Tyre advice please for 100 mile road event
deansa
Posts: 8
Hi all,
Hoping for some advice. My wife is doing the Ride London 100miler in a August. She really wants to do it on her existing hybrid bike.
To give her a realistic chance of finishing, I swapped out her fat-ish 60psi tyres for 28mm Armadillos (the thinnest width supported by the rim), inflated to 120psi.
This configuration seems to have worked ok for training, although she’s had a few punctures recently despite the puncture-proofing. With the combination of the Armadillos' rigid tyre walls and the relatively wide rim, she finds it almost impossible to get the tyres on/off to fix a puncture, and I’ve had to help her out.
So I’m worried that if she gets a flat during the RideLondon she won’t be able to get the tyre off to fix it.
So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions re tyres for a successful 100 miler? What would you do in this situation? Am I right to use Armadillos? Is there a suitable fast tyre, maybe less rigid, that I could put on that she’ll find much easier to get off and so be able to repair? Or should I just buy new Armadillos a few weeks before the event, make her practise puncture repair lots and hope for the best on the day?
It's about a month until the event, so I'd like to make any changes ASAP to give her time to get used to them.
Thanks for any advice!
Dean
Hoping for some advice. My wife is doing the Ride London 100miler in a August. She really wants to do it on her existing hybrid bike.
To give her a realistic chance of finishing, I swapped out her fat-ish 60psi tyres for 28mm Armadillos (the thinnest width supported by the rim), inflated to 120psi.
This configuration seems to have worked ok for training, although she’s had a few punctures recently despite the puncture-proofing. With the combination of the Armadillos' rigid tyre walls and the relatively wide rim, she finds it almost impossible to get the tyres on/off to fix a puncture, and I’ve had to help her out.
So I’m worried that if she gets a flat during the RideLondon she won’t be able to get the tyre off to fix it.
So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions re tyres for a successful 100 miler? What would you do in this situation? Am I right to use Armadillos? Is there a suitable fast tyre, maybe less rigid, that I could put on that she’ll find much easier to get off and so be able to repair? Or should I just buy new Armadillos a few weeks before the event, make her practise puncture repair lots and hope for the best on the day?
It's about a month until the event, so I'd like to make any changes ASAP to give her time to get used to them.
Thanks for any advice!
Dean
0
Comments
-
I can't help with regards an easier tyre to take off/put on, as I've never used Armadillos so don't know where you're starting from, however often technique is the problem. Push the bead of the tyre into the center of the rim before trying to take it off, this will provide more slack as the center is usually lower. Same when putting it on.Hi all,
Hoping for some advice. My wife is doing the Ride London 100miler in a August. She really wants to do it on her existing hybrid bike.
To give her a realistic chance of finishing, I swapped out her fat-ish 60psi tyres for 28mm Armadillos (the thinnest width supported by the rim), inflated to 120psi.
This configuration seems to have worked ok for training, although she’s had a few punctures recently despite the puncture-proofing. With the combination of the Armadillos' rigid tyre walls and the relatively wide rim, she finds it almost impossible to get the tyres on/off to fix a puncture, and I’ve had to help her out.
So I’m worried that if she gets a flat during the RideLondon she won’t be able to get the tyre off to fix it.
So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions re tyres for a successful 100 miler? What would you do in this situation? Am I right to use Armadillos? Is there a suitable fast tyre, maybe less rigid, that I could put on that she’ll find much easier to get off and so be able to repair? Or should I just buy new Armadillos a few weeks before the event, make her practise puncture repair lots and hope for the best on the day?
It's about a month until the event, so I'd like to make any changes ASAP to give her time to get used to them.
Thanks for any advice!
Dean
Also 120psi is MASSIVE overkill on 28mm tyres.
That's more than enough for a normal weight man (say 60-100kg) never mind most women on 23mm tyres. Bigger tyres don't need so much pressure and using it anyway will have little benefit but be much less comfortable. I#d suggest 65-70psi at the front and 75-80 at the back should be fine for most people. You could probably go lower, especially if you're light. If very heavy or nervous of pinch flats you could go a little higher but it shouldn't be necessary really.
