Switched from 23mm to 30mm tyres- bad move?

elbowloh

the future :?:

samsbike

I have steadily been increasing my tire size from 25 to 28 and now 32s. Despite running M+ they feel much better than in a similar 28 (Marathon not plus) and I beginning to suspect that somewhere between 30-35 is probably ideal depending on your weight etc. Since I am slightly overweight I would be at the 35c end of the spectrum.

dodgy

Tannus Tyres? I have my doubts, would like to have a go of them without having to commit to buy.

ugo.santalucia

elbowloh wrote:

the future :?:

The future of full colour tyres, yes. They have a pop up shop in Aldgate East, go and try them...

porlyworly

32c Marathon +'s going on my cx bike tonight, will report back in due course...

meanredspider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I see people commuting on bikes worth 5-6 grand, so you might as well get matching tyres if money is no object...

Interesting. Way OT, I know but is it more excessive to commute on a 5-6k bike or commute on a cheaper bike whilst keeping your 5-6k bike in the garage?

dhope

meanredspider wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I see people commuting on bikes worth 5-6 grand, so you might as well get matching tyres if money is no object...

Interesting. Way OT, I know but is it more excessive to commute on a 5-6k bike or commute on a cheaper bike whilst keeping your 5-6k bike in the garage?

Can absolutely see commuting on a very nice bike. But I'm assuming 5-6k implies fancy wheels for climbing or TTing, or Super Record EPS etc. The sort of thing where you'd not appreciate the difference over a 2k bike on crap roads.
(I say this knowing that I'll end up doing a few commutes on the incoming 2k bike)

Dammit, I bit. Was obvious bait I know

ugo.santalucia

meanredspider wrote:

Interesting. Way OT, I know but is it more excessive to commute on a 5-6k bike or commute on a cheaper bike whilst keeping your 5-6k bike in the garage?

It's a generalisation about showing disregard for the value. It is a reasonable assumption that a commuting bicycle will see more weather, less maintenance and given equal mileage and components will die before the one kept for the good season.

DrLex

Veronese68 wrote:

dhope wrote:

Thread is making me lean toward fatter tyres on the Canyon...

Assuming it ever turns up.
[...]

Hmmm, I was wondering whether you or Asprilla had an update. Now contemplating a Diverge, as LBS is a Spesh shop.

meanredspider

But even a Dura Ace cassette, BB and chain is nothing to the cost of maintaining a car - let alone an expensive car. The assumption is also that a good bike wouldn't/shouldn't be ridden in bad weather. Personally I didn't treat my proper commute (as opposed to the 10-minute hop I do now) any different to any other bike ride and I'm not sure why you would. After all, many/most people on this forum probably spend as much time if not more commuting than they do other recreational cycling.

dhope

DrLex wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

dhope wrote:

Thread is making me lean toward fatter tyres on the Canyon...

Assuming it ever turns up.
[...]

Hmmm, I was wondering whether you or Asprilla had an update. Now contemplating a Diverge, as LBS is a Spesh shop.

I think it should be here soon. Reason being that the availability estimates on the sites are no slipping from the standard today +2weeks. Mine's due to ship this week or next. So I expect it'll arrive the day I go on holiday and can't ride it :evil:

ugo.santalucia

meanredspider wrote:

But even a Dura Ace cassette, BB and chain is nothing to the cost of maintaining a car - let alone an expensive car.

It's not really true. These days cars get serviced once per year regardless of whether you do 2,000 miles or 12,000 miles. The cost of the service is the same that leaves petrol as the only real cost.
Of course once the car gets old and needs new parts no longer under warranty, then it's a different matter. But there are cars with 5-7 years warranties and most people would replace them by the end of it. So car maintenance is pretty cheap, overall.

I worked out for my 25 miles a day commute cycling is only slightly cheaper than driving, once you factor in spares, tyres, clothing and all the paraphenalia... my commute by tube would also be a bit more expensive but not a lot as I bizarrely go from zone 4 to zone 6, which is just over 5 quid a day.
It is fair to say that I spend the equivalent in cycling related stuff, although of course a good part is pleasure rather than commute, but all in I don't save a fortune by commuting. I save a lot of time and I enjoy it though...

arthur_scrimshaw

ugo.santalucia wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

But even a Dura Ace cassette, BB and chain is nothing to the cost of maintaining a car - let alone an expensive car.

It's not really true. These days cars get serviced once per year regardless of whether you do 2,000 miles or 12,000 miles. The cost of the service is the same that leaves petrol as the only real cost.
Of course once the car gets old and needs new parts no longer under warranty, then it's a different matter. But there are cars with 5-7 years warranties and most people would replace them by the end of it. So car maintenance is pretty cheap, overall.

