A tourer with 29'ers
A tourer with 29'ers
What do people think about a custom tourer with new MTB 29er tyres. The only downside I can think of is the availability of slicks and semi slicks in the 35-42mm range. Or is it just a traditional 700c tourer with hybrid tyres. Do you think the 29 concept will last or is it a shodding solution looking for a problem to fix?
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reohn2
I'd say 29ers(?) are a fad thats already expired,700c is the way to go,26in are good but lack the tyre choice,so unless you plan touring in the third world it has to be 700c,IMO.
One of our tandems is 26in the other 700c they both ride/roll well,though the 40mm tyres on the 26in wheels are more comfortable compared with the 32mm of the 700c's if the roads are a bit rough ie canal towpaths.
One of our tandems is 26in the other 700c they both ride/roll well,though the 40mm tyres on the 26in wheels are more comfortable compared with the 32mm of the 700c's if the roads are a bit rough ie canal towpaths.
Am I not right in assuming 29's are indeed 700's in larger widths? That being the case would a tourer so equipped not simply be a conventional one with larger clearances?
Generally speaking I prefer larger wheels and would go along with 700c as first choice but had my cycle camper built with MTB sized wheels because of the larger air section and convenience under heavy loads. I'd had some experience of cycle camping on a loaded tandem and keeping the 700x32mm topped up with 120psi daily with a hand pump was not fun. The tourer was built 15 years ago and the maker had some concern mountain bike road tyres might not be available, a fear that hasn't come to be realised. It's not a decision I've come to regret and even with 'only' 36 spokes I've yet to break one.
If I had to choose one bike to do all riding including club runs I'd choose the larger wheel but 26" are great for camping if you can afford the luxury of a specialist bike. It will be interesting to see if anyone goes for a custom 29 tourer.
Generally speaking I prefer larger wheels and would go along with 700c as first choice but had my cycle camper built with MTB sized wheels because of the larger air section and convenience under heavy loads. I'd had some experience of cycle camping on a loaded tandem and keeping the 700x32mm topped up with 120psi daily with a hand pump was not fun. The tourer was built 15 years ago and the maker had some concern mountain bike road tyres might not be available, a fear that hasn't come to be realised. It's not a decision I've come to regret and even with 'only' 36 spokes I've yet to break one.
If I had to choose one bike to do all riding including club runs I'd choose the larger wheel but 26" are great for camping if you can afford the luxury of a specialist bike. It will be interesting to see if anyone goes for a custom 29 tourer.
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stof
glueman wrote:Am I not right in assuming 29's are indeed 700's in larger widths? That being the case would a tourer so equipped not simply be a conventional one with larger clearances?
Exactly so. All the same, I'd have thought that the extra strength of a smaller wheel, coupled with the wide availability of 26" around the world would probably leave this as the standard for expedition touring for a while yet...
What are the advantages of a larger wheel? Better on broken surfaces? Also, how would the longer forks affect comfort/handling etc????
Are not cyclocross bikes more or less what you are describing Gluey? A bike strong enough to tour on but with clearances for fatter tyres than many trad tourers. OK, you probably wouldn't want to tour on many of the new Alu race cX bikes - they being a little stiff and lacking in braze-ons - but something like a Surley CrossCheck would fit the bill: clearance for 700c rims with big fat tyres, the rear end can take both 130 and 135mm hubs, strong, steel and a good array of touring braze-ons.? All you need do is find the fat slicks for it.
Probably Si. CX bikes don't have rack and guard eyes and do tend to have high bottom brackets but that's the kind of thing. I'm surprised more touring bikes haven't been built for hybrid tyres in the 35-44mm range, considering mtb wheeled tourers are so popular. Then again I don't know much about hybrid tyres re. availability or quality.
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reohn2
Glueman
What kind of weight were you carrying?
