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Throwing Good Money After Bad? New Wheelset for Light Touring

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Throwing Good Money After Bad? New Wheelset for Light Touring

Old 11-18-21, 07:44 AM
  #26  
djb
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Originally Posted by TrekCommuter
Thank you all for the very thoughtful responses. I got a deal this summer on some 700x28 Continental Ultra Sport IIIs and they have made a huge difference over the stock tires. I'll save the money for maintenance and touring trips next spring. I think I've got the comfort fairly well dialed in. I'll keep after training during the winter months, as well.

Regarding the comments on reducing wind resistance, how much do you focus on clothing wind resistance when touring or randonneuring? My clothing choices are admittedly not terribly aero, usually athletic fit t-shirts.

PS: Those dynamo-hub wheels are awesome! As are the pictures of the Volpes fully loaded for touring!
If really looking into getting more miles in per day for the same output, clothing that doesn't flap like crazy, riding position and pannier wind sail area really do add up here and there....but certainly more noticeable if you are riding at 25/30 kph. Certainly my average touring speeds are slower, but when I ride my faster bike, similar to a volpe, small panniers and non flappy clothes are clearly noticeable when riding faster.

But let's be realistic, you want a jersey to be comfortable and how you are wearing tighter stuff is personal, I'm a skinny guy so it's fine, others not. How fast do you and your wife really ride comfortably?
For me, a quality comfy tire that rolls well but also has good flat protection is better than heavy super tough tires, also better than super light super thin racing tires that can get flats much easier. How careful are you of watching for road debris for example? I know riders who ride right through piles of glass shards and don't even notice them.

Reducing your credit card weight and volume to me is the big improvement, less weight and volume (air resistance) is always going to be a bit easier with each small and not so small climb, and with every headwind .

All these details add up, it's really up to you two to decide what is worth doing.
And yes, the more kilometers you put into your legs is a huge factor here, there's no magic solution, you gotta put in the hours in the seat to get stronger.
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Old 11-18-21, 11:16 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Doug64

This is my 2007 Volpe that I rode on our cross country trip.



Doug, may I ask what the chainring set is on that bike ? Your smaller ring doesn't seem to be that small. You must be or have been a very strong rider to make it across the country with that low gear. Well done !
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Old 11-18-21, 05:48 PM
  #28  
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I can't say that they will, or, won't be worth it, but I know how you can find out if they are. You have two bikes, yours and your wife's, make any of the changes, tires, wheels, what ever to one of the bikes. Go out for a ride, at the top of a hill adjust your speed so you are going the same, side by side. Maintain the same position, etc. and you will see which bike is faster. If you keep one of ht bikes the same, you can evaluate a series of changes to the other to see if they help.
Personally, working on your endurance so you can comfortably spend an extra hour in the saddle might be more practical. Being comfortable for 5 hours instead of 4 is like riding 25% faster for those 4 hours. Tours are very much about the journey rather than the destination. My $0.02.
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Old 11-18-21, 07:17 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by metalrideroz
Have you actually weighed the stock wheelset? I've found cheap(ish) aftermarket wheelsets are sometimes barely any lighter than the alex rim/shimano hub combos that come stock on many bikes. Also, some may disagree, but radial laced wheels are never as comfortable as the usual 3x. As mentioned by others already try some nice tyres, will 33s fit?, https://ultradynamico.com/products/cava-race .
I've not weighed the stock wheels but I will likely stick with them after reading the responses. Those tires are interesting - do you have personal experience with them?
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Old 11-18-21, 07:27 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by TrekCommuter
Those tires are interesting - do you have personal experience with them?
No personal experience. They are made by Panaracer. There are other similar options available but I just linked a less well known brand. I didn't see your post before about buying the ultrasports, they are decent tires for the price. Still, if you can go wider, why not?.
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Old 11-18-21, 07:48 PM
  #31  
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I can certainly see the advantages of wider tires...
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Old 11-18-21, 09:48 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by robow
Doug, may I ask what the chainring set is on that bike ? Your smaller ring doesn't seem to be that small. You must be or have been a very strong rider to make it across the country with that low gear. Well done !
It was a 46/36/26 stock chainring. It was coupled with an 11-34 cassette. I changed it to a 44/32/22 when we came home. I also changed my wife's Cannondale crankset. The 26 tooth granny worked OK until we got to the Appalachians. You may not have noticed the smallest ring; it is silver.

I'm not sure the lower gears would have helped on this stretch of road. Luckily, there were only 4 hills like this, right in a row. The first one we rode up. The second we almost rode up, The the third we rode up less of it; and on on the fourth I pulled over not far from the bottom, and changed into my running (walking) shoes.

Last edited by Doug64; 11-19-21 at 11:35 AM.
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Old 11-18-21, 10:04 PM
  #33  
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Yea, I missed that small silver ring. Duh ! You should have said, yea, I rocked a double across the country, no problem. Ha
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Old 11-26-21, 07:52 AM
  #34  
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Trekcommuter, check out this article about wider tires and speed. (Wider supple tires that is)

https://www.renehersecycles.com/12-myths-in-cycling-1-wider-tires-are-slower/

my personal experience confirms the findings in this article. I've down informal roll down tests with a friend while riding.
me at 135lbs on 50mm Supremes (45 on my rims) on 26 inch wheels
him at 200lbs on 32mm stiff continental touring tires, 700 wheels

and we have equal or even me faster a bit roll down experiences

even with slight factors probably there like his hubs being cheap, improperly adjusted stuff, it's still a good example.
and I know my bike is more comfortable and faster over any rough roads also.

I know you won't believe it until you directly try and compare wider, nice rolling tires, but it is true.
As said in article, more comfort also equals less rider getting beat up equals more energy at end of day.
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