Tyres

phenian said:

I currently have 700x23 tyres. I am going to be going on a fairly long trip (500 miles) and am a
bit worried about punctures etc. Can I use bigger tyres and if so are there any considerations I
need to make (apart from the brakes). Is there an advantage in doing this and if there is how wide
a tyre would people recommend? Is there any advantage in using Kevlar coated tyres?

Cheers

If you are not carrying any extra weight on your trip then I see no reason to change your type of
tyre. They will be more resistent to punctures when they are new so maybe get some new ones
before you start. I use 700x28 on my tourer and did so for my 80 day, 3500 mile tour across the
USA. The tyres had an internal Kevlar strip and I suffered only two punctures. Fatter tyres do
exist but for road riding I don't go any larger than 28. Fatter tyres will put up more resistence
to your pedalling but will offer a more armchair ride on rough surfaces. As for brands and
models, I have prefered Hutchinson in the past, their blue lined profile U ones but I don't think
they are available any more. I tend to choose on price and prefer a failry smooth tread of not
completely slick.

--
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phenian said:

I currently have 700x23 tyres. I am going to be going on a fairly long trip (500 miles) and am a
bit worried about punctures etc. Can I use bigger tyres and if so are there any considerations I
need to make (apart from the brakes). Is there an advantage in doing this and if there is how wide
a tyre would people recommend? Is there any advantage in using Kevlar coated tyres?

Kevlar belted tyres (not Kevlar beaded - a totally different thing) are virtually puncture proof,
but are also fairly speed-proof because the casing is stiffer. I would look at Vredestein tyres
marked "PRS".

Wider tyres inflated to the same pressure have lower rolling resistance than narrow ones. They have
more air resistance, but you have to be travelling at time trial pace before the aerodynamic drag of
the tyre (always a tiny percentage of the total air resistance) is more important than its rolling
resistance.

phenian said:

I currently have 700x23 tyres. I am going to be going on a fairly long trip (500 miles) and am a
bit worried about punctures etc. Can I use bigger tyres and if so are there any considerations I
need to make (apart from the brakes).

Needs to be enough clearance within frame and forks (and mudguards if any) as well.

Quoted message said:

Is there an advantage in doing this

Yes - increased comfort, increase traction and speed on rough roads, possibly decrease in wear,
require pumping less often. Heavier and possibly slower than fully inflated 23's on the smoothest
roads. No difference in puncture resistance if casing & tread is similar, though, including pinch
flats if tyres are inflated properly. Hoewever, there is more choice of tougher tyres with the
larger sizes so it could indeed help to go wider.

Quoted message said:

and if there is how wide a tyre would people recommend?

Even a 25mm can make a substantial difference, and even some 23's are actually a bit wider than
others. For a fast good road bike, I suggest trying 25's before 28's*. 28+ may be overkill,
clearance may be tight. On the other hand for an audax/tourer type bike, 28 or wider would be
more sensible.
* Continental Ultra GatorSkin 28 seems to be narrow for it's size. The 28 is hardly any wider
than the Schwalbe Blizzard 25 (which seems to be correct). I've previously go on about how
often Conti sidewalls are reported to fail, but I have to admit that this one seems like a
good model so I'm taking the chance. Good amount of puncture resistance but still lightweight
and quite slick and fast. The Blizzard is very similar but I can't find these any more (note.
that's not Blizzard Pro or Blizzard anything else).

Quoted message said:

Is there any advantage in using Kevlar coated tyres?

Kevlar (beneath or within tread not ontop), if thick enough, can protect against some punctures, but
so can thicker tread without any Kevlar. Choose tyre by all the other factors then if it happens to
have Kevlar, that's a bonus. Note. Folding tyres usually have Kevlar *beads* - this is nothing to do
with Kevlar puncture resistant belting.

There is a theoretical disadvantage to Kevlar belting: It flexes less easily so rolling resistance
is increased. I also reckon it can /cause/ punctures sometimes as sharp cut edges from previous
punctures gradually abraid or nibble the inner tube.