We've toured on tandems (not camping)but on 32mm tyres with an all up weight of 165kgs and wouldn't put more than 95/97psi in 700cx32mm, on 26inx40mm tyres 85/87psi.If we were to carry camping equipement I don't think the weight would go up by much more than another 10kgs = another 5psi in the tyres.120psi seems an aweful lot of wind!
At an all up weight of 150kgs for day rides 26inx40mm are run at 80psi and 700cx32mm run at 87psi, after a great deal of trial and error we find that these pressures are the optimum for us, 4 or 5psi more just results in loss of fillings, sore hands/bottoms and jigly eyeballs.
When we first started tandeming(10 years ago) we used to run 700cx32mm at 105/110psi when we talked to other experienced tandem riders we soon discovered running them at the above psi we gained more confident roadholding/handling and a lot more comfort.
I'd had some experience of cycle camping on a loaded tandem and keeping the 700x32mm topped up with 120psi daily with a hand pump was not fun.
What kind of weight were you carrying?
We've toured on tandems (not camping)but on 32mm tyres with an all up weight of 165kgs and wouldn't put more than 95/97psi in 700cx32mm, on 26inx40mm tyres 85/87psi.If we were to carry camping equipement I don't think the weight would go up by much more than another 10kgs = another 5psi in the tyres.120psi seems an aweful lot of wind!
At an all up weight of 150kgs for day rides 26inx40mm are run at 80psi and 700cx32mm run at 87psi, after a great deal of trial and error we find that these pressures are the optimum for us, 4 or 5psi more just results in loss of fillings, sore hands/bottoms and jigly eyeballs.
When we first started tandeming(10 years ago) we used to run 700cx32mm at 105/110psi when we talked to other experienced tandem riders we soon discovered running them at the above psi we gained more confident roadholding/handling and a lot more comfort.
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hubgearfreak
- Posts: 8212
- Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm
Re: A tourer with 29'ers
glueman wrote:What do people think about a custom tourer with new MTB 29er tyres. The only downside I can think of is the availability of slicks and semi slicks in the 35-42mm range.
as has been said, 29er tyres are not MTB, but 700 (622)
i think it's a great idea.
don't worry about the tyre size, dutch and german commuters use these sort and they are available
700x37, 42, 47, even 54
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... tact.shtml
At the time I was 12-13 stone and my wife 10-11, then 4 loaded panniers, H'bar bag, water and the gear for an extended continental camping tour. Nothing silly.
I found if the 32mm tyres weren't hard (I'm guessing at 120psi) but I mean really rock hard where your thumb can't make the slightest dent, the tyre walls flexed enough to leave noticable wear, so every morning was a top up routine. The larger air chamber of your typical mtb slick is much less demanding than 700c's but needs a lot more pumping if you do get a flat of course.
We came across one French tourist with an absolutely stunning home made camping trailer in varnished, clinker built wood with a proper lid and nice light fittings. I was tempted to make him an offer!
I found if the 32mm tyres weren't hard (I'm guessing at 120psi) but I mean really rock hard where your thumb can't make the slightest dent, the tyre walls flexed enough to leave noticable wear, so every morning was a top up routine. The larger air chamber of your typical mtb slick is much less demanding than 700c's but needs a lot more pumping if you do get a flat of course.
We came across one French tourist with an absolutely stunning home made camping trailer in varnished, clinker built wood with a proper lid and nice light fittings. I was tempted to make him an offer!
A 29er tourer would be a normal tourer with clearance for 2.5" knobblies. Tyres would be no problem in Europe or North America, elsewhere, 26" tyres are more widely available.
There is plenty of choice in widths from 19mm slicks through to big knobblies. Continental and Schwalbe do a good variety up to about 47-50mm. Much over that, or with big knobbles, wou will be looking at dedicated 29er offroad tyres.
The likely problem would be brakes for drop handlebars. You would have to chose between cable disks, old-style cantis or bodged Vs, and have to consider things like clearance between big knobblies and the straddle cables for cantis.