Flats are as much about luck and where and how you ride as they are about the tyres you choose. I haven't had a puncture in well over a year. And only 5 in the last 4.5 years as far as I can remember and I think 2 of those were pinch flats from hitting unanticipated drains. I used to use Gatorskins - they got the most punctures despite being the most protected tyres I've used. More recently I've used Continental GP 4 Seasons which have reasonable protection for what is still a very light tyre and both Mavic Yksion Pro and Michelin Pro4 SC both of which are pretty light training/racing tyres and have not had a single puncture with either the Mavic or Michelin tyres. There must not be much sharp debris on the roads around here!0 -
I like the Panaracer Race Type D EVO II, however they are only available in 23/25c. You could try the Gravel King in 28c though. http://www.panaracer.com/road.php0
-
Thanks for the advice!Also 120psi is MASSIVE overkill on 28mm tyres.
Ahh okay. I was following the advice on the sidewall, which says min/max is 115/125PSI. I'll take a look at deflating it a bit.Flats are as much about luck and where and how you ride as they are about the tyres you choose. I haven't had a puncture in well over a year. And only 5 in the last 4.5 years as far as I can remember and I think 2 of those were pinch flats from hitting unanticipated drains. I used to use Gatorskins - they got the most punctures despite being the most protected tyres I've used. More recently I've used Continental GP 4 Seasons which have reasonable protection for what is still a very light tyre and both Mavic Yksion Pro and Michelin Pro4 SC both of which are pretty light training/racing tyres and have not had a single puncture with either the Mavic or Michelin tyres. There must not be much sharp debris on the roads around here!
Thanks! Food for thought.0 -
You might find with reduced pressure the punctures will reduce too.
Even with 23mm tyres 120psi is still way too much. Grip levels would suffer at that level too.
What tyres did you take off? Were they any easier to deal with?0 -
Armadillos are horrible - heavy and dead and certainly won't be helped by pumping them to 120psi. Suggest you look at Schwalbe Durano Pluses, far more reasonably priced that Conti GP4 Seasons which are ridiculously over-priced for a training tyre.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
-
Armadillos ride like cartwheels at 70psi, so lord knows how bad they must have felt at 120. Rubino Pros ftw...0
-
Continental GP4000S 28mm for my money, but if you want better puncture protection and longer life, Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons 28mm.
Michelin Pro4 either SC or endurance for extra puncture protection if you prefer.
As everyone else has said - at 28mm, unless she is really heavy you probably want to run at 65-70 front and 75-80 rear. 120PSI is crazy on 28mm tyres, you shouldnt even consider anything like that high if you were running 25mm tyres.0 -
I would think about 4 seasons as they roll well enough and are very puncture resistant. The last thing you need on a long ride is punctures.0
-
Thanks all for the good advice. My wife only weighs 60ish kilos. I pumped pressure so high because the tyres said min 115psi max 125psi on them! Appreciate the guidance.
Dean0 -
When you have decided what tyres you're going to use, fit a brand new pair with new tubes and new rim tapes about a week before the event.
If it is forecast to be a hot day, allow for the pressure increasing as the tyre warms up.
Make sure your lady has ALL the kit to fit and inflate a new tube. If she can't competently fix it herself, she'd maybe do better to throw herself at the mercy of a passing gent. Better that she hadn't started the repair than to have fecked the new tube.0 -
Continental GP4000S 28mm for my money, but if you want better puncture protection and longer life, Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons 28mm.
Yup if you can afford them then GP4000S 28mm is going to be by far the best choice.
Don't worry about puncture protection too much. I remember Steve Abraham (he who is doing 200 miles per day currently) said that he found it much faster overall to ride with decent ordinary tyres than the likes of Marathon Plusses as they were that slow that it negated any advantage in not getting punctures.
Besides, for just 100 miles punctures are not massively likely.0 -
What size are the rims (internal width)?
Running a 28mm tyre (particularly something that sizes small like a GP 4 Season) on a rim that is really wide is going to make for some interesting handling, particularly at those pressures (for reference, I am sub 60kg and run 4 Seasons at 65-80 psi depending on conditions.
There are some plenty fast wider tyres out there and you may find a decent 32mm tyre works so much better given the limitations of the rim. Whilst it might not be as outright fast, if it handles better, then it may well be a better bet.0 -
What size are the rims (internal width)?
