Slicks OK on the touring bike - If so, what kind?

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel roads
(slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the 700x32c
Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road slicks. Would
the slicks suck on these roads?

If I decide to just stay off the gravel entirely, what
kind of slicks can I then use?

Read the Bicycle FAQ:

faqs.orgsection 11.htmlOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, bfd

Quoted message said:

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:020720040049013196%name+number@A-ho-
L.com...

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel
roads (slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the
700x32c Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road
slicks. Would the slicks suck on these roads?

If I decide to just stay off the gravel entirely, what
kind of slicks can I then use?

Read the Bicycle FAQ:

faqs.orgsectionOpen ↗
11.html

OK, thanks. From that article, I gather that the bike will
ride on gravel just fine if the tires are slick. It does
leave open the possibility that slicks might have less
traction on surfaces that are softer than the tire - But
gravel is a combination of harder and softer surfaces. So I
am going with the "OK for slicks on gravel" mentality.

What kind (size, type, brand, etc) of slicks would be right
and/or preferable for my rims?

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PCB said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If I decide to just stay off the gravel entirely, what
kind of slicks can I then use?

What kind (size, type, brand, etc) of slicks would be
right and/or preferable for my rims?

What don't you like about the Contis? You didn't mention
your weight or type of riding (loaded touring, light
touring, fast day trips).

700 x 32 tires are appropriate for gravel roads. If you
"decide to just stay off gravel entirely," then depending on
your weight and load, 700 x 28s or 25s might be your best
bet. The Avocet Carbon 12 slicks would be a good choice in
any of those sizes.

Art Harris

PCB said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel roads
(slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the 700x32c
Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road slicks. Would
the slicks suck on these roads?

Tread doesn't help much on gravel, but breadth and the
resulting ability to use lower pressures without suffering
pinch-flats is useful. I've toured a lot of dirt roads with
25mm slicks, and it's tolerable as long as you keep the
pressure high and get out of the saddle.

Quoted message said:

If I decide to just stay off the gravel entirely, what
kind of slicks can I then use?

Anything that isn't too narrow for your rim or too fat to
fit your frame. I don't know what rims your Trek uses.

James Thomson

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel roads
(slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the 700x32c
Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road slicks. Would
the slicks suck on these roads?

TT2k's are pretty close to *being* slicks already. If you
have anything to gain, it's from going to a lighter,
narrower, higher pressure tire, not from changing away from
the Conti's already-vestigial tread pattern.

I'd be surprised if the wheels that come on a 520 will
comfortably mount a tire much smaller than a 28. You have,
what, 32's now?

If you're not an overly heavy rider, a 28mm touring tire
would certainly work and give you a bit of an improvement.
It's something you should think about when the current tires
wear out. IMO, however, it's not an improvement worth
ditching a perfectly good set of 32mm TT2k's for,

My 2c.

RichC

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email hidden]>, PCB

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel roads
(slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the 700x32c
Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road slicks. Would
the slicks suck on these roads?

If I decide to just stay off the gravel entirely, what kind
of slicks can I then use?

_ I ride 28mm slicks on gravel roads all the time. They even
work reasonably well on dry hard pack dirt. Loose sand is
another story entirely.

_ Booker C. Bense

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On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 00:49:01 -0500, PCB <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel roads
(slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the 700x32c
Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road slicks. Would
the slicks suck on these roads?

Nope, slicks are fine. Somebody posted the results of some
experiments where he used slicks on his mountain bike, and
found them as good or superior in most off-road conditions.
Narrow slicks would not be as good, but you're on-road,
albeit with a different surface.

I've ridden 23c slicks on a few gravel roads, and off-road
once. The width of the tires made it difficult off-road.
Unfinished bike paths, not yet paved, are no problem.

Quoted message said:

If I decide to just stay off the gravel entirely, what kind
of slicks can I then use?

Any kind you want that fits your bike.
--
Rick Onanian

In article <[email hidden]>, Rich Clark

Quoted message said:

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:020720040049013196%name+number@A-ho-
L.com...

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel
roads (slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the
700x32c Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road
slicks. Would the slicks suck on these roads?

TT2k's are pretty close to *being* slicks already. If you
have anything to gain, it's from going to a lighter,
narrower, higher pressure tire, not from changing away
from the Conti's already-vestigial tread pattern.

My reason for wanting slicks is that I feel they are all-
around better due to more pavement contact. I want to be
able to reach 40+mph (or at least get significantly closer
to it) on downhills that I currently can only attain 34mph
on with the TT2Ks.

Quoted message said:

I'd be surprised if the wheels that come on a 520 will
comfortably mount a tire much smaller than a 28. You have,
what, 32's now?

All I know are that the brand of rim is Bontrager Fairlane,
and that the tire is listed on the inventory sheet as 700-
32c, and that it has "32-622" listed on the sidewall. So
does that officially mean they are 32s?

Quoted message said:

If you're not an overly heavy rider, a 28mm touring tire
would certainly work and give you a bit of an improvement.

I am 130 lbs, so I'll assume that 28 would work. Can
anything narrower work well on these rims?

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¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ / / his abducted son by visiting: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
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"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Rich

Clark said:

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:020720040049013196%name+number@A-ho-
L.com...

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel
roads (slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the
700x32c Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road
slicks. Would the slicks suck on these roads?

Slicks are fine on packed gravel, the wider the better.

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'd be surprised if the wheels that come on a 520 will
comfortably mount a tire much smaller than a 28. You
have, what, 32's now?

All I know are that the brand of rim is Bontrager
Fairlane, and that the tire is listed on the inventory
sheet as 700-32c, and that it has "32-622" listed on the
sidewall. So does that officially mean they are 32s?

Yes. Avocet are the only manufacturer I know that makes a
genuine slick in a 700x32. I use them.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you're not an overly heavy rider, a 28mm touring tire
would certainly work and give you a bit of an
improvement.

I am 130 lbs, so I'll assume that 28 would work. Can
anything narrower work well on these rims?

How wide are they? If they're 19mm or up the answer
would be no.

--

A: Top-posters.
B: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

PCB said:

My reason for wanting slicks is that I feel they are all-
around better due to more pavement contact. I want to be
able to reach 40+mph (or at least get significantly closer
to it) on downhills that I currently can only attain 34mph
on with the TT2Ks.

I prefer slicks too, but they're not going to increase your
speed that much.

Quoted message said:

All I know are that the brand of rim is Bontrager
Fairlane, and that the tire is listed on the inventory
sheet as 700-32c

You need to measure the inside width of the rims, then use
this chart to determine an acceptable tire width.

sheldonbrown.comtire sizing.htmlOpen ↗

Art Harris

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My reason for wanting slicks is that I feel they are all-
around better due to more pavement contact. I want to be
able to reach 40+mph (or at least get significantly closer
to it) on downhills that I currently can only attain 34mph
on with the TT2Ks.

Changing just your tires will not yield that much of an
improvement. You, your wheels, and the rest of your bike
will still be aerodynamically the same, and wind resistance
is the big factor at speeds that high.

Quoted message said:

All I know are that the brand of rim is Bontrager
Fairlane, and that the tire is listed on the inventory
sheet as 700-32c, and that it has "32-622" listed on the
sidewall. So does that officially mean they are 32s?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

If you're not an overly heavy rider, a 28mm touring tire
would certainly

Quoted message said:

work and give you a bit of an improvement.

I am 130 lbs, so I'll assume that 28 would work. Can
anything narrower work well on these rims?

Doubtful. Those rims are designed for touring bikes and
hybrids. They're great for that purpose.

Using a narrow tire on a wide rim is asking for trouble,
especially when trying to go fast in a descent, which is the
last place where you want tire problems.

RichC

In article <[email hidden]>, Rich Clark

Quoted message said:

"PCB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:020720041628589329%name+number@A-ho-
L.com...

Quoted message said:

I am 130 lbs, so I'll assume that 28 would work. Can
anything narrower work well on these rims?

Doubtful. Those rims are designed for touring bikes and
hybrids. They're great for that purpose.

Using a narrow tire on a wide rim is asking for trouble,
especially when trying to go fast in a descent, which is
the last place where you want tire problems.

Yeah, I better not use a 23. But I wonder if a 28 would
still have problems.

On the following tire chart that Arthur Harris referred me
to (thanks, Arthur!), a size 28 tire is shown to be
compatible with all of the same rims as what a 32 tire is
compatible with: sheldonbrown.comtireOpen ↗
sizing.html#width

I won't take the tire off to measure the inside of the rim
right now, but the exterior of the rim measures to be
22.5mm wide.

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©"""""""""""© Thanks.

PCB said:

Yeah, I better not use a 23. But I wonder if a 28 would
still have problems.

Quoted message said:

I won't take the tire off to measure the inside of the rim
right now, but the exterior of the rim measures to be
22.5mm wide.

The Fairlane has the same cross section as the Maverick:

bontrager.comdetail.aspOpen ↗

You could probably get away with a true 25 (many tyres
measure narrow), and a 28 should be fine.

James Thomson

PCB said:

Yeah, I better not use a 23. But I wonder if a 28 would
still have problems.

28mm will work fine. i rode 32mm (28mm actual) avocet cross-
ii's and 28mm (28mm actual) avocet duros on the fairlane for
6,000 miles. never tried narrower, tho.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 00:49:01 -0500, PCB <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have a Trek 520 that occasionally rolls on gravel roads
(slowly/carefully) and I¹d like to change out the 700x32c
Conti Top Touring 2000 tires for some road slicks. Would
the slicks suck on these roads?

More on this: My weight, 210 pounds. 20mm front slick at 110
psi, 23mm rear slick at 145 psi.

Today's ride: Gravel roads were _fine_ today, did a few
miles of them. I wish I had bug spray, as a swarm of some
sort of bug wouldn't leave me alone until I exceeded 10mph
-- difficult going uphill while tired. Downhill was easier.
Rough portions required sub-20mph speeds, and rattled the
cap off my shifter.

Rode some five or more miles of unpaved bike-path, too.
Where it was graded and ready for paving, not bad, but when
it became completely off-road, I struggled and ended up
walking a few miles. What appeared to be a 1/4 mile stretch
of Whoop-Di-Doos (6 foot long, 2 foot high
hills/depressions) turned out to be over a mile followed by
soft, gnarly, rough terrain. Lots of worrying about my
wheels, and often wheels washed out.

I'll go back with my mountain bike, with 1.9" semi-
slicks mounted.
--
Rick Onanian