Tyres and bike/rider load

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Twilkes

Guru
Do tyres perform equally under different loads, or should load be taken into account when choosing a tyre? A 65kg racer is a very different prospect to my 95kg plus pannier so I shouldn't expect the same experience as them if I used the same tyres as them, right?

I didn't have much luck with Conti Four Seasons, a puncture about every week and a half, wonder if I need something more heavy duty - is there anything in between them and a Marathon in terms of performance and puncture resistance? Tried Armadillos, wasn't impressed.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
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vickster

Legendary Member
Do tyres perform equally under different loads, or should load be taken into account when choosing a tyre? A 65kg racer is a very different prospect to my 95kg plus pannier so I shouldn't expect the same experience as them if I used the same tyres as them, right?

I didn't have much luck with Conti Four Seasons, a puncture about every week and a half, wonder if I need something more heavy duty - is there anything in between them and a Marathon in terms of performance and puncture resistance? Tried Armadillos, wasn't impressed.
I'm that sort of weight. Use a range of tyres in a range of widths, rarely have punctures until the tyres are worn (Durano raceguard, Conti gators, Michelin Pro4 endurance, Vittoria rubinos). I run all at around the middle/slightly higher of the psi range given. 23/25/28/32s, rubbish urban roads, albeit mostly in the dry

Puncture every 10 days sound like duff tyres, duf rims, wrong psi

I hated Marathon plus (28s) so I'll never have those again
 
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Twilkes

Twilkes

Guru
I don't mind the Marathon Plus 32s, but it's been four years since I've ridden on another tyre so I've probably forgotten what they feel like!

I haven't forgotten what it feels like to change a tube in 2°C darkness... :smile:
 
Location
Loch side.
Do tyres perform equally under different loads, or should load be taken into account when choosing a tyre? A 65kg racer is a very different prospect to my 95kg plus pannier so I shouldn't expect the same experience as them if I used the same tyres as them, right?

I didn't have much luck with Conti Four Seasons, a puncture about every week and a half, wonder if I need something more heavy duty - is there anything in between them and a Marathon in terms of performance and puncture resistance? Tried Armadillos, wasn't impressed.
It all depends what you mean by perform. The deflection will be linear with load.
If you mean grip, then that too is linear with load. The more load, the more grip.
 
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Twilkes

Twilkes

Guru
It all depends what you mean by perform. The deflection will be linear with load.
If you mean grip, then that too is linear with load. The more load, the more grip.

I guess maybe that someone will find a tyre quick and responsive, while someone might find it sluggish and slow because they weigh more so it deforms more. Or would an increase in pressure always offset that?
 
Location
Loch side.
I guess maybe that someone will find a tyre quick and responsive, while someone might find it sluggish and slow because they weigh more so it deforms more. Or would an increase in pressure always offset that?
An increase in pressure offsets some rolling resistance. Higher pressure reduces rolling resistance up to a point and then pumping it harder makes no more difference. Heavier people should pump their tyres harder. But to answer the question fully, one needs to understand what causes rolling resistance. Two things do: Hysteresis in the rubber and flexion in the sidewalls. By increasing pressure, you reduce sidewall flex, but an increase in pressure can never reduce hysteresis in the rubber. That will always be there as an overlay on whatever is added by sidewall flex.
 
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Twilkes

Twilkes

Guru
That's interesting, sounds like the kind of tyre I'm looking for. Will see if there are any comparable as they are a little expensive, but if they do the job... Do tubeless tyres need a special rim?
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
That's interesting, sounds like the kind of tyre I'm looking for. Will see if there are any comparable as they are a little expensive, but if they do the job... Do tubeless tyres need a special rim?

If you want to run tubeless then you need a tubeless rim. But the cinturatos can be run either tubed or tubeless. I've gone tubeless as it's my winter bike and I want to minimise the risk of having to change out a tube when it's chucking it down with rain and freezing. I don't mind paying a premium for tyres if they last and do what they say on the tin. I wanted a decent rolling tyre with decent puncture protection, and these seemed to fit the bill
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
I didn't have much luck with Conti Four Seasons, a puncture about every week and a half
You have been successfully finding the cause of the puncture?

Inspecting the tyre after a puncture and failing to find anything doesn't mean there's nothing sharp still in the tyre. A small fragment of glass or flint can lurk within the thickness of the tread, only poking out to have a go at the tube as it passes the contact patch. Such a fragment can take a week to cause a puncture.
The give away it that it's in the same place every time, which is only apparent if you line the tyre label up with the valve.
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
If you're going to inspect the tyres properly, it's going to take half an hour or more.
Wheel out, let the air out (so you can squeeze the tyre at any little nick to see if there's a fragment lurking down the bottom), go round checking, pump back up, wheel back on bike, repeat for other wheel.
 
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