Adult Bicycle

[sauerkraut]

The biggest problem with bikes is they are very prone to flat tires, even in this modern age flat tires are still a issue for cyclists. The Trinity jogging trail in Fort Worth, Texas is used by a lot of cyclists - however they have a lot of thorny weeds alongside the trail, and the thorns blow across the pavement get into bike tires and cause a pinhole leak. Bikes don't use gas but they will never be reliable transportation being prone to flats. It's no fun to cycle to work and get a flat on your way to the office, or leave work and find your bike has a flat tire, or it's raining.

[Conan71]

Kevlar belted tires and slime tubes= no flats in 2+ years.

[rebound]

Kevlar belted tires and slime tubes= no flats in 2+ years.

+1 for Kevlar.  Changed my riding life.   I heard some negatives on slime tubes, so stayed away.  May try them now.

[Conan71]

+1 for Kevlar.  Changed my riding life.   I heard some negatives on slime tubes, so stayed away.  May try them now.

Only negative I can tell you is the presta valve can get gummy, requiring pliers to open the valve to pump additional air in, but it's a minor annoyance.  The team I ride with is sponsored by Geax/Vittoria, and we get a great deal on tires and tubes, but start of 2011, I had something like eight flats in 11 training rides and switched to Conti Gator Skins and slime tubes.  My wife has used that set up since 2008 with no flats.  Knock on wood.

As far as the off-road bikes, we ride tubeless with Stan's.  Great combination and amazingly reliable.  I've thought about it on the road bike but haven't wanted to buy tubeless rims to make that happen.

[Red Arrow]

Run-flats for bicycles could be good.

[AngieB]

Going on two years with the tires and tubes that came on the bike.

[Red Arrow]

Going on two years with the tires and tubes that came on the bike.

Do you ride it much?

[AngieB]

Do you ride it much?

Quite a bit actually. Mostly on the trails.

[Ed W]

" Run-flats for bicycles could be good."

Semi-pneumatics have been available from time to time. You trade off possible flats and ride quality for durability and expensive wheel problems. They're best in industrial applications.

Ed W

[Red Arrow]

" Run-flats for bicycles could be good."

Semi-pneumatics have been available from time to time. You trade off possible flats and ride quality for durability and expensive wheel problems. They're best in industrial applications.

Ed W

I would expect a harsher ride.  Are/would they be that much harder than the really high psi tires I've heard about?  I think I've heard on the order of 100 psi.  My brother always seems to be tuning his wheels.

[Red Arrow]

Quite a bit actually. Mostly on the trails.

Maybe your tires are a bit thicker than the road tires.

[rebound]

I would expect a harsher ride.  Are/would they be that much harder than the really high psi tires I've heard about?  I think I've heard on the order of 100 psi.  My brother always seems to be tuning his wheels.

My current road bike tires are 120 psi, and you can buy higher.  But I use(d) those mostly for crit racing.  For longer rides, I have a set that are 100 PSI.  I honestly can't tell the difference in "harshness" due to the extra PSI, as most of that feel is built-in to the bike.  Mine is a very stiff, and a bit rough, race bike.  But there are very good (and also very fast) bikes that are built for a much softer ride.

[Conan71]

My current road bike tires are 120 psi, and you can buy higher.  But I use(d) those mostly for crit racing.  For longer rides, I have a set that are 100 PSI.  I honestly can't tell the difference in "harshness" due to the extra PSI, as most of that feel is built-in to the bike.  Mine is a very stiff, and a bit rough, race bike.  But there are very good (and also very fast) bikes that are built for a much softer ride.

My road set up is 120 in the rear and 100 in the front- same tires that's just how I run them.  I run a softer front for shock absorption due to wrist and shoulder issues.  My race tubulars are 135-140 psi.

[Red Arrow]

These pressures are all a bunch higher than the 35 psi for American style bicycles and 50 psi for "English" style bikes when I was a bit younger.

Tire pressures must be up in general.  I run 43 psi front / 41 psi rear on my cars.  It helps reduce the understeer a tiny bit with street tires. Racing tires behave differently.
Max tire pressure for cars was 32 psi for eons. Anyone else remember non-belted bias ply tires?  Low profile "Wide Oval" 70 series? Probably only us old guys.

[Ed W]

Ride quality on a bicycle has two main determinants: frame design - wheelbase and frame angles, and tire choice. A steep angled frame offers quick handling with a harsh ride while a lower frame angle (think Raleigh Tourist 3 speed) rides like.a Cadillac and turns like a truck


Ed W