Now I have, after a few years of being a lazy [censored], got a new bike which I am trying to motivate myself to use at least a couple of times a week. So I'm trying to get it better suited the type of riding I want to do, 90% country lanes and 10% paths/bridleways etc.
The Tioga tyres on the bike are horrible nobbly things that hum and vibrate as I ride on the road and I hate them. So I want to go for some that will run a bit nicer on the road but still grip on the odd muddy bumpy bits that turn up here and there.
On my old bike I changed the nobbly tyres for Michelin semi-slicks which didn't seem to reduce the rolling resistance much and certainly didn't grip well on mud. I can get Specialized Crossroads EXs for £9.99 each (can't afford to spend much more, four month old twins you know :-)) These look like a nice compromise, are they any good? I could maybe stretch a little more but I haven't really seen much that looks as good value.
I can get Specialized Crossroads EXs for £9.99 each (can't
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afford to spend much more, four month old twins you know :-)) These look like a nice compromise, are they any good? I could maybe stretch a little more but I haven't really seen much that looks as good value.
The crossroads are what we have on most of our bikes. A continuous band makes on road less noisy while the bumps help on the softer stuff.
On my old bike I changed the nobbly tyres for Michelin semi-slicks which didn't seem to reduce the rolling resistance much and certainly didn't grip well on mud. I can get Specialized Crossroads EXs for £9.99 each (can't afford to spend much more, four month old twins you know :-)) These look like a nice compromise, are they any good? I could maybe stretch a little more but I haven't really seen much that looks as good value.
The cost should be counted over the lifetime of a tyre. The cheap and nasty tyres are, and wear out rapidly. Spending 50% more can give you a tyre which will last three times as long.
The cost should be counted over the lifetime of a tyre. >The cheap and nasty tyres are, and wear out rapidly. Spending 50% >more can give you a tyre which will last three times as long.
Yep in an ideal world I would be very well off and buy absolutely the best, but it aint, so budget sometimes has to do. And wandering around the review sites and forums it doesn't seem very uncommon for people to be dissapointed by the longevity of expensive tyres.
Funny thing is there doesn't seem to be much in the way of other tyres, more expensive or otherwise, that are similar in design to the Crossroads - suited to mainly road but with a bit of grip for mud - surely this is exactly the sort of riding lots of people do? Mind you I guess the majority of people are happy with the tyres on their bike so long as they are round and rubbery.
Yep in an ideal world I would be very well off and buy absolutely the best, but it aint, so budget sometimes has to do. And wandering around the review sites and forums it doesn't seem very uncommon for people to be dissapointed by the longevity of expensive tyres.
A lot will depend on what the money is spent on. Shwalbe Stelvios aren't any cheaper than Schwalbe Marathons, and they're a lot more fragile. But OTOH they have considerably lower rolling resistance and weigh rather less. You choose, you lose.
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Funny thing is there doesn't seem to be much in the way of other tyres, more expensive or otherwise, that are similar in design to the Crossroads - suited to mainly road but with a bit of grip for mud - surely this is exactly the sort of riding lots of people do?
For varying values of "mud". Real mud you want a proper knobbly, typical tracks can easily be handled by a tour like the Marathon.
Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
A lot will depend on what the money is spent on. Shwalbe Stelvios aren't any cheaper than Schwalbe Marathons, and they're a lot more fragile. But OTOH they have considerably lower rolling resistance and weigh rather less. You choose, you lose.
As Keith Bontrager wisely said "Cheap, light, strong, choose any two"
-- Tony
"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't" Anon
"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Peter Clinch said:
A lot will depend on what the money is spent on. Shwalbe Stelvios aren't any cheaper than Schwalbe Marathons, and they're a lot more fragile. But OTOH they have considerably lower rolling resistance and weigh rather less. You choose, you lose.
As Keith Bontrager wisely said "Cheap, light, strong, choose any two"
So what would you recommend if cost isn't so important? Actually what I'm looking for is maybe a little different, something that's good on gravel and mud but doesn't go bump-bump-bump on roads.
"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Peter Clinch said:
A lot will depend on what the money is spent on. Shwalbe Stelvios aren't any cheaper than Schwalbe Marathons, and they're a lot more fragile. But OTOH they have considerably lower rolling resistance and weigh rather less. You choose, you lose.
As Keith Bontrager wisely said "Cheap, light, strong, choose any two"
So what would you recommend if cost isn't so important? Actually what I'm looking for is maybe a little different, something that's good on gravel and mud but doesn't go bump-bump-bump on roads.
Nokian AWS. Excellent tyre, really funky tread pattern. If you're using a 26" wheeled bike mainly on well made paths and roads, it's an excellent choice. About £11 per tyre. Not good for really muddy conditions.
So what would you recommend if cost isn't so important? Actually what I'm looking for is maybe a little different, something that's good on gravel and mud but doesn't go bump-bump-bump on roads.
Funny thing is there doesn't seem to be much in the way of other tyres, more expensive or otherwise, that are similar in design to the Crossroads -
The reason for that is - it's a good idea, but flawed in practice.
This sort of tyre used to be quite common and they were called "combination" tyres. The idea is that on road you have a smooth tyre, if it's muddy you sink in and the knobbles give you some traction.
What actually happens is that on road it's fine, until you take a sharp bend - you lean over and suddenly find you've lost over 50% of your contact with the road, at just the moment you need it most! And they aren't much good in the mud either.
What actually happens is that on road it's fine, until you take a sharp bend - you lean over and suddenly find you've lost over 50% of your contact with the road, at just the moment you need it most! And they aren't much good in the mud either.
That' the problem with wanting all purpose. If you have knobbles all over that are good in mud you get buzz on the road and the reduced traction all the time. If you have it totally slick it will be even worse in mud. If you want a compromise you have to compromise and make allowances.
-- Tony
"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't" Anon
Nokian AWS. Excellent tyre, really funky tread pattern. If you're using a 26" wheeled bike mainly on well made paths and roads, it's an excellent choice. About £11 per tyre. Not good for really muddy conditions.
I have these on my MTB/commuter. Fine on anything except wet grass and mud. Reasonably fast, and a tread pattern that is second to none for a slick.[1]
It depends what you want to do but I find them fine for off-road trails/gravel paths as well as roads.
My LBS had to special order them. but they have lasted really well and are still going strong. And until today, no punctures [2].