Running a 28mm tyre (particularly something that sizes small like a GP 4 Season) on a rim that is really wide is going to make for some interesting handling, particularly at those pressures (for reference, I am sub 60kg and run 4 Seasons at 65-80 psi depending on conditions.
There are some plenty fast wider tyres out there and you may find a decent 32mm tyre works so much better given the limitations of the rim. Whilst it might not be as outright fast, if it handles better, then it may well be a better bet.
Thanks. From everyone's feedback I was leaning more towards either a 4 Season or GP4000 (with much lower pressure!)
On the width question, her bike is a Scott Sub 40 with stock rims, I believe they're "Ryde DP 2000 700C, 32H, CNC". Looking at the rim specs, seems like they're 19mm. The stock tyres which I swapped out were Schwalbe Citizen 37mm.0 -
Why???When you have decided what tyres you're going to use, fit a brand new pair with new tubes and new rim tapes about a week before the event...
Have you any good reason for suggesting this expensive course of action?
I change tyres when they've become too worn. That tends to be after anything from 3000km to 10000km depending on the type of tyre and whether it's on the front or back. I've generally done at least 5 events between 100km and 200km each year plus a few duathlons/adventure races/triathlons. I've never changed to new tyres specifically for an event. What am I missing?
I've never, ever changed rim tape.....the original stuff is still fine on all 3 of my wheelsets, so why would I change it?
Unnecessary equipment changes or superfluous maintenance is more likely to cause a problem than prevent one.0 -
That's right at the bottom of what that rim can take - I personally wouldn't as the ride quality and handling isn't going to be great.
However, you have got some tyres on it - just try running them at lower pressure.
However, you are saying they suggest 125 max on the sidewall? Are you sure they are 28s??
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/road-tires/all-season-tires/all-condition-armadillo
from the website, the suggested pressure for 28s is 85-95psi (which I personally think is high, but then I have never used a Specialized tyre in my life, so may be completely wrong).0 -
I like the Conti 4 season and GP4000 tyres but they can be pricey. Michelin Pro4 Endurance and Pro4 Service Course are equivalent respectively and are also very good tyres. They can often be found quite a bit cheaper. I think they're available in 28mm sizes.Thanks. From everyone's feedback I was leaning more towards either a 4 Season or GP4000 (with much lower pressure!)
On the width question, her bike is a Scott Sub 40 with stock rims, I believe they're "Ryde DP 2000 700C, 32H, CNC". Looking at the rim specs, seems like they're 19mm. The stock tyres which I swapped out were Schwalbe Citizen 37mm.
On the width issue Marcus mentioned: I think a 19mm internal width rim will be okay for 28mm but I wouldn't go any smaller. If the bike has enough clearance for larger tyres then there's no bit down side to going a little bigger. You'll lose a tiny bit aerodynamically which is only relevant if you're riding very fast but rolling resistance should be as good as a narrow tyre and comfort will be great. I'd happily stick a 30-35mm tyre on if I was using it for touring type rides.
P.S.
Just saw Marcus' response. I'll defer to his experience on handling of 28s on 19mm rims!0 -
However, you are saying they suggest 125 max on the sidewall? Are you sure they are 28s??
...
from the website, the suggested pressure for 28s is 85-95psi (which I personally think is high, but then I have never used a Specialized tyre in my life, so may be completely wrong).
Yeah, it is a 28mm and definitely says 115-125psi on the sidewall. Her tyres are last year's model - confusingly Specialized reduced their pressure recommendations on the 2015 model to what you mention above.
If I use a 32mm instead of 28mm, do you think it's likely to be easier to get the tyre on/off the rim?
Thanks!0 -
Ease of getting it on/off the rim has little or nothing to do with tyre width. It is about the circumference and 'stretchability' of the tyre bead and the circumference of the rim and depth of the well in the rim that affects that. Technique can make a big difference but otherwise it just varies from one tyre/rim to the next...0
-
Ease of getting it on/off the rim has little or nothing to do with tyre width. It is about the circumference and 'stretchability' of the tyre bead and the circumference of the rim and depth of the well in the rim that affects that. Technique can make a big difference but otherwise it just varies from one tyre/rim to the next...
Ok thanks. If it's better to go to 32mm, any suggestions on suitable tyres? I see the contis don't go that high.
