Hybrid Bike Tire for ~300 pounds?

[Big John]

I used to ride with a club for many years. Lots of politics so I joined a 'group' instead, no joining fee, no rules, just a group of mates. That all disappeared when COVID turned up in 2020 and it never got back together. Since then I've been solo and I've got so used to it I now ride solo out of choice. If you're happy doing your own thing, and if it keeps you riding your bike, then carry on. Welcome to CC 👍

 

[cyberknight]

I used to ride with a club for many years. Lots of politics so I joined a 'group' instead, no joining fee, no rules, just a group of mates. That all disappeared when COVID turned up in 2020 and it never got back together. Since then I've been solo and I've got so used to it I now ride solo out of choice. If you're happy doing your own thing, and if it keeps you riding your bike, then carry on. Welcome to CC 👍

i personally like group rides but my shift pattern and family 1st means i cant get to the local Saturday rides often , the nearest other club starts too late for me so i tend to ride 90 % on my own .

 

[rogerzilla]

Who else read the thread title and thought you could probably get two Dugast silk tubulars for £300?

(British people rarely quote body weight solely in pounds; we use stones and pounds, although some philistines use kilograms).

 

[philipgonzales3]

I know it's not super impressive but I've worked my way up to just short of 6 miles. I still had some "gas in the tank" but there's always tomorrow. My initial goal was just to ride 15-20 minutes every other day or so to increase my general fitness. I'm in IT so I sit at a computer 10-12 hours a day and hadn't gotten any excersize in years, if not decades lol. I'm down 8 pounds BTW! Wohoow!

I totally think I was overthinking the tire thing as I was going plenty of fast on the ride this morning (wasn't going for top speed or anything), but basically saying I don't think they were holding me back.

That being said, I got the new tires this afternoon. I haven't gotten to test them yet except for in the cul-de-sac (my bike isn't really setup for night time riding at the moment). I do have a front light but I haven't tried it yet and I think I need more than the front light to be comfortable that I am seen.

I feel like a kid with new shoes. You know, they make you run faster, jump higher, etc etc. Can't wait to try them out!

Before and after pic of the rear wheel. And some front wheel shots. Definitely seems a bit skinnier even though they are the same size (40-622).

 

[philipgonzales3]

Who else read the thread title and thought you could probably get two Dugast silk tubulars for £300?

(British people rarely quote body weight solely in pounds; we use stones and pounds, although some philistines use kilograms).

Wouldn't that be tyres and not tires? Bonnet and not hood, boot and not trunk, Zed and not Z? That's about all I know haha 😀

 

[EckyH]

My initial goal was just to ride 15-20 minutes every other day or so to increase my general fitness.

That's a good plan and your progress proofs that.
The saying "Fitness is made on the rest days" is there for a reason, especially in the beginning.

To give sort of motivation: a year ago year I started cycling again with slightly less weight than you, but I'm 52 at the moment. Now I'm able to ride to work and back twice a week - 24,2km one way. Depending on weather conditions I usually need something between 1:05h and 1:25h.
Because you're "a bit" younger you could achieve that easily.
Good luck!

I'm down 8 pounds BTW!

Congratulations!

E.

 

[cyberknight]

That's a good plan and your progress proofs that.
The saying "Fitness is made on the rest days" is there for a reason, especially in the beginning.

To give sort of motivation: a year ago year I started cycling again with slightly less weight than you, but I'm 52 at the moment. Now I'm able to ride to work and back twice a week - 24,2km one way. Depending on weather conditions I usually need something between 1:05h and 1:25h.
Because you're "a bit" younger you could achieve that easily.
Good luck!

Congratulations!

E.

my commute is only 10 miles/ 16 km each way .These days im around 35 mins but im a nutter !!!!

 

[froze]

Congrats on getting into cycling, it's a lot of fun, and if you look at like fun instead of work you will be riding for a very long time.

For a beginner you did a very good job of picking a tire, I use those same tires, except in a 38 size for my touring bike, and they are holding up very well, no flats, and they have less rolling resistance than the bikes original tires which were Kenda Drumlins.

As far as PSI to use, I would probably go with 55 on the rear, and 50 on the front, at least as a starting point and see how you like it like that. I used two different PSI calculators and that range is the highest one, the lowest is 50 rear and 45 front, but that seems a bit too low for the weight? All you can do is try the higher value first and see how you like it, generally, the higher value is the correct one.

You already bought your stuff to take with you. Personally, I wouldn't use an electric rechargeable pump but I digress, it may only have enough battery to pump up 2 flats, why limit yourself to 2 flats when you carry 3 tubes? Don't take the 3rd tube, it's not needed anyway.