There is plenty of choice in widths from 19mm slicks through to big knobblies. Continental and Schwalbe do a good variety up to about 47-50mm. Much over that, or with big knobbles, wou will be looking at dedicated 29er offroad tyres.
The likely problem would be brakes for drop handlebars. You would have to chose between cable disks, old-style cantis or bodged Vs, and have to consider things like clearance between big knobblies and the straddle cables for cantis.
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Mike Sutton
Mike Sutton wrote:Was it not two issues ago of Cycle that C Juden did a review of a bike with 29 inch tyres and raved on about the ride quality?
Yes Mike. I have an almost unhealthy predisposition towards larger wheels, especially my old 27" ones. Not that being twenty years younger when I rode them added anything to the rolling quality of course.
The flywheel effect of big wheels may be just the job for long distance touring. If you get a large enough section in mtb tyres you're on your way to catching up, but an Iditerod bke isn't everyone's cup of tea.-
reohn2
Glueman
I 've found anything over about 70psi is hard to guage with the thumb test so you may not have been anywhere near 120psi.
The reason I answered was that I believe many people are under a misunderstanding with regards to tyre pressures.I speak to a number of people who are riding with some fantastic psi's,upwards of 110psi for 28mm tyres seems excesive to me, ok if racing where every second counts,, but in normal(?) riding I think is excesive.
I ride 28mm tyres and ride them at 80psi (I weigh 85kgs, so no lightweight) as with the tandem I've found the 5psi more and things start to get uncomfortable,when I used to ride 25mm tyres (which I don't anymore as I can't see the point) anything upwards of 95psi had the same effect,ie jigly eyeballs, loose fillings,:0) and general increase in fatigue,I suspect all the high psi's come from racing and folks think thats the norm,but experience has brought me to a different conclusion.
I wonder what others think.
PS,I normally cover between 7,000 and 8,000mls a year, not mega mileage but I'm not an occasional rider.
I 've found anything over about 70psi is hard to guage with the thumb test so you may not have been anywhere near 120psi.
The reason I answered was that I believe many people are under a misunderstanding with regards to tyre pressures.I speak to a number of people who are riding with some fantastic psi's,upwards of 110psi for 28mm tyres seems excesive to me, ok if racing where every second counts,, but in normal(?) riding I think is excesive.
I ride 28mm tyres and ride them at 80psi (I weigh 85kgs, so no lightweight) as with the tandem I've found the 5psi more and things start to get uncomfortable,when I used to ride 25mm tyres (which I don't anymore as I can't see the point) anything upwards of 95psi had the same effect,ie jigly eyeballs, loose fillings,:0) and general increase in fatigue,I suspect all the high psi's come from racing and folks think thats the norm,but experience has brought me to a different conclusion.
I wonder what others think.
PS,I normally cover between 7,000 and 8,000mls a year, not mega mileage but I'm not an occasional rider.
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hubgearfreak
- Posts: 8212
- Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm
reohn2 wrote:I used to ride 25mm tyres (which I don't anymore as I can't see the point)
I wonder what others think. .
i agree, but would go further
old racing bikes had 27x1 1/4 at 70 psi. this is the same width as 32.
old commuting bikes had 26x1 3/8 at 50psi. this is the same as 35
i really do think that these were the perfect widths for their applications
28x622. 32x622 & 37x622 are what are on my three bikes and my perception of the difference in speed or acceleration is that there really is not a great deal.
for comfort and ability to take potholes the 37's win by a mile, but are a bit slower, but the bike with those has, rack, mudguards, saddlebag, pump, babyseat (often with 12kg son) all permanently attached. the difference in speed between 32 & 28 is next to nothing, but the 32s are much better for comfort, and safety on anything less than perfect tarmac.
having said all that i am 82kg, 1.9m.
it puzzles me to see non-athletic types riding around leisurely on 19/21mm
if you were in a ten mile TT, and only had to endure the discomfort for half an hour, then i suppose 25s might have their place
