Tyre and proection advice

blasterbolt
blasterbolt Posts: 10
edited November 2015 in Road beginners
Hi all. Well I bought a batribike diamond pro 2 months ago to use all year to get to work and back since I cant drive any more thanks to medication for lower back problems.

All went well untill Wedsnday when I set of. It had raind hevaly just before I left. I took a right turn on the main road doing bout 15 mph 1sec I was happly peddeling the next second I went shoulder/face down into the tarmac! Literally 3 secs after I stopped, so I did not skid far atall.Luckly I have just got 2 broken upper ribs and have ripped the all the muscle on my shoulder+ ribs. A lady who picked me up of the floor said a car skidded just before I appeared so we think there was oil/dieasl on the road.

This has really knocked my confidence!

Any advice as to what are the best possible gripping tyres I can use" not fussed if it slows my speed a bit"Also are there any armoured jackets for cycleing like there are for motorbikeing?

Any advice would be greatly recived :)

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,535
    on tarmac slick tyres are generally the best for a cycle, heavy treads can squirm/tear loose

    continental's black chili compound is one of the grippiest, gp4000s are good, i use them on my commute bike, but whether there's any tyres with that compound for your bike i'm not sure, looks like it has wide rims for 26" tyres

    but nothing will save you if there's oil on the road, and wet metal drain/utility covers can be as dangerous

    cornering at 15mph on a wet road is not going to go well if there's oil/metalwork, you need to slow down, to walking pace if necessary, then you've got time to assess/react - in the wet, you need to be extra aware of the road surface, look for hazards, think ahead, slow before you get to a corner, be conservative, don't ride too close to the kerb as debris, drain covers etc. are more common there

    you could wear mtb clothing with pads etc., but riding defensively and according to conditions will give much better results
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • blasterbolt
    blasterbolt Posts: 10
    Thanks for the advice I will have a look and see if the gp4000s will fit. Just to clarify the bend I took is a gentle, wide bend that I have taken loads of times before but I definatly do take onboard what you say about defensive riding.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,535
    you won't get gp4000s in that size

    conti gatorskins seem popular commute tyres, but again depends on your rims, if you can find out what's on them at the moment (model and size) maybe someone can recommend something to try
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • cadseen
    cadseen Posts: 170
    edited November 2015
    You will get used to reading wet road conditions, especially after falling off. Apart from good tyres with softer treads, tyre pressure is extremely Important, say 10lbs less than dry weather. 25c tyres can come in useful as it allows you to run them a bit lower pressure than 23c.

    Also carefully apply brakes if you have to in the wet.
  • blasterbolt
    blasterbolt Posts: 10
    At the moment I have kenda d-17 kshield tires that came with the bike. From what I can find they are a puncture resistant tire but no idea about grippines ect.I asked the bike maker what wheels aer on the bike and they just said "Please just let them know the size of the tyre which is 26” and they should be able to help"

    Cheers for all the advice folks
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,535
    [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19733792#p19733792]blasterbolt[/url] wrote:
    At the moment I have kenda d-17 kshield tires that came with the bike. From what I can find they are a puncture resistant tire but no idea about grippines ect.I asked the bike maker what wheels aer on the bike and they just said "Please just let them know the size of the tyre which is 26” and they should be able to help"

    Cheers for all the advice folks

    google doesn't find "kenda d-17 kshield", nor does it seem to be on kendatire.com

    look on the tyre, the size should be printed on it, 26x??? or a code like 47-449
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • blasterbolt
    blasterbolt Posts: 10
    These are the codes I have found. ss9-17, alloy 6061-76, 88r-002034 and on the side of the tyre it says DA-17 but I cant seem to find anything starting iwth 26x :|
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Also this is a battery bike ? Were you keeping power on into the bend ?

    Most of us won't pedal through a corner - certainly if it looks wet or slippy - so maybe that was a factor.

    That said - if a car is sliding - a bike definitely will.

    Armoured jackets are too hot and bulky for cycling - oh you're on a battery bike. Maybe you could then. Do you pedal much at all ?
  • blasterbolt
    blasterbolt Posts: 10
    Yhea it can be fully powered by the battery but I tend to use it with ped assist . I dont use it just motor only so I am always pedaling. I bougth the Dainese Rhyolite Soft Jacket and a hardnuts helmet so hopefully if it ever happens again I will be prepared! Have to say 20 years of pedaling and 0 skidding issues in all seasons so I guess I was just unlucky. Hoping 2 more weeks and the ribs will be ok so I can start rideing again.

    Finally got some codes of the bike today as its at my work place and its my 1st day back in since the accident.
    k1088 001 26x1.75 47-559 da-17.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,535
    tyres are 26 x 1.75 inches

    conti do some specifically designed for ebikes...

    http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20ecocontact.shtml
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • blasterbolt
    blasterbolt Posts: 10
    Thanks for the link. I had a look on their site and also noticed that they do Contact II and also Top CONTACT Winter II which are for ebikes as well. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with any of these tires ?
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,535
    this bit of the forum is 'road cycling', you might do better posting the question on the commuting forum...

    viewforum.php?f=40052
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • blasterbolt
    blasterbolt Posts: 10
    Good point well thanks for all the help .I will stick a post on the commuting part.

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