BICYCLES | Page 3 | FerrariChat

BICYCLES

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by Igor Ound, Aug 15, 2015.

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  1. norcal2

    norcal2 F1 Veteran

    Sorry to hear..switch your wheel set out to tubless, way less flats unless you have deep slices, pinch flats are non existant!

     
  2. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    I've been looking at tubeless, and don't really understand -- do I need completely new wheels to run these?

    I was also looking at a SRAM x1 set, thinking it sure would be nice to eliminate the front derailleur entirely, considering I'm an amateur (at best!) and really want reliability and dependability more than anything else.
     
  3. Prugna

    Prugna Formula 3

    Nov 13, 2014
    2,005
    Unites States
    #53 Prugna, Sep 14, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2015
    No, you actually don't!


    Stans tape.
    Universal Kit Tape 10yd x 12mm

    Bontrager stems (because of the square base)
    http://www.bontrager.com/model/13521

    Orange Seal sealant
    orangeseal website :: Tubeless Tire Sealant 8oz



    You would be best off to get tubeless tires (especially if you ruined yours), it saves a lot of hassle, and the small amount of added weight is more than offset by the lesser amount of sealant needed.


    Do not substitute.
    Stans tape is better than Orange Seal tape. Orange Seal sealant is better than Stans or Bontrager sealant. Bontrager stems are better than Orange Seal or Stans stems.


    Bontrager: Tubeless Ready Road


    No. You wouldnt like it, and don't need it. The spread between the gears doesn't work very good on Road Bikes.
     
  4. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    Daniel, I'm sorry to learn of your flats. However, I would not jump to conclusions, run out and buy a new set of wheels with tubeless tire rims just yet.

    Millions of regular clincher tires are used without punctures occurring like this and you are likely not doing anything unusual with your bike. Double flats are very uncommon so you should first locate where the punctures occurred on the tires and see if they were cut by something inside the rims (e.g. protruding spokes, pinched inner tubes) or if the threads or sidewalls were cut.

    You may also want to check the tire pressures you were riding on. As I recall, you are quite light at around 145 lbs. so your tires should be at lower pressures, 80PSI/front and 100PSI/rear should be enough. What kind of tires were you riding on? Are your rims undamaged?

    I would also suggest not trying to put the SRAM X-1 on your bike. It would be silly as X-1 is for cross-country bikes. Your bike would become an oddball and you will miss the other 11 gears. The X-1 is designed with very low gearing, for cross-country riding. You'd have to spin like crazy to keep up with your buddies on the road. It would be like a newbie Fcar owner trying to swap some wacky rally car idea into their new Fcar. You should learn how to properly use your Madone as it is, before trying to come up with something "unusual". You should not get a double flat from hitting a pothole.

    BTW, if the road is not too bumpy maybe you can push your bike rather than have to carry it all the way. Just avoid banging the rims over the bumps. It's not the greatest way to accumulate fireside stories to tell your grandchildren but at least it was only 2.5 miles. Imagine if you were 25 miles somewhere in the wilderness instead! :eek:
     
  5. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    Michael & Prugna -

    Thank you for the comments on the X1. I'll put that idea to bed and just keep things "as is". You know, idle hands are the devil's playthings!

    As a parts guy, you can imagine I've been hoarding bike parts like I do Ferrari parts.... so my wife came by the office this morning with new tubes (Giant) that I had, along a proper foot pump. Those silly CO2 things suck. She and I had the new tubes fitted in about 10 minutes, and everything put back together. She really is a saint :)

    Inspecting the busted tubes, it's pretty clear that blunt force trauma killed 'em. There is a gash in each one, about 30mm from the valve and about 10mm in length. There is no visible damage to the tire itself and the wheels appear (to me) to roll true with no bends. The spokes all look/feel ok. I think I went into the pothole at speed, and my weight (145#) simply caused the tubes to burst. I last checked pressures at 110, but that was around 5 days ago, so maybe it was a wee bit less this morning, in 49dF temperatures.

    I'm going to stick with regular old tubes/tires for the moment. I did order some Continental Gatorskins this morning, thinking it'd be a wise upgrade considering how much urban riding I do.

    Plan for the week:
    Commute each day (as normal) about 15 miles r/t
    Wednesday evening ride about 25 miles
    Saturday..... try the big 50 miler :)
     
  6. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    LOL... just looked at my HR data. Before I hit the hole, I was at 133. Within 20 feet and my ultimate stop/dismount, I was at 145. Either the Polar was shocked too, or I panicked a wee bit!!
     
  7. Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Jun 4, 2009
    3,636
    Encinitas, CA
    Full Name:
    Rick
    Daniel,
    I would check my tire pressure before every ride. Only takes a moment. In fact, since I use lightweight tubes, they are always down on pressure after a day so I skip the pressure check and just fill them back up to 110 psi before each ride. Low pressure will make you very susceptible to "pinch flats" which is what sounds like happened here.

