Michelin Wild run'r BIG TYRES

jim453

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=48134

thinking of sticking a couple of these on the bike for the commute, weekdays. Any experience of them anyone??

My thinking is almost totally asthetic, my stumpy looks a little weedy with narrower slicks on and the schwalbe 'city-jet's that I've just killed weigh about a hundred tonnes. So these big fat (and light) bad boys should balance the whole ensemble up somewhat. But are they crap?

Anyone?

cycler49

Not enough tread for winter commuting for me.

jim453

That is a concern. However, isn't tread on a road tyre a bit pointless?

Perhaps I'm making this up but as I understand it, tread (on the road) is for dispersing the water beneath a flat bottomed tyre in order to prevent aquaplaning. I think (though am often wrong) that the force through a reletively narrow bike tyre on a small contact point causes enough pressure to ensure road contact in any condition. I expect ice may be a problem, though would be for a treaded tyre.

Am I talking garbage?

cooldad

Nope, makes sense to me.

corshamjim

If the road were a truly smooth surface you would be right. However, the tread helps to lock the tyre in to any indentations in the road, so it does give more grip on real roads, albeit rolling less well than slicks. Cold rubber grips less well than warm rubber and wet grips less well than dry so in winter you really need that tread.

Schwalbe City Jets have pretty good puncture protection. That's another thing worth having especially in winter when you don't want to be stuck out in the cold fixing a flat.

Maybe look at the Panaracer Pasela Tourguard 1.75"?

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Panaracer-Pasel ... _15896.htm

jim453

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the suggestion.

I'm still not sold on the tread justification though. I don't think it matters.

Puncture protection however, that is a biggy. I don't need to be stood on the side of the road at 645am fumbling in the freezing cold for my spare tube.

corshamjim

You could consider Panaracer RiBMo tyres then, but to be honest although they're almost slick and nearly indestructible I think you would find them even heavier than your City Jets. I've just replaced the RiBMo tyres on my commuter with Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres. There's no way I'd ride on slicks if there's any possibility of ice on the road ( been there ... ).

Cycloslalomeur

corshamjim wrote:

If the road were a truly smooth surface you would be right. However, the tread helps to lock the tyre in to any indentations in the road, so it does give more grip on real roads, albeit rolling less well than slicks. Cold rubber grips less well than warm rubber and wet grips less well than dry so in winter you really need that tread.

Schwalbe City Jets have pretty good puncture protection. That's another thing worth having especially in winter when you don't want to be stuck out in the cold fixing a flat.

Maybe look at the Panaracer Pasela Tourguard 1.75"?

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Panaracer-Pasel ... _15896.htm

I shall have to refer you to the Gospel according to St Sheldon regarding the myth that tread is good for grip on tarmac.

Edit: Sorry, it was Brandt: "Tread patterns have no effect on surfaces in which they leave no impression. That is to say, if the road is harder than the tire, a tread pattern does not improve traction."

corshamjim

Sheldon, bless him, wasn't always right. His argument about racing cars and drag racers using slicks is a poor one when comparing with bicycles. Racing car drivers will warm their tyres up to make them effective. In winter on a bicycle that's not an option.

JamesB5446

20 mins on the turbo before leaving for work?

jim453

So, typically, the waters are muddied even further.

Any one else called James want to have a go?

The 'city jet''s were bald for months anyway.

Cycloslalomeur

corshamjim wrote:

Sheldon, bless him, wasn't always right. His argument about racing cars and drag racers using slicks is a poor one when comparing with bicycles. Racing car drivers will warm their tyres up to make them effective. In winter on a bicycle that's not an option.

Blasphemy! Anyways it was Jobst Brandt, a chap whose engineering training and experience are fairly solid no? The bottom line about tread is that with two tyres of a given width the one with no tread will have (a lot) more rubber touching tarmac than the one with tread does. Even on ice tread is worse than useless. Tread is for soft surfaces like mud and snow and to displace water in order to prevent aquaplaning, something that isn't an issue on a bicycle unless you travel about 200mph.

corshamjim

Forgive me.. It is indeed Jobst Brandt whose article I disagree with ... http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/slicks.html

jim453

Well, boys, it's been a blast.

I'm going for the big fat bald ones simply because they'll make the bike look good.

Cycloslalomeur

corshamjim wrote:

Forgive me.. It is indeed Jobst Brandt whose article I disagree with ... http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/slicks.html

The way I see it, the flaw in your argument about heat is that if tread improved grip surely race cars and thoroughbred motorbikes raced in dry conditions would have treaded tyres that were first heated to the optimal temperature. But they don't. Please email Brandt with your complaints and post his reply here for our reading pleasure.

fossyant

Tread makes no difference on a road tyre. Heavy tread patterns won't grip as well as slicks, as you will have less rubber on the tarmac.

Barteos

1.4-1.5" isn't BIG. It's just about adequate especially for commuting.

26" wheels need wider tyres for the best handling, sensible pressure range, BB height (cornering) and gear ratio.
I've been using Kojaks 26x2.00 run tubeless at 45 and 30 PSI for commuting and regular riding (all year round) and I roll roughly as fast as my mates on "proper" road bikes. Comfort level, grip and safety margin is in another league comparing to skinny tyres. I'd never go below 1.75".

P.S. You don't need tread on the road. You need adequate volume, pressure (harder is only better to a point) and contact patch.

jim453

Barteos wrote:

1.4-1.5" isn't BIG. It's just about adequate especially for commuting.

26" wheels need wider tyres for the best handling, sensible pressure range, BB height (cornering) and gear ratio.
I've been using Kojaks 26x2.00 run tubeless at 45 and 30 PSI for commuting and regular riding (all year round) and I roll roughly as fast as my mates on "proper" road bikes. Comfort level, grip and safety margin is in another league comparing to skinny tyres. I'd never go below 1.75".

P.S. You don't need tread on the road. You need adequate volume, pressure (harder is only better to a point) and contact patch.

Yes, I've been a bit misled by the image of them. Bit of a bummer that, back to the drawing board.

However, I once saw a guy on a flat bar road/mountain bike when I finised a sportive, (Dartmoor I think), he had an insanely high volume pair of slicks on. Looked mental.

I rather hoped these were they.

So, can anyone point me in the direction of some super high volume slicks for the mtb?

Barteos

jim453 wrote:

Barteos wrote:

1.4-1.5" isn't BIG. It's just about adequate especially for commuting.

26" wheels need wider tyres for the best handling, sensible pressure range, BB height (cornering) and gear ratio.
I've been using Kojaks 26x2.00 run tubeless at 45 and 30 PSI for commuting and regular riding (all year round) and I roll roughly as fast as my mates on "proper" road bikes. Comfort level, grip and safety margin is in another league comparing to skinny tyres. I'd never go below 1.75".

P.S. You don't need tread on the road. You need adequate volume, pressure (harder is only better to a point) and contact patch.

Yes, I've been a bit misled by the image of them. Bit of a bummer that, back to the drawing board.

However, I once saw a guy on a flat bar road/mountain bike when I finised a sportive, (Dartmoor I think), he had an insanely high volume pair of slicks on. Looked mental.

I rather hoped these were they.

So, can anyone point me in the direction of some super high volume slicks for the mtb?

Schwalbe Kojak 2"
Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35"
Schwalbe Super moto 2.35" (lighter and faster version of Big Apple with no puncture protection)

E.g. http://www.schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produkte ... rodukt=140

They all beg to be run tubeless.