Brompton M+ skittishness?

[Fab Foodie]

Last weekend put M+ tyres F&R on the Brompton, replacing a pair of Brompton Kevlar tyres that were wearing a bit thin on the rear. On last weeks genteel ride noticed that the rear felt a bit squirmy on a couple of occasions. This morning on a shopping run on damp roads and paths have found the rear-end to be very slippy on white lines, pavement cracks, etc. and nearly had a low-speed off as a result
Am running 100psi both ends. The front seems OK, but the back is a worry. The Brompton tyres felt very secure in all conditions.
Is it an M+ specific thing?
Is it because they are new?
Wrong pressures?

Cheers
FF

 

[Racing roadkill]

The M+ tyres are renowned for being skittish on small diameter tyres, the protection band / rubber ratio is skewed towards the protection band, try reducing the pressure in the rear to 85psi.

 

[annedonnelly]

Oooh, I've never had any problems with mine. I do avoid metal gratings & such like. I run front & back at 100 psi.

 

[srw]

I've never had problems. The weight of the rider in an upright position seems to dampen the ride a lot. Having said that, new tyres do often seem slightly unfamiliar. See if it improves as you get used to them


I'd also make sure you run them at high pressure - lower makes them much slower in my experience.

All if this reminds me that I have a rear puncture to fix this weekend. Which probably means the tyre is worn out.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I have M green guards on my Birdy and they feel a bit skitty compared to the standard Brommy tyres

All running running at Max pressure.

 

[mickle]

New tyres often carry a remnant of the mould release agent in/on the surface which can make them more slippery. This wears off pretty quickly on the centre of the tread in contact with the road - but lasts a lot longer up the sidewall. The moment you lean it over - boom! On yer ass! You need to get your tyres down to the rubber. A nylon pan scourer with a bit of detergent or degreaser on it will sort it.

 

[Pale Rider]

As Mick says, probably the slippery silicone they use to line the mould.

Having said that, Brommies can be a bit skittish on cinder tracks - it said something about that in the handbook of my 2009 model.

 

[Fab Foodie]

New tyres often carry a remnant of the mould release agent in/on the surface which can make them more slippery. This wears off pretty quickly on the centre of the tread in contact with the road - but lasts a lot longer up the sidewall. The moment you lean it over - boom! On yer ass! You need to get your tyres down to the rubber. A nylon pan scourer with a bit of detergent or degreaser on it will sort it.

I think this might be it. Thinking about it a friend had an off on a new Galaxy with M+ on a damp piece of pavement when the front wheel went straight from under him. Bit disconcerting.
Pumped at 100psi they certainly roll fast enough and feel comfortable.
I also sit rearwards on the bike too rather than upright so my weight tends to sit further over the back wheel.

OK, time will tell.

 

[TheDoctor]

My Marathos felt a bit different, but I soon got used to them. Didn't try the M+ though.

 

[jefmcg]

Well, schwalbe themselves don't think M+ are that great on grip. http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/tour-reader/marathon-plus.html

I did notice I came off a lot more on the small tyres than I do on larger ones.

 

[Pale Rider]

Well, schwalbe themselves don't think M+ are that great on grip. http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/tour-reader/marathon-plus.html

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I did notice I came off a lot more on the small tyres than I do on larger ones.

Hats off to Schwalbe for their honesty.

Marathon Pluses are hard as nails, making them last very well.

The trade off for that hard compound is less grip.

Seems to me the smaller contact patch of the smaller tyre also plays a part.

A small Marathon Plus is the worst of all worlds for grip.

 

[alicat]

Don't ride on white lines if you can help it. I came off once on a manhole cover and have done my best to avoid slippery surfaces ever since.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've got M+ on one of my hybrids, they do last ages / thousands of miles, and they are bomb proof, but the pay off is 'odd' grip characteristics. At least Schwalbe do make you aware of this.

 

[samsbike]

I have M+ on my road bike and despite being 32s and only running at 90psi they do feel skittish in the damp and wet.

I am always a little nervous in these conditions

 

[Fab Foodie]

I've got M+ on my Brommie.....they took a while to 'bed' in but now seem to handle OK. Give them a couple of hundred miles and I'm sure they'll be fine. I swapped the M+ for the stock Brommie green tyres, because I was picking up a few punctures. I've had no punctures (fingers crossed) since.

Good info, Ta.