    The CO2 cartridges are really only meant to be used out on the road to fill a new tube after a flat. Once you do fill a tire with CO2 - when you get home - completely empty that tube and refill with a foot pump. CO2 seeps through the tube much easier than regular air and pressure will be down *a lot* even after 1 day.

    Assuming the Gatorskins are the "hardshell" variety - you will be very pleased. I have yet to incur a flat on those in 1,000+ miles and that includes 100 miles of fire road/trails, gravel, rocks, etc. on my road bike.
     
  8. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    If you did not check your tire pressures for 5 days, the tires were likely under-inflated this morning, 110-psi tires can be below 70 or even 60 psi if left a few days. The tires may feel inflated but if they hit a pothole while under-inflated, it could easily cause a pinch puncture as the road pinches the inner tubes against the rim.

    Always check and re-inflate your tires before EVERY ride. Enjoy your week!
     
  9. norcal2

    norcal2 F1 Veteran

    Tubless do work well...wheel sets certainly do work the best but other options are out there for tubless...
    Just got back from Interbike, lots of new tech out there, including tubless....wider wheels and tires seem to be the buzz these days...
     
  10. TRScotty

    TRScotty F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Oct 12, 2006
    2,505
    Tyler, Texas
    Full Name:
    Scotty
    Are you in the business?
    I thought Interbike was restricted to trade-only?
     
  11. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    Yep tubeless tires and wheels do work... IMO, how well they work is a personal thing, and depends on what functions you design your wheels for.

    I tend to ride either very heavy wheels or competition light/aero wheels so tubeless gear tends to fall between those 2 functions, with good ones close to racing setups. I don't get flats because my training tires are heavy duty bicycle courier tires, weigh twice as much as my racing clinchers and tubulars. I use the racing setups to help me build speed so I can't worry about flats with them either. It's a bit like how I pick my vehicles, the pickup or the Fcar. :)

    Wider rims and tires have been de rigueur on the Protour scene for some time now and 25 mm seems to be popular. Some of the older frames have clearance issues with wide tires and older rims often won't work. The extra width provides extra comfort for really long rides on stiff bikes and they say the wider tires are also just as fast, maybe even faster. There are a lot of new players in the racing bike gear market these days and someone's always trying to shake up the competition. I remember when we rode on 19 mm racing tubulars. They were hard as a rock. I still ride on 23-24 mm tires.
     
  12. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    50 mile ride this morning with a local group. :) Riding in a group felt downright easy, with all that drafting and such. 50 miles in a group was no more difficult than 20 solo miles. There is an etiquette and protocol to the group that I'll need to learn. A few faux-pas, but they understood I was a total newbie to group riding.

    I'm not happy with my phone's integration to Strava however. I've switched from Runtastic to Strava because I think it has better analytics -- but the darn thing dropped about 6 miles from the ride which I needed to manually edit back in.

    On a side note, tire pressures are crazy. On Thursday morning I checked pressures at about 105, before my ride home in the afternoon. Idle on Friday. This morning, before the 50-miler, I checked pressures and it was down to the low 90's in both F/R. Certainly didn't expect that --- but now I'm a bit more educated, and knew to check and adjust. Thank you for the tip on how frequently this needs to be performed.

    So. Much. Fun.

    Finally, I have no idea how other/modern bikes feel, but I sure am happy with the Madone!
     
  13. bluedog111

    bluedog111 Karting

    May 5, 2009
    80
    GTA
    The primary advantage of tubeless is the sealing of flats. Pin holes are sealed by a liquid and pinch flats are a thing of the past. You will experiance less problems with the tubeless setup. I ride mostly tubeless on both road and mountain bikes. I have stopped carrying tubes and a pump on my rides with out any worry.
     
  14. definitelysomeday

    definitelysomeday Formula Junior

    Aug 7, 2009
    655
    Ft. Lauderdale
    Full Name:
    Tom Kavan
    I did my first group ride this weekend as well - 100k Cyclefest here in South Florida. The drafting did make a huge difference! I couldn't believe it. My overall pace for the ride was much better than I expected. Not too shabby for a fat, old guy on a Cross bike.
     
  15. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    #65 Ricambi America, Sep 22, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Cold, wet rain for my morning ride. Yuck.

    Things only improved (not really) on my ride home this afternoon with a pinch flat in my rear tire. Yes, I had checked pressures this morning @ 105. Two bits of good news: (1) I successfully replaced the tube on the side of the road, using the CO2 cylinder. Sure, it took about 4 hours, but I did it. :). (2) When I got home, I trashed the old well worn tires that had come with the Madone, and installed new Gatorskins. Dang, these feel like kryptonite.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  16. Hocakes

    Hocakes Formula Junior

    Apr 24, 2010
    451
    FL
    Check out the Conti Grand Prix 4000 next time you need tires. And run more pressure in rear to reduce the chance of a pinch flat. Practice fixing flats at home in the garage so you can do it easily when it counts. And those Park Tools peel & stick patches are great.
     
