confirmed via bikeforums, the TX series were built as 5-speeds, and have 120mm rear. no way I wanna cold stretch it to 135mm, if I can scrounge a 126mm 6-7 speed hub (and ideally a matching front), I'll build a new wheel set for it, and keep these deore+mavic wheels for my hybrid. cold stretching 120 to 126 should be trivial (heck, sitting on a 135 probably HAS cold stretched it that much).

Huh.

How would those tires handle things like gravel?

Not worried about punctures, just traction.

for gravel, I'd look at that first tire I posted above, the Panaracer Crosstown Tire in 700x32. crushed granite can really slice up your sidewalls on skinnier high pressure tires unless they are heavily armored.

as far as traction goes, as long as its not steep or deep sand, you don't really need tread.

Yeah the Panaracer Crosstown and Pasela tires seem to get pretty good reviews for durability.

I've also been reading really good durability reviews about the RibMOs, so I'll keep an eye on all three, but steer away from the more racy style tires.

I haven't encountered any sand yet and the only hills that might be considered steep are regular concrete anyways.

Thanks!

Gravel is a term that describes many sort of roads. Some gravel is actually road base and is fairly well packed down. Other "gravel" surfaces are pea gravel that can be deep and move around more like sand.

The road base is clearly the better surface for riding on. I'm guessing some additional tread would be a plus in the looser types of gravel.

look for the ISO # on the inside, or molded into the sidewall but probably not painted/printed, this is like 25-622 or something. I've seen quite a few tires where the ISO number was larger than the advertised and silkscreened size.

AFAIK, the ISO width is measured on a nominal rim for that size, mount it on a wider rim and its going to be wider. I'm not sure what they consider nominal :D


hmm. just ducked out and measured the outside width of my two 700c bikes.

A) circa 1980 SuperChampion "Gentlemen" rim - 20mm. must be like 18mm or narrower inside, but I'm not taking a tire off to check. I currently have a 25 rear and 23 front on there.

B) current cheap hybrid Mavic rim: 25mm OD. maybe 22-23mm inside? currently using 38c but likely to drop to 32c when I need new.

so, EvilDude's 27mm (outside) rims are -really- wide for 700c.

My measurement was a guess too.

I measured it with a cheap caliper I have, but I don't have a metric ruler to check it against so I'm guessing the OD is right around 27mm.

true that. he previously said crushed limestone. around here at least, thats usually really crushed granite.

bye-bye pretty blue trek... :cry

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JS1yca5KB-0/TG...0/IMG_7929.JPG

he left this morning for school, a ~7 hour drive northwards...

The wheel fell off.

nah, its in the back seat. I didn't want to give him one of my Lockjaws, so he just got the Boa fork mount rack which I had on the middle of the rack on my car to carry a 3rd bike in a pinch.

I did?

It probably is though.

It's pretty damn tightly packed it might as well be solid, but there is usually a very thing layer of somewhat loose gravel and dust on top.

If you're pushing it really hard you might slide around a little, but at my pace I barely feel a difference.

Just got back from 72 miles of country roads. I'm roached, as the thermometer is showing 91 degrees. I didn't realize we were to get so warm, today.

My GF, upon me walking in the door: "You look like shit.".
Me: "I feel like shit.". :lol3

I really like the 32mm Conti Contact tires I installed, last night. They're at the narrow-ness limit for the typical rock roads I encounter. They're much faster than the Boroughs I took off and ride almost as well. The ride is surprising, as the Contis are much more rigid in hand, narrow, and shorter. The bad, the tread is completely packed with road oil and fine gravel.

Be careful with the generic cartridges, as some aren't as large as inflator cartridges. If they're threaded, size doesn't matter. But, if the inflator relies on a cage to engage the cartridge, you're screwed. DAMHIK.

I put a set of these on my GF's townie MTB, last night. They're really nice and only $75.

If you're referring to the slicks, they'll handle gravel just fine, loose or packed. Loose stuff is more about flotation, not so much tread pattern. However, gravel and cinders will cut right through them, if you spend much time on it. I'm thinking you're bike path only, which will be fine.

I'll tell you what, you PM me your address and PayPal me $10.00, I'll send them to you. The money pays for a medium flat-rate box at the post office. I don't have a use for them, as they won't fit anything but our 'cross bikes and we ride too much gravel with them.

Hell the stuff goes right through the tread. I've got several expensive 23's hanging in the garage that are sliced. And, a couple don't have 100 miles between them. Around here, cinders are the killer.

When I took the slicks off, I looked inside and the number is the same as on the sidewall. I'm not kidding, they're like balloon slicks. I've never seen a 25mm tire so big. I really thought they were 32mm, when I saw 'em. They look great on a 'cross bike, though.

^^^ Hell, that's a scene right out of Breaking Away.

I didn't realize 91 was hot? :lol3

My Dad is from central Ill and he claims the summers suck worse there with the humidity than they do in Texas. :deal

72 miles... Good ride. :clap

I had tbe model before that one. '73 142 damn near indestructible car. Not fast. Not sexy. Great for a college student 'cause the trunk was ginormous. :nod

I was the typical bike geek: the bikes outcost the car by a large margin. Still do actually. The S320 I'm borrowing from my Mom is worth slightly less than the bikes it hauls.

On another note: I've been rained on twice on the loop I just finished. :nod Same basic spot too! :bluduh This time I got home before it really let loose. :thumb Oskar Blues tonite in Lyons. I may drive.

Y'all see the article on VN.com about the myth of the fat burning zone? Thoughts?

M