I worked out for my 25 miles a day commute cycling is only slightly cheaper than driving, once you factor in spares, tyres, clothing and all the paraphenalia... my commute by tube would also be a bit more expensive but not a lot as I bizarrely go from zone 4 to zone 6, which is just over 5 quid a day.
It is fair to say that I spend the equivalent in cycling related stuff, although of course a good part is pleasure rather than commute, but all in I don't save a fortune by commuting. I save a lot of time and I enjoy it though...

Is that taking into account the depreciation and initial outlay of the car as well? I find that hard to believe.

ugo.santalucia

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

Is that taking into account the depreciation and initial outlay of the car as well? I find that hard to believe.

Of course not... but I have a car, whether I use it to go to work or not, I have it... there are weekends, holidays, family things... in the end if you have a car it costs you X to maintain it, whether you use it or not is irrelevant. Insurance, road tax, services, MOT... all stuff you have to pay even if you use it once a month.

I have tried to convince my wife we don't really need it, but she disagrees saying renting one when you need it is not as convenient and requires planning ahead and she has a point, to be honest

cookeeemonster

I've got 28mm GP4seasons on my Rose and to be honest, I wish I'd tried out some 32mm tyres now...the roads I use are bumpy as hell and it'd be nice to have them cushioned a bit more. Or maybe...I can get 32mm for the winter and put the 28mm 4seasons on for the summer?

Also I have a pair of unused schwalbe ones in 28mm that I could sell to finance this...

Any other recommendations for 32mm tyres then? I hate punctures but want something reasonably 'fast' (yeah, yeah...I know...it's not the bike) but I'll put comfort and puncture resistance over this possibly mythical rolling resistance any day.

Or I could put the spare marathon pluses I've got on which are 28's...and considerably wider than the 4seasons in the same size (it seems to be true that they are actually 26mm in size...)

ugo.santalucia

CookeeeMonster wrote:

I've got 28mm GP4seasons on my Rose and to be honest, I wish I'd tried out some 32mm tyres now...the roads I use are bumpy as hell and it'd be nice to have them cushioned a bit more. Or maybe...I can get 32mm for the winter and put the 28mm 4seasons on for the summer?

Also I have a pair of unused schwalbe ones in 28mm that I could sell to finance this...

Any other recommendations for 32mm tyres then? I hate punctures but want something reasonably 'fast' (yeah, yeah...I know...it's not the bike) but I'll put comfort and puncture resistance over this possibly mythical rolling resistance any day.

Or I could put the spare marathon pluses I've got on which are 28's...and considerably wider than the 4seasons in the same size (it seems to be true that they are actually 26mm in size...)

Randonneur PRO... Planet X have them for 10-15 quid each... excellent tyres which ever way you look at them

Semantik

ugo.santalucia wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

I've got 28mm GP4seasons on my Rose and to be honest, I wish I'd tried out some 32mm tyres now...the roads I use are bumpy as hell and it'd be nice to have them cushioned a bit more. Or maybe...I can get 32mm for the winter and put the 28mm 4seasons on for the summer?

Also I have a pair of unused schwalbe ones in 28mm that I could sell to finance this...

Any other recommendations for 32mm tyres then? I hate punctures but want something reasonably 'fast' (yeah, yeah...I know...it's not the bike) but I'll put comfort and puncture resistance over this possibly mythical rolling resistance any day.

Or I could put the spare marathon pluses I've got on which are 28's...and considerably wider than the 4seasons in the same size (it seems to be true that they are actually 26mm in size...)

Randonneur PRO... Planet X have them for 10-15 quid each... excellent tyres which ever way you look at them

Yeah, I saw these and bought some.
But in 26" for the MTB .A lot faster on tarmac than the knobblies for sure.
Btw my first ride on the new fat tyres is not til tomorrow so will report back then.

elbowloh

I've never used anything other than 23mm tyres!

Am I missing out?

ugo.santalucia

elbowloh wrote:

I've never used anything other than 23mm tyres!

Am I missing out?

Probably... depends where you live to be honest... I wouldn't ride 23 mm tyres in a city, wouldn't ride them on crap patched and pot-holed roads, wouldn't ride them on winter country lanes full of mud and slippery leaves...

elbowloh

ugo.santalucia wrote:

elbowloh wrote:

I've never used anything other than 23mm tyres!

Am I missing out?

Probably... depends where you live to be honest... I wouldn't ride 23 mm tyres in a city, wouldn't ride them on crap patched and pot-holed roads, wouldn't ride them on winter country lanes full of mud and slippery leaves...