  17. bluedog111

    bluedog111 Karting

    May 5, 2009
    80
    GTA
    R A,

    It can be a struggle to remove tires from the rim. As you pry the tire off the rim, pinch the tire into the centre of the rim on the opposite side. This will unseat the tire from the rim. Also, three tire levers are better than two.

    Regarding pinch flats. If you see rough pavement that is unavoidable. Make yourself "light" on the bike. Unweight the seat and absorb the bumps and pot holes with your arms and legs. It's even better if you can un weight the wheels individually.
     
  18. Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Jun 4, 2009
    3,636
    Encinitas, CA
    Full Name:
    Rick
    Are those the Gatorskin Hardshells? If you want "mount it and forget it" those are them.

    105 psi is a touch low. Follow the tire manufacturer recommendation but I wouldn't go below 110 psi or about 7 bar. I haven't seen a modern road tire that recommends lower than 110 psi.

    After filling with CO2, you need to release all of that CO2 when you get home and refill with regular pump air. The CO2 permeates through the tube much more easily than regular air. You'll think you have another flat but you don't - not really anyway.

    My first roadside flat took me a solid 45 - 60 minutes to change. You'll get it down to 10-12 minutes in no time. Caution though, haste is not rewarded. Always double check and make sure you ID'ed the source of the flat (and removed it) and ensure you don't have the tube pinched inside the clincher tire before you re-inflate or you'll flat pretty much right away.
     
  19. Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Jun 4, 2009
    3,636
    Encinitas, CA
    Full Name:
    Rick
    Good advice!

    Regarding tire levers - I have found that each wheel / tire combination can be quite different in terms of what's required. I am currently running a setup where I can just about change a flat with my bare hands. My first wheel/tire setup (Fulcrum Racing 5s with Vittoria Rubino Pros) was a frigging misery - I could have used 5 tire levers (kidding, sort of) and still had bloody knuckles.
     
  20. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    Thank you all for your recommendations!

    Yes, I have Park Tool levers in my saddle bag, and did realize the CO2 was a temporary fix. It was enough to get me home safely -- and since my riding pace was shot-to-hell with my roadside repair, it was easier to just baby the bike home knowing the CO2 needed to come out. The old tires were probably 5+ years old and quite soft (they came with the bike when I bought it). Incredibly pliable. The Gatorskins are like insanely rigid by comparison.

    Rick -- these are standard Gatorskins, not the Harshell variety. I didn't see the Hardshell (or didn't know to look). Spending some more $$ to upgrade to Hardshell is no big deal, if they're crazy-better than what I've just mounted.

    > 110 PSI?? Whoa. Talk to me. For real? That seems like a massive amount of pressure. I just got home this morning from a 20 mile loop (no commute ride this morning), and the new tires felt just fine. When I checked the tires this morning before the ride, I overinflated to 110, knowing that I'd lose about 5psi when I pull the chuck and recap. I've got a Topeak Joe Blow pump that can easily do it.... but wow. That seems like a lot.
     
  21. definitelysomeday

    definitelysomeday Formula Junior

    Aug 7, 2009
    655
    Ft. Lauderdale
    Full Name:
    Tom Kavan
    Dan

    I just switched to Gatorskins as well. The R4 Bontragger tires I was using as street tires were awful for flats. I ride the Gatorskins at 110. Have had 2 pinch flats with them, but that was my fault - low light conditions + road construction. Have put about 500 miles on them and very happy so far.
     
  22. ferraripete

    ferraripete F1 World Champ

    I have been riding gatorskin tubulars. junk! I am going back to tufo s-33's as they last much better for me.
     
  23. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    THANK YOU!!

    I'm starting to think I should get another good pump pump to leave at the office. That way, I can confirm pressures on both sides of my daily commute. Fingers crossed that the Gatorskins are more dependable.
     
  24. definitelysomeday

    definitelysomeday Formula Junior

    Aug 7, 2009
    655
    Ft. Lauderdale
    Full Name:
    Tom Kavan
    I took the gatorskins out on the levees around the Everglades as a test. They were fine for the first 15 miles or so, but hit a good sized rock in the dark and got a pinch flat. They handled the gravel/sand/limestone etc pretty well. But I will switch back to my dirt tires next time out on the levees. Skinny, high pressure tires are not the thing for that surface.
     
  25. bluedog111

    bluedog111 Karting

    May 5, 2009
    80
    GTA
    Cannondale has introduced an interesting new road bike design. It has 650b wheels with 38 mm tires, a 30 mm travel fork and disk brakes. The wheels have the same diameter as the 700 wheels. It will be interesting to see the markets interest. It should appeal to everyone who does not have perfect asphalt. My local roads have been deteriorating over the past 15 years. Another five years of asphalt neglect and a bike with larger side ways than a700 wheel will be a necessity.

    Slate Ultegra - SLATE - NEW ROAD - ROAD - BIKES - 2016
     

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