Fell off

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
If the roads were damp this morning, which overcast was in our region. Everything was wet till lunchtime. The tyres look very new, a period of bedding in will be required, 50 miles is more than enough. I tend not to corner quickly in early spring, due to slippery damp patches

Fortunately hopefully nothing worse than a bruised wrist
 
OP
OP
gazza81

gazza81

Über Member
Location
Edenbridge
Yes!
It was very foggy, misty so lots of due on the ground
Where i came off was under a bridge where i guess takes longer to warm up/dry off.
About 1 mile before i put my winter gloves back on as felt a bit chilly, think they really saved me from a nasty grase.

Also lucky the car behind me wasnt too close or i might have been squished
 

Jenkins

Legendary Member
Location
Felixstowe
I've had two offs on damp roads in two months - both on the same bike once at around 20mph, the other at under 15mph. Someone I know through work also came off his bike on Wednesday at the exact same place I had the second off on Saturday. The common cause was damp roads. We've had very little proper rain here recently so any oil, diesel, etc doesn't get washed away and then becomes a dangerously slippery combination when it gets damp.
 
OP
OP
gazza81

gazza81

Über Member
Location
Edenbridge
Yeah, roads are pretty poor surfaces too round here, lots of pot holes to avoid etc.

In fact for that exact reason i was thinking i wont go down to 25c but thinking of going with 28c hoping it will help a little as a more all weather all rounder really.

I think if it looks wet or icy in the future i will take the hybrid on 32c tyres instead
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
Yeah, roads are pretty poor surfaces too round here, lots of pot holes to avoid etc.

In fact for that exact reason i was thinking i wont go down to 25c but thinking of going with 28c hoping it will help a little as a more all weather all rounder really.

I think if it looks wet or icy in the future i will take the hybrid on 32c tyres instead

One of the best all round tyres for comfort/speed is the Schwalbe G One in 35mm or 38mm.

I use these on my wheels for sportives (38mm) really comfortable, grip well and fast for such a big tyre. Ive ridden at 19mph ave for 70miles with these on a club run-so not a slow tyre.

There is a faster road version called the G One Speed, smoother tread so not designed for trails etc.

These are performance tyres, not designed to last years
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
In fact for that exact reason i was thinking i wont go down to 25c but thinking of going with 28c hoping it will help a little as a more all weather all rounder really.

I think if it looks wet or icy in the future i will take the hybrid on 32c tyres instead

You should be okay but just check you have sufficient frame clearance for the 28c tyres.
There is so little rubber in contact with the road that the difference between the 32 and 28 will be minimal. Compound used will have more bearing on grip.
I wish you better luck this time but if the surface is icy or greasy or both you're on a hiding to nothing!
 
Last edited:

Mugshot

Cracking a solo.
poor riding ability
Try not to think like that, some tyres just aren't up to the job and can feel skittish even when you're going in a straight line, catch an anomaly on the road with them and there's only one way you're going, no matter how good or experienced a rider you are :smile:
 
OP
OP
gazza81

gazza81

Über Member
Location
Edenbridge
You should be okay but just check you have sufficient frame clearance for the 28c tyres.
There is so little rubber in contact with the road that the difference between the 32 and 28 will be minimal. Compound used will have more bearing on grip.
I wish you better luck this time but if the surface is icy or greasy or both you're on a hiding to nothing!

Yeah they take up to 32s
28s on there at the moment
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
Vittoria Ranndoneurs have a layer of red rubber under the tread layer thy are worn out when you see bits of red showing. I use them on my utility bike and yes they are not light or fast but I haven't noticed any lack of grip.

Strongly susPect the Road was contaminated with diesel oil or something.

I can recommend Michelin Edurance 4 which I have on my road bike .I run them on 80 back 75 front (28c) They are a good mix of fast and reliable.

Your not a real cyclist until you have had an off. :-)
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I think if it looks wet or icy in the future i will take the hybrid on 32c tyres instead

I'm more bothered about braking distances when it's wet than I'm bothered about the water on the road itself. I ride slower, corner slower, and slow down earlier and more gently than in the dry. I don't care about the reduced average speed. I do care about coming off!
When it's below zero, I simply do not ride a bike on the road. I also generally avoid those roads that are shaded by trees when the previous night was sub-zero, even if the temp out in the sun is above freezing. The shaded areas harbour patches of black ice which are treacherous and you will not know they are there until you come off. I saw two cyclists on such a road a year ago, riding sedately along side by side having a chat. Suddenly, one of them was off his bike and on his arse in the middle of the road, like an unseen hand had jerked his bike out from under him. His mate, who was riding only a couple of feet away, was completely unaffected. Neither of them were doing anything silly, just pootling along. The ambient temp was 3 or 4 degrees but there had been a frost the night before and that section of road was shaded from the sun. When I got to that point (I was driving not riding) I couldn't see anything different about the bit of the road surface where the rider had come off, it looked completely normal and just the same as the bit where the other rider had stayed upright.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Yes, don't go up to the top of the range, which is...? How heavy are you?

This is a used bike, in what condition are the tyres? Maybe consider some new ones, although it's warm for Feb, the roads are greasy still and of course gravelly/potholey. That said Randonneurs aren't racy tyres, more for touring, and they're on the chunkier side for a roadbike at 28mm
I nearly fell off twice today on tyres that are normally ok,like you said the roads are slippy in places
 
Top Bottom