Back On The Road...need advice

[bingledee]

after using this site to get some advice on what bike to get, I opted for the one below via the C2W scheme... problem I had was I had a football related accident which stopped me doing any exrecise for a few months, but have got the all clear from the physio, and been told that getting on the bike is an excellent way to get fit. To do this, I'd like to do some road work, with a view of commuting most days. Can anyone recommend the right semi-slicks, and where from, to allow me to comfortably rack up some road miles

 

[Globalti]

Tasty bike - is that aluminium? Whatever it's made from, I recommend you lock it securely to something immovable in a locked room when you're at work. Those Spesh hardtails ride really nicely - any commuter or slick tyre will make it fast on tarmac, just be sure to pump them up as hard as possible. A track pump will be a good investment. And be sure to give the bike a good wash with car shampoo every few days to get the road salt off.

 

[Norm]

Can anyone recommend the right semi-slicks, and where from, to allow me to comfortably rack up some road miles

If you are sticking to tarmac, I can recommend Schwalbe City Jet (around £10-£15 each, depending on preferred supplier). If you are likely to hit some light mucky stuff, I haven't used them but the Schwalbe Land Cruisers get good reports on here for the same sort of price.

 

[HJ]

You could also try the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme not the cheapest, but almost indestructible...

 

[LazyLoki]

Continental Gatorskins go right down to 26x1.0 if you want skinny slick road tires that still have a reasonable amount of puncture protection. The track pump is also a good idea and make sure you keep the front suspension locked out if youre on the road.

 

[bingledee]

Tasty bike - is that aluminium? Whatever it's made from, I recommend you lock it securely to something immovable in a locked room when you're at work. Those Spesh hardtails ride really nicely - any commuter or slick tyre will make it fast on tarmac, just be sure to pump them up as hard as possible. A track pump will be a good investment. And be sure to give the bike a good wash with car shampoo every few days to get the road salt off.

its a very tasty bike, and gutted its just been sitting in the garage for a few months....but now that the doc gave me the all clear, its going back out on the road as soon as possible. We've got a dedicated bike rack at work with excellent security, gonna make sure no-one takes this one away...best bike I've had (only ever bought cheapo mountain bikes in the past, and you can deifnitely tell the difference)

Need to invest in some chain lube too, keep it in tip-top condition, but theres no independant shops round here, so gonna have to just pick some up from Halfords, is there any particular type I should be looking to get for this time of year?

thanks for the heads up about the car shampoo as well.

 

[Tollers]

Continental Gatorskins go right down to 26x1.0 if you want skinny slick road tires that still have a reasonable amount of puncture protection. The track pump is also a good idea and make sure you keep the front suspension locked out if youre on the road.

+1 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Continental_Ultra_Gatorskin_MTB_Tyre/5360021704/