Dean0 -
Why???When you have decided what tyres you're going to use, fit a brand new pair with new tubes and new rim tapes about a week before the event...
Have you any good reason for suggesting this expensive course of action?
I change tyres when they've become too worn. That tends to be after anything from 3000km to 10000km depending on the type of tyre and whether it's on the front or back. I've generally done at least 5 events between 100km and 200km each year plus a few duathlons/adventure races/triathlons. I've never changed to new tyres specifically for an event. What am I missing?
I've never, ever changed rim tape.....the original stuff is still fine on all 3 of my wheelsets, so why would I change it?
Unnecessary equipment changes or superfluous maintenance is more likely to cause a problem than prevent one.
A new tyre is more resistant to flint ingress than a worn tyre of the same type.
I suffered a puncture a couple of hours before I posted caused by a worn OE rim-tape on my 2 year old bike. Before yesterday evening, I'd never have thought of changing a rim-tape either, but I'll be fitting a new tape before I ride the bike again.
You're right about introducing unreliability (no need to shout BTW), which is why I suggested doing this work a week before the event so as to flush out any issues that might have inadvertently been introduced.
You can obviously change a tyre - the OP's wife probably can't. Quite rightly, Dean's trying to give her as much tyre reliability as he can; and I saw no hint of cost constraint in his post.
It also sounds like this event may be Dean's wife's first 100 mile sportive. She'll be nervous about many, many things. Popping on new rubber at both ends isn't a huge expense in the scheme of things and gives her less to stress about.
That's why.0 -
I have some slime tubes that I am thinking of putting in my wife's tyres for the ride this year.
She got a puncture last year but hopefully it will be better conditions this year.
I would put some decent tyres on and lower pressure even if you do go the slime tube route.
You could also give her a sealant/inflation product, but make sure she knows how to use it properly.0 -
Besides, for just 100 miles punctures are not massively likely.
You obviously didn't watch last year's event!0 -
Something like Marathon Supremes are still pretty quick in their 32mm size. My wife has a set of those on one bike and they roll very nicely, and seem strong.
Conti Contact II are reasonable as well - though I have no experience of using them on a solo bike (they are one of the few tyres out there specifically rated for tandem usage - despite this they are not ever so heavy and roll well).0 -
Besides, for just 100 miles punctures are not massively likely.
You obviously didn't watch last year's event!
Indeed! Never seen so many punctures in my life. We suffered one (28mm Conti 4 Seasons run at (contrary to everything I have said earlier, but this is on a tandem) 110 psi), but there are tales of people having half a dozen or more.
The mechanic we were distracting at one of the stops with our rather weird and wonderful rear wheel when I borrowed his track pump said he'd sold over 500 tubes and was trying to get more!0 -
I must have seen a dozen punctures in my 5 mile run from car-park to the start.Besides, for just 100 miles punctures are not massively likely.
You obviously didn't watch last year's event!
Indeed! Never seen so many punctures in my life. We suffered one (28mm Conti 4 Seasons run at (contrary to everything I have said earlier, but this is on a tandem) 110 psi), but there are tales of people having half a dozen or more.
The mechanic we were distracting at one of the stops with our rather weird and wonderful rear wheel when I borrowed his track pump said he'd sold over 500 tubes and was trying to get more!
To be fair, it was wet - but who's to say it won't be wet this year?0 -
To be fair, it was wet - but who's to say it won't be wet this year?
Me, "It won't be wet this year"
0 -
Another one for Conti 4 Seasons. Fairly tough and fast enough.
On the Ride 100 won't there be mechanics all over the place too? Not just at the stops.Shut up, knees!
Various Boardmans, a Focus, a Cannondale and an ancient Trek.0 -
Besides, for just 100 miles punctures are not massively likely.
You obviously didn't watch last year's event!
yep
I had three & so did my mate. Both with new tyres and tubes0 -
Maybe my squeeze and I got lucky then.Besides, for just 100 miles punctures are not massively likely.
You obviously didn't watch last year's event!
yep
I had three & so did my mate. Both with new tyres and tubes
I fitted a pair of new Continental GP4000S II tyres to both of our bikes and we both got around without tyre issues.0 -
Best advice is get some tyres that go on and off more easily and get her to learn to fix a puncture - as already said it is a question of technique and there are some decent youtube videos that guide you through it.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
