djb

haven't the foggiest of what you're on about!

(I had biked this very road a number of years earlier, and the view was rather beautiful, and had a chat with a shy walking local couple about how I found their region so gorgeous-but not this day. Figured I'd be happy just to get through it without being punted through the barbed wire fence and into the abyss)

Tourist in MSN

Good one.

djb

thanks, as was yours.
I havent had too many bad fog situations like that one, thankfully the drivers are used to it in that area and were all very reasonable with keeping speed down and very patient for a lone gringo cyclist trundling along.
I certainly kept my eye glued to my mirror the whole time and got onto the grass a few times to be safe-- but didnt like that fence, and it really was a rather steep dropoff to the right...

adventurepdx

Okay, here's mine: A custom Bantam designed around wide 26 inch tires (which can also be switched to 650B, due to disc brakes.) Right now I've got some Schwalbe Fat Franks which are 2.35" or 60 mm wide.

Happy Feet

My converted rigid mtb and the reason I bought the fat bike.

26 x 1.75 Schwalbe Marathon plus. Excellent reliability. I also tried Panaracer Pasela's 26 x 1.75 which rolled faster but for me, picked up too many flats. Something about the the tread design held small flint and wire and allowed it to work it's way through. Loved them but hated fixing flats more.

cyccommute 

Mine is less a “conversion” than an adaptation


IMG_3144 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

In action last year,


DSCN1197 by Stuart Black, on Flickr


DSCN1138 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

In action this year with some additions,


Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr


Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Last year’s ride was had more dirt while this year’s ride was more pavement than dirt but much harder.

hilltowner

Tires in picture are Schwalbe Marathon Greenguards. Most recently switched to, and happier with, Rene Herse McClure Pass regular weight tires.



'94 Bridgestone MB-1. Used it to cross the continent in stages. (Fork is from a similar age MB-5)

tcs

Surly ½DT14 w/ 26x1 3/8 (EA3).

Trevtassie

ETs Nice to ride on but not very durable when heavily loaded...

djb

answered before, but reread your question and figured I'd add some specifics to the underlined parts. Not sure if others answered this stuff already but here it goes


26 wheels vs 700, for speed I really havent noticed a diff between the two for the paved and reasonably dirt roads I ride on, and I also figure that especially with a bike with a load on it, the speed differences really are minimal, if any.

Whenever I try to compare my 700 vs 26 bikes, its impossible because the bikes are so diff, bike weight, gearing--but that said, a narrow tired bike is going to be a bit faster and zippier than a wide tired bike, but lets face it, you cant make your mtb into a light road bike, no matter if you put 1.25 or 1 in slicks on it--but, as you can feel, smaller slicks make a big diff in saving some watts riding at the same speed--but its always a balance of comparing wider tires that have their own advantages compared to narrower.


re sweet spot, as I said before, I find 1.5in / 38mm slicks to be that good compromise of rolling fairly well on pavement, but still being that bit wider that gives a bit more comfort for you and your wheels over rough pavement and or dirt roads. I ride 28mm slicks on anything and have fun and ride fast, but not loaded.


re silly looking, hey, for sure thinner tires can look a little weird on a large tire possible frame, but your fenders actually make a real diff visually, so frankly your bike doesnt look all that silly.

One of my bikes with the 2in slicks on it and fenders looks very "normal" dimensions wise, but then it can take 3in tires up front, so there is a ton of room there.

This same bike does look a bit disproportionate with 1.5's on it, but with panniers on, it looks fine, and frankly who cares, if its fine riding thats all that matters.


and finally, I may be repeating myself, but diff 1.5in tires can have rather diff rolling characteristics, so one 1.5 that is really tough and stiff and heavy will feel very diff to a lighter more flexible tire--so there are no black and white answers here only using tire width as a marker....and then you get into what pressures you use.

A very stiff tire at lower pressures will still feel slow, whereas a really nice flexible tire at lower pressures will give a much nicer ride, will be faster over rough surfaces (cuz of the suspension effect not removing energy from the frame going over bumps) and will also roll more efficiently on flat pavement--but yup, you got it, they tend to cost more.


I think I recommended the regular greenguard Marathons as a good compromise cost/ride mix.

