Newbie asking about tyres.

filsgreen
filsgreen Posts: 4
edited March 2016 in Commuting general
Morning all

Well I've been lurking for a while now and to save boring you with repetitive questions; I've read about 47 pages of topics. I've already decided on a bike, with the help of my local bike shop, Crosby cycles. I could have gone to Evans in Liverpool, but decided to take your advice and support my LBS.

Anyhow I decided on a Cube SL Cross, as that was in my price range and I wanted a relatively light bike. My previous bike was an electric Kalkhoff weighing in at a mighty seventy pounds. Prior to that my experience of bikes was cheap mountain bikes or Racers in the 70's :D .

I'm not getting my bike until Tuesday as it has to come from Belgium. The bike has Schwalbe kojaks on and because I'm an amateur rider and was scared of the near treadless tyre I asked him if he would change them to Marathon pluses. He said no problem; he would charge me £30 and keep the kojaks. I said sound and shook hands.

However, after reading a gazillion threads on tyres I'm not so sure I've made the right decision. The pluses are pretty heavy and although I want the protection against punctures, is there an lighter alternative which is just as good?

Also, am I being a wimp wanting tread on my tyres? All of my riding will be on the road or canal path so I'm worried I'll hit diesel/detritus on the roads and go a*se over tit. I've asked for 35, would it be any better to get 32? Is the 35 any safer? Any advice would be appreciated as I'm sure I could phone John in the bike shop tomorrow and ask him to change to whatever.
Thanks in advance.

Phil

Comments

  • Twentytoo
    Twentytoo Posts: 34
    Not sure about the tyres you ask about but I know one thing as a cyclist and motorcyclist; you don't want to hit diesel.......cus you ain't stopping on no matter what tyres you have on.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    if your mixing canal tow paths and roads, then in terms of grip you'll be better off with CX tyres maybe somthing like the Smart Sam seem a bit more robust than the Racing Ralphs and simular.

    Marathon plus are great tyres with bullet proof puncture proof. But they are slow with not great grip levels road or offroad. They have a lightly sniped tread with hard wearing rubber, all things being equal a larger tyre offers more grip.
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 5,845
    I would be tempted to keep the Kojaks for exclusive road use and order something like a pair of 35c Land Cruisers for <£30, if you expect a fair mix of on- and off-road.

    http://nextdaytyres.co.uk/details.aspx/ ... AD-700/297

    I've never bought Racing Ralphs or Smart Sams, so I've no idea how much they will wear on tarmac, but they might be a bit lighter and look as if they would give more off-road traction.
    ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • jamesco
    jamesco Posts: 687
    filsgreen wrote:
    Anyhow I decided on a Cube SL Cross, as that was in my price range and I wanted a relatively light bike.
    Hey, welcome to the club, it's a nice bike and the 2016 model is a lot better looking than the over-blingy 2015 I've got :)
    filsgreen wrote:
    The bike has Schwalbe kojaks on and because I'm an amateur rider and was scared of the near treadless tyre I asked him if he would change them to Marathon pluses. He said no problem; he would charge me £30 and keep the kojaks. I said sound and shook hands.
    If it were me in your position (and six months ago I was) I'd keep the Kojaks. Unless you ride in mud or other soft surfaces - in which case the M+ isn't the correct choice, anyway - the Kojak will be at least as sure-footed, if not moreso.

    In about 3,000 miles through Central London I've had two punctures on the Kojaks, which isn't bad. The M+ would assuredly have fewer, but they are heavier, less comfortable and a pain to fit.

    Also, the Kojaks (for the road) are a lot more expensive on Wiggle than M+; paying £30 to get rid of them seems like a wasted opportunity to try them out at practically no cost and no worries if they don't work out for you.
  • filsgreen
    filsgreen Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice guys. With my limited experience of slick tyres, I thought I'd have no grip. Jamesco, thanks for your first hand opinion of the bike. I've just contacted the bike shop and he said it was no problem to leave the original tyres on the bike, the £30 saved will go on a couple of inner tubes :)
  • mr_eddy
    mr_eddy Posts: 830
    One option you may want to consider if you do think about swapping is Conti Gatorskins - They offer good puncture protection but also roll well and are not too heavy - Certainly a damn sight lighter than Marathon plus etc. What I would say is no matter what tyre you go its crucial that you pump them up to a good pressure using a pump with a pressure read-out. I typically aim for about 85% of the tyres max.
  • filsgreen
    filsgreen Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice Mr Eddy.
  • milemuncher1
    milemuncher1 Posts: 1,472
    mr_eddy wrote:
    One option you may want to consider if you do think about swapping is Conti Gatorskins - They offer the puncture protection of toothpaste, and wear out in about 10 seconds flat.

    IFTFY.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    Milemuncher1 wrote:
    mr_eddy wrote:
    One option you may want to consider if you do think about swapping is Conti Gatorskins - They offer the puncture protection of toothpaste, and wear out in about 10 seconds flat.

    IFTFY.

    I didn't find that but the hard compound rubber, had low levels of wet tarmac grip, in fairness no worse/better than other training/commute types with equally hard compounds.
  • milemuncher1
    milemuncher1 Posts: 1,472
    roger merriman wrote:
    Milemuncher1 wrote:
    mr_eddy wrote:
    One option you may want to consider if you do think about swapping is Conti Gatorskins - They offer the puncture protection of toothpaste, and wear out in about 10 seconds flat.

    IFTFY.

    I didn't find that but the hard compound rubber, had low levels of wet tarmac grip, in fairness no worse/better than other training/commute types with equally hard compounds.

    I was probably a bit harsh, but the 4000s II are a whole lot better, for not much more cash. They do wear out a bit quicker than mainstream tyres, but they do stick like merde to a blanket( even in bad conditions ) and the rolling characteristics, are exceptional.

Categories