35mm or 28mm tyres

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PH
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by PH »

If that's consistent all the way round it looks fine to me, is there the same clearance where it attaches to the frame/forks?
Dwnglasgow
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by Dwnglasgow »

PH wrote:If that's consistent all the way round it looks fine to me, is there the same clearance where it attaches to the frame/forks?


Hi, it's pretty much consistent. Hard to measure, but looks the same.
reohn2
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by reohn2 »

It looks more than 7 or 8mm to me and should work well.
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Dwnglasgow
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by Dwnglasgow »

Managed to get for a 10 mile jaunt this morning and the new tyres, run at lower pressure than my old ones, felt much more comfortable over rough-ish surfaces; far less jolting.

It did also feel like slightly more effort to get any sort of speed, so I will experiment with a few more psi and see what that does.

I may also change the mudguards. The clearance looks a little to close for comfort. The problem is that metal mudguards (which I prefer) are pretty expensive, so discarding my Kinesis set and buying PDW's isn't a light decision.

Thanks for the advice.
slowster
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by slowster »

I've have got PDW mudguards, and IMO they are functionally inferior to SKS Chromoplastics and SKS Bluemels (and they are now ridiculously overpriced). In particular I dislike the safety release on the PDW mudguards, which relies on a grub screw holding the single stays in place. That introduces potential for variation in how they perform and 'operator error': tighten the grub screw a bit too much and there may be the possibility that it won't release before the mudguard starts the lethal process of crumpling. Too loose and the stays won't be sufficiently secured, and vibration may be even more likely to cause the grub screw to undo and fall out (it's inserted from the bottom, which is a daft design, and even though it has some threadlock, I've wrapped insulating tape around the fitment to keep it there just in case). I never ride that bike in muddy conditions, because I simply do not have confidence in the PDW safety release design.

In contrast the safety releases on SKS mudguards are ultra reliable, simple, fit and forget designs. The Secuclip supplied with the Chromoplastics is a little bit bulky, but I like it even better than the ASR stays supplied with the Bluemels. Because I tend to buy Bluemels instead of Chromoplastics (I prefer to fit my own DIY front and rear mudflaps and rear mudguard mounted light, which is easier to do with the Bluemels), I usually buy Secuclips and another set of stays to fit to the front Bluemels mudguard.

As for the question of mudguard stiffness/rattle, proper careful fitting should eliminate that and maximise the mudguard lifespan (e.g. don't put it under stress by increasing or reducing the natural curve). I would never rely on a shop to fit them and always fit them myself, taking time to do so and ensuring that the fit is as good as I can get it.
PH
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by PH »

Dwnglasgow wrote:I may also change the mudguards. The clearance looks a little to close for comfort. The problem is that metal mudguards (which I prefer) are pretty expensive, so discarding my Kinesis set and buying PDW's isn't a light decision.

SKS also do aluminium guards, though I prefer the twin stays of their other ranges. I don't have these guards but I do have some that use the same fittings on my folder.
https://www.sks-germany.com/en/products/edge-al/
If it's the mat black aesthetic you like, look at the Blumels Matt range, although plastic they don't look it, I have these on two bikes,
https://www.sks-germany.com/en/products ... black-set/
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531colin
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by 531colin »

Dwnglasgow wrote:
PH wrote:If that's consistent all the way round it looks fine to me, is there the same clearance where it attaches to the frame/forks?


Hi, it's pretty much consistent. Hard to measure, but looks the same.


It can be useful to tape something (like a nut) on top of the tyre tread and turn the wheel; this will show up any "tight spots".
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The utility cyclist
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by The utility cyclist »

I wouldn't worry about the clearance, I've been running far tighter clearances for the 19 years since I decided to run mudguards, never once had a problem over that time, that's using tyres from 23s to 42mm.

The Supreme is a good tyre but quite thin in the sidewalls though fairly thick tread so should get decent wear out of them, so be careful when going off tarmac as these could be, going by the testing done, be susceptible to sidewall punctures. It was also noted in the testing of the tyre that these run a bit draggy at lower pressures.
I run a 32r/28f on my commuter that is loaded reasonably often, weight incl rider/bike circa 120kg and have exceeded that a fair few times, I tend to put in 80psi both front and back but can still run the bike off road if need be with a little care if the trail is particularly bumpy. Usually and due to being a bit sloppy, the pressures can fall a fair bit, certainly below 60 on both, it's only when I know I'm going to be carrying a big load do I really put much thought into it, for the touring, racing, audax/winter racing machines I would generally check each time I go out.

It's not always easy finding a happy medium and switching tyres and their particular construction and strengths/weaknesses complicate it a bit more.
Dwnglasgow
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by Dwnglasgow »

Interesting to read the comment about the pdw guards. This prompted a google search and a fair number of people are concerned about the grub screw. I'm also waiting for a response from decathlon, but it looks as if they only advise the 35mm versions of SKS so I may have to stick with the Kinesis.

Taping a nut to the top of the tyre tread is a good idea - thanks for that!

