Cytronex bike on Gadget Show Tonight

[jerrysimon]

I went for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus in the end, 700 35c from SJS great service and advice on the telephone. I was worried they were going to be hard to fit as that's what I have heard, but the back one went on really easy. The front was a little more difficult but I used the tie wrap trick to hold the bottom on and it was not too difficult.

Pumped them up to 70psi been for a ride and they seem good.

Lets hope they will remove or at least limit punctures to the absolute minimum

They have a little bit more tread than the bontrager but are also slightly heavier.

Regards

Jerry

 

[flecc]

Good decision Jerry, I'm sure you will never regret it.
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[Barnowl]

I've considered getting a pair myself Jerry and would have by now if the Bontrager Racelites hadn't turned out to be so good. I had a couple of punctures in the early days but nothing since. There never seems to be anything embedded in them either. The back tyres getting a bit slippy now and slicks aren't the best in the winter, anyway, so I might put an order in for some Marathons.

 

[Pedalo]

Dumb question - How would I tell if the bontrager tyres on my bike were getting worn out? They are slick tyres so I can't judge by looking at the tread. They've done about 1350 miles.

Just reminded me - Don't suppose anyone can help with my previous stupid question above? Quite like the idea of the marathon plus tyres but would like to get the most out of the current set of bontragers before swapping them.

 

[Pedalo]

Well I've come to the conclusion rain is horrible, wind is nasty but ice is a whole different scary game altogether.

I skidded around like crazy today. Not sure how much new tyres would have helped though. I kept my speed down to snail pace and took it really easy all the way in - even then it was nasty. Both wheels losing traction and sliding about erratically.

 

[Mussels]

Well I've come to the conclusion rain is horrible, wind is nasty but ice is a whole different scary game altogether.

I skidded around like crazy today. Not sure how much new tyres would have helped though. I kept my speed down to snail pace and took it really easy all the way in - even then it was nasty. Both wheels losing traction and sliding about erratically.

Ice is the worst condition and I fell off a few times last winter, I found studded tyres worked a treat but weren't very nice in normal conditions. This year I've gone for Continental TopContact Winter tyres that have what looks like bits of grit embedded in the tyre, idiot here thought they were shards of glass and picked a load out.

 

[Straylight]

Continental Top Contact Winter

I've been looking at those - how do find the rolling resistance, do they feel sluggish at all? I only ask as I'm lucky enough to spend the majority of my ride at close to (my) maximum speed. How would you rate them against the original Wisper Kendas?

 

[jerrysimon]

It was down at zero this morning here too. First time out on the plus's and they seemed ok. Have more grip than the Bontrager's.

Mine had about 1800 miles on the them. They looked quite good still apart from the tear where glass slither went in and gave me the puncture the other night, when I went out to leave after work

Going out to a flat after work in the dark is no fun. I just don't need that hassle hence the plus's.

Regards

Jerry

 

[flecc]

Just reminded me - Don't suppose anyone can help with my previous stupid question above? Quite like the idea of the marathon plus tyres but would like to get the most out of the current set of bontragers before swapping them.

With slick race tyres on motor vehicles there's sometimes a coloured or different indicator layer, when that shows it's time for immediate change. Sometimes there's a soft underlayer which appears to crumble readily when it's worn down to. Otherwise it's when the first tiny trace of the tyre carcass cordage shows.

I daresay bike slicks are similar to one of those conditions.
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[Barnowl]

Hard to say on the Bontragers. I can't see anything to indicate that they are up for replacement. My back one appears slippier than the front but it could just be my weight and my personel power output
Breaking on ice and frost is the main problem I had last winter - again with the back wheel. I'm of a mind to put the bike up for a bit since last night they put the salt and grit down on the roads and I'm sure many of us remember the "worn rim" posts from last February/March.

 

[Mussels]

I've been looking at those - how do find the rolling resistance, do they feel sluggish at all? I only ask as I'm lucky enough to spend the majority of my ride at close to (my) maximum speed. How would you rate them against the original Wisper Kendas?

