Road race tyres on my hybrid & 'hooked rim' advice pls.

DieselE

I fancy trying 25mm wide tyres on my Scott Sub 10 which is a 'hybrid' that I usually commute on, and is currently fitted with cheap 32mm 700 tyres.

I quite fancy the Michelin Pro 3 Race (fitted with Slime tubes) but these are very narrow at 23mm. What do you think? I hope it will be a dry ride and low rolling resistance is the goal.

Also the current Sport Contact Continentals are marked 'for hooked rims only' - the rims do seem deep on the std Alexrims 622x17. I've never seen tyres sold as only 'for hooked rims' though - would a standard 25 or 23mm wide road tyre fit do you think?

Sorry for so many questions - the reason is I have a sponsored ride coming up and why should I do it on 'training' tyres now I've twigged the difference. I need all the help I can get!!!

Cheers.

D

pst88

Sheldon Brown wrote:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ho-z.html
Hook Edge Rims
A rim with a ridge on the inner edge to help retain the bead of a clincher tire. Some older rims were straight-sided, and will not hold a tire as securely as a hook-edge rim (that is, the tire cannot be inflated to as high a pressure.) Virtually all good quality rims in current production are of the hook-edge type.

So chances are you already have 'hooked rims' unless they are incredibly old.

DieselE

Great - thanks for the advice. The wheels look diferent to conventional wheels (where the tyre sits is quite deep and tapers down to the spokes) so had to be sure

D

careful

Check the tyre manufacturers details on max internal rim width. The chances are that if your rim was designed for 32 mm tyres, a 23 or even 25 mm will be unsafe. The danger is that the tyre will not be securely hooked in and could lift off the rim, Also the tyre will be so deformed (widened) that it will lose flexibility and grip when cornering. Another source of acceptable rim/tyre combinations can be found on SheldonBrown. Please note though that the rim width referred to is internal width below the beading.

Lycra Man

On my Ridgeback Meteor, I changed the original 35c tyres for Continental Sport Contact 28c. They imoroved rolling resistance, still felt grippy, and were long lasting. No issues about fitting. I wouldn't have gone done to a 23c or 25c, but it might be safe.

Hope this helps.

Lycra Man

DieselE

Thanks for the input.

Sheldon (what a site :shock: ) says "A general guideline is that the tire width should be between 1.45/2.0 x the inner rim width". So if my rim is 17mm wide then i can just about risk a 23mm (and he says he's over cautious here too). This knowing my chosen tyre is the Continental Grand Prix 4000 S - great review (erather than confusing opiniion!) here http://www.conti-online.com/generator/w ... 00s_en.pdf

Cheers

skyd0g

You would probably be better off with a 25mm tyre such as the Michelin Krylion Carbons for better longevity / punc%54e resistance / comfort & grip on a commuter. (and not too much trade-off elsewhere)

Pro Race 3's and GP4000s' are more designed for race situations. (okay if you have a support car with a spare wheel on your commute).

DieselE

Thanks for the advice mate. The GP4000s are in the post though! High On Bikes on E Bay for under £50 for 2. They seem to have very low rolling resistance which is what I want for this event - I'll commute on the 32mm ones.

Dont really how more puncture prone tyres are applicable for a race - a puncture could cost you minutes! These Contis have kevlar so may be OK - time will tell.

D

DieselE

Just a quick follow up - the Conti 4000s fit nicely and work well. Average speed is up and no punctures as yet! V pleased. D

rick_chasey

DieselE wrote:

Just a quick follow up - the Conti 4000s fit nicely and work well. Average speed is up and no punctures as yet! V pleased. D

They're bloody good tyres.

You'd hope so with the price tag.

DieselE

Pinch flat on the way home More PSI later and jeez they rolled even more amazingly. Probably at about 120PSi now :shock:

D (rather newbie )

John.T

DieselE wrote:

Pinch flat on the way home More PSI later and jeez they rolled even more amazingly. Probably at about 120PSi now :shock:

D (rather newbie )

Get a track pump so you know how hard they are. I bet you are nowhere near 120 psi by guessing. Unless you are a real heavyweight 100 psi should be plenty.

DieselE

Well I emptied the CO2 cartridge into it so I think it probably is that hard?

Heavy? Well I'm half a stone down, but two to go!

D