MTB Tyres for Road Use

In article ,
"Andrew Reddaway" wrote:

The other advantage of skinnier tyres is reduced air resistance, which
makes a pretty big difference, IIRC.

Only at very high speeds.

Remember that the top of the tyre
is going twice the speed the bike is, relative to the ground!

And the bottom is stationery relative to the ground. But neither thing
has any significant effect on air resistance.

--
Shane Stanley

In article ,
the Bruce formerly known as fred kneeman
wrote:

on road after even light rain, my corner-side wrist, elbow, hip,
knee and ankle were saying hello to the asphalt in a way that was not
pleasurable. Short answer: knobbies no good on road, but go with some
tread.

True answer: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick

--
Shane Stanley

Shane Stanley wrote:
In article ,
the Bruce formerly known as fred kneeman
wrote:


on road after even light rain, my corner-side wrist, elbow, hip,
knee and ankle were saying hello to the asphalt in a way that was not
pleasurable. Short answer: knobbies no good on road, but go with some
tread.


True answer: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick


Thanks for your reply. Certainly made me reassess my thinking about this.

"Slick tires are smooth and silent running, and have excellent traction.
They have the lowest rolling resistance of all tire styles. Many people
reject them because they look slippery, but in practice, they are not.
Tread patterns on road tires are purely cosmetic, and have no practical
value."
http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick

Well, there you go - Sheldon Brown wants you to crash in the rain!

Seriously tho, if Sheldon says so, it's be right... but I still can't
bring myself to accept it... Rather than go off on a rant, I might
start a thread about this.

Onya Shane!

xxxx

Bruce

"Slick tires are smooth and silent running, and have excellent traction.
They have the lowest rolling resistance of all tire styles. Many people
reject them because they look slippery, but in practice, they are not.
Tread patterns on road tires are purely cosmetic, and have no practical
value."
http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick

This is probably true in the dry but there is no way slick tires have
excellent traction in the wet.

If this was the case, road car tyres would be slick.

And how come in MotoGP or F1 they uses treaded tyres if it rains?

Anyway I am more interested in the dry weather performance since I don't
usually ride in the rain.

I will try and checkout those Specialized Fatboy slicks and see how much
they are.

Thanks.

"flyingdutch" wrote in
message ...

hippy Wrote:


I wonder if the difference is noticeable? I would still buy the
skinnier
tyres because they are typically designed to go faster and may have
smoother "tread" or something that the wider ones lack, possibly
negating any width-related rolling resistance issue??

hippy

revolving weight may be more of an issue for speed due to more, well,
revolving weight!

Can also recommend Specialized Fatboy slicks.
I used to run the 1" versions. VERY quick. just dont go near sandy
surfaces.
not the best for longer term puncture resistance tho.
But who cares? they go quick and are all black, and therefore 'slick'


--
flyingdutch

Just watch the traaaaaaaam tracks! Slipperier than a greased slippery
thing.

Don't have that issue since I live in Sydney. :-)

[] wrote:
"Slick tires are smooth and silent running, and have excellent traction.
They have the lowest rolling resistance of all tire styles. Many people
reject them because they look slippery, but in practice, they are not.
Tread patterns on road tires are purely cosmetic, and have no practical
value."
http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick


This is probably true in the dry but there is no way slick tires have
excellent traction in the wet.

If this was the case, road car tyres would be slick.

And how come in MotoGP or F1 they uses treaded tyres if it rains?

The channels let water disperse from under the large flat contact patch.
This is not needed for bike tyres due to the much smaller contact patch.

Read this:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

hippy

Shane Stanley wrote:

True answer: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick

No, that is Sheldon Brown's opinion based on wanting to sell stuff and
his conditions. If you lived in a place paved with hotmix with continual
street sweeping that may be fine.

My experience is different and ever since slicks came out, I've been
watching people kiss the ground.

Terry Collins wrote:
Shane Stanley wrote:


True answer: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick


No, that is Sheldon Brown's opinion based on wanting to sell stuff and
his conditions. If you lived in a place paved with hotmix with continual
street sweeping that may be fine.

My experience is different and ever since slicks came out, I've been
watching people kiss the ground.

I think it's less to do with the tread and more to do with the compound.
The Continentals on my bike have a really grippy feel that gives me
confidence. The only drawback is that it perishes quite quickly.

Marty

"[]" wrote in message
...
"Slick tires are smooth and silent running, and have excellent traction.
They have the lowest rolling resistance of all tire styles. Many people
reject them because they look slippery, but in practice, they are not.
Tread patterns on road tires are purely cosmetic, and have no practical
value."
http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#slick

This is probably true in the dry but there is no way slick tires have
excellent traction in the wet.

If this was the case, road car tyres would be slick.

And how come in MotoGP or F1 they uses treaded tyres if it rains?

Did you read Sheldon's bit on tyres and hydroplaning?

Guess what - bike tyres are too narrow to do it, tread makes no difference,
in fact reduces the area of rubber for traction.

Cheers
Peter