Tyres for distance

What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something
sporty like Stelvios?
--
Three wheels good, two wheels ok

www.catrike.co.uk

On Feb 26, 10:46 am, Buck
wrote:
What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something
sporty like Stelvios?
--
Three wheels good, two wheels ok

www.catrike.co.uk

On my Rocket, I generally go with the Stelvios in good weather, Comets
in less-good weather.

Best,

Dan

Buck wrote:
What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something
more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something
sporty like Stelvios?

Marathons. I'm not that fussed about outright speed and I'm quite
likely to take off-road diversions and Stelvios aren't really the thing
for that... The suspension on the SMGT takes care of the comfort side
of things so I can have the Ms running at 100 psi and not suffer.

They're pretty bombproof too is another Good Thing. I think I've had
about 2 punctures in ~6 years on the 'bent (both rear, of course! ;-/)
and I'm been quite happy not to have long days punctuated by the
Puncture Fairy.

Also, to some extent I'm not a huge experimenter with setup. The bike
came with them, I've been happy and impressed, so not wanting to fix
something that ain't broke I've not tried other tyres on it.

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 http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Buck wrote:
What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something
more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something
sporty like Stelvios?
I purchased the 406/1.50 Greenspeed Scorcher TR tires, and find them
both fast and bulletproof. Many of us that have used them find them
comfy also.

Joel

I had my Catrike Road fitted with Big Apples. Between the rigid frame,
Aluminum material and the fact that you can't "unweight" a recumbent, I
wanted some cushioning action. I run them between 40 and 60 psi. That's
plenty for easy rolling. Don't forget that the trike has all the weight
distributed over three wheels instead of two, that makes a diff. I find the
balance between comfort, handling and speed is best with the Big Apples at
50psi. I also think that, unless your rides are on ultra smooth roadways,
smaller tires and higher pressures are just too hard on me and the equipment
with only a marginal increase in average speed.

Grolsch


"Buck" wrote in message
news:2007022615461411272-SPAMTRAPian@trikesandstuffDOTcoDOTuk...
What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something
more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something sporty
like Stelvios?
--
Three wheels good, two wheels ok

www.catrike.co.uk

Buck wrote:
What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something
more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something
sporty like Stelvios?

I make sure to get the round ones now.
I tried the square ones, and they're cheap but man they sucked.
All four times I bought them.
But I've learned my lesson.

-----------

I prefer wider tires, 1.5"+. Narrower 1-inch tires accelerate quicker
but only feel good on smooth-as-glass pavement. Unless you're rich
enough to have a bent with full suspension, of course--and in that
case--I hate you; shut up.

,,,,,

Recently I switched to wider /rims/ with the same width tires, and
rather like the effect. I had a dual-559mm wheel bike (a RANS Fusion)
running Schwalbe Marathon Plus's's (both tires!) and I wanted to switch
to disk brakes and better spokes, and at the lower end of the market,
it's cheaper just to buy whole new wheels at that point.

I decided to run the Marathon+'s because I decided one fine day (while
fixing a flat) that I hated fixing flats more than I hated heavy tires.

This bike came with "the usual" 25mm-wide rims, and I got new wheels
that had ~34mm rims, as wider rims made sense, and I wondered what
effect this would have, and it's an around-town 50 mile bike (has a
rear rack with baskets and all) so it isn't a "high-speed or -distance"
bike,,, so running rims a bit heavier is no big deal anyway. The bike
seems to track better now, especially the rear wheel. It NOW seems like
it was "sliding out" a lot before, but now,,, it doesn't.

I will likely switch my other "high-speed and -distance" LWB to Marathon
Plus tires, and am pondering reworking the wheels to wider rims as well.
~

On Feb 26, 10:16 am, "Dan B." wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:46 am, Buck
wrote:

What is the preference for tyre type for distance work with group members?

Do you prefer a low pressure comfy tyre like the Big Apple or something more
robust and free rolling like a Marathon, or do you prefer something
sporty like Stelvios?
--
Three wheels good, two wheels ok

www.catrike.co.uk

On my Rocket, I generally go with the Stelvios in good weather, Comets
in less-good weather.

Do the newer Primo Comets have better traction than those made in the
last century? When I changed from the stock 37-406 Comets to 44-406
Avocet [1] slicks, braking in the wet was considerably improved. The
smooth tread of the Avocets also likely helps (compared to the
"herringbone" pattern of the Comets), since patterned tread on
pavement is about as useful as an udder on a bull [2].

On real world roads, the wider moderate pressure tires will likely be
faster than the narrow high pressure tires, unless one is riding at
the 40+ kph range, where the reduction in frontal area becomes
significant (especially in combination with disc wheels). The increase
in ride comfort will also improve average long distance speeds on
unsuspended bicycles by reducing rider fatigue.

[1] http://www.avocet.com/tirepages/carbon12_specs.html.
[2] http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/slicks.html.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

On Feb 26, 12:10 pm, "Grolch" wrote:
I had my Catrike Road fitted with Big Apples. Between the rigid frame,
Aluminum material and the fact that you can't "unweight" a recumbent...

Aluminium alloy [1] has approximately the same ratio of elastic
modulus to density as steel. Stiffness depends on the elastic modulus
of the material and the moment of inertia of the section. Aluminium
alloy frames are generally stiffer due the lower density allowing for
thicker wall, larger diameter tubing than if steel was used (with
buckling of the tube controlling minimum wall thickness). Therefore,
it is improper to characterize aluminium alloy frames as being stiffer
due to just the material used without mentioning the other factors.

[1] 6061 T-6 for Catrike's.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

"Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Feb 26, 12:10 pm, "Grolch" wrote:
I had my Catrike Road fitted with Big Apples. Between the rigid frame,
Aluminum material and the fact that you can't "unweight" a recumbent...

Aluminium alloy [1] has approximately the same ratio of elastic
modulus to density as steel. Stiffness depends on the elastic modulus
of the material and the moment of inertia of the section. Aluminium
alloy frames are generally stiffer due the lower density allowing for
thicker wall, larger diameter tubing than if steel was used (with
buckling of the tube controlling minimum wall thickness). Therefore,
it is improper to characterize aluminium alloy frames as being stiffer
due to just the material used without mentioning the other factors.

[1] 6061 T-6 for Catrike's.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful


Fair enough comment, My purpose for stating this was to express my view that
aluminum frames transfer road vibration much more readily than well made
steel frames. In fact, I would suggest that the proliferation of suspended
bikes was a direct result of most manufacturers going to aluminum
construction. At least one major benefit though, light weight at lower cost.

Grolsch

In the 80's aluminum hit the mtb market; they were advertised as
passive suspension. Trouble was after a couple of years those
underbuilt frames self-destructed. Since that time most aluminum
frames I've seen have been overbuilt and quite stiff. Seems no one
wants to have those frames self-destruct again. Give me steel or
titanium. But then again, perhaps someone will build what I want in
aluminum. YMMV

Enjoy,

Perry B


On Feb 27, 6:37 pm, "Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman"
wrote:
On Feb 26, 12:10 pm, "Grolch" wrote:

I had my Catrike Road fitted with Big Apples. Between the rigid frame,
Aluminum material and the fact that you can't "unweight" a recumbent...

Aluminium alloy [1] has approximately the same ratio of elastic
modulus to density as steel. Stiffness depends on the elastic modulus
of the material and the moment of inertia of the section. Aluminium
alloy frames are generally stiffer due the lower density allowing for
thicker wall, larger diameter tubing than if steel was used (with
buckling of the tube controlling minimum wall thickness). Therefore,
it is improper to characterize aluminium alloy frames as being stiffer
due to just the material used without mentioning the other factors.

[1] 6061 T-6 for Catrike's.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful