Cyclo-cross tyres make a difference

01-15-2007, 07:08 AM

Hello there.

A few weeks ago I put two Schwalbe Light CX Pro 30mm wide tyres on my
Miele beater road bike for riding the trails when they get muddy. I
also put full fenders on the bike. Both worked great! The bicycle
originally had 27 inches wheels so there is a fair bit of clearance.
The fenders really save a lot of gubk from getting thrown onto the
bike.

Last night we had ice pellets mixed with rain that froze on contact
with the ground. A couple of inches were on the ground when I took the
bike out to get some milk at about 2AM. Traction on the icy roads was
great. I was also able to ride the bicycle cross country through a park
and up a few low hills (still off pavement) with out any problems. I
might buy a cyclo-cross frame in the spring. The side pull brakes are
not the best but a lot of that is the brake pads. I am going to put
some Kool Stop Salmon pads on them.

I wonder if putting a pair of in-line brake levers on top of the
handlebars will improve the current braking any?

I found out that bottle type dynamos are useless in these conditions as
the they slip on the tyre. I am going to get a battery that will fit
into my handlebar mounted bottle cage.

Peter

01-15-2007, 07:13 PM

In article <1168877294.262408.78950@38g2000cwa.googlegroups.c om>,
"Sir Ridesalot" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> Hello there.
>
> A few weeks ago I put two Schwalbe Light CX Pro 30mm wide tyres on my
> Miele beater road bike for riding the trails when they get muddy. I
> also put full fenders on the bike. Both worked great! The bicycle
> originally had 27 inches wheels so there is a fair bit of clearance.
> The fenders really save a lot of gubk from getting thrown onto the
> bike.
>
> Last night we had ice pellets mixed with rain that froze on contact
> with the ground. A couple of inches were on the ground when I took the
> bike out to get some milk at about 2AM. Traction on the icy roads was
> great. I was also able to ride the bicycle cross country through a park
> and up a few low hills (still off pavement) with out any problems. I
> might buy a cyclo-cross frame in the spring. The side pull brakes are
> not the best but a lot of that is the brake pads. I am going to put
> some Kool Stop Salmon pads on them.

I had a similar positive experience, albeit using WTB
"Allterrainasaurus" tires, which are technically just some knobbish
"hybrid" 700c tires.

> I wonder if putting a pair of in-line brake levers on top of the
> handlebars will improve the current braking any?

I really like mine. The top levers seem to generate more power than the
drop levers, but the big advantage is using the brakes from the simple
and stable top position.

> I found out that bottle type dynamos are useless in these conditions as
> the they slip on the tyre. I am going to get a battery that will fit
> into my handlebar mounted bottle cage.
>
> Peter

--
Ryan Cousineau [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
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