Road bike conversion to hybrid

[harry rope]

Wow, very interseting. Its not that I think these tyres Aquaplane (maybe they would if speed to contact area was right) but minute slippage on the surface due to water I think can destabalise the contact area. Braking is an example I'm thinking of, say downhill, wet tarmac, com'on surely a tread pattern will give more bite to the surface than a skimpy little slick skidding along without a hope in hell. Tread would be grabbing on to and biting into the surface for sure. Maybe 25-28mm would be a good width.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Norm]

What you are describing, where water gets between the tyre and the road surface, is aquaplaning. As this cannot happen to a bike tyre at attainable speeds, your concerns are misplaced.

The surface becoming more slippery (cold, greasy etc) is a different issue to aquaplaning and a tread pattern will reduce the contact patch and therefore reduce the grip available.

Once a tyre is slipping, then some sort of edge on a tread pattern may clean the surface in front of the rubber but have a look at the tread on wet weather racing tyre, for instance, and there are no blocks and only minimal channels.

There are other factors, of course. Wider tyres (I use 32mm off road and on wet tarmac) give a wider contact patch and therefore greater grip in the wet and bigger tyres can run at lower pressures, allowing the tyre to deform around surface irregularities which would have 23mm tyres at 130psi bouncing in the air.

 

[harry rope]

Im not really into theories, I like to test things out as well as listen to others opinions. I have never seen any evidence that no tread pattern on a bike tyre will give better grip, lots of words and stuff yes, but no for example video evidence, testing etc.
What your saying along with the vast majority it seems is that a slick tyre gives more contact to the surface, Im suggesting for winter tyres I might be better with nobbly or treaded tyres.
The Aquaplaning discussion is becoming a focus which is a small part of my concern as grease and oil and mud many other surface problems are on our roads.
Go for a walk in slippy shoes and then go with grippy shoes on a wet day, ok so that surface area is not the same but I get more grip with grippy shoes.
If a slick tyre increases the contact patch, but the contact patch is slippy, the tyre slipps more.

This argument has been around for decades, I ride motorcycles on and off road, there is no visual proof other than written word for us to see, just mass marketing to whatever the public believes.
Go try the shoe test...get your shoes on.
Mixed contact points from a tread tyre 'can' offer more grip,on a wet tarmac surface. Scientific labarotory tests are one thing, slippy shoes are another. Get a smooth pebble, whilst dry run your finger over it, then wet try again. Can you feel the difference. Whats that then...?

Cheers

 

[HLaB]

Im not really into theories, I like to test things out as well as listen to others opinions. I have never seen any evidence that no tread pattern on a bike tyre will give better grip, lots of words and stuff yes, but no for example video evidence, testing etc.
What your saying along with the vast majority it seems is that a slick tyre gives more contact to the surface, Im suggesting for winter tyres I might be better with nobbly or treaded tyres.
The Aquaplaning discussion is becoming a focus which is a small part of my concern as grease and oil and mud many other surface problems are on our roads.
Go for a walk in slippy shoes and then go with grippy shoes on a wet day, ok so that surface area is not the same but I get more grip with grippy shoes.
If a slick tyre increases the contact patch, but the contact patch is slippy, the tyre slipps more.

This argument has been around for decades, I ride motorcycles on and off road, there is no visual proof other than written word for us to see, just mass marketing to whatever the public believes.
Go try the shoe test...get your shoes on.
Mixed contact points from a tread tyre 'can' offer more grip,on a wet tarmac surface. Scientific labarotory tests are one thing, slippy shoes are another. Get a smooth pebble, whilst dry run your finger over it, then wet try again. Can you feel the difference. Whats that then...?

Cheers

I'm not either but my experiences are backed up by the theory Walking is different dynamics but I've had boots that look like they are very grippy but are the opposite. What ever you find is the best for you though, good luck.

 

[harry rope]

Hard rubber vs soft rubber...
I'll find the right tyre, it will be a compromise that I'm happy with, hopefully not too wide (25-28mm)as I'm looking at mudgaurds next.


Thanks for all the interesting views and info.

