On Dec 18, 8:42*am, "
wrote:
On Dec 17, 4:31*pm, Jay Beattie wrote:
On Dec 17, 2:15*pm, "
wrote:
On Dec 17, 1:59*pm, Jay Beattie wrote:
On Dec 17, 6:08*am, "
wrote:
On Dec 17, 7:41*am, jim beam wrote:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:25:07 -0800, Jay Beattie wrote:
snip for clarity
On a somewhat tech note, I went to put on my (car) snow wheels on
Saturday, and my aluminum rims had welded to the iron hubs. *Should have
used my anti-seize! *Getting those mo-fos off was a monumental PIA, but
finally got it done.
actually pretty easy to do this - simply loosen the lug nuts a couple of
turns, then go drive around the block. *a couple of hard braking episodes
will break free the stubbornest of rusted wheels.
God Danged Jim. *Thats the only intelligent thing you've ever posted
on this forum.
I did that, and it worked with the front wheel but not the rear
wheel. *I had to take additional measures for the rear wheel,
including putting some Liquid Wrench between the rim and hub and
engaging in the telephone book rhumba -- you loosen the lug nuts and
then drive the stuck wheel over a phone book, back and forth. *Then
you kick the wheel in strategic locations. *That finally worked. Or
maybe it was the swearing that did it.
Anyway, I rode to work on my new, cheap-o Innova ice tires today. *Not
going to win any races on those fatties, but, wow, they really do work
well on ice. *I was getting a little too cocky and almost wiped out.
They are not good on dry pavement, though. *They squirm and float
quite a bit, and the tread is not that straight -- or else it looks
crooked because the tires are slowly blowing off my svelt Open Pros..
That happened when I was blowing one up, but the tube is so beefy that
at 60psi, a 4" section just bulged out and sat there.
*It's *near white-out looking out my office window, so I guess I will
have plenty of fresh snow and ice for the ride home.-- Jay Beattie.
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I'm using my new Schwalbe Marathon Winter 700x35 studded tires. *They
ride perfectly fine on dry pavement. *In loose snow, such as on the
side of the road after the cars have pounded it for awhile, they can
get squirrely. *Ice or dry pavement, great traction. *They are slower
than regular tires. *Partly because I only put 35 psi in them to allow
them to flatten out as much as possible and get all 4 rows of studs in
contact with the ground.
http://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Marat...ck/dp/B00113L8....
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/stud...asp-Hidequoted text -
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Those Schwalbe look mighty nice (I have the Schwalbe Blizzards on this
bike for ordinary riding), but they are two to three times the price I
paid for my beater Innovas. *If I lived in Minnesota, I might make the
investment. Bike Tires Direct has a whole slew of ice tires including
the Schwalbe.http://www.biketiresdirect.com/searc...?ss=330&cat=su
I just felt that in these tough economic times, I should support
Chinese industry. And melamine gives me added grip on ice. -- Jay
Beattie.- Hide quoted text -
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Twice the price. *But over twice the studs. *240 compared to 110.
Carbide instead of carbon steel. *They are the most expensive bike
tires I've ever bought.- Hide quoted text -
The steel quality is important, although I'll be dead before I wear
these things out with the number of days per year I expect to use
them. I think carbide would be a must have in Minnesota.
What I wonder about and could read-up on (if I were to move to
Minnesota) is tread pattern and stud number. Some of the Nokians have
less studs than my Innovas, and the Schwalbes and other Nokians have
more studs but a less aggressive tread pattern. Peter White explains
some of these design choices and gives reasons for choosing one design
over another -- and a serious purchaser would really have to think
about where, when and how he or she intends to ride.
I would also be curious to find out what tire has the best float in
slush and till, since that is where I have most of my troubles on the
Innovas. Ice is no problem, and on packed snow, I could ride my
regular Hutchinson cross tires. In the till, though, I fish-tail
badly, which is disconcerting with cars passing nearby. -- Jay Beattie.