I do suggest you learn how to patch tubes, and watch YouTube videos, but also practice, find a junk tube, put a hole in it, patch it, install it, and pump it up, making sure it will hold air for 24 hours. Patching tubes will save you money on tubes, so learn how to do it. I patch my tubes on the side of the road because I hate doing things twice, but in your case, you don't have an unlimited air supply that a hand pump can provide so you don't have a choice, you have to replace the tube and worry about patching it when you get home. The only good mini pump is the Lezyne Road Drive large, while the large one is 11 inches long, it does make pumping up tires easier than the medium or small one, and the smaller the pump the less psi it will put in no matter what the packaging says it can do, even the Lezyne large one won't reach 160 psi they claim it can do! About the most it can do is 120 but you don't need to go that high anyway.

You have two tire levers, when one breaks consider getting Lezyne Power XL levers, these things won't break.

Multi-tool, if you know how to work on your own bike then a multi-tool at some point will be good to have, there are a lot of good ones out there, just find one that suits your needs the best.

Some multi-tools come with a chain tool so you might not need to buy a separate one.

 

[philipgonzales3]

Congrats on getting into cycling, it's a lot of fun, and if you look at like fun instead of work you will be riding for a very long time.

For a beginner you did a very good job of picking a tire, I use those same tires, except in a 38 size for my touring bike, and they are holding up very well, no flats, and they have less rolling resistance than the bikes original tires which were Kenda Drumlins.

As far as PSI to use, I would probably go with 55 on the rear, and 50 on the front, at least as a starting point and see how you like it like that. I used two different PSI calculators and that range is the highest one, the lowest is 50 rear and 45 front, but that seems a bit too low for the weight? All you can do is try the higher value first and see how you like it, generally, the higher value is the correct one.

You already bought your stuff to take with you. Personally, I wouldn't use an electric rechargeable pump but I digress, it may only have enough battery to pump up 2 flats, why limit yourself to 2 flats when you carry 3 tubes? Don't take the 3rd tube, it's not needed anyway.

I do suggest you learn how to patch tubes, and watch YouTube videos, but also practice, find a junk tube, put a hole in it, patch it, install it, and pump it up, making sure it will hold air for 24 hours. Patching tubes will save you money on tubes, so learn how to do it. I patch my tubes on the side of the road because I hate doing things twice, but in your case, you don't have an unlimited air supply that a hand pump can provide so you don't have a choice, you have to replace the tube and worry about patching it when you get home. The only good mini pump is the Lezyne Road Drive large, while the large one is 11 inches long, it does make pumping up tires easier than the medium or small one, and the smaller the pump the less psi it will put in no matter what the packaging says it can do, even the Lezyne large one won't reach 160 psi they claim it can do! About the most it can do is 120 but you don't need to go that high anyway.

You have two tire levers, when one breaks consider getting Lezyne Power XL levers, these things won't break.

Multi-tool, if you know how to work on your own bike then a multi-tool at some point will be good to have, there are a lot of good ones out there, just find one that suits your needs the best.

Some multi-tools come with a chain tool so you might not need to buy a separate one.

Thanks for the tips on the PSI, I started on these tires around 75/70 and then around 60/60 or so. I'm still playing around with figured out what I like best. I'll give 55/50 a test on my next ride, which will be hopefully tomorrow morning if the rain stops.

I only keep one tube with me actually. The frame pouch I bought is pretty small. It's already pretty much full with one rolled up tube, the small air pump and the 2 tire levers. I could get a bigger bag but I think what I have now will work. I ride close to home for now, so worst case scenario I would be walking the bike home if I got two flats or use the trick to tie a knot in one to limp my way back home.

I bought a 4 pack of '50 Strong Bike Tire Levers which are supposed to be extra strong, TBH when swapping tires, I didn't even need to use them. I think I did to get the last bit of tire on the rim, but I think the video I saw about using the pinch method to create space or what not really paid off.

I bought a kit of common bike tools, but still do plan to get a multi tool. I also bought a repair stand. I plan to do most of my own work, so wish me luck!

 

[HLaB]

I bought a 4 pack of '50 Strong Bike Tire Levers which are supposed to be extra strong, TBH when swapping tires, I didn't even need to use them. I think I did to get the last bit of tire on the rim, but I think the video I saw about using the pinch method to create space or what not really paid off.

Don't worry about it now, its done, but using a tyre lever for that last bit can pinch the inner tube and should be avoided if possible.

 

[albion]

Takes a long while to get going. Doing familiar routes means you quickly see any improvements, unless you get headwinds. Plus curiosity makes you actually want to go the extra mile the next time.

 

[philipgonzales3]

Wohoo, not sure if it was the tires, or the PSI, or my first time wearing a bib (vs shorts that tend to ride down bc of my stomach lol) but first ride greater than 10 miles and first 1 hour ride. This is addicting!

 

[Sharky]

Who else read the thread title and thought you could probably get two Dugast silk tubulars for £300?

(British people rarely quote body weight solely in pounds; we use stones and pounds, although some philistines use kilograms).

Tubulars used to be measured in "ounces" when I used to ride them.