Hybrid bike choice

[jacko2401]

I've uploaded a picture so you can see how much tread I have on these tyres. They are 2 1/2 years old and same tyres/wheels when I got the bike. I'm not sure how often these should be changed but there was no comment on my service 6 months ago and I mainly do 3 1/2 mile commutes to work with this bike. Maybe it is the wettest June we have had on record that has caused the instability of wet winding hilly commutes to work over the past 3 months!

Here are the markings on the rim of the wheel and the tyre and it shows:
Wheels: Bontrager Nebula 622x15 Series 6000
Tyre: 32x622, 700x32c inflate to 110 psi (7.5 bar max). Race Lite 700x32 Hard core Triple puncture protection

Does this mean I already have 32mm width tyres?

I tried to get a reading from my bike pump and it only showed they were inflated to 36-38psi and this was with the tyre extremely hard. I'm not sure if my pump is very accurate though. I've knocked the pressure down so they are not so hard to see if there is a bit of give in them. I'll have a visit to my LBS to see if they can check out the gears, look at changing the tyres to some with some tread. Thanks very much for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[the snail]

Yes they're 32mm tyres. I think your pressure guage is out - I run my32mm tyres at about 70psi and they're not 'rock hard'. If you haven't got one, I'd recommend getting a track pump with a decent pressure guage. If you're looking for replacement tyres, my 32mm continental contacts have been excellent - good ride, grip, wear and puncture resistance.

 

[swede54]

Tyre tread on the same width tyre will only make things worse on wet roads as there will be less rubber on the road. Definitely get a decent pump/pressure gauge, I run my Trek 7.5 at 85 psi which is fine on roughish cycle paths and quick on good surfaces. My roughish warrants SPDs to keep my feet on the pedals. My son has to pedal his mountain bike on stretches where I'm free wheeling. The Bontrager tyres are probably as good as anything else you can buy so I wouldn't bother swapping them until they are worn out.

 

[jacko2401]

I'm all confused!

Isn't tread supposed to help when it is wet to stop sliding around corners?

I got a £20 foot pump quickly from Halfords as I was anoyed with my hand pump and I needed to quickly get my tyre pumped up to ride the next day and it was the only place open after 6pm. It has a guage on it so assumed it would be accurate. Loosen presta valve, put pump connecter in, set pump setting to presta and it gives reading? Surely it is that simple?????

 

[swede54]

Tread is only used on car tyres to move water because of the width. For cycle tyres the more rubber in contact with the road the better. Tread only really helps in mud and sand. There are some paths near me covered in pea gravel and a 2 inch MTB tyre is just as skittish as a 32mm treadless one.

Most car pumps aren't designed to handle the sort of pressures that the narrower cycle tyres use, so it's no surprise that the gauges are inaccurate at those pressures. £25 will get you a decent track pump with pressure gauge.

 

[Fortinbras99]

I've got the Specialized Crosstrail Sport - nice bike, really enjoy it although it is a bit heavy (as hybrids are).

The tyre thing isn't really anything to do with the bike though. You can put any tyre on a bike so if you're worried about:
- wider tyres than the Trek 7.1
- Tyres to suit offroad and onroad
Then you can just pick the appropriate tyre. If you're commuting onroad then it's better to have a skinny tyre though, makes you loads faster.

 

[wiggydiggy]

To help the OP I use these Specialized Borough Sport 700*32 on my hyrbid:

(Bought very reasonably from MisterPaul on here BTW!)

I find them great for my on-road commute averaging 17-20mph, off road they are comfortable on most surfaces and its only on wet mud can grip be an issue, and then only if I try to change direction in it!

A review on Evans is quite dismissive of them citing multiple punctures, hands up I had 2 in the first week but it was broken glass on both occasions. Since then touch wood no problems.

 

[lulubel]

I'm all confused!

Isn't tread supposed to help when it is wet to stop sliding around corners?

The thing is, you're looking for tyres that will do 2 different things. As a generalisation, more tread is better off-road and less tread is better on-road. If the surface is loose, you need knobbly bits on the tyres that will "dig in" and find some grip. On a smoother surface, like tarmac, you need as much rubber in contact with the road as possible. If you need tyres to handle both types of surface, you have to compromise, which means enough tread to cope with the off-road stuff you're doing, but no more than that.

