Road bike on a canal path

mrkev83

Hi
I recently bought a road bike http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuji/sportif-11-compact-2014-road-bike-ec053263#features

It has 700*28 tyres. Will it get damaged going down a canal path? The reason I ask is part of my route to work could be made flatter by using route 55 through Wigan.

Thanks in advance

ai_1

MrKev83 wrote:

Hi
I recently bought a road bike http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuji/sportif-11-compact-2014-road-bike-ec053263#features

It has 700*28 tyres. Will it get damaged going down a canal path? The reason I ask is part of my route to work could be made flatter by using route 55 through Wigan.

Thanks in advance

How rough is the canal path and what's the surface? Gravel, paved, packed earth?
Unless the surface is awful it should be fine especially if it's fitted with 28mm tyres as listed in the spec on Evanscycles. Don't run the tyres too hard. 60 or 70 psi should be plenty pressure for 28mm tyres and will provide better suspension and grip than running 100psi tyres, especially important on poor surfaces. Better for the bike and your comfort. The wheels have plenty spokes too 28 front and 32 back which will help the wheels stand up to bumpier than usual surfaces

mrkev83

If I drop the psi to 70 will this effect my on road speed much ?

Monty Dog

I doubt your canal towpath is rougher than this:
http://inrng.com/2011/04/the-hell-of-the-north/

The one thing likely to get damaged is the tyres if running over broken glass and flints, but generally the body suffers far more on rough surfaces that the bike

fatsmoker

If there's a hedge close to the path get yourself some decent tyres - gatorskins or similar will help against punctures from thorns - we always seem to get at least one when we go out on mtbs along the canal path near us.

Initialised

No, a bike like that is designed with a bit of off road use. On 28s you can ride pretty much anything apart from coarse gravel (>1" rocks), wet grass, wet mud, rooty singletrack and MTB parks.

I liked the Specialized Espoir 28mm Tyres that came with my bike, they were pretty resilient and were great for descents on rough roads.

ai_1

MrKev83 wrote:

If I drop the psi to 70 will this effect my on road speed much ?

It's hard to predict whether it'll reduce or increase rolling resistance. It won't be a big difference either way but comfort will be much better. Most people seem to run tyres with too much pressure. 100psi or more is appropriate for tyres sized 23mm or less. I run 25mm tyres at 75-80 front and 80-95 back depending on conditions and ride type. And I weigh 86kg approx. If I was lighter I might go a little lower. With 28mm tyres I reckon the idal starting point is about 10psi lower than me. You can then fine tune it to your preferences. As long as you don't get pinch punctures you've enough pressure. I like a little extra for feel when sprinting. I like a little less pressure on very long rides on bad roads.

mrkev83

The guy in Evans said run 100psi. I'll try dropping both to 70 and give the canal path a go. Cheers for the input guys

Guanajuato

Pinch flats on sharp-edged potholes are probably the biggest risk.
I rode on the leeds liverpool canal from Silsden to Saltaire as part of a 75 mile ride from Kendal last year. definitely the most sapping of the miles. the path there is mostly packed earth with a fair few large, sharp stones. there's bits that are vehicle access, and they were the worst for potholes & rocks. the bike skipped all over the place on the rougher bits. hated it!
Your wider tyres might help, but possibly not that much.

ai_1

MrKev83 wrote:

The guy in Evans said run 100psi. I'll try dropping both to 70 and give the canal path a go. Cheers for the input guys

Just picking 100psi regardless of tyre size, weight, surface or even whether it's front or back seems to be a common approach but there's no reason for it. It's just a round number and is unnecessarily high by quite a margin for 28mm tyres. I think staff in a bike shop should know better but....
You'll put less weight on the front than the back wheel so you can afford to go lower at the front than the back if you wish. Try it and see. Don't be afraid to play around with it until you're happy.

markhewitt1978

If I can run my road bike with 23mm down gravel paths then you won't have any issues with 28mm tyres! Ultimately the only way to check is to give it a go.

cougie

You'll be fine.

mattbabs

Guanajuato wrote:

Pinch flats on sharp-edged potholes are probably the biggest risk.
I rode on the leeds liverpool canal from Silsden to Saltaire as part of a 75 mile ride from Kendal last year. definitely the most sapping of the miles. the path there is mostly packed earth with a fair few large, sharp stones. there's bits that are vehicle access, and they were the worst for potholes & rocks. the bike skipped all over the place on the rougher bits. hated it!
Your wider tyres might help, but possibly not that much.

