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Old March 25th 06, 05:11 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
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Default Do tires make a difference in ride feel?

"prometheus7" wrote:
9000 miles ago I bought my first road bike with Continental GP 3000 tires.
I've changed them out with Conti's everytime they've worn out and never
had
a flat, so, given my experience, I really don't have a reason to consider
going to a different tire because of reliability issues. I am curious
though, as to whether different tires provide a different ride feel on a
bike or whether it would all be in air pressure...a Conti would feel like
everything else. I consider reliability a premium issue, so I don't want
to
risk a bunch of flats just to scratch my curiosity itch. I figured I
would
ask the collective wisdom of the group. Thoughts?


There's a couple of issues to consider when it comes to tire "feel." One has
to do with tread pattern. The old (mid '80s?) Turbo S tires had a raised
center ridge, supposedly to extend wear. That ridge would squirm as the tire
rotated, producing a weird sensation.

Another issue is traction. While not strictly related to "feel," a tire with
good traction gives more confidence when cornering, especially in rain.
Traction depends on tread material, tread pattern (or lack thereof), and
inflation pressure.

A lighter tire and higher thread count will produce more compliance, less
rolling resistance, and some will say, a better feel. Personally, I think
tire width, tread pattern, weight, and inflation pressure have the greatest
effect. Will two otherwise identical tires, one with 66 tpi and the other
with 127 tpi casings, feel very different? I tend to doubt whether most of
us could tell the difference in a blind test.

Art Harris


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