of the reasons why cycling tires are made with much more supple casings than car or truck tires. The issue is when a tire is over-inflated it has a tendency to bounce over irregularities rather than roll over them. More bouncing = less rolling = less speed, although you may think you are going faster!

By over-inflated I don’t mean more than the stated maximum on the tire label, I mean more than is appropriate for rider weight and road conditions. A normal amount of psi would be enough to prevent pinch flats, not more. If you are on a track with very smooth surfaces then 140-160 psi might be warranted, but on the road, even at my clydesdale weight more than 120 psi may be too much.

If you try an experiment try riding a familiar route with your normal tire pressure, then again with 10 psi less, I doubt you will see much difference in speed, at a great increase in rider comfort. Now do it again at about 10 psi more than your norm, more than likely you will feel like you are going faster, but the time won’t be better and you will feel worse at the end of the ride.

Most cyclist over-inflate tires, you know “more is better” mentality. Now you need not take my word for this, here is a link to an article Sheldon Brown did on the same issue.

]]> By: The Dean http://www.incidentalcyclist.com/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/comment-page-1/#comment-94 The Dean Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:58:01 +0000 http://blog.hammerton.net/2008/02/20/before-you-buy-bike-tires/#comment-94 "A tire that cannot conform to the irregularities of the road provides less traction and less traction means less speed." Sounds like drag-strip talk, where the concern is acceleration and tires spinning and smoking. Does this really apply to cycling? Haven't heard any squealing bicycle tires lately. “A tire that cannot conform to the irregularities of the road provides less traction and less traction means less speed.”

Sounds like drag-strip talk, where the concern is acceleration and tires spinning and smoking. Does this really apply to cycling? Haven’t heard any squealing bicycle tires lately.

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