Fixed wheel: Why? Why not? Vote now please!

[Cyril Haearn]

Trying to ride fixed and free on alternate rides, no problem swapping over, I do change gear a lot when riding free

Planning a century soon, 50 on each, lunch at home in between

I approve of the poll result: more than half like riding fixed

[Brucey]

The 28mm tyres, old Vittoria Randonneurs, give a much harsher ride than the 36 X 622 Schwalbe Supremes on the Mercury.
I can't go more than the 28mm but can anybody suggest a more supple tyre?

almost any of the current crop of lightweight 'road' tyres, eg schwalbe one, conti GP5000, various vittoria and Michelin models in 28mm will be a much nicer ride than basic model Vittoria randonneurs. However they are also all pretty lightweight delicate tyres rather than robust heavy ones; yer pays yer money and takes yer choice...

If you want a nice feel with lower cost then various rubino and zaffiro models offer a nice feel for the money (but are not as fast) and if you want improved puncture protection you are soon in the realms of gatorskins and duranos; ride quality is soon compromised, but they are still going to be an improvement over what you have.

cheers

[Mike_Ayling]

The 28mm tyres, old Vittoria Randonneurs, give a much harsher ride than the 36 X 622 Schwalbe Supremes on the Mercury.
I can't go more than the 28mm but can anybody suggest a more supple tyre?

almost any of the current crop of lightweight 'road' tyres, eg schwalbe one, conti GP5000, various vittoria and Michelin models in 28mm will be a much nicer ride than basic model Vittoria randonneurs. However they are also all pretty lightweight delicate tyres rather than robust heavy ones; yer pays yer money and takes yer choice...

If you want a nice feel with lower cost then various rubino and zaffiro models offer a nice feel for the money (but are not as fast) and if you want improved puncture protection you are soon in the realms of gatorskins and duranos; ride quality is soon compromised, but they are still going to be an improvement over what you have.

cheers

Thanks Brucey.

Mike

[mig]

for a fixed bike i'd suggest a heavier tyre on the rear (as you're more likely to have constant weight on there riding fixed) and pair with a lighter, livelier casing on the front.

my commuter steed has a HS308 marathon on the back coupled with a continental GP4S on the front. both 28c.

i'd even ride something lighter on the front through the summer but, living in manchester, the roads are often wet and gritty so i stick with a fairly light tyre rather than a sporty one.

[Brucey]

oddly enough I use a similar setup on my IGH equipped hack bike. I sometimes swap the front wheel about; usually a Bontrager 'select K' rear tyre (not a breakfast cereal) actual width 32mm and something friskier at the front; variously a 25-28mm select K, a Zaffiro pro, a cheap Schwalbe road tyre (Lugano I think), a Conti GP4000.

Interestingly I think the worst tyre with the fastest wheel (Schwalbe Lugano on a 24 spoke aero wheel) is better than the slowest wheel with the best tyre on it (old model shimano dynohub with high lights off drag, with GP4000 fitted). The dynohub goes into audible 'resonance' at about 20mph whether the lights are on or off and if the test data I have seen is to be believed, this results in at least 7-8W of extra drag.

cheers