tyres and comfort

[brucers]

Which tyres are more comfortable on roads - chunky lots of tread mountain bike tyres or little tread less wide racing type looking tyres? I want to erase as much jarring etc whilst riding in the interest of my back! I ride on roads.

Also do sprung seats and post make that much difference?

Any other comments/tip in preserving my back would be appreciated!

 

[ian turner]

Slick road tyres, you don't need that much grip, especially given the current state of the roads .
What bike do you have?
How much road vs off road riding do you do?
What back problems ? (I have suffered two slipped discs and am
now riding a road bike)

 

[John the Monkey]

For comfort, you want a big, low pressure tyre.

Tread is irrelevant on tarmaced roads, so go with a slick unless you need to ride off road during your commute.

You might find Rivendell's "Pick a Tire (sic)" chart helpful;

http://www.rivbike.com/assets/full/0000/0006/rivbike_pick_a_tire.pdf

I have 42c Conti City Contacts on my commuter - very comfortable, and not noticeably slower than the 32c Vredesteins on it originally.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

For comfort, Schwalbe Big Apple is legendary. You do need to ensure your fork/stays can accommodate the width you choose obviously.

Regarding your question about sprung seat/post, pedalling can be affected as the distance from saddle to pedal is no longer constant. There are some incredibly high tech (and expensive) seatposts around, but suitable pneumatic tyres should probably be the first step for efficiency and effectiveness.

 

[Globalti]

If you are new to cycling, fear not, your back will get stronger ad the pain will go away.

Good advice above, or if you're on a road bike, Specialized Roubaix tyres are designed for comfort on rough roads.

 

[brucers]

In response to all the bits and bobs above....

I only get the odd twinge in my back, no major issues. My intention is prevention not cure!

I ride on roads, the nearest off road is cutting across a patch of grass! Comfort and leisure are my priorities, not speed.

I did have a Concept Kalaban which had the chunky tryes, I now have (an old) Ammaco Manhatten which give me a much more upright posture and has the race type tyres. I also have a front sus Apollo Transition (mountain, not fold-up) but the brakes do not have enough stopping power, so I only use on local roads I know till I work out how to solve the problem!

 

[ian turner]

"Comfort and leisure are my priorities"
I assume these are all second hand ?
Try and get something lighter in the way of a hybrid bike with a road bias (no suspension,hybrid slick/chunky tyres at most) perhaps ?
Though in the short term go for the road tyres.

 

[ColinJ]

I've got a USE suspension seatpost on my hardtail MTB and it does take the sting out of bumps but it shouldn't be necessary to fit one to a road bike, even on UK roads!

I agree with John the Monkey - bigger, lower pressure tyres are the answer.

Oh, and slick tyres only for road use. Tread doesn't do anything useful on a hard surface and only serves as somewhere for potential puncture-causing debris to get lodged. Bicycles don't aquaplane!

I can only go to 25C on my bike but the Michelin Krylions that I use weren't available in that size when I last replaced my tyres so I made do with 23C.

There should be a pressure you can find which still lets a tyre roll pretty well and give you adequate protection against snakebite punctures (pinch flats) provided you watch where you are going, steering round potholes and using your bent arms and legs as suspension on unavoidable bumps such as cattle grids.

Most people are obsessed with using ridiculously high pressures. The figures on the sidewalls of tyres usually show a range of pressures. In the case of my Krylions 87-116 PSI. At 116 PSI they are very uncomfortable. I tried the maximum pressure once and I had to stop 5 minutes down the road to let air out.

I now use about 95 PSI rear and 90 PSI front (less weight on it). I've only had one snakebite puncture in about 15,000 miles and that was because I got distracted and wasn't watching where I was going and hit a big rut. The tyres still roll okay at those pressures. I tried going a bit lower and they didn't feel right.

 

[John the Monkey]

Manufacturers recommended pressures can be a good place to start. IME, continental are usually spot on, and the label will tell you what they think is the best pressure for the tyre.

Michelin offer the following as a guideline;
http://www.michelinbicycletire.com/michelinbicycle/index.cfm?event=airpressure.view

Start with the recommended pressure, and experiment to see what you like best.

 

[MacB]

it's also easy to assume that what someone else finds comfy should work for you. For example, a sporty type, on a racer with skinny tyres up to the max, may still claim comfort. But their riding style and effort levels, actually minimise the amount of pressure on their contact points. Ride the same bike sedately, planted in the saddle, and the ride will become a lot harsher.

 

[Fletch456]

I agree with John the Monkey re Continental. I've just put a pair of Continental 4000S (usually £37.99 but tweekscycles.com are currently doing for 26.99 - quote cycling weekly if they say otherwise where they are listed in the bargain section) and was surprised at the difference.

Was recommended them by a friend partly cos of the increased grip and he said they feel softer too, which I didn't entirely believe - it's pretty thin rubber after all isn't it. But they do ..it's like a tiny bit of suspension compared to the Vittoria that I had on. So if you're using road tyres I can recommend them.

 

[jimboalee]

it's also easy to assume that what someone else finds comfy should work for you. For example, a sporty type, on a racer with skinny tyres up to the max, may still claim comfort. But their riding style and effort levels, actually minimise the amount of pressure on their contact points. Ride the same bike sedately, planted in the saddle, and the ride will become a lot harsher.

I can agree with this.

I'm a high gear grinder. I take my Sports tourer ( 23mm Conti UltraGatorskins at 95 psi ) on 200 Audax and I'm fine.
When I ride my SWorks on 200 Audax ( Conti Attack/Force at 130 psi ), I arrive at the finish and it feels like I haven't been out yet.

 

[tyred]

In my limited experience, the one thing thing that I find improves comfort on rough roads more than anything else is an old but decent quality 531 frame.

 

[brucers]

Yes they are all 2nd hand. The Transition is aluminium so lightweight compared to my others.

I am keeping my eyes open for anything else that seems appropriate (but on a minimum budget....literally..he Ammaco cost £10 and the Transition £10.50 (including petrol to collect them!)

"Comfort and leisure are my priorities"
I assume these are all second hand ?
Try and get something lighter in the way of a hybrid bike with a road bias (no suspension,hybrid slick/chunky tyres at most) perhaps ?
Though in the short term go for the road tyres.

 

[brucers]

Thanks for all the advice, I've got a few things to go on now...although as you will gather from my above reply I'm not likely to be spending £30 or so on tyres. I can check my PSI's and stick with road ones...plus I have a decent saddle which I know myself, makes a big difference.