Ant in the NL Posted January 4 Posted January 4 I've moved to the Netherlands and have just started riding my MTB on a daily commute; these road surfaces (slick clay-type paving bricks) are a nightmare to ride on with MTB knobblies, and 10x worse in the wet (most days then) Can't seem to find any suitable guidance on what to replace them with, any advice Hubbers?
Cardio Goth Posted January 5 Posted January 5 They're not cheap, but Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge are basically MTB-size gravel tyres - they roll pretty fast but still have enough grip for rough gravel. Ant in the NL 1
NickGM Posted January 5 Posted January 5 10 hours ago, AntVanR said: I've moved to the Netherlands and have just started riding my MTB on a daily commute; these road surfaces (slick clay-type paving bricks) are a nightmare to ride on with MTB knobblies, and 10x worse in the wet (most days then) Can't seem to find any suitable guidance on what to replace them with, any advice Hubbers? Schwalbe marathon Plus are very popular commuting tyres in that part of the world. They are mostly famous for being hugely puncture resistant but I'm guessing if they had any issues with grip then they wouldn't be used year-round - which they are. I rode through several european countries on a bike tour a few years ago and almost all commuters and (ALL bike hire places) used Schwalbe marathon. They are not incredibly fast rolling (relative to a road bike tyre) but will be faster than you mtb tyre. I think there might even be some MTB version of the Marathon plus but I would rather use the widest non-mtb (non-knobbly) one you can find, as it's the knobbly-ness that is most likely reducing your contact area and making it slippery. My 2 cents. Ant in the NL 1
Ant in the NL Posted January 5 Author Posted January 5 29 minutes ago, NickGM said: Schwalbe marathon Plus are very popular commuting tyres in that part of the world. They are mostly famous for being hugely puncture resistant but I'm guessing if they had any issues with grip then they wouldn't be used year-round - which they are. I rode through several european countries on a bike tour a few years ago and almost all commuters and (ALL bike hire places) used Schwalbe marathon. They are not incredibly fast rolling (relative to a road bike tyre) but will be faster than you mtb tyre. I think there might even be some MTB version of the Marathon plus but I would rather use the widest non-mtb (non-knobbly) one you can find, as it's the knobbly-ness that is most likely reducing your contact area and making it slippery. My 2 cents. That's great, thank you. Sizewise, they seem to come in 28" ..... Or 700c (or 622) now the confusion sets in proper 🤣🤣
NickGM Posted January 5 Posted January 5 34 minutes ago, AntVanR said: That's great, thank you. Sizewise, they seem to come in 28" ..... Or 700c (or 622) now the confusion sets in proper 🤣🤣 Hahah, ya best to ask at a local bike shop - in the end you will get better advice there than here. Ant in the NL 1
DieselnDust Posted January 7 Posted January 7 Just get a set of 2.0 or 2.2 XCO seminslicks way faster rolling than gravel tyres and will be more comfortable too. don’t believe me, listen to Dylan Johnson YouTube discussion on the matter Ant in the NL 1
W@nted Posted January 8 Posted January 8 +1 on going to the local bike shop specialising in the commuter bikes. I see mostly schwalbe tires fitted. Even on my commuter. But as said, the shop will help with the sizing. I see this morning they started to gooi salt on most cycle paths. Remember to rinse your bike regularly... Ant in the NL 1
WR 1.0 Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Jut a thought, Ant is saying the knobblies is sketchy, and everyone is now suggesting slicks or semi slicks? Won't he have even less grip?