I don't really remember the Kendas but I've used a few different tyre and these seem to roll well, their purpose is different to Kenda so it's not really that comparable. They feel much better than studded tyres but I have my doubts how well they will do on ice, last year I saw plenty of that. No slipping on the frost this morning but it's the first weedy frost of the year so most of the road was still fine.

 

[Pedalo]

Hard to say on the Bontragers. I can't see anything to indicate that they are up for replacement. My back one appears slippier than the front but it could just be my weight and my personel power output
Breaking on ice and frost is the main problem I had last winter - again with the back wheel. I'm of a mind to put the bike up for a bit since last night they put the salt and grit down on the roads and I'm sure many of us remember the "worn rim" posts from last February/March.

I wasn't around these parts back in Feb! I did a quick search for "worn rim" (in this forum, not Google - mind boggles at what I might have found!) but couldn't find any threads about it. What was the summary? - Presumably cycling in salt and grit wears your rims out real quick...

 

[Barnowl]

I wasn't around these parts back in Feb! I did a quick search for "worn rim" (in this forum, not Google - mind boggles at what I might have found!) but couldn't find any threads about it. What was the summary? - Presumably cycling in salt and grit wears your rims out real quick...

It does. Essentially the fine grit particles, that get embedded in your brake pads, do most of the damage - although wheel rims will wear out eventually because of the abrasive nature of most brake pads. What with todays lightweight alloy wheels, and them being quite thin in the middle, they can wear out very fast, and eventually reach a critical point when they break & collapse. To alert us to this lamentable state of affairs the manufacturers usually cut a grove around the outside of the rim and put some black paint into it. When you can't see the back ring, I guess you need to replace your wheel. Back wheels are the most likely to wear out because of the way we use our brakes. This is bad but much better than the front wheel where we would have to refit the hub etc.
So as I see it. Best avoid the salt and grit and, within reason, go easy on the brakes. Personally I avoid it and wait for a couple of good downpours to wash it all away. The horrible stuff was also causing problems last year, as I recall, with brake cut offs etc as it get everywhere.
On the subject of brake cut offs I've managed to break mine off and jst ordered a replacement from Cytronex. Be carefull you don't catch the cables under the break lever.

 

[Pedalo]

It does. Essentially the fine grit particles, that get embedded in your brake pads, do most of the damage - although wheel rims will wear out eventually because of the abrasive nature of most brake pads. What with todays lightweight alloy wheels, and them being quite thin in the middle, they can wear out very fast, and eventually reach a critical point when they break & collapse. To alert us to this lamentable state of affairs the manufacturers usually cut a grove around the outside of the rim and put some black paint into it. When you can't see the back ring, I guess you need to replace your wheel. Back wheels are the most likely to wear out because of the way we use our brakes. This is bad but much better than the front wheel where we would have to refit the hub etc.
So as I see it. Best avoid the salt and grit and, within reason, go easy on the brakes. Personally I avoid it and wait for a couple of good downpours to wash it all away. The horrible stuff was also causing problems last year, as I recall, with brake cut offs etc as it get everywhere.
On the subject of brake cut offs I've managed to break mine off and jst ordered a replacement from Cytronex. Be carefull you don't catch the cables under the break lever.

Thanks Barnowl.
The paint has gone from mine (I gave the rims a good scrub when I cleaned the bike a while ago) but the groove is still easily visible. You're right, the back rim is slightly more worn than the front. How long are these normally expected to last (assuming no winter conditions)? I wonder if Mark's 5000 mile bike is still on original rims?

I think given my experience this morning I'll be more inclined to avoid cycling on days where there's any prospect of ice.

 

[Barnowl]

Mark has already said that they don't get much gritting down Winchester. I'd be surprised if he's not on the original rims.
From what I've read in other forums it's a case of it all depends on all the obvious variables. If you were quite heavy, rode stop/start conditions and had some serious downhill runs with hairpins, lived up north with heavy salt and gritting and had very expensive lightweight sporty rims with very abrasive brake pads I guess you could wear them out well before the warranty finished.
For the rest of us no idea - but 5K - 12K Miles is my wild guess.

PS. There's no shame in avoiding ice. I'm not fond of freezing temperatures either.