MTB slicks thread...

[gclark8]

What, no posts since January?

[artemidorus]

Originally Posted by garage sale GT

Thanks, but I don't think I thought my question through. Let me try again:

What's the highest pressure anyone uses with double wall rims and standard cloth tape such as Zefal, or standard rubber rim strips? Or...when do you need to step up to plugs or special rim strips?

I have used up to 120psi with rubber tape with no problems - in fact, I have an idea that the front wheel on my road bike has one now. I wouldn't choose to do so if I had originally fitted the tape, but there has been no incentive for change.

[j.r.hawkins]

Following up on my previous post:

I've since put more than 3,000 km on the Conti Sport Contact 1.3's I bought shortly after my last post. Here's my smiley-rated review <LOL>.

Verdict:
Rolling resistance: briliant
Dry Traction: excellent
Wet Traction: very good
Wear: excellent
Puncture resistance: what's a puncture?
Ease of fitting: Awful!

Haha! I suppose it's just as well I've not had any punctures... I had to buy some steel-cored tyre levers just to get the suckers on and off the rim, b'cos I busted all my plastic ones, the things are so tight to put on. And to get the bead to seat properly I gotta pump them up to about 110psi or I get a monster flat-spot in the ride. Once seated, though, they do go brilliantly.

To be fair these niggles might be because of the Alex TD17 hoops I put 'em on being slighlty oversize compared to others. Seem to recall a comment to that effect somewhere.

There are a just few VERY small nicks in the back tyre where I've run over the occasional bits of broken glass at the start of the Burnt Bridge Creek cycleway, but I've only once found a (tiny) sliver still in the tread.

This is vastly better than the WTB slickasauruses. Speaking of which, does anybody want my old set - you can have 'em just for the cost of the postage. Slimed innertubes are included. PM me if you're interested.

[artemidorus]

Originally Posted by j.r.hawkins

Ease of fitting: Awful!

Agreed; I got the front one onto a Mavic X517 rim with only a high normal level of difficulty, but it took nearly an hour and my girlfriend's help to get the rear one onto an Araya RM-17. I've never in my life had so much difficulty mounting a tyre, otherwise. I'm dreading my first rear wheel puncture, although I agree with the question, "What's a puncture?", with regard to these tyres.
Next time I'll follow a friend's recommendation of a hot bath for the tyre beforehand, and soap on the rim edge.

[j.r.hawkins]

Originally Posted by artemidorus

but it took nearly an hour and my girlfriend's help to get the rear one onto an Araya RM-17. I've never in my life had so much difficulty mounting a tyre, otherwise...

That's encouraging - I'm not a compleat idiot then <chuckle>. Mine took about the same time after accounting for taking it off and on a couple of times to fix the pinch flats from the bead pinching the tube against the rim edge. <duh!>

I'm not sure what the hot bath would do - seems to me it's the steel bead that's the issue rather than the rubber. The soap would definitely be helpful, so long as you can get the show completed before it dries.

BTW, on the slickasauruses, postage would be about $15 within Australia.

[artemidorus]

Originally Posted by j.r.hawkins

I'm not sure what the hot bath would do - seems to me it's the steel bead that's the issue rather than the rubber.

Steel expands with heat, a little stretch could help a lot.

[nerdag]

Originally Posted by artemidorus

Steel expands with heat, a little stretch could help a lot.

Why waste water unecessarily - just leave them lying in the sun for 30mins or so.

I run Ritchey Tom slicks on my frankenbike commuter, and it has the same tight bead problem that you guys have. Solar energy, however, makes it much less difficult (about the same as trying to get a Conti Road tyre onto a tight rim).

For those who care, they are Ritchey 1.4's, on Sun Black Eyes.

n

[robalert]

Hi, I've finally wore out my Conti Contact Sports, after a while too many little cuts and the tread wore down which meant increased punctures... very good tyres though. I didn't find them too hard to get on and off... but my rims are pretty good like that.

Also, like a few other continentals... like gatorskins, the side wall seems to weaken over time... and eventually you get the tube trying to break out.

Anyway, trying some new Maxxis Columbieres.... so far OK used them for commuting to and from work for a month now. They are cheap, pretty fast but I'll let you know how they wear and what the puncture resistance is like. They were only $22 each.