I still think there's something wrong if you feel out of control when descending, and you're losing control on roundabouts, especially if you haven't always had those problems. If the problems have started in recent months, my guess would be something is worn on the bike, most likely it's something wrong with (one of) the wheels. I'm not sure what was covered on the service, but I'd probably get the wheels checked out.

 

[the snail]

I'd take the pump back to Halfords and swap it for a track pump. I've never had any trouble returning stuff there. It could be that your tyres are over-inflated, which would give a harsher ride and might reduce grip. You really shouldn't be lacking grip with 32mm tyres.

 

[Cyclist33]

Just wanted to pop in and say... Whilst I have previously read about and understand the principle of a slick tyre being better on roads in the wet, in *practice*, I always seem to get more wet-road grip when riding on my mtb or with the knobblies on the hybrid. Skinny slick tyres, on braking, skid. Fatter knobbly ones, don't. This is at least how it feels to me.

Could it be because wet roads are invariably some percentage of oily as opposed to simply watery? Therefore it is not so much aquaplaning as sliding on an oily water mix? I sometimes wonder too if the "sticky compound" on several brands and ranges of knobbly tyre, goes some way to hugging the road surface. Thirdly, though Sheldon Brown et al say otherwise, surely even a road surface is not strictly smooth but comprised of many small peaks and troughs, therefore in grip terms a knobbly tyre should be able to hook into some of that?

Anyway - wet road for the short trip home - on my Marin Bobcat Trail, of course!

Stu

 

[Cyclist33]

I'd take the pump back to Halfords and swap it for a track pump. I've never had any trouble returning stuff there. It could be that your tyres are over-inflated, which would give a harsher ride and might reduce grip. You really shouldn't be lacking grip with 32mm tyres.

I agree with this as a possible diagnosis. Let's just say your pump is giving out the wrong readings. So trusting your own hand, and assuming you're not a total limpwrist, if you say the tyres are pumped up "incredibly hard", that would suggest you can't squeeze them forcibly at all between finger and thumb? Then if these tyres are anything like my 32mm slicks (Continental City Contacts btw - great all rounders), they are good for about 85psi but not in excess. That would be pretty hard but you can still give them a little squidge between finger and thumb.
If you've got too much air then as well as being less comfortable (because the road will directly transfer more of its surface unevenness to your ass and bones), you'll have less surface area of the tyre meeting the road at any given moment, therefore less grip, so might be skittish. Also your bike might be doing what I think Sheldon called "bouncing", which is basically where the efficiency provided by pumping extra air into the tyres and reducing grip (and so drag), is taken to excess by over-pumping, so the wheels bounce as they spin, which actually reduces efficiency.

It does sound a bit like you really like the idea of a different bike - so why not just sell the Trek? Lots of people would snap it up. Then go buy something with front suspension and fatter tyres!

Stu

 

[jacko2401]

Thanks for everyone's advice. It has brought a lot of discussion with a few friends that commute to my work as well. The pump was bought in the bike section so assume it was made for bikes so unsure why it would not provide a valid reading or anything close to the psi it seems to be. I'll try and get a true reading and let you know. In the meantime I did deflate the type a tad so that they were not so hard and this seems to have reduced some problems. To be honest, I was more weary to ensure the tyres are fully inflated than thinking they were overinflated.

I think I've outgrown this bike and am looking for something that can be more of an allrounder as my commute to work now includes (since it has changed when I moved house back in December 2011):
- Walking the bike down a dirt track which is on a gradient for a minute (I can't ride the Trek on this!)
- Road riding up and down hilly roads for 2 miles - This takes me along cycle lanes, narrow roads, poorly kept parts of the road where I'm cycling to the side of small bumps in the road, past a school with pedestrian crossing and lots of parked cars.
- A cycle/pedestrian only path that is Bristol's equivalent of the French Alps for a few hundred metres
- Through a housing estate and back onto a main road
- Onto a cycle/pedestrain path at the side of the main road, which goes up a hill at points
- Over a dual carriage way at lights
- Round the back of shops over 2 roundabouts where the road needs resurfacing and into work.

I'm sure that everyone has their own routes and when theirs change, their view on whether their bike is appropriate will change. My dilemma is to what extent it has changed and what changes I should make. I do like the sound of the Specialized Borough Sport 700*32 tyres or equivalent that seem to have a combination I was thinking I need. Will have a trip to Evans cycles tonight to see what they have.