Ant in the NL Posted January 8 Author Posted January 8 10 hours ago, W@nted said: +1 on going to the local bike shop specialising in the commuter bikes. I see mostly schwalbe tires fitted. Even on my commuter. But as said, the shop will help with the sizing. I see this morning they started to gooi salt on most cycle paths. Remember to rinse your bike regularly... Shot, thanks. Picked up a pair of Walfort 700 - 35c (or 37 - 622 sized) rubber this weekend; gonna give em a test run (not the most pricey to be fair, but a good start) Today was a fair bit colder than last week (-1⁰ but dry and no wind) so it's gonna be a chilly outing tomorrow me thinks 🤣 ChrisF and W@nted 2
Sydd Posted January 9 Posted January 9 @AntVanR also try Vittoria Tirreno Dry. BikeInn usually has them at a good price. They are gravel tyres but perfect for the conditions here. Relatively low rolling resistance but enough surface contact that you will have control in the usual soggy conditions here. Keep warm this week, proper winter is finally here. Ant in the NL and justinafrika 2
Ant in the NL Posted January 9 Author Posted January 9 Thank you! Yeah this week is proper icy 😁, mates back in Cape Town are rolling up Chapmans Peak in 34⁰c before lunchtime
W@nted Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Proper cold here today. Freezing! Watch the ice on the side of the roads... Lovely -11 deg C here in middelburg with the wind chill factor. What gets me about this cold is that it does not warm up during the day. Max is -1 deg C. Zwift for the win! ChrisF and Ant in the NL 1 1
DieselnDust Posted January 9 Posted January 9 On 1/8/2024 at 1:45 PM, WR 1.0 said: Jut a thought, Ant is saying the knobblies is sketchy, and everyone is now suggesting slicks or semi slicks? Won't he have even less grip? No semi slicks have high levels of adhesion on hard pack surfaces. Where they don’t perform well is loose gravel. Anything a gravel tyre can do a XCO semi slick does better WR 1.0 and Ant in the NL 2
Ant in the NL Posted January 9 Author Posted January 9 8 hours ago, W@nted said: Proper cold here today. Freezing! Watch the ice on the side of the roads... Lovely -11 deg C here in middelburg with the wind chill factor. What gets me about this cold is that it does not warm up during the day. Max is -1 deg C. Zwift for the win! Hardcore.....and I ain't got Zwift 😲....ok, regarding the ice, you'll probs not even see it right? Also, how do you know if a surface has been 'salted' ? Proper rookie here and advice welcomed. I took a walk to the shops today, and these bricks in the road are super slippery even without ice. Can't imagine when it's frozen over.
Sydd Posted January 9 Posted January 9 14 minutes ago, AntVanR said: Hardcore.....and I ain't got Zwift 😲....ok, regarding the ice, you'll probs not even see it right? Also, how do you know if a surface has been 'salted' ? Proper rookie here and advice welcomed. I took a walk to the shops today, and these bricks in the road are super slippery even without ice. Can't imagine when it's frozen over. You'll be able to see the ice usually, it's just shiney and glassy. It's super interesting to see how the soil on the top of the ground rises now when it freezes and everything that was a swamp last week is frozen hard today. You will see white speckles like someone spilled chalk when roads have been salted. If they spray after it froze, the road will be wet where the ice melts so you'll know. Then next week when it rains again it's going to make a filthy grey mess on everything. If you have a car, remember to wash the underside of your car at the car wash! And buy a windsceen cover at Praxis or Action. There is nothing worse than coming out the house precisely on time to leave, and you have to spend 10 minutes scraping all the windows covered in ice... They also salt the bike lanes. Last December everything froze so badly that when I'd walk to the bus stop for work, the only way was to walk in the road because the paevements were like ice rinks. Be careful even if you go walking on a gravel path when it's frozen, that's often when you don't see the ice and it's like a super rink. Walk on the grass, it's the safest. And fascinating how the grass here defrosts and stays alive, not like Joburg grass that goes brown and dies after frost. W@nted and Ant in the NL 2
W@nted Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Great tips, thanks Sydd! I am also a newbie here with this winter thing. I did see the white specs on the walkways and bike paths today (aka salt 😁). Our car was delivered on friday, so I chickened out this morning and dropped the kids off at school. Did not want to let them cycle 4km in this cold. At work there were some frozen puddles that were marked with traffic cones. my commute is only 1.5km, so the cold was bearable for me on the bicycle. Ant in the NL 1
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now