Change of tires

littledove44

I have been riding 23mm all summer.

I am choosy about weather for cycling, i.e. I avoid rain and ice) but with our bumpy roads I was thinking of 25 or even 28mm for the winter.

What do you think, and should I stick with GP4000s or get 4 Seasons. Punctures not a great problem so far thank goodness.

marcusjb

If you can fit em, 28mm 4-Seasons are a great, comfortable tyre - I use them year round on the Audax and commute bikes.

Schoie81

Just out of interest....if you only go out when its nice weather - why do you need different tyres for the winter? Aren't you riding in pretty much the same conditions as you do in summer?

littledove44

Schoie81 wrote:

Just out of interest....if you only go out when its nice weather - why do you need different tyres for the winter? Aren't you riding in pretty much the same conditions as you do in summer?

I wish.

Damp surfaces, debris from trees, gravel, salt etc. Not to mention more potholes. The Isle of Wight can't afford smooth tarmac like Majorca, the Azores etc as we don't get EU grants!

keef66

littledove44 wrote:

Schoie81 wrote:

Just out of interest....if you only go out when its nice weather - why do you need different tyres for the winter? Aren't you riding in pretty much the same conditions as you do in summer?

I wish.

Damp surfaces, debris from trees, gravel, salt etc. Not to mention more potholes. The Isle of Wight can't afford smooth tarmac like Majorca, the Azores etc as we don't get EU grants!

+1 to this. Twice recently I've gone out on the best bike thinking it was a dry day. On each occasion I came back absolutely covered in crap and wished I'd taken the wet weather bike. I'm mothballing the best bike as soon as I've fitted the new gear hanger.

Mickyg88

I'd like to know where some guys in here live, I'm going to move there, it rains in summer where I live, we also have potholes and gravel in summer, something they don't on the Isle of Wight, apparently.

gubber12345

Mickyg88 wrote:

I'd like to know where some guys in here live, I'm going to move there, it rains in summer where I live, we also have potholes and gravel in summer, something they don't on the Isle of Wight, apparently.

you must live in Ireland then,the good roads have surfaces like fields :P and it rains 9 months of the yr with bad weather the other 3

Cupras

I do wish id rode more in the IOM when I lived there because the roads were brilliant due to the TT needing good tarmac.

kajjal

gubber12345 wrote:

Mickyg88 wrote:

I'd like to know where some guys in here live, I'm going to move there, it rains in summer where I live, we also have potholes and gravel in summer, something they don't on the Isle of Wight, apparently.

you must live in Ireland then,the good roads have surfaces like fields :P and it rains 9 months of the yr with bad weather the other 3

My wifes family is from Ireland and I find the best thing for the roads is my XC mountain bike. It is a brave rider who takes a road bike out there on many of the roads. Some are barely passable on a mountain bike in the hills and mountains.

Sprool

....anyway, back on topic, I think you'll find a fatter tyre and wider contact area a good choice for winter rides, lower pressure, maybe 5 - 10 psi will help, nice soft sticky compound, but that still won't save you from the frosty patches and leaf debris, you just have to think a lot further ahead and anticipate speeds in corners more.

littledove44

Thanks off the advice.

I have gone for conti 4 seasons 25mm.

Fitting today, but with the lashing rain I think testing can wait another day.

imposter2.0

littledove44 wrote:

Thanks off the advice.

I have gone for conti 4 seasons 25mm.

Fitting today, but with the lashing rain I think testing can wait another day.

If you don't ride in the rain, you're going to have a quiet winter...

marcusjb

No better day for testing a new tyre! Get out there!

Seriously though - with all new tyres, it's worth giving them a quick scrub with soapy water before heading out into wet conditions. This just washes off anything left from the tyre being released from the mould in the factory. It'll scrub off in a few dozen miles anyway, but may make the tyre less grippy until it does so.

markhewitt1978

There is actually less rain in the winter than there is in the summer. The main difference is the effect the rain has with the already cold temperatures and that it doesn't evaporate from the road surface as quickly or at all.

keef66

markhewitt1978 wrote:

There is actually less rain in the winter than there is in the summer. The main difference is the effect the rain has with the already cold temperatures and that it doesn't evaporate from the road surface as quickly or at all.

He's right you know! I just looked at the local averages on the Met Office site and August is the wettest month!

Pross

markhewitt1978 wrote:

There is actually less rain in the winter than there is in the summer. The main difference is the effect the rain has with the already cold temperatures and that it doesn't evaporate from the road surface as quickly or at all.

Not in Wales. It stays roughly the same in my little corner but more of the country has higher levels in the winter than summer (relates to precipitation rather than just rainfall). The main difference is that summer rainfall is more intense than winter (drainage is generally designed based on summer storms for this reason).