New slicks?

NickD said:

Hi all,
I've been biking into work for a while now, on my Kona hardtail with
Schwalbe CityJet slicks. Very good - no major problems. The only point
of note is that the grip on them can give way very quickly when
cornering at any speed. Essentially, I guess once I hit the edge of the
actual grip, it just goes sideways, which can be disconcerting. It's
more pronounced in the wet, but just as alarming in the dry....

Question is - are there slicks out there (for a 26" wheel) that grip
better? Essentially, I guess with the grip spreading further round the
tyre profile... Bit difficult to explain, but I've done a detailed
ASCII diagram below.... ;c)

_____
/ \
| |

Thanks
Nick

On the road, slick tyres either grip, or they don't.

You may be used to using knobblies on the road, which
tend to start walking out from under you in an undesirable
but fairly benign manner. You get a higher slip-out angle
with knobblies compared to slicks, but the transition
from gripping to not-gripping is less sudden.

I've never used Schwalbe CityJet tyres, on a 26", but they
appear to have a weird faux-motorcycle kind of tread shoulder,
which I don't understand. Why isn't a bike tyre a plain
torus?

For fast road riding on a 26", I always swore by (never at!)
Specialized FatBoys.

Continental sport contacts also seem to be well regarded
by the urban MTBers I know who've tried them.

HTH.

in message <[email hidden]>, NickD

(') said:

Hi all,
I've been biking into work for a while now, on my Kona hardtail with
Schwalbe CityJet slicks. Very good - no major problems. The only point
of note is that the grip on them can give way very quickly when
cornering at any speed. Essentially, I guess once I hit the edge of the
actual grip, it just goes sideways, which can be disconcerting. It's
more pronounced in the wet, but just as alarming in the dry....

Question is - are there slicks out there (for a 26" wheel) that grip
better? Essentially, I guess with the grip spreading further round the
tyre profile... Bit difficult to explain, but I've done a detailed
ASCII diagram below.... ;c)

Nokian AWS. Good slick, good speed, good grip, groovy tread design.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; So, before proceeding with definitive screwing, choose the
;; position most congenital.
-- instructions for fitting bicycle handlebars

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 18:01:39 +0100, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Question is - are there slicks out there (for a 26" wheel) that grip
better?

Quoted message said:

On the road, slick tyres either grip, or they don't.

Quoted message said:

For fast road riding on a 26", I always swore by (never at!)
Specialized FatBoys.

Continental sport contacts also seem to be well regarded
by the urban MTBers I know who've tried them.

Yeah, what he said.

You don't really want a grip pattern on bike tyres for road use, it
serves no useful function.

I'll echo the recommendation for Specialized Fatboys, great tyres for
tarmac use, about 12 - 15 quid a tyre.

I'm currently using a pair of Continental Sport Contact and am pretty
happy with them. My only reservation with these is that a bike I
bought recently came fitted with a pair (in 20" size) and although
they are probably only a year old, and have had virtually no use, the
sidewall is peeling and coming away where the tyres have been printed
with the Conti logo. It's as if the rubber has reacted badly with the
ink or printing process and is coming apart. I don't think I'd trust
the tyre at any kind of speed and intend to change them before I get
that particular bike going quickly. I keep meaning to email
Continental about it and see what they have to say.

The 26" ones I have on my hack don't have this problem, but then they
aren't a year old.

Anyway, thumbs up for Specialized Fatboys, and also the Conti Sport
Contacts, with the proviso about the sidewall issue.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

Quoted message said:

I've never used Schwalbe CityJet tyres, on a 26", but they
appear to have a weird faux-motorcycle kind of tread shoulder,
which I don't understand. Why isn't a bike tyre a plain
torus?

More ruber where it wears most..

It might depend on the width of the rim, the pressure you run them at,
and the angle of lean. I have never had any problems cornering (though
I have slid them a few times on greasy roads heading downhill)

There is that funny shoulder but you would have to be well over before
using that, unless your tyres are soft and/or you are using really wide
rims.

...d

Call me Bob said:

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 18:01:39 +0100, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Question is - are there slicks out there (for a 26" wheel) that grip
better?

Quoted message said:

On the road, slick tyres either grip, or they don't.

Nick has a point in that width of treaded section varies from tyre to
tyre. However, you'd have to be leaning to a bonkers degree to run out of
tread on any tyre. (By "tread" here I just mean the central rubber
section as opposed to the sidewall).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For fast road riding on a 26", I always swore by (never at!)
Specialized FatBoys.

Continental sport contacts also seem to be well regarded
by the urban MTBers I know who've tried them.

Yeah, what he said.

You don't really want a grip pattern on bike tyres for road use, it
serves no useful function.

Agreed except a little bit of siping (like the City Jet has) doesn't do
any harm, so that shouldn't be a reason to avoid a tyre.

~PB

David Martin said:

Quoted message said:

I've never used Schwalbe CityJet tyres, on a 26", but they
appear to have a weird faux-motorcycle kind of tread shoulder,
which I don't understand. Why isn't a bike tyre a plain
torus?

More ruber where it wears most..

On a bicycle? - it wears most right in the centre of the tread.

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, NickD

(') said:

Hi all,
I've been biking into work for a while now, on my Kona hardtail with
Schwalbe CityJet slicks. Very good - no major problems. The only point
of note is that the grip on them can give way very quickly when
cornering at any speed. Essentially, I guess once I hit the edge of the
actual grip, it just goes sideways, which can be disconcerting. It's
more pronounced in the wet, but just as alarming in the dry....

Question is - are there slicks out there (for a 26" wheel) that grip
better? Essentially, I guess with the grip spreading further round the
tyre profile... Bit difficult to explain, but I've done a detailed
ASCII diagram below.... ;c)

Nokian AWS. Good slick, good speed, good grip, groovy tread design.

Groovy? a FANTASTIC tread design!

Just wish they made 'em in 622.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Nokian AWS. Good slick, good speed, good grip, groovy tread design.

Groovy? a FANTASTIC tread design!

Just wish they made 'em in 622.

And remarkably cheap too. I got my LBS to special order them for me and
they were only about 11 quid each. Still going strong after several
thousand K.

Not really much to choose between those and the city jets, not really
sure which is the faster but the AWS are more supple.

The only other nokian tyres I have had are the Haakepellitta (?) A10
(in 622 and 559) and the W102 in 559 which are not slicks but are the
absolute mutts nuts in the appropriate conditions.

...d

Call me Bob said:

I'm currently using a pair of Continental Sport Contact and am pretty
happy with them. My only reservation with these is that a bike I
bought recently came fitted with a pair (in 20" size) and although
they are probably only a year old, and have had virtually no use, the
sidewall is peeling and coming away where the tyres have been printed
with the Conti logo. It's as if the rubber has reacted badly with the
ink or printing process and is coming apart. I don't think I'd trust
the tyre at any kind of speed and intend to change them before I get
that particular bike going quickly. I keep meaning to email
Continental about it and see what they have to say.

Apologies for replying to my own post but thought I ought to follow up
by reporting that Continental seem happy to put this right for me.

I took some quick pictures of the tyres yesterday evening and emailed
Conti about the problem. They've replied already this morning (that
was fast!) telling me to return the tyres to them and they'll mail me
out a replacement pair.

Nice one Conti.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.