Regards
Dwnglasgow
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by Dwnglasgow »

The utility cyclist wrote:I wouldn't worry about the clearance, I've been running far tighter clearances for the 19 years since I decided to run mudguards, never once had a problem over that time, that's using tyres from 23s to 42mm.

The Supreme is a good tyre but quite thin in the sidewalls though fairly thick tread so should get decent wear out of them, so be careful when going off tarmac as these could be, going by the testing done, be susceptible to sidewall punctures. It was also noted in the testing of the tyre that these run a bit draggy at lower pressures.
I run a 32r/28f on my commuter that is loaded reasonably often, weight incl rider/bike circa 120kg and have exceeded that a fair few times, I tend to put in 80psi both front and back but can still run the bike off road if need be with a little care if the trail is particularly bumpy. Usually and due to being a bit sloppy, the pressures can fall a fair bit, certainly below 60 on both, it's only when I know I'm going to be carrying a big load do I really put much thought into it, for the touring, racing, audax/winter racing machines I would generally check each time I go out.

It's not always easy finding a happy medium and switching tyres and their particular construction and strengths/weaknesses complicate it a bit more.


Thanks. Tbh, I've never really thought about mudguard clearances until recently - clearly becoming more risk-averse as I get older!
PH
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by PH »

The utility cyclist wrote:I wouldn't worry about the clearance, I've been running far tighter clearances for the 19 years since I decided to run mudguards, never once had a problem over that time, that's using tyres from 23s to 42mm.

And that somehow constitutes evidence :?:
You may go another hundred years without problem, or you may have on tomorrow, the real evidence is that people do have problems and sometimes the consequences are serious.
slowster
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by slowster »

Dwnglasgow wrote:I'm also waiting for a response from decathlon, but it looks as if they only advise the 35mm versions of SKS so I may have to stick with the Kinesis.

Decathlon only sell Bluemels mudguards in 35mm size, so they will probably not be willing or able to tell you if 45mm Bluemels or Chromoplastics will fit. Judging by the image below of the fork crown contained in this review, I would not like to hazard a guess. The short answer is to measure the gap yourself, and the long answer is that the only way to find out definitively is to get a pair and see for yourself if they will fit.

Image
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The utility cyclist
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by The utility cyclist »

PH wrote:
The utility cyclist wrote:I wouldn't worry about the clearance, I've been running far tighter clearances for the 19 years since I decided to run mudguards, never once had a problem over that time, that's using tyres from 23s to 42mm.

And that somehow constitutes evidence :?:
You may go another hundred years without problem, or you may have on tomorrow, the real evidence is that people do have problems and sometimes the consequences are serious.

Much like the 'evidence' of others like you saying it's problematic then eh! :roll: Come on, how much of your 'real' evidence is there, how many events from hundreds of millions of journeys a year? Don't forget your bubble wrap and helmet for walking down stair, don't forget to put on a michelin man inflatable outfit for walking outside just in case you trip over!
The chances of an incident with something getting under your mudguard and getting jammed in are influenced massively by your own behaviour, that being not riding over stuff that you shouldn't and generally keeping an eye out for stuff that might be sticking out. A close fitting mudguard can also act as a defence to stuff getting under as opposed to a guard that isn't so close fitting that does, thus increasing the chances, works both ways eh?

Do what you like but when you're talking one in several tens/hundreds of millions chance of an event happening at all, then I'm not going to be overly concerned about such.
PH
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by PH »

The utility cyclist wrote:
PH wrote:
The utility cyclist wrote:I wouldn't worry about the clearance, I've been running far tighter clearances for the 19 years since I decided to run mudguards, never once had a problem over that time, that's using tyres from 23s to 42mm.

And that somehow constitutes evidence :?:
You may go another hundred years without problem, or you may have on tomorrow, the real evidence is that people do have problems and sometimes the consequences are serious.

Much like the 'evidence' of others like you saying it's problematic then eh! :roll: Come on, how much of your 'real' evidence is there, how many events from hundreds of millions of journeys a year? Don't forget your bubble wrap and helmet for walking down stair, don't forget to put on a michelin man inflatable outfit for walking outside just in case you trip over!

A usual rude response, I'm still going to take Chris Juden's evidence based expertise over your anecdotal experience.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/techn ... ard-safety
rmurphy195
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Re: 35mm or 28mm tyres

Post by rmurphy195 »

How your clearance works (or doesn't) depends on where you ride!

My tourer's front guard is a bit tight around part of its circumference, as is the rear, and I haven't had any problems so far - but I do sometimes wonder about changing them just in case.

The clearance on the Brompton as as much as it needs to be and again causes no problems - except for one occasion! A frosty morning along the Stratford greenway, outward trip no problems. Return trip - wheels stopped turning! The surface of the path had thawed out and, being what it was, the wet slimy clay simply clogged up under the mudguards so the wheels got stuck! Now this isn't off-roading as such, just a regularly used cycleway (with a rather messy surface when wet). The Brommies tyres are Marathons with loads of tread which probably picked-up the mud instead of sliding around on it.

You pays your money ...
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
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