On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 20:03:15 -0400, "X_HOBBES"
wrote:

"dgk" wrote in message
.. .
Which way to mount them? It seems obvious. The center of the tread has
a sort of airplane pattern and I guess the airplane should point
forward. These are the tires (perfect max):


http://www.vredestein.com/Fietsbande...etsSoo rtID=2

Sheldon Brown says that tread doesn't matter at all and should be
slick but that unsophisticated buyers think that they would be
slippery and won't buy them. I'm not sure about the unsophisticated;
unenlightened (like me) would be a better way to put it. Until now,
that is.

I suspect that a better check than the airplane design would be that
the channels push water out. Let's see, tire is rolling forward, at
the contact point you want water pushed out to the side. Ok, if I
mount them so the airplane is pointing forward at the top, then it
points backwards at the contact point and the water is being pushed
forwards. Bad. Ok, looks like the reverse it true. Airplane points
back at the top and forward at the contact point?

In an airplane-shaped (or V-shaped) tire thread, you would want the center
of the V to touch the ground first so the remainder of the V can fan away
water. If you mount it so that the outside tips of the V touch the ground
first, then the two blades on the V will actually pull water towards the
center of the tire and cause lift (hydroplaning). But realistically, unless
you're going really fast and riding through a long stream of water, IT
REALLY WON'T MATTER MUCH. I suppose that the tip of the V facing forward at
the top of the tire may have a tiny little impact on airflow around the
tire. If tip of the V points backwards, then it acts a bit more like a
scoop or parachute, pulling air towards the middle instead of whisking it
away. But again, this is really insignificant.

Good luck on the NY ride. I gotta try that sometime!

X_HOBBES


Thanks, I've done BikeNY for maybe the last five years. Very much fun.

Well, I've mounted the new tires and new tubes. Those are VERY tight
tires. It's good that they claim to be just about puncture proof
because they are no fun to change. I'll ride around a bit tomorrow
just to make sure that there are no leaks and them I'm set for Sunday.