Cycling UK Forum

as for changing then i do change both my bike and car tyres for winter. believe me the grip from winter car tyres far exceeds that of a normal tyre in cold/snowy conditions. completely different level. same sort of thing from a winter marathon on a bike.

winter car tyres do make lots of difference. it's both the compound (which stays soft in low temperatures) and the surface (which has numerous grooves/lips.) normal tyres go hard in the cold - that's why then lose grip and spin. look on youtube for winter car tyre videos which demonstrate this well.

as for the bike i go for as much as possible. winter marathons are excellent in everything apart from rutted snow and ice. i'm trying a winter contact this year for less harsh conditions. it displays the same sort of attributes as a winter car tyre - soft with the surface giving far more surface area in contact with the road.

very interesting and enjoyable.

there's something that i just like about using something lots over time on the one hand whilst maintaining and/or adapting it at the same time on the other. somehow far more satisfying than buying 'a new one.'

cinelli spinacci were all the go a few years back if you can find some for sale anywhere. ebay?

knees?

cleats?

pete75 wrote:You'd be right if the surfaces cycled on never had any mud, snow, leaves etc on them . In the real world these things are not uncommon and then a bit of tread makes a lot of difference.

exactly! have always thought that explanation of a slick applies only in a laboratory.

Si wrote:I see the press are bigging wiggo up again.

I'm not so convinced when he is up against the likes of Cancellara and Martin....guess it depends on how much they are both still hurting from their crashes/injuries and how much Wiggo took out of himself in the RR. And Froome might be a bit of a dark hoss.

Indeed, I think that Pooley might finish higher than any of the men.

But, eh, what do I know?

she'll do well to put cancellara to the sword!

it's the old trade off between grip and longevity. vittoria open pave grip well but the tread does cut yes. i find gatorskins hardly cut but sliiiiiide unpredictably on wet corners as they are hard.

Vittoria Open Pave Evo CG 24c

SCHWALBE Durano Plus Rigid 23 or 25c

SCHWALBE Marathon HS368 25c

depends on clearances and budget after that...!

25-30mph with brakes full on?!

what do you estimate your top speed to be before the brakes were applied?

i have it on good authority that their marketing & promotional skills outweighed their frame building by some distance. a frame a friend had built by them years ago required three attempts to get the correct dimensions. that can't be good for cashflow.

rjb wrote:It may not be the oldest but may have covered the most miles - my Dawes supergalaxy tandem, 21 years old and 105,000 miles and still on the original front wheel (weinmann alesa rim like a previous poster) and Shimano deore gear mechs (rear has had a couple of sets of new jockey wheels)

ay up! that's raised the bar!

gaz wrote:The atoms in my bike have been around for over 13 billion years.

c'mon now!!

tatanab wrote:

mig wrote:i reckon it's 15 years old now and is on it's third rim.

Pretty much brand new. I have rims of that age, let alone hubs.

i use the rims on my bike though !