Old 07-09-20, 01:39 AM
  #15  
canklecat
Me duelen las nalgas
 
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
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Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel

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Originally Posted by ridinsince80
Hi all,

I am 51 and have been riding since I was 16 on and off. I have a Canondale t600 touring and Eddie Merckx 7-11 Corsa, both from the mid to late 90's.

I love the bikes but as I get a bit older I find the thing holding me back is comfort. I really feel those bumps!
One major difference in comfort on my older bikes with 700x25 tires was latex tubes. I switched from Continental's ultra thin Race 28 Lite butyl tubes to Silca latex tubes a month ago. I was convinced from the first ride. Much more comfortable on chipseal and rough pavement. Feels a bit faster too, although with the summer heat I've avoided hard efforts and mostly take it easy on my usual 20-30 mile rides. I should have switched long ago.

Despite some complaints about latex being fragile, etc., I've had no problems. I followed the video demo instruction from Silca. It helps to have tires that I can mount with just my hands -- Continental Grand Prix Classic skinwalls. I needed a Kool Stop bead jack for the Conti Ultra Sport II tires. With tires I can mount with just my hands it's easy to avoid pinching the tube, which may be the single most common user error that's blamed incorrectly on the tube itself. The latex is much stickier and squirmier than butyl and can easily sneak into the gap between tire bead and rim. Silca recommends using talcum or similar powder on the tubes, but my pair came pre-powdered. This made them easy to handle and mount. No problems in a month and 600 miles of riding.

No opinion on newer bikes, my newest is a 1993 Trek 5900, one of their earliest sorta-not-quite-monocoque carbon fiber frames (internal lugs rather than externally visible with separate lugs and carbon tubes). I've ridden a newish Tarmac but not enough to have an opinion on long term comfort. I mostly noticed how much stiffer and more responsive it is than my older steel and carbon fiber bikes, yet not harsh. If I could afford a new bike I'd probably go for a Trek or Specialized endurance geometry bike to handle our chipseal and rough roads. Any new carbon fiber bike would be lighter, stiffer and better for climbing than my older bikes, and we have no mountains, so I wouldn't make climbing my personal priority. Comfort, sure.
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