Hi All,
When pumping up my tyres on Thursday on my hybrid I managed to bend the inner part of the Presta valve on the rear, and then, not content with this, snapped it off on the front tyre ! awesome.
So, I thought I'd swap out the tubes. I thought it might be a good idea to check out the tyres, and upon closer inspection I've noticed there are a few stones forced into the rubber and splits on the tyres.
I've managed to do easily over 2500 miles on these, so I'm happy that I've had my moneys worth. They were just the standard tubes and tyres that came with my bike back in 2010 (Trek FX 7.3) I think they are Bontrager Race Lite Hard Case??
I'm now therefore looking to replace them. Usage is only on road, and I'm keen to
A - Continue to be proud of never, ever getting a puncture
B - Get something that can offer as much grip as I have now. I cycle all year round, this is key
C - If possible, get something with lower rolling resistance to make my commute faster?
D - Ideally, not sacrifice too much comfort.
I've heard all sorts of good stuff about Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, but there seem to be about 5 different types, hugely varying in price, and importantly, they all look like they have loads of treat compared to my pretty much totally smooth existing tyres... Wont this slow me down? - Link to what my current ones look like here - http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/119612.html
I've seen some Continental Gatorskins that look pretty reasonable, but they didn't have as high a rating as the Schwalbe's....
With regards to inner tubes, unsure what is good. Is it worth getting some slime in too?
I'm aware puncture protection is down to me too. I regularly (twice a week?) make sure I'm at 120 PSI for tyre pressure, and intend to keep this up....
The other part of the post... a bike service.
It's had 2 services at a bike shop in London and here in Gloucestershire since I got the bike, and its due another one. On both times its been quite minor, but I'm keen to keep the bike in tip top condition. So far literally all thats been done on both occasions is a drip of oil here and there, re-indexing the gears, and new brake blocks... thats it ! Are there any key things I should ask to have done? I was tempted to ask them to strip the bike right down, clean it all up, and rebuild it back up again to make sure everything is in order.... is this overkill?
When pumping up my tyres on Thursday on my hybrid I managed to bend the inner part of the Presta valve on the rear, and then, not content with this, snapped it off on the front tyre ! awesome.
So, I thought I'd swap out the tubes. I thought it might be a good idea to check out the tyres, and upon closer inspection I've noticed there are a few stones forced into the rubber and splits on the tyres.
I've managed to do easily over 2500 miles on these, so I'm happy that I've had my moneys worth. They were just the standard tubes and tyres that came with my bike back in 2010 (Trek FX 7.3) I think they are Bontrager Race Lite Hard Case??
I'm now therefore looking to replace them. Usage is only on road, and I'm keen to
A - Continue to be proud of never, ever getting a puncture
B - Get something that can offer as much grip as I have now. I cycle all year round, this is key
C - If possible, get something with lower rolling resistance to make my commute faster?
D - Ideally, not sacrifice too much comfort.
I've heard all sorts of good stuff about Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, but there seem to be about 5 different types, hugely varying in price, and importantly, they all look like they have loads of treat compared to my pretty much totally smooth existing tyres... Wont this slow me down? - Link to what my current ones look like here - http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/119612.html
I've seen some Continental Gatorskins that look pretty reasonable, but they didn't have as high a rating as the Schwalbe's....
With regards to inner tubes, unsure what is good. Is it worth getting some slime in too?
I'm aware puncture protection is down to me too. I regularly (twice a week?) make sure I'm at 120 PSI for tyre pressure, and intend to keep this up....
The other part of the post... a bike service.
It's had 2 services at a bike shop in London and here in Gloucestershire since I got the bike, and its due another one. On both times its been quite minor, but I'm keen to keep the bike in tip top condition. So far literally all thats been done on both occasions is a drip of oil here and there, re-indexing the gears, and new brake blocks... thats it ! Are there any key things I should ask to have done? I was tempted to ask them to strip the bike right down, clean it all up, and rebuild it back up again to make sure everything is in order.... is this overkill?
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