So Many Flat Tires - Advise on New Tires?

[steve mercier]

True but weight does matter exponentially more on an Acoustic bike than it does on an Ebike. I carry so much stuff on my Ebike that I would jettison if it did not have a motor. I have the luxury of carrying up to three spare batteries , a heavy lock, three different weights of jackets and 3 sets of gloves , waterproof socks , larger poncho, plus various headwarmers and hats ,extra food ,tools ,maps etc... etc..... I would not want to carry this stuff up a single hill on an acoustic bike .

 

[PedalUma]

It is also the rotational weight issue for racing roadies. Like a flywheel it takes energy to get heavy tire spinning, that is not too bad on an eBike. That flywheel helps smooths out fluctuations as with potholes if you are just going along. But on a race bike they jockey for position. To tuck into a draft they may need to tap a brake. Then get right back up to speed. She has also won over 100 Triathlons and could kick my butt on an acoustic bike.

 

[Robspace1]

Yes, the mental aspect is kind of understandable, but that should not, imo, keep common sense and practicality from being the final decison maker. To have to stop and fix a flat along side a busy road while all the other riders keep going is just idiotic imo. The extra time and labor excerted doing that could easily be spent winning the race or just not slowing down the rest of the group that feels obligated to stop and help you. The slight amount of extra weight added is not enough to make a huge difference in performance. Unless your a pro racer it makes no sense to deal with uneeded breakdowns just to stay ounces lighter. It blew me away when I rode with the local bikeclub and saw this. I told the others I had some Slime and co2 if they needed it. I got some ugly looks like I offended people. I never offered again.

 

[PedalUma]

That is like people dressing up like a pro basketball player when they have a huge gut and are buying a 30 pack of beer. The whole dress pro costume thing just is not needed. Unless you are a pro.

 

[AHicks]

That is like people dressing up like a pro basketball player when they have a huge gut and are buying a 30 pack of beer. The whole dress pro costume thing just is not needed. Unless you are a pro.

"Dress pro costume" also frequently referred to as "clown suits".

 

[Robspace1]

That is like people dressing up like a pro basketball player when they have a huge gut and are buying a 30 pack of beer. The whole dress pro costume thing just is not needed. Unless you are a pro.

Well put analogy. The roadies are not able to lift their hand to wave or smile many times when I pass them going the other way. Some, but very few wave back. In what culture is that cool? To dress like your off to the next great race in Europe and never have any lights on their bikes, (due to ounces of excess weight, never mind safety) is really strange. But to even refuse to say hi to another biker is just rude as hell. Then again, I'm old school. Maybe I'll dress in Spandex, look really Intense going down the road, head down, and get a wave back. Lol

 

[PedalUma]

 

[pmcdonald]

The Inspired Unemployed on Instagram: "Insult a MAMIL, deal with herd. #wolfpack #meninlycra #twinkletoes #whostheclownnow #scarredforlife"

196K likes, 11K comments - theinspiredunemployed on January 27, 2022: "Insult a MAMIL, deal with herd. #wolfpack #meninlycra #twinkletoes #whostheclownnow #scarredforlife".

www.instagram.com

Made me think of this video that popped up in the feed the other day. Language and terrible female impersonator warning.

Shared with love - some of my best friends shave their legs and have testicles.

(not sure what's happening with the instagram embed here..)

 

[Robspace1]

An Eroadie! Lol

 

[PedalUma]

shave their legs

In looking at that photo again of the guy on the Tri-Bike in the red costume, His Arms! It looks like he used hair remover and it left chemical burn shine. I do not want to know about the state of the ball bearings.

 

[m@Robertson]

In college in the 19080's when I was riding a 19 lb-and-change (59cm frame so it was big) road bike (magnesium alloy frame, Mavic SSC 1981 or 1982 component group, bucking the trend with G40 clincher rims rather than the more common GP4 sew-ups) I used Tuffy ... AND Kevlar lined tires. I was commuting, and therein lies the difference.

The whole 'suffering is cycling' angle is spot on. But also you have to look at cyclists as hobbyists for the most part. They're out for a joyride of some sort or other and are not depending on the bike to get them some place. That, coupled to the 'suffering' thing ingrained into cycling (which in turn begets absolutely insufferable braggarts) means that patching a tube is just part of the experience.

To this day I'm not concerned about flats when they happen, although with modern tech I don't get them much anymore, that need to go to the level of pulling the tube and patching. If you have all the gear its no big deal so long as you can pull over into some shade.

 

[Ebiker01]

This one and the"thorn proof" model from the little known and very inexpensive S brand r the GOLD standard for NO flat tires or maybe 1/10k miles...

 

[Robspace1]

In college in the 19080's when I was riding a 19 lb-and-change (59cm frame so it was big) road bike (magnesium alloy frame, Mavic SSC 1981 or 1982 component group, bucking the trend with G40 clincher rims rather than the more common GP4 sew-ups) I used Tuffy ... AND Kevlar lined tires. I was commuting, and therein lies the difference.

