slick or treads has everything to do with grip, your tire is the only thing making contact with the road, have big bumpy treads are pointless on street paved roads, slicks are giving you as much contact to the road as possible where as treads only give you a couple spots of contact because there super knobby, the less tire making contact with the road the less grip. and as for wiping out with slicks, im sure it would have happened with treads, the only purpose of treads is to grip uneven surfaces and squishy roads like dirt or sand. how would having less rubber contacting the pavement mean better grip.
Slicks or Semi Slicks or both???
- Thread starter Nikko
- Start date
I do my whole tube and tire by hand, removing and reinstalling. I inflate the tube a small amount by putting in two or three pumps of air. I then put the tube inside the tire. I insert the valve stem into the hole on the rim and make the tire straddle the rim. I then work the tire onto the rim one side at a time. then I inflate the tire, slowly at first, making sure that the tube is not pinched between the tire and rim. the way to tell this is if you see the tire coming off the rim on one side. if this happens, I deflate the tire and reinflate it. this usually allows the rim to become unpinched. I reinflate slowly to make sure it is unpinched. if it is not, I work the tire off the rim and back on. it gets easier with practice. I do all the work on my bike myself, engine related or not. I can't afford to pay a bike shop.
yea i try to but if youve ever tried putting high psi slick tires on a bike you would understand the bead is very tight its almost impossible to not pinch the tube in the process, i really dont know how the bike store does it. and i usually only pay them to do work on my bike if i dont have the tool needed,
once again, I never said that treads provide grip. I said they provide balance. what I actually said was, softer tires provide better grip. harder tires provide better speed. you can dispute that all you want, but I'm not gonna argue with you. the softest tire with treads has more grip than the hardest tire with no treads. a softer tire makes more contact with the road, regardless of whether it has treads or not.
dude, stretch the tire. that's what I did. I had a semi-slick. it was so tight I couldn't get it on at first. grab the sides of the tire and bend in the middle with your thumbs. that's what I did. inflate the tube and insert in the tire before installing the tire. inflate slowly to check for pinch.
Could not have said it better I think agreed. I am actually scared of 26X1.75 tires. Not enough contact with the road and too stiff for a smooth ride. I go with the likes of 26X2.75 or larger and love them. Tread or no tread. I prefer a little tread tho. I found for me it has in some instances regained traction for me when a patch of sand meats the road. Also when a film of oil shows up after it rains.
I think folks here are speaking from experience . In some parts of the country when it rains the roads become extremely slick. I would not have believed some of this myself until I saw it first hand. Before I moved to Austin Texas for a while I never gave it a second thought. Now I do! I take nothing for granted my self. When the traction gives out there is just no turning back at that point. ''found I was going down''
Knees start to ache just thinking about it.
This was from a post I made a long time ago. It is certainly arguable that knobbies scrubbing through corners are a annoyance. They have grown on me a little I kinda meh sorta like it now. For me its a trade off. I ride so much my tires go bald in a hurry any way.
Really aggressive tread I don't always like so much on the street but I will put up with them. . Its like when the tires are half wore out with those that they seamed the best all the way around so to speak with me. I can't always find what I want.
When all I could find was a too aggressive of a knobbie tire in my size range . I actually used some horizontal wire cutters and shaved the nobbies down before to clear my rear frame. Took my time used commercial grade wire cutters not some cheepies. Kinda like the Channel Lock brand with the blue hand grips. ''Think thats what they were called?'' So theres a thought.
They had thousands of tiny bumps for tread liken mebbe to the effect of orange peal per say. But '''way more aggressive''' and had this tread even on the side walls for hard cornering. Pretty impressive tire! Like a semi slick but with first glance looks every bit like a slick. I could quickly tell these were gonna grip on a track big time.
That tire was pretty darn slick
lol I liked it
I wondered out fast they might wear out tho?
Knees start to ache just thinking about it.
This was from a post I made a long time ago. It is certainly arguable that knobbies scrubbing through corners are a annoyance. They have grown on me a little I kinda meh sorta like it now. For me its a trade off. I ride so much my tires go bald in a hurry any way.
Really aggressive tread I don't always like so much on the street but I will put up with them. . Its like when the tires are half wore out with those that they seamed the best all the way around so to speak with me. I can't always find what I want.
When all I could find was a too aggressive of a knobbie tire in my size range . I actually used some horizontal wire cutters and shaved the nobbies down before to clear my rear frame. Took my time used commercial grade wire cutters not some cheepies. Kinda like the Channel Lock brand with the blue hand grips. ''Think thats what they were called?'' So theres a thought.
Hookworms seam to be all the rage at the track racing now with our motorized bikes. I finally saw a pair in a bike store the other day they were larger than 26X1.75 .
They had thousands of tiny bumps for tread liken mebbe to the effect of orange peal per say. But '''way more aggressive''' and had this tread even on the side walls for hard cornering. Pretty impressive tire! Like a semi slick but with first glance looks every bit like a slick. I could quickly tell these were gonna grip on a track big time.
That tire was pretty darn slick
lol I liked itI wondered out fast they might wear out tho?
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Hardrock'r Tire Other Related Models: Hardrock'r Tire TRAIL PERFORMANCE This entry-level, long-lasting tire features an aggressive, but smooth-rolling tread with multi-directional knobs for improved traction and cornering. Black / 26X1.95 / 650g
I tried to type something else, but that was the description from the manufacturer's page of the tire I use. its called the Hardrock'r and its made by specialized.
this tire also has a flak jacket for flat protection. its some kind of polymer they put under the rubber. all I know is I had this tire for almost a year and not a single flat. my front tire has a tube that comes with slime. no flats on the front either. had that tube for over a year and the tire for almost two years.
