Rim Width & Tyres

mudcow007
mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
edited March 2011 in Commuting chat
appologies if this has been asked before but (i couldnts find it)

im litrally on the verge of buying some Marathon Plus tyres for my Trek commuter, i have the option of 1.35, 1.50 and 1.75 my current (cheap and nasty) tyres are 1.50

the tyres i have at the moment are horrible to remove off the rim, im putting that down to the rim width (about 1")

so what tyre width should i go for?

i think it makes sense to go for 1.50 or 1.75, what-cha reckon?

thanks
Keeping it classy since '83

Comments

  • buy_my_cookies
    buy_my_cookies Posts: 114
    ive read somewhere (prop on here) that you can go about 1.5 x your rim width so 1.5inch should do it?
  • Butterd2
    Butterd2 Posts: 937
    Don't think rim width has much to do with it. And if you think your current tyres are difficult then you have not tried Marathon Plusses yet, they are an absolute bugger!

    There is however a technique and a video on YouTube somewhere that shows how to do it without loosing blood.
    Scott CR-1 (FCN 4)
    Pace RC200 FG Conversion (FCN 5)
    Giant Trance X

    My collection of Cols
  • mudcow007
    mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
    right.....now im concerned as i got to the shop an they only had 1.35 left

    i got the pair for £50 which i thought was a bit of bargain. im going to eat a banana an pysch my self up to try to fit them
    Keeping it classy since '83
  • mudcow007
    mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
    sweet mother of all things holy, them things are a nightmare to get on

    resorted to using a tyre lever in the end

    they better be worth it!!
    Keeping it classy since '83
  • Butterd2
    Butterd2 Posts: 937
    I did warn you !!

    The trick is to get the bead down into the well of the rim as the tyres are quite stiff it tries to sit in it's groove in the rim making it tight. Believe it or not they can be done without levers.

    I've only ever had one unexpected deflation event with them and that was when a 4" nail went in one side and out of the other, only the solid tyres on my old tricycle could have survived that.
    Scott CR-1 (FCN 4)
    Pace RC200 FG Conversion (FCN 5)
    Giant Trance X

    My collection of Cols
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    Looks like I'm a bit late, but it might help others.

    Got my last set of Marathons from Spa Cycles and their prices are usually pretty fair. Fitting video on their home page
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • laughingboy
    laughingboy Posts: 248
    The video in the link above provides the key to getting these on. But I have an additional tip.

    Don't laugh, but with tyres that are hard to fit, I find that wearing a pair of washing up gloves helps give sufficient grip to manhandle the things into the well and - finally - over the rim.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    mudcow007 wrote:
    sweet mother of all things holy, them things are a nightmare to get on

    resorted to using a tyre lever in the end

    they better be worth it!!

    You'd better carry a d-lock at all times because there's no way on earth you're gonna be able to take those off and refit on a cold, dark, wet & windy night - which is of course when the PF loves to attack :twisted:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • mudcow007
    mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
    well i did 8 miles last night an 7 miles this morning, trying different routes, an i can quite honestly say they made quite a big difference

    i seem to be faster on my average speed (about 17 - 18mph) an i hit 24mph on a flat bit of road by my work

    i think it must be partly physiological, like when a kid gets new trainers an think they can run super fast but there is deffo less road noise

    currently running them at 60psi front and 80psi on the rear
    Keeping it classy since '83
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    laughingboy wrote:
    The video in the link above provides the key to getting these on. But I have an additional tip.

    Don't laugh, but with tyres that are hard to fit, I find that wearing a pair of washing up gloves helps give sufficient grip to manhandle the things into the well and - finally - over the rim.

    Yes washing up gloves, a basque and stockings. Might not make any practical difference, but boy does it help you to focus on the job in hand so you can get the hell outta there.

    Did I say that out loud?
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem

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