The whole 'suffering is cycling' angle is spot on. But also you have to look at cyclists as hobbyists for the most part. They're out for a joyride of some sort or other and are not depending on the bike to get them some place. That, coupled to the 'suffering' thing ingrained into cycling (which in turn begets absolutely insufferable braggarts) means that patching a tube is just part of the experience.

To this day I'm not concerned about flats when they happen, although with modern tech I don't get them much anymore, that need to go to the level of pulling the tube and patching. If you have all the gear its no big deal so long as you can pull over into some shade.

 

[Robspace1]

I thought the guy was on an ebike. The downtube looked like it hid a battery. Some may, who knows. Maybe some of the roadies are getting over on their buds by adding the demon electricity to their rides. I was looking at some ebikes yesterday that are lightweight and yet only have 250 watts of power. $10,000! Give me a break. To me, a good ebike needs power. If you need a light bike just get a racing bike. Bike makers are stroking people with this hybrid mish mash.

 

[pmcdonald]

C'mon mate, don't yuck on someone else's yum. Ebiking is a broad enough church capable of encompassing everyone from aging roadies looking for a little boost to back country survivalists hauling a mobile hunting camp up firetrails.

 

[Robspace1]

C'mon mate, don't yuck on someone else's yum. Ebiking is a broad enough church capable of encompassing everyone from aging roadies looking for a little boost to back country survivalists hauling a mobile hunting camp up firetrails.

Yuk on yum? Lol that would be a new one. Yes, ebiking does have a big tent, the more the merrier. But, why are people being asked to pay $10,000 for a bike with just 250 watts that can't take on any real hills? That my friend is insane. May as well buy a motorscooter for that much. My bike was less than $2,000 with 1000 watts, can go up any hill and has been near trouble free for two years. It pays to shop around.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Yuk on yum? Lol that would be a new one. Yes, ebiking does have a big tent, the more the merrier. But, why are people being asked to pay $10,000 for a bike with just 250 watts that can't take on any real hills? That my friend is insane. May as well buy a motorscooter for that much. My bike was less than $2,000 with 1000 watts, can go up any hill and has been near trouble free for two years. It pays to shop around.

cant go up hills? like this guy? mine does it just fine. there is a lot more to a bike then jsut the motor. all the components quality of the competes the quality of the wheels. how smooth the power is delivered the weight.

 

[Robspace1]

cant go up hills? like this guy? mine does it just fine. there is a lot more to a bike then jsut the motor. all the components quality of the competes the quality of the wheels. how smooth the power is delivered the weight.
View attachment 113395

It all comes down to how hard you want to work to get over that. Some, like me, prefer letting the motor do most of the work on the hills. Others like the extra workout, and like to do more of the work themself. We have steep streets here, and if I had to do alot of hard work to clear every hill, it would no longer be fun a run imo. I didn't buy my bike so much for exercise as for the fun. I use the treadmill and gym for exercise. Also, most ebikes have just 7 gears. Not enough for underpowered ebikes to clear those big hills. The ebikers I ride with appreciate the extra wattage for the hills. So, to each his/her own. Hate to see people spend alot on underpowered ebikes and find out they can't take on hills.

 

[fooferdoggie]

most hills are no big deal thats just an extreme one. I enjoy working some I burn 500 calories a day just in commuting. during the summer when we ride the tandem more I can burn 800 or more calories a day on weekdays. sure as hell a lot more fun then running on a treadmill. we have climbed 3000 feet on 40 mile rides on our tandem and no problem. so far have not hit a hill we could not climb. if we were healthy it would not even be much work. I love it and rode 18,000 miles in two years. anything less then 16% grade and I never use all the power my bike has. a mid drive has a crap ton of torque.

 

[pmcdonald]

The topic has been done to death, but the average mid drive will happily pull you up an incline like that. And probably ask for seconds. Remember, the 250W rating is only the output averaged over an hour (or something like that), not the maximum output. Otherwise you'd hear a lot more whinging from the eMTBers out there, 99% of whom are running 250W motors up hills steeper and longer than this.

If you've found a bike that works for your lifestyle and requirements that's awesome @Robspace1. Imagine an aging roadie with a very expensive (let's say $10k, plenty of examples out there at that price), unpowered featherweight road bike sitting in the living room. They used to think nothing of a 160km morning ride on the acoustic bike but now they're struggling with a little knee pain. Perhaps they're empty nesters, have built up a business or reached a management position at work. So they're at a point in life where they have the discretionary income to drop $10k on a replacement. If there's an ebike out there that restores their enthusiasm for riding and ability to do the distance or speed of their friends then how is that a bad deal for them? I can question the sanity of such a purchase for myself, but concede it can make perfect sense for others. I'm all for anything that adds to the accessibility, visibility and popularity of cycling.