Cycling UK Forum

Thanks for your help. I have bought some new tyres today 700x28 marathons . Hopefully these will be better than the one that came with the Sirrus.

I ran the 28 at 115 psi and the 35 at 85 psi however, the bead only came off when flat (must have been a slow puncture while i was in work). I have just checked sheldon Browns chart and i think its likely the tyre is to big for the rim? I have been riding on it for about three weeks daily and no problems up until first flat today. Lucky i didnt kill myself. The rim on the Sirrus is 622 x 14 and the tyre that popped off is 700 x 35.

I bought a Specialized Sirrus Elite 2009 which came with 700 x 28 tyres which was thinner than my normal commute on a Scott Sportster with 700 x 35 tyres (marathons upgrade). My commute is a mix of road, towpath and cycle path and as a result the Specialized struggled and i suffered loads of punctures so it went away and the Scott came back out.

Then i had a bright idea..... I put the 700 x 35 tyres on the Specialized Sirrus and started using it again. I have now been using it for about 3 weeks and its been great with the Marathons 700 x 35 fitted. Its like a new bike and i feel its up to the job again.

Then today when i left work i got on my bike started to ride and noticed that i had a puncture on the front? The tyre popped out of the rim and wedged the front break locking the wheel. Fortunately i had only just started so i was not travelling fast enough to cause me a problem. I dread to think what would have happened if i was flying down a fast section of the ride home as the front could have locked and thrown me over the handle bars (possibly into traffic?). I fixed the puncture and rode home slowly in fear that if i did get a puncture i would be facing certain death?

The question is.. Should the Specialized Sirrus which came with 700 x 28 tyres be able to accommodate 700 x 35 tyre?
Was it the size of the tyre which caused the locking of the front wheel or is the tyre popping out the rim just as likely with the 700 x 28 tyre?

I dont realy want to ride it on 1 700 x 28 as the ride is rough and i get to many punctures. Its a great ride with the 700 x 35.

And if anyone is thinking just ride the Scott to work with the fatter tyres the answer would be, i would but i have ragged the buttock of it over the last few years and done thousands of miles on it. Its used now as my second bike. I got the Sirrus for good price so may as well use it for the commute to work.

I am sure there are many cyclists like me that feel awful when they miss the normal day to day routine commute. After cycling all year i decided that the conditions last week were just silly due to the wet ice / general weather conditions and ended up taking the car. Cant believe how much i have missed the commute. I braved the weather again on Bank Holiday Monday and went to work although very slippey out and loads of black ice. Missed again Tue (weather far to bad, although i did make an effort at 6am but couldnt get into the shed to get the bike because the locks were frozen solid). This morning i got out of bed at 6am looked out of the window and thought "GREAT the ice has thawed out". Big mistake. I cycled through the wet then suddenly found my self on top of a long section of black ice. Didnt see it coming until i was on top of it and from there the inevitable was going to happen. I stayed upright and tried to move to the side of the path and on to the grass when both wheels just went and i had no control at all. Landed on my hand which just slipped forward and i had a heavy impact on my left chest. OWWW! that hurt. Proper bruised my ribs (i think, possibly cracked something but i am sure i would know about it if it was broken?)

Anyway, the point is you cant do anything if you hit black ice. There is no way i could have stayed on the bike. I was travelling in straight line, not going fast and realised that once i was on top of it i was coming off. Do i in future continue to risk injury by commuting when there is a risk of ice or should i take the car and be misrable and put on weight?

fork juice is the future. works a treat. thanks again

My mate has this model and loves it however he is a brand snob. In my experience your friend is right, it is uncomfortably big especially the handle bars. It feels i bit like having the old cow horn handlebars (like all the cool kids had in the 70's).

The tyres supplied will also need to be changed as the ones supplied will puncture on the tow paths. If you do go to purchase this bike then it might be worth hagling with the concept store for them to throw in some kevlar tyres as the ones supplied on the crosstrail are no good on the trail.

Looks nice though

Thanks for the reply's. I will be going out tommorow to purchase some fork juice! No need for ebay, according to the web Cycle surgery stock it so quick trip to the wirral.

Your advice re jet washing has been taken on board, To be fair i have only presure washed it the once at Landegla and thats the only time i have sprayed the forks. I normally use my garden hose on my return home so not to much pressure.

The fork does still work ok and moves freely on rough terrain however it dosent appear to move at all unless hitting uneven surfaces. This dosent bother me to much and actually makes it easier to ride. The point is though, when i bought the bike the fork moved a lot on weight transfer alone which has now stopped. I will try the fork juice and try and get it back to tip top condition then use the lock out when required.

In answer to your other points, the bike has QR wheels, its a Genesis Core.

I dont think the forks need a service at LBS just yet, they just need a bit of TLC which your points will help with. If all else fails then LBS it is.

I cant take it back to the shop as it was a bargain purchase of Ebay. The bike was brand new when i got it so the forks had not been abused.

I will let you know how i get on with the fork juice!!

And can this be put on the fork without taking anything apart? i am looking for something to put directly on after trail and wash to kepp in good condition.

As the thread suggests, i have a sticky front fork which i guess needs a bit of TLC. It does work ok on impact but dosent seem to move as freely as it did when new a couple of months ago. When finished on the trail and the bike is jet washed whats the best way to keep the fork in tip top condition. Will GT 85 be any good sprayed directly onto the fork or will this do more damage than good? Does anyone know the best oil or grease to use as everyday maintenance or do i just do no day to day maintainance on the fork and then send to LBS for service period. The fork is a SunTour XCR-LO

The other thing to look out for when viewing the bike is the original parts. The crooks tend to swap bike parts about so the bike is not so recognisable from the picture. Ususally the seat, the handle grips etc.

I simply need a new pump to attatch to my bike. I currently have a Truflo Maxair+ but the washer inside keeps slipping so fails to pump without having to take it apart and start again. I have had it a year and it has done me a pretty good service up until now however, i think i can justify somthing a little better so am looking for a simple reccomendation for a new purchase.

Current pump http://www.cyclehouse.net/products.php? ... b0s325p766

I basically want something for my hybrid which will pump the (presta) up to 85 psi without all the huffing and puffing that i had to do with the Truflo. When i talk about huffing and puffng i want something which requires the same type of effort as cheap track pump. I have a cheap £10 track pump which is ace and pumps to 85psi in no time with no effort at all but too big to carry around (obviously). I only want the mini pump to attach to the bike for commutng punctures as i always get my pressures right at home with the track pump before setting off. I do get punctures from leisure rides mostly on trans pennine trail and do have marathons fitted.

I would also require the normal valve as well as presta for my other bikes.

Use some smartwater. Its a marker liquid which has a built in code which will be unique to the registered keeper. The Police now scan items at car boots, stolen equipment etc. They can then trace the owner. More info at http://www.smartwater.com/Home.aspx

cyclehouse in Warrington is a good option if you are to consider a SCOTT or MARIN.

I crossed it this morning from Runcorn to Widnes. I know the area well and approach the bridge from the Old town centre then on to the footpath. I wouldnt recommend using the main carrigeway as the lanes are narrow and lots of car drivers are nervous using the bridge at the best of times. You could be the best cyclist around but its out of your hands as cars will try to overtake you, mistakes will be made and the risk of an accident is much greater. Unfortunatly theres no other way over apart from the Trans Pennine Trail route (not suitable for road bikes)

Deckie wrote:Just a thought, but do you wear a back pack while cycling? I find I can't wear anything like that as it holds the sweat against my skin and the salts in the sweat irritate like nothing else.

I did have a back pack during the summer and it the sweat it caused did irritate my back. I swapped to Panniers in October and much better