~PB

Zog The Undeniable said:

Kevlar belted tyres (not Kevlar beaded - a totally different thing) are virtually puncture proof

That's just not true, unfortunatley. I've had many punctures with Kevlar belted tyres. Loads with
Vittoria Open Corsa and a few with Hutchinson Kevlar and others. Sharp objects, even tiny shards of
glass, either cut or penetrate through the woven Kevlar material. Knife and bullet proof vests are
more effective but they are rather thicker!

~PB

MSeries said:

If you are not carrying any extra weight on your trip then I see no reason to change your type of
tyre. They will be more resistent to punctures when they are new so maybe get some new ones before
you start.

That's a good point as long as one is generally happy with the tyres and doesn't need the
reliability of super-tough tyres that you might do if cycling in a land with no bike shops at all. A
couple of spare tubes, puncture kit and a Park Tyre Boot should cope with likely emergencies.

~PB

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

phenian said:

I currently have 700x23 tyres. I am going to be going on a fairly long trip (500 miles) and am a
bit worried about punctures etc. Can I use bigger tyres and if so are there any considerations I
need to make (apart from the brakes).

Needs to be enough clearance within frame and forks (and mudguards if any) as well.

Quoted message said:

Is there an advantage in doing this

Like Pete, I've also had my fairshare of punctures with Kevlar belted tyres. I would 100% recommend
the fitting of an anti-puncture liner. I've bought sets for all my wheels and have personally found
'Mr Tuffy' to be the best brand. If you find them fiddly to insert (i.e. they move to the side when
you insert the tube) try using some double sided tape to secure them in place inside the tyre. No
the quickest of jobs but it works for me.

The amount of punctures I got last year on my club rides became a standing joke. Since using liners
though....whoa, I'm not going any further, I don't have any wood to touch nearby!

Just a word on some bargain tyres I've been using. Vittoria Zaffiro's bought from Ribble for £5.95
each. Bit of tread on them, look pretty chunky for a 23mm. I go through tyres in the winter like
there's no tomorrow but these Zaffiro's seem to be lasting sheds longer and they seem more
resistant to cuts and digs. I'm still on my first pair but bought another 8 to see me through a
couple of seasons.

--
Mark (MSA)
This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling of
contents may have occurred during transmission

"phenian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I currently have 700x23 tyres. I am going to be going on a fairly long

trip

Quoted message said:

(500 miles) and am a bit worried about punctures etc. Can I use bigger tyres and if so are there
any considerations I need to

make

Quoted message said:

(apart from the brakes). Is there an advantage in doing this and if there

is

Quoted message said:

how wide a tyre would people recommend? Is there any advantage in using Kevlar coated tyres?

If you want something really puncture resistant (and can afford it) you should use Tufo C Elite Road
(clincher) or Tufo Elite Road (tubular). They run for 60$+ on the US eBay, though. You can a get
slightly heavier tyres (Tufo C HiComposite Carbon) for 20$ less or take off 110g and buy the TUFO C
Elite JET < 160g Hi-TPI (77$!). Then you can leave puncture kit and spare tubes at home...
tufo.comindex.phpOpen ↗

Erik

MSA said:

Like Pete, I've also had my fairshare of punctures with Kevlar belted tyres. I would 100% recommend
the fitting of an anti-puncture liner. I've bought sets for all my wheels and have personally found
'Mr Tuffy' to be the best brand. If you find them fiddly to insert (i.e. they move to the side when
you insert the tube) try using some double sided tape to secure them in place inside the tyre. No
the quickest of jobs but it works for me.

I did over 4,000 miles on a Hutchinson Excel without a single puncture, no tuffy tape inserted. I
get punctures all the time in my Kevlar-belted Stelvios, but they are lightweight racing tyres (and
wear out in about a week). YMMV. In my experience a quality Kevlar-banded tyre is a reasonable
compromise between puncture resistance and faffing about.

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

What Pete said. A chunk of glass even wormed its way through the Specialized Nimbus on the front of
my MTB the other day, which I should have thought impossible without recourse to a hammer...

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
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Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
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