Cheers

 

[Alun]

Take a look at this http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#tread Sheldon was held as an authority on all matters to do with cycling, until his death. However if you still want to fit knobbly tyres and can find some to fit, go ahead !

 

[StuAff]

I'm with Norm on the issue of aquaplaning etc. Done a lot of wet riding on my road bikes (the monsoon of the Nov '09 FNRttC springs to mind) and never felt a lack of grip. Off road, gravel paths etc, yes, even minimal tread is advantageous. Not on the road.

You almost certainly won't have frame clearance for a tyre wider than 25mm, and if you do go for 25s you again, almost certainly, won't have room for mudguards of any description.

+another 1 to leaving well alone regards flat bar conversion. Give the drops a chance. There is little if no difference between riding on the hoods on a properly set up bike & the equivalent flat bar position. That's another thing- if you haven't already, get a proper bike fit done. It'll help a lot- and if you need wider bars, get wider drops first.

And if the Boardman isn't going to suit as a winter bike- and it's not really, is it- the obvious answer is n+1

 

[ColinJ]

And if you want an illustration of how inefficient knobbly tyres are compared to slicks ... I first met Alun about 3 years ago on a forum ride and he was riding his new cyclocross bike which had skinny knobbly tyres. We were discussing his knobblies vs my slicks and I told him that mine would roll much better than his. We were exactly the same weight at the time and were just coming to the top of a hill. I suggested that we do a roll-down test on the other side. We set off freewheeling down the hill and I quickly shot away from him! I think he was pretty surprised how much difference the tyres made ...

 

[Norm]

The Aquaplaning discussion is becoming a focus

Not really, it was only one of the four paragraphs in my last post. And the fourth paragraph agrees with what you are saying about wider tyres (but not treaded tyres), with a bit of theory about why it works like that too.

Just to be clear, the comments about not needing tread are for wet surfaces. There are plenty of other surfaces (leaves, mud etc) around at the moment which a cleated tyre might help with, but they won't be as good as a smooth tyre in the wet.

Go try the shoe test...get your shoes on.

Shoes being considerably larger than a bike tyre contact patch, I could try it but I don't know how relevant it would be. Although the cleats in the soles of most of my walking boots are about the same width as the contact patch of a 25mm tyre, so maybe that would prove something, just not what you are thinking.

Mixed contact points from a tread tyre 'can' offer more grip,on a wet tarmac surface. Scientific labarotory tests are one thing, slippy shoes are another. Get a smooth pebble, whilst dry run your finger over it, then wet try again. Can you feel the difference. Whats that then...? Cheers

A polished hard surface, something that wouldn't be much good on a tyre of any width.

Save your testing, go and get a pair of the Conti 4 Season tyres which I linked to earlier and enjoy the speed and stability on dodgy surfaces.

As for mudguards, I think that the Road Comp has fixing eyes on the stays but I'm not sure how much room there is under the brakes. If they will fit, SKS Chromaplastics are pretty good general purpose guards, though, and they are available in different widths.

 

[cyberknight]

I think that the Road Comp has fixing eyes on the stays but I'm not sure how much room there is under the brakes. If they will fit, SKS Chromaplastics are pretty good general purpose guards, though, and they are available in different widths.

Loads of clearance for wider tyres and mudgaurds on the road comp .

I rode all last winter on 23 mm slicks apart from when the snow had frozen solid on a part of my commute and riding in spds was dangerous.The only fall i had was a low speed slide where i hit some black ice , i do not think any tyre would have saved me.

If you want a wider bar you could look at changing the drop bars to a wider one assuming it will not compromise your bike fit , flip the stem or install a shorter raised stem to raise your position .

 

[fossyant]

Good grippy all condition road tyre - Conti 4 Season - get the biggest that will fit for a comfy ride. I ride all year round on a road bike with fast and lightweight 23mm tyres - never an issue of grip etc and even 'unexpected deflation'. The MTB is used in snow/ice as it has studs in the tyres. I'd stick with road bars as you have loads more hand positions. If too stretched, then get a shorter stem, and or one with more rise to raise the bars.