R.E.W Reynolds Winter Fixed

[biggs682]

My 2nd winter bike is ready https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/r-e-w-reynolds.231434/ it's been loitering in the garage for a while now for various reasons , but i decided a couple of weeks ago that this would be another one of my winter road bike fleet .

Again running 48 x 18 fixed gear on 27" wheels which has worked well on my Dunelt fixie .

Some my note the different forks , the original ones were soo scruffy i decided to adopt a set from a Ladies Schwinn frame i had sitting around and so far so good .

Early day as only done about 5 miles so far but it feels good .

 

[Illaveago]

The colour doesn't look far off.

 

[biggs682]

The colour doesn't look far off.

A visually impaired person would be glad to see it

 

[rogerzilla]

That gear would be too big for me, especially in winter. I run 46 x 18 on 700c for commuting. Some days, there's a headwind in both directions!

 

[biggs682]

So far I am finding it just right but will have to see .

So far I have had more flat tyres than miles on this machine , think I have found the cause .

There are two areas of exposed strand's on the inside of the new Schwalbe tyre's that I fitted .

 

[biggs682]

Since discovering the exposed strands last week , i fitted a rather used World tour to the rear and have now covered 10 miles with no issues other than an awful lot more rolling resistance but we are getting there with sorting the little bits out .

 

[biggs682]

Well the new tyre arrived today courtesy of SJS cycles , I am reluctant to rush out and fit it considering how well it's riding .

 

[biggs682]

New tyre fitted and commuted on ok yesterday .

So thought I would give it a longer ride today only 16 miles due to the weather .

Hard to believe there is so much difference between this and my Dunelt fixed gear as both are same set up just a slight difference in frame sizes .

 

[biggs682]

57 miles and two weekend rides have thrown up no issues with this machine , other than pulling the chain tension up .

Rides really nice and it even lets me dance it up the hills when needed .

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

i fitted a rather used World tour to the rear and have now covered 10 miles with no issues other than an awful lot more rolling resistance

Do you consider the World Tour to be a particularly draggy tyre then? What's your preferred rubber for 27" vintage rims that won't look out of place? I was thinking about either Schwalbe HS159's or Marathon, but do prefer the old-school look of tanwalls rather than more modern black/reflex sidewalls. My Royal is running on what I suspect are the original 34 year old 27" x 1 1/8" Michelin Club Tourists. They roll nicely and will probably get me through the winter but they have seen better days, and I'd rather have 1 1/4" sizes as I need to run the existing 1 1/8" rear at nearly 90 PSI with my 14 stone aboard it.

 

[biggs682]

@SkipdiverJohn I have used hs159's for years as my first choice and have always got on ok with them
If there is an issue its that they don't stay tan for long
I wan't to try a set of conti sport on the next 27" machine but only available in black .
The Panaracer's are great and look the part but are too expensive for me as are marathons .
The conti tours are good but i found them very slow

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

SJS seem to be the best value supplier of HS159 - I've been doing a bit of looking around. I need at least some sort of puncture protection as the places I ride are littered with debris and windscreen glass fragments.
I've previously discounted Panaracers myself on the grounds of cost. Nice, but too pricey. When I fit new tyres to my secondhand bikes it more than doubles the cost of the whole bike! Plus, having multiple bikes means really expensive tyres would add up to a chunk of cash. I find Marathons not too pricey if I buy them when on special offer, and they'll last for mega miles, but HS159 would look more the part on my Royal.

 

[biggs682]

@SkipdiverJohn i Agree re Sjs as suppliers and in all fairness a lot of my commuting miles are done are glass strewn cycle paths so agree re protection
Also another hs159 plus point is that they are a lot narrower in profile than marathons so fit under guards easier .

 

[biggs682]

This old girl is going well and is just about to finish it's second stint as winter fixed bike had to pull the chain tension a couple of times