Tag: tyres

March 14th – My experiment with Specialized Armadillo tyres is now over.

I will not be buying another set.

On my favourite steed, I have tyre clearance issues with the mudguards, so wanting to return to the softer, more forgiving ride of a 28mm tyre over the usual 25s, last September when tyre replacement was needed, I got a pair of Specialised Armadillo tyres I’d heard were very good – apparently nearly as resilient as Martathon Plus which I normally use, at a lower profile. 

People ho liked them recommended them with an almost religious zeal.

My initial feeling was that the tyre were not as tough, but they bedded in and proved very puncture resistant, which surprised me. My issue was that for a tyre described as ‘all condition’ their grip was sketchy at best in even moderate rain and useless on even slight ice, as two offs and various skids in the winter had proven.

The compound seemed very hard and they tyres were noisy when rolling.

Leaving work this evening, I flatted on the rear. examination of the tyre revealed the surface had totally delaminated from the inner lining, and was shredding. Within five months.

I’ve popped Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28mm back on. The quiet and feel is heavenly. Stick with what you know, folks…

November 29th – It’s time. The winter tyres, with tungsten carbide studs in the tread are back on the bike to hopefully prevent further spills this winter. Pumped up hard in normal conditions, Schwalbe Winter roll easily and quietly; let a little air out when icy and they grip beautifully, and run with a satisfying buzz.

Like many cyclists, studded tyres keep me rolling through the winter.

November 11th – I noted that I was using Specialised Armadillo tyres earlier in the week, and mused if they’d be any good on ice. This morning gave me my answer – they’re crap.

Dashing to work just as the sun rose in the first hard ground frost of the season, I rounded a bend in Darlaston, forgetting I was on an untreated backroad. There was black ice lying in wait.

I went one way, the bike went the other. I came off at about 18mph.

Save for bruised legs and a sore elbow, I’m fine apart from the damaged pride, but I’m going to have to get the studded tyres on as soon as possible. If only to forestall snow…

November 8th – For the past few months, I’ve been running different tyres to my preferred, trusty Schwalbe Marathon Plusses – I was wanting to go back to 28mm tyres, but the frame is just a tad too slim to use marathon plus 28s, so I bit the bullet and tried Specialised Armadillo 28s instead. I’d heard great things about them, but wasn’t expecting them to be as good.

They haven’t been bad, actually; maybe not as tough, but the tread is wearing better than I’d have expected, and they’re only a little less grippy than my favoured brand. 

Despite being classed as ‘all condition’, I’m not sure they’ll be suitable on ice, but we’ll see. So far, so good. Genuinely shocked.

February 9th – Sad to note that at the south end of Victoria Park in Darlaston, beyond the railway bridge, flytippers have been at work. What is normally an fairly clean marshy area beloved of birds and bugs, a quantity of tyres have been dumped, clearly thrown down the embankment from the car-park above.

Only the lowest of the low do this. Scum.

January 16th – Another bitterly cold, but generally bright day, so I headed to Hints, Weeford and Shenstone to best enjoy the it. I’d finally got the ice tyres on, so felt confident (literally) breaking the ice and riding through the slush and frozen puddles.

The landscape looked wonderful again, but it was also good to see even more  fungus near Hints – on the same large, felled log, yellow jelly fungus and ascocoryne – and perfect specimens too.

This sudden cold snap has been so much what I’ve been wanting and hoping for..

January 14th – A cold day with a punishing headwind. Following brief snow the night before, there was an icy covering when I battled to work. I saw the Kingfisher on the canal again – but my ice tyres were so noisy that all I saw was the cobalt blue flash of the bird flying away.

The tyres did make short work of the conditions, though, and the twin spires of Wednesbury looked beautiful from James Bridge Aqueduct.

January 12th – Just a warning to local cyclists that today, the hedge alongside the canal towpath at Catshill, next to Lanes Farm, was flailed. On the plus side, visibility is now great again over the hedge – this is important, necessary work that has to be