Well (touch wood) the only off I've had was nothing to do with tyres and I rarely get punctures. I ride in the city and country lanes every week. Only spoke I've ever broken was when my foot unclipped accidentally and kicked the wheel!

I meant more from a comfort point of view?

veronese68

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I worked out for my 25 miles a day commute cycling is only slightly cheaper than driving, once you factor in spares, tyres, clothing and all the paraphenalia...

Should you ever meet my wife... please don't mention this. :oops:

ugo.santalucia

elbowloh wrote:

I meant more from a comfort point of view?

As well, but for me it's mostly safety... classic situation that happens to me day in day out: traffic coming behind, raised/sunken manhole or large pothole in front of you, what do you do?
You can take a punt with your 23 mm 100 PSI tyres and see how it goes, you can dodge it hoping the car behind doesn't run you over or you can try to stop safely, let the car past and then dodge it... I just ride over it with my 32 mm/50 PSI safe in the knowledge they won't bulge as they do that all the time

bobinski

ugo.santalucia wrote:

elbowloh wrote:

I meant more from a comfort point of view?

As well, but for me it's mostly safety... classic situation that happens to me day in day out: traffic coming behind, raised/sunken manhole or large pothole in front of you, what do you do?
You can take a punt with your 23 mm 100 PSI tyres and see how it goes, you can dodge it hoping the car behind doesn't run you over or you can try to stop safely, let the car past and then dodge it... I just ride over it with my 32 mm/50 PSI safe in the knowledge they won't bulge as they do that all the time

What Ugo just said.

I don't go as low as 50 on my 32 mm randoneur pros but i still enjoy a fast comfortable ride safe in the knowledge that if i hit a pothole or similar and i can just ride through it. The way manholes and drain-holes are collapsing on my route to and from work its pretty much a necessity especially in bus lanes with mopeds and motorcyclists itching to get past , no matter how closely, at every opportunity. I have also, just the once mind, deliberately ridden over a sunken manhole on Brixton road to get rid of a drafting fairy, the jolt slowing him but not me. i wont do it again, honest.

The Rookie

My total spend on my commuter bike since early 2009 has been £918.91 add on just under £150 for specific clothing for commuting (including commute only helmet), total money saved for me is £1699.79.

Not a huge saving, but reasonable and of course the bike and clothing all has a reasonable life left in it. Compare that to a Gym at £60+ a month and it looks like great value!

meanredspider

Veronese68 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I worked out for my 25 miles a day commute cycling is only slightly cheaper than driving, once you factor in spares, tyres, clothing and all the paraphenalia...

Should you ever meet my wife... please don't mention this. :oops:

My cars don't get serviced once a year - they get serviced based upon (mostly) mileage. It's a nonsense to service a modern car once a year. I think my Fiat is on an 18,000 mile service interval.

Besides that, the bike (that you already own) repair costs are minimal. If you add in the cost of buying a second bike (even something like my £700 SS) that's a lot of chains, cassettes and BBs even if you talk Dura Ace. And you still need to maintain that bike too. Wear and tear on the frame is negligible as a cost.

markhewitt1978

elbowloh wrote:

I've never used anything other than 23mm tyres!

Am I missing out?

Depends. You could give 25mm a go next time you're ready for new tyres, but I doubt you'd notice a massive difference.

cookeeemonster

The Rookie wrote:

My total spend on my commuter bike since early 2009 has been £918.91 add on just under £150 for specific clothing for commuting (including commute only helmet), total money saved for me is £1699.79.

Not a huge saving, but reasonable and of course the bike and clothing all has a reasonable life left in it. Compare that to a Gym at £60+ a month and it looks like great value!

I worked out a few months back that after almost 3 years of cycling it'd cost me £900 including various bikes (2 of which I still owned at the time) plus a stupid amount of clothing...that was the figure after I'd worked out how much I'd saved by not using the vespa (pretty cheap to run to be honest).

If I'd have given up cycling there and then and ebayed the lot I'd have made a small profit...plus I'd still be a few stone lighter and a lot fitter than when I started.

Then I spent £1400 on a new bike and a few more bits...once I sell one of my bikes it'll have cost me 2 grand over 3 years...but what the heck, it's a hobby, health/fitness aid as well as a transport choice (and I'd get half of that back at least if I ebayed it all - so say £333 a year - still amazing compared to public transport and running a car for the same milage)

cookeeemonster

ok planet x only have 37mm randommer pro's left...ribble have the 32mm for £18.99.

Shall I pull the trigger...

veronese68

CookeeeMonster wrote:

Shall I pull the trigger...

Of course you should.

elbowloh

Veronese68 wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

Shall I pull the trigger...

Of course you should.

"let him have it"