These are my all time favorite.
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=57283-Wtb+Moto+Raptor+Race+Folding+Mountain+Tire
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I just saw this one looks kinda kewl. It has those tiny bumps like the Hookworms do.
WTB Prowler Mx Race Folding Tire 100044166 at Cambriabike
Here is the hook worm..
Maxxis Hookworm 26x2.5 Tire at BikeTiresDirect
WTB Prowler Mx Race Folding Tire 100044166 at Cambriabike
Here is the hook worm..
Maxxis Hookworm 26x2.5 Tire at BikeTiresDirect
I picked up the 'Kenda Hybrid Kross Plus' just to check 'em out on my mountain bike build as the rolling resistance & wear rate on straight knobbies is horrid, but given I do ride trails and the sandy, dirty roads we've got I didn't want slicks;
Amazon.com: Kenda/Sunlite Hybrid Kross Plus Tire - 700 x 40: Sports & Outdoors
Turns out they're pretty awesome tires (I've the police version, no different save labeling & price tho), while there is some knob rollover on hard turns, obv it's no more than w/any knobbie tire - but the smoothie center is really great for speed & wear resistance.
Another interesting effect is unlike many other smooth bicycle tires, these are really thick - the center portion is as thick as the knobbies are tall, so it's a very tough tire
Amazon.com: Kenda/Sunlite Hybrid Kross Plus Tire - 700 x 40: Sports & Outdoors
Turns out they're pretty awesome tires (I've the police version, no different save labeling & price tho), while there is some knob rollover on hard turns, obv it's no more than w/any knobbie tire - but the smoothie center is really great for speed & wear resistance.
Another interesting effect is unlike many other smooth bicycle tires, these are really thick - the center portion is as thick as the knobbies are tall, so it's a very tough tire
damn, those look like some sweet tires. thus far, those are the only tires I've seen that I think look better than mine. I'm thinkin hybrids are the way to go now. I'm not a bike nut in the traditional sense, so I have never heard of hybrids before. that probably makes me look stupid, but I don't give a (bleep). anyway, I'm gonna call my local shop in the morning just to see what they have. I need to call them anyway to see how much they want for a valve stem cap. I lost one about a month ago and my psi doesn't seem to stay steady. I might have one but I have to look.
The only "problem" with the Hybrid tires above is kinda obvious - straight, sudden stops on wet grass... as in you aren't lol
Given their nature, it's easy to forget they're not one or the other so they take some getting used to, they feel "squishy" on aggressive, tight turns but they aren't, I've not drifted them (keep the pressure up). With the wet grass/stopping issue I've learned to jus' kick out a bit so the knobbies bite in.
BTW - valve stem caps are pretty universal, they're usually Schrader type, which are the same as on cars so you can find them just about anywhere: Schrader valve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...however the valve stem cap isn't supposed to be there to keep pressure in, just dirt out so you may have a problem, like a pinhole/slow leak - or obv, some dirt in the valve itself. To clean it out just use any small probe like a flat screwdriver to let some air out of the valve, which should blow the grit out of it. If it's a lil corroded, a tiny drop of machine oil or similar will often help it seal properly... but you may be better off just getting another tube, they're cheap enough
Given their nature, it's easy to forget they're not one or the other so they take some getting used to, they feel "squishy" on aggressive, tight turns but they aren't, I've not drifted them (keep the pressure up). With the wet grass/stopping issue I've learned to jus' kick out a bit so the knobbies bite in.
BTW - valve stem caps are pretty universal, they're usually Schrader type, which are the same as on cars so you can find them just about anywhere: Schrader valve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...however the valve stem cap isn't supposed to be there to keep pressure in, just dirt out so you may have a problem, like a pinhole/slow leak - or obv, some dirt in the valve itself. To clean it out just use any small probe like a flat screwdriver to let some air out of the valve, which should blow the grit out of it. If it's a lil corroded, a tiny drop of machine oil or similar will often help it seal properly... but you may be better off just getting another tube, they're cheap enough
nah I don't want another tube. this tube has slime in it and cost me 8 bucks. the changes in my psi could be due to the changing of the seasons and the fact that I haven't been riding much. there are several reasons for that. I was down to one contact lens. I have glasses now, so that's taken care of. I also had surgery last Monday, but I'm almost healed. I have been on a couple short rides, but nothing crazy. soon I will be comfortable enough to take longer rides. the only thing that might hold me back now is shortage of gas funds, but we will see. anyway, I could just aquire a cap from another source. think I will do so now.
You might have slime clogging the valve stem. Just pull the valve stem with a proper core tool ($2, but some tweezers, and small flathead screwdrivers also work), clean it, and re install. (or replace if bad). Tire shops will probably help if you make a friend there or find a sympathetic person. Also you can get the valve cores from dead tubes or tire stems laying around.
I'm not worried about all that. I doubt if slime is clogging the tube, considering I never inflate with the stem at the 6 or 12 o'clock position. anyway, I found a cap, reinflated my tire, and put the cap on. I think its the change in seasons and the fact I haven't been riding much. tires that sit lose pressure, especially during changes in temperature and air pressure. my rear tire doesn't have that problem as bad because it can be inflated to more than one psi.
