Can I/Should I, put slicks on my hybrid?

[Alan O]

What weight do you recon it is?
View attachment 421298

Stand on a scale on your own, them again holding the bike, and subtract

 

[mikeymustard]

This is the bike.
Dawes 401 discovery 1992. Still a decent bike?

What weight do you recon it is?


View attachment 421298

is there a prize? Whether steel or ally (and being a dawes of that age I'd guess steel) it's gotta be around 16kg?

 

[andyR00]

I'm going to buy a luggage weigher(sp?).

Wow that's heavy, no wonder I'm slow.

 

[freiston]

Don't get too hung up on weight and tyres. Locking your fork suspension when on roads will most likely make the biggest difference. Those tyres look "smooth" enough for roads and weight will mostly affect acceleration (rather than top speed) and climbing. If you plan on getting a road bike later, then don't waste money trying to make your current bike more "road" - to me it doesn't look like it needs it. As others have said, making the bike faster will not aid training. imho, you won't make much difference to this bike by upgrading the tyres or throwing other money at it.

Use the bike to learn how to maintain it - depending on the state of the bike, you might make a significant difference overhauling the drivetrain and wheel bearings.

For what it's worth, I ride on 32mm Vittoria Randonneur tyres (not the ones mentioned earlier but the 'mk 1s') which are renowned for being sluggish, my bike weighs about 13 or 14 kilos but it's plenty 'fast' enough for me and I regularly exceed 30mph on downhill bits. I am not fit.

That's my opinion.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The OP's machine looks like a practical everyday runabout to me. I don't like suspension forks, so would run it locked out, but there's nothing to be gained by changing any parts on it. Any bike built to be fairly rugged and practical, with sensibly wide tyres is going to come in around the 30lb mark in weight, maybe even slightly more. That doesn't make it a "heavy" bike. Ignore all the shock horror reaction from the roadies who think that any bike that isn't super-expensive carbon everything is "heavy" and remember a bike built to be rugged will outlast any flimsy one built to be as light as possible but not take punishment.

 

[Blue Hills]

[QUOTE 5310354, member: 45"]I've run several different sets of Contis for years without a single puncture.[/QUOTE]
I always liked Continental Top Touring 28mm for general cycling. Discontinued - for no good reason that I could fathom. Someone feel free to remind me what their closest conti tyre is now. Very very few punctures but then I'm careful with my tyres, despite running them into the ground.

 

[jowwy]

The OP's machine looks like a practical everyday runabout to me. I don't like suspension forks, so would run it locked out, but there's nothing to be gained by changing any parts on it. Any bike built to be fairly rugged and practical, with sensibly wide tyres is going to come in around the 30lb mark in weight, maybe even slightly more. That doesn't make it a "heavy" bike. Ignore all the shock horror reaction from the roadies who think that any bike that isn't super-expensive carbon everything is "heavy" and remember a bike built to be rugged will outlast any flimsy one built to be as light as possible but not take punishment.

Is there anything you do like???

 

[Blue Hills]

Read his statement again. It's rather positive if only you could see.

For general not flying down a rocky mountainside trail (not my thing) I also prefer bikes without suspension. In many cases pointless in my opinion. I have had/still have in a broken down (by me) state a very nice fast city bike with suspension. Won't bore you with its spec, details, issues.

 

[nickAKA]

I've changed the gravel tyres on the hybrid for road tyres purely because that's where I do most of my riding, and gone down to 32 from 42 width - duranos seemed best value all round as I don't do that many miles on it - but I do the mile-munching on my road bike which is stripped down for speed & weight. The hybrid offers a more comfortable riding position for pottering around but isn't necessarily more comfortable; I'd much rather do 40+ miles on the road bike. Biggest factor in outright pace is riding position I find. Getting down on the drops wherever possible adds about 1mph average speed. Long term plan is to turn the hybrid into a rough & ready tourer for winter rides in the hope that I'll feel the benefit when the road bike comes out...

 

[si_c]

Any bike built to be fairly rugged and practical, with sensibly wide tyres is going to come in around the 30lb mark in weight, maybe even slightly more.

Not even remotely true. I have a steel road bike with 32c tyres, which weighs in at around 22lb with full length mudguards. That'll last forever, is perfectly rugged and is very practical.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Not even remotely true. I have a steel road bike with 32c tyres, which weighs in at around 22lb with full length mudguards. That'll last forever, is perfectly rugged and is very practical.

Is this a fully-equipped multi-geared bike not a SS? Must be a very expensive steel one with lightweight components if so. My 531 Dawes weighs about 24 lb on 28c tyres, without mudguards fitted. 531 Raleigh hybrid is 29/30 lb with guards and rack on 35c tyres.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

duplicated post.

 

[Grant Fondo]

I'm a bit lost with all the imperial weights... Is everyone here from the U.S?
Back to question... I swapped 2.3in Ritchey Megabytes to 1.5in slicks on rigid mtb.. Massive difference. Dunno what metric tyre dims are.. Soz

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I'm a bit lost with all the imperial weights... Is everyone here from the U.S?

No, in Britain we also measure journeys by miles, speeds in mph, and drink beer in pints. All that metric rubbish is an unwanted import from the EU, like all the other crap that emanates from the EU.

 

[ColinJ]

No, in Britain we also measure journeys by miles, speeds in mph, and drink beer in pints. All that metric rubbish is an unwanted import from the EU, like all the other crap that emanates from the EU.

Speak for yourself - I am perfectly happy with the far more sensible metric system. 'Metric rubbish' was not imported from the EU (or Common Market as it was when we joined). The UK joined the CM in 1975 but I was already being taught exclusively in the metric system way back in 1967, 8 years before that! That is over half a century ago - it is time you joined the 20th century and then perhaps you could move on and catch up with the 21st!

Are you incredibly old? I am 62 and you sound like my (very) late grandfather!