Kerry's flat tires

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 18:11:24 -0500, Zippy the Pinhead wrote:

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:04:05 GMT, maxo wrote:

That said, I usually only ride belteds if they're on sale since I'm a
cheap bastage.

What's the best value (brand, vendor) you've found thus far?

Thanks.

It's been all over the board, but I must say that the house brands from
Nashbar and Performance are quite amazing for the price. I just switched
out a set of rubber from Nashbar with ~3000 miles because I wanted
something different, not because it was worn out (it was close, tbh.) The
sidewalls were as supple as anything costing ~30USD, but for around a
ten-spot.

I've also been very happy with Michelin and Hutchinson lower end stuff. I
wouldn't use cheaper Continentals even if they were free, I've had way too
many flats on those. Then again, I have friend that rave about Contis...

I'm currently on some 700x28 Hutchinsons, which looked rather huge when I
mounted them LOL, but they don't feel any slower, the ride is awesome, and
the cornering is great--since they feel "rounder". It could all be simply
due to using a fatter tire of course, but the Hutchinson does seem to grip
better than the Nashbar stuff when I'm standing on wet climbs. Nashbar has
them on sale now for way cheap.

Take with a HUGE grain of salt, since I've sampled very very little of
what each manufacturer offers.

At this point I'm sold on fat road bike tires that are 28mm wide vs. any
particular brand. My routes usually consist of not-so-smooth pavement, so
I doubt I could discern a super-duper tire because of that.

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 18:04:58 -0500, Zippy the Pinhead wrote:

Kerry road "fix-it" tip:

If you're ever caught out on the road and get a rip in the sidewall of
your tire, and you don't have a dollar bill or a GU package to make an
improvised "Boot" for the tire, one of those little teeny ketchup packages
works real well. Suck the ketchup out first, though.

rofl

which brand works best?

he he

Should the Secret Service carry spare wheels for these
situations?

I can just see it now, a big black limo with a spare bike
and wheels
strapped to the top.

Ever not get the tire seated fully in the rim, and have the
tube peek out and blow? That would be an adventure for the
Secret Service.

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:37:37 GMT, maxo wrote:

The rest of the western world may have single-payer medicine, which some
mistakenly call "socialized", but at least they can negotiate the price of
drugs, sounds more democratic and less fascistic to me.

It sounds one step away from government ownership of the means of
production to me. Which doesn't seem very democratic unless you mean
the capital D kind.

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 23:36:27 GMT, maxo wrote:

It's been all over the board, but I must say that the house brands from
Nashbar and Performance are quite amazing for the price. I just switched
out a set of rubber from Nashbar with ~3000 miles because I wanted
something different, not because it was worn out (it was close, tbh.) The
sidewalls were as supple as anything costing ~30USD, but for around a
ten-spot.

Damn -- talk about hidden in plain sight. I just always looked right
past those in the catalogs.

Duhhhhh....

Thanks again.

"
If you're ever caught out on the road and get a rip in the sidewall of
your tire, and you don't have a dollar bill or a GU package to make an
improvised "Boot" for the tire, one of those little teeny ketchup
packages
works real well. Suck the ketchup out first, though.

rofl

which brand works best?

he he


Heinz, it's made off shore, we all know Americans don't make very good
bicycle components. :)

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:04:05 +0000, maxo wrote:

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 16:05:36 -0400, David L. Johnson wrote:

Kevlar belts don't do
that much, though. Anything pointed will go right through the belt,
since it is fabric.

They do slow the intrusion down.

I really don't think so. anything that is pointy enough to cause a flat
will slide right through the fabric. I've been using Avocet tires for
years, buying whichever is cheaper, belted or not. I can't see any
difference in terms of flats. I just took off a rear tire that was
beginning to show casing. Never flatted. No belt. We're talking
somewhere between 3000 and 4000 miles.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Arguing with an engineer is like mud wrestling with a pig... You
_`\(,_ | soon find out the pig likes it!
(_)/ (_) |

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 19:24:31 -0500, Zippy the Pinhead wrote:


Damn -- talk about hidden in plain sight. I just always looked right past
those in the catalogs.


Yeah, they don't look exciting in the catalogue, but many of them are very
nice tires made by contractors such as IRC.

I was very happy with the Prima Plus 2's in the 25mm width (they come in
23 as well). The sidewalls are black and the tires, once you Sharpie out
the N logo, just look like tires, not cheap nor expensive, just no flash.

The ride is very nice, but the cornering might not appeal to some, they
felt a bit "oval" to me--which isn't a bad thing necessarily. My headset
is on its last legs so that could have affected the cornering feel as well.

For a tenner each, they're worth checking out, you won't be out much if
you don't take to them. FWIW, they're actually very light for the price:
@230g or so.

I got only one flat on them, from a very sharp piece of glass, I don't
know if it was the kevlar belt, the suppleness of the tire, or my dumb
luck that is the reason. I'll just attribute it to my, uh, brilliant
technique. :P

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 23:46:13 +0000, B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:

It was clearly an authorization for President Bush to use
force against Saddam


IF NECESSARY.

Geez.

Bush not only presented deeply flawed, old, faulty, and duplicitous
evidence in his case for war, he had such a ****ing hard-on to take out
Hussein, that he didn't follow through with the inspections nor did he
build a real coalition.

How dense are you people? Or is it simply a condition caused by the
suckling of the Fox teat?



Senator Lieberman's credibility imho is right up there with the honorable
Tom DeLay's. Nasty people.

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 19:21:15 -0500, Zippy the Pinhead wrote:

but at least they can negotiate the price
of drugs, sounds more democratic and less fascistic to me.

It sounds one step away from government ownership of the means of
production to me.

What giving bargaining power to the purchaser has to do with ownership of
production is lost on me.

The Republican way of dealing with drug prices is very anti-market and pro
special interest groups.

I'm for using the market in lowering the cost of drugs, medical devices,
and such things, but the market is doing NOTHING for the cost of insurance
premiums and the cost of health care. There are too many stops along the
way where different companies are skimming.

Take this as interesting tidbit: I flew to Sweden to have a surgery at a
private hospital. I paid cash, $3000USD. The same operation would have
cost over 10K here in the states. Why? Good regulation and a simpler
system.