Tyre noise

[Ayesha]

Put a few more psi in them. The noise might go away. Then again, it might get worse.

[Brucey]

I wonder if fitting a heavier inner tube would quell the noise?

180g Nutrack innertubes fitted - which has to be heavyweight? Not that I've ever weighed tubes before, just that picking up the box with a spare in, makes me wonder why bother with light tyres

they are light-middleweight, I'd say. I've got some cheapo ones here that are ~230g, and you can get them heavier still (which some yoofs prefer because they are more resistant to pinch-flats).

BTW I thought the sound of calico tearing was like one of my old motorbikes when it came on the pipe. Mind you, by the time all three cylinders were doing 11000rpm the noise was the least of your worries; the world was usually going past at a disturbingly rapid rate, and very often the Horizon wasn't where it was meant to be, either....

cheers

[Tigerbiten]

Are you sure its the tyres and not something resonating with them ??

My trike used to be very noisy above around 10 mph.
But it was not tyre noise, it was the mud flaps on the bottom of the mud guard resonating with the tyres.
Since I've glued + extra rivit the mud flaps in place, its a lot quiter.

[mig]

is the wider tyre flicking a mudguard whereas the narrower one isn't?

or are the little fingers of rubber left on as the tyre leaves the machine rubbing a mudguard? that can whine until they disappear.

or do you have no mudguards on the bike?

[deliquium]

No mudguards. Definitely just the tyres rolling along on varieties of tarmac from baby bottom smooth, to rougher. Not the tread, as it's minimal - and the slicker wider Panaracers were even worse. As mentioned, the same hum was very evident on 20inch recumbent trike wheels. And somebody upthread has posted a similar thing on their 2" Kojaks (which are obvioulsy bald/slick).

Why don't 32mm 700c tyres make ANY noise on the same roads? I'm thinking it's just width - but I would expect a progression.

Please fess up all you FAT tyred protagonists - do you get the hum? The ride is as good - but not noticeably better, than 32mm. I have 2 pairs of 26" x 1.5" Marathon Racers, I don't want to buy something else if they're noisy.

Does anyone run 26" x 1.35" slicks?

Is it 700c versus 26" also?

[mig]

are you simply more contented on the one tyre rather than the other and are doing the humming (inadvertently) yourself?

[Tigerbiten]

At a guess it sounds like you've a resonance problem.
The speed the tyre vibate matchs the speed the frame vibrates hence the noise.
The thinner tyres vibrate faster hence no resonance and no noise.

Try upping the pressure in the tyres to the max they can take as that will change the speed the vibrate.
The ride won't be as good but see if they are quieter.

I've run 5x 40-406 plain marathons, 5x 40-406 marathon racers and I'm running 5x 50-406 marathon superemes on my trike-trailer noiseless.
Or I don't hear then over the noise from the trailer hitch and the streamer fairing.
I've 5x 40-406 marathon trikers on order for the next tyre change when the superemes wear out.

[deliquium]

mig - agreed, humming and contentment are indubitable bedfellows. I love the silence of a well tuned bike, save the air through my sideburns and possible flap of Pertex on an autumnal downhill. A drone of a hum through my tyres is hardly poetry in motion though?

Tigerbiten - I will overinflate tomorrow in the name of "science"? Of course I know (cos I used to run these blighters higher and still had the same aural disturbance) pressure is not the acceptable answer