The Plus Marathons are heavier and stiffer, cost more and roll not as nice

Supreme series Marathons work fantastic, but are rather expensive and have very thin sidewalls that give them their really nice riding feel, but if you are someone who rides against sharp stuff and dont notice doing it, they are not the tire for you.

staehpj1

I think people miss that point (or maybe just don't care about ride feel). A nice compliant sidewall makes a ton of difference and is one of the biggest factors in how pleasant a bike is to ride IMO. Weight is a big deal as well, but I am not sure a supple sidewall isn't the more noticeable difference when riding.

Tourist in MSN

I think that the supple sidewall and tire casing is more critical than weight for a better rolling tire with less resistance.

In post 5 above, on my third photo I mentioned I was using 57mm wide Marathon Extreme tires on my expedition bike. Believe it or not, that tire rolls very nicely on pavement with a heavy load, even with massive tread on the tire. It has sidewalls and tire casing that is extremely supple.

mtnbud

2.0 Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I run them at 70 psi on pavement and 40 psi on dirt.

IPassGas

Many pictures of touring bikes without fenders, aaargh! I guess some people don't see much rain. A great advance for touring is the smartish phone that shows weather radar. With radar, we have escaped numerous torrential downpours (and a tornado) over the years and meet fun people in (now smoke free!) bars while hiding out. But I still would always have fenders on tour!

Happy Feet

For me it depends on where and when. Sometimes fenders help

Tourist in MSN

Agree that they are desired for touring, but unfortunately when I pack up my S&S coupled bike there is no room for fenders in the case. So, sometimes the bike looks like this:



I have experimented with some smaller ones that I can add easily, so hopefully the next tour will have a cleaner bike on the next rainy day.

staehpj1

I can't see your pictures.

djb

how much do you weigh and how much load?

I ask because 70psi seems very high from my experience riding 2 in tires, but I'm a slight guy. I run mine at about 45 psi for the rear on pavement when fully loaded, tops 50 if the road is perfect, which it never is, and lower of course on softer surfaces if its bad enough to warrant stopping and letting some out.

gorideabicycle

Here's my Surly LHT with Compass (Rene Herse) Rat Trap Pass 2.3" tires. Still have a comfortable amount of clearance at the rear stays with these! They are like riding on pillows...





I have no interest in pedaling this bike over 20 mph, so I simplified the front crankset by removing the large ring...now I mostly ride it as a 1x with the extra help of a granny gear on extra steep loaded climbs. I also cobbled together a custom 8-speed cassette using larger 34t and 36t rings from a 9-speed. Love those low gears!

Rob_E

Right? How many miles on them? I think they are my favourite, non-plus tire, but I haven't had them long enough to know how well they'll last.

gorideabicycle

I have 1,200 miles on mine. My only complaint is that the tires don't seat as evenly as I'd like on the rim, so there is a bit of tire wobble present (I don't feel it when I'm riding). I've heard that the newer iterations of this tire mostly fixed that; I bought mine in early 2017.

I've had a couple flats on them, one from a massive nail and others from pinched tubes. Judging by the wear on the tires I'd probably expect to get another 1k or 2k miles on 'em before they're toast.

jlaw

[QUOTE=gorideabicycle;21121445]Here's my Surly LHT with Compass (Rene Herse) Rat Trap Pass 2.3" tires. Still have a comfortable amount of clearance at the rear stays with these! They are like riding on pillows...

I have no interest in pedaling this bike over 20 mph, so I simplified the front crankset by removing the large ring.../QUOTE]

Agreed re: the RTPs. I have a set on my AWOL running at 30 - 35 psi on pavement - as you say, 'like riding on pillows' is accurate. Using tubes and no flats yet - about 400 miles. 25 psi on gravel gives decent traction and cush.

And yes, big chain rings are no longer purposeful given the type/style of riding I prefer now.

Nice LHT - like the pizza rack and the saddlebag. Is that short rear rack something you modified or as-sold?

mtnbud

210 lbs plus gear weight. First time I tried the tires on pavement at 40 psi, the bike was sluggish and felt awful. It feels great on the pavement at 70. On dirt 40 feels about right and lower pressure helps soak up the bumps. 70 psi off road makes for an extremely harsh ride and the bike handles a little skittish on loose surfaces.

mtnbud

I'll try resizing them and see if that's the problem. They're showing up on my end.

djb

that explains it, you've got a good 70-75lbs on me.