The Leeds-Liverpool canal does offer all types of surface. I've ridden Leeds to Saltaire a few times. Some stretches are new tarmac and some are Paris-Roubaix size cobbles. I don't use my road bike but I'm thinking it would be a good excuse to get a cyclocross bike, although the worst sections would benefit from suspension.

mrkev83

Top tip on reducing the psi. Dropped both to 70 and it feels so much more comfortable. Thanks again

meagain

I think you are confusing road bike with racing bike! Ludicrously the two seem to have become synonymous. ANY bike is a road bike, a racing bike is simply a road bike designed for a specific purpose. I'm sure yours will be fine on a towpath or indeed on much rougher surfaces (altho' YOU may suffer more!).

Bozman

Completely irrelevant canal path tale but this post reminded me of it.
A friends work colleague was cycling on a towpath early one dark winter morning when he heard some moaning and splashing, he stopped and found a cyclist lying on his back in the reeds at the side of the canal, the guy had fallen off his bike and had landed in the canal, unfortunately the rucksack on his back weighed him down acting like a tortoise shell leaving him unable to get out.
Apparently the cyclist had been there for about 15 minutes slowly sinking into the freezing water, thankfully this guy had come along just in time and pulled him out. Before the two parted company the cyclist asked if the guy would call his boss and explain what had happened because he doubted that his boss would believe why he was late for work.

mrkev83

Cheerz for the story Bozman. Gives me even more reason not to use a rucksack

markhewitt1978

meagain wrote:

I think you are confusing road bike with racing bike! Ludicrously the two seem to have become synonymous. ANY bike is a road bike, a racing bike is simply a road bike designed for a specific purpose. I'm sure yours will be fine on a towpath or indeed on much rougher surfaces (altho' YOU may suffer more!).

Terms and language evolve and while you can indeed use any bike on the road, it doesn't mean that a MTB is a road bike. The term road bike is specifically a bike designed solely for riding on the road, with drop bars and slick tyres etc.

ai_1

meagain wrote:

I think you are confusing road bike with racing bike! Ludicrously the two seem to have become synonymous. ANY bike is a road bike, a racing bike is simply a road bike designed for a specific purpose. I'm sure yours will be fine on a towpath or indeed on much rougher surfaces (altho' YOU may suffer more!).

The conventional terminology is a bit confused in my opinion but "road bike" is generally accepted to refer to a drop bar road racing bike such as you would see used in a criterium or stage race. Triathlon bikes and time trial bikes though also race bikes are not usually refered to as a "road bike". Also other bikes intended primarily or specifically for road use are typically assigned other categorisations like "hybrid bike", "city bike", "fitness bike" etc. Not very useful categories in my opinion since plenty bikes could fit any of those terms equally well.
But the OP is correct in calling his bike a road bike. That's what it is (although it's got some typical cyclocross bike characteristics too - decent tyre clearance & disc brakes).

mrkev83

Cheers guys. I ended up going across a load of gravel yesterday and the bike coped...I know what you mean about it being more me that'll feel it

zx6man

Bit of a highjack, how you finding the bike, thinking of getting one very soon?

mrkev83

Love it. It's my first road bike for 12 years. I'm commuting on it. Done 100 miles so far with No issues from the bike. Evans told me 100psi both types. I've since dropped to 70 and It's like a whole new comfort level. I Can't pick fault with it so far

drlodge

Not surprised...100psi in 28c tyres would make them as hard as concrete. That bike is almost like a CX bike...perfect for the road or a little bit of "rough".

mrkev83

I'm going to put the front upto 80 and then I think she'll ride right. I Love the more upright position but still having the drops when going hell for leather

mrkev83

Been down quite a few canals paths now including cobbles and she's been fine...its me that takes the battering