Road Vs Mountain Bike

[Tony W]

"Simon Holt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks for all your various inputs. This newsgroup seems to have a very active and knowledgeable
> population compared to some!
>
> I'll certainly get myself a tube or two this weekend to add to the repair kit.
>
> I've seen some quick-fix products (sealing foam; gas cylinders) but I'm wary - am I right to be?

It depends what you want.

My approach tends to be :-

1. A trip into town -- nothing except a lock -- risk the walk home. Advantage, unencumbered with
stuff. (Used to carry a mini pump in case the local scallies let the tyres down but now recon
they either wreck the thing completely or leave it alone).

2. Almost anything else -- tube, repair kit, levers & pump.

3. Winter & dark -- gas as well as a pump -- hell, it just saves time freezing your goolies off.

Some swear by slime -- I swear at slime after poor experiences.

Once my tyres start to get regular punctures I replace them -- even if they look OK. Kevlar seems to
help but less than the marketing hype would have you believe.

T

 

[Dave Larrington]

Simon Holt wrote:

> I've just started cycling again after 30+ years. Not had a puncture yet so I'd appreciate the
> group's advice - is it better to carry a spare tube than a repair kit?

Both. When the P+nct+r+ Fairy visits, I'll change the tube, but should she come a second time (rare,
but not unknown), roadside patching is the only option.

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Pete Biggs]

Simon Holt wrote:

> I've seen some quick-fix products (sealing foam; gas cylinders) but I'm wary - am I right to be?

The sealing foam that is squirted in after a puncture (eg. Weldtite) is not worth using, in my
experience. It's extremely messy and only works half the time if lucky.

Pre-sealant (eg. Slime or WrenchForce tubes) does work to some extent - it automatically seals most
small punctures. But it adds weight, cost and complication so I would only recommend it if it's most
important to do everything you can to avoid punctures (on commuting bike, or if not able to fix
punctures yourself, etc).

Separate anti-puncture belts that can be placed inside the tyre: these will increase rolling
resistance despite what the manufacturers claim.

CO2 inflators: I've not tried them but apparently they work well and are a very fast way to get tyre
up-pumped. But you could run out of cylinders (eg. with a troublesome puncture repair or tyre or
repeat punctures) so would need a pump as well to be safe ...which defeats the object, unless time
is of the essence.

More rubber is the second best answer so there's simply more tread material for foreign objects to
penetrate before reaching tube. Tyres with kevlar belts may help slightly but I wouldn't avoid a
tyre just because it didn't have the feature.

Best answer is to avoid riding over broken glass - which usually settles at the edges of road and on
cycle paths! Trouble is, rain washes it out again (and also lubricates it so it cuts tyres easier).
Yep, puncture fairy visited me last night! First one for a long time.

~PB

 

[Simon Holt]

Thanks for the input. I'm running on slicks so I guess that's a high-risk. But I'm not commuting -
just doing circular runs from home or work at the moment to build stamina. So I'm never more than 4
miles from base - an acceptable walking distance. On balance, it seems better to benefit from low
weight and low rolling resistance and take the chance.

Simon

 

[andy_welch]

Originally posted by Pete Biggs
CO2 inflators: I've not tried them but apparently they work well and are a very fast way to get tyre
up-pumped. But you could run out of cylinders (eg. with a troublesome puncture repair or tyre or
repeat punctures) so would need a pump as well to be safe ...which defeats the object, unless time
is of the essence.

~PB [/B]

I've gor a little Barbieri C02 inflater which can also be used a regular pump (£15 from Mikedyason). It's tiny so it fits in my seat pack. OK if I do get more than one puncture it will take a while to inflate the tyre but at least I wont be totally stuck. And of course you could just carry more CO2 cylinders.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[ebola]

Thanks for the opinions & info on this thread.


After trying sitting on a road bike the practicality vs straight grips+bar ends for commuting hit me: Controls available at lower speed posture + bar ends for high speed seems much better.


After much deliberation, scanning these forums etc I've wound up getting a Giant FCR-1, and it does indeed feel faster than my MTB. The wheel-size, tyres, lightness, components do indeed all make a very perceptible difference. I'm very pleased with it, no post purchase remorse !

(
My whole cycling to work thing is going fine, so I decided it was well worth splashing out on something that sees daily use & is a way of life. It's turned out to be a natural progression from walking fast 45 mins per trip to the old closer office.

No doubt i'll get a bit of stick from my colleauges for getting a different bike after less than a month .. but I reckon getting an entry level bike to find out about more before getting a higher spec one was a good approach, + I can see situations where I'll use a spare - e.g. leaving one at the office for getting to shops / gym run on rest days, maybe stick the mudguards on it & have wet & dry bikes . or I could just sell it..
)

 

[Pete Biggs]

ebola wrote:
> After trying sitting on a road bike the practicality vs straight grips+bar ends for commuting hit
> me: Controls available at lower speed posture + bar ends for high speed seems much better.

Road bike controls can be practical at lower speeds once used to them, but I'm glad you found a bike
that you really like. The FCR-1 does look like good one!

~PB

 

[David Marsh]

[Interleaved quoting: please read to end for all comments] Tim Woodall wrote in uk.rec.cycling:
about: Re: Road Vs Mountain Bike

> On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 11:56:21 +0100, David Marsh <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> I prefer to think that I get an _overall_ higher average speed with semi-knobblies on my mountain
>> bike, as that way, with somewhat less easily-damaged tires I don't have to trash my average speed
>> (over an extended period) with too many damned stops to repair punctures. It's all the having to
>> take time out to repair punctures that _really_ kills your average speed ;-/
>>
> How often to people get punctures normally?

Well <touch wood>, the current average is good (since I got the new tyre) but it was not uncommon to
get 3 or 4 punctures in a week or so (followed by _much_ cursing and greater additions to the
tubes-to-be-patched pile) and then perhaps ok for another 3 or 4 weeks, and then another batch of
disasters..

> I've had one puncture while out on the road in the last two years, one puncture while a bike was
> hung up in the shed (new rim tape needed me thinks) and one tyre that went soft over the course
> of a Sunday ride but has subsequently remained fine (I assume the valve was sticking slightly
> after pumping it up in the morning before the ride). In total I would guess I have done 7000
> miles, 5000 since the last puncture in the last two years- I NEVER ride on green kleptonite in
> the wet any more!

Wow! Well, either you're lucky or your local roads are less glass-strewn than the norm. Do you live
in a city or a town?

--
David Marsh, <reply-to-email is valid at time of writing> | Edinburgh, Scotland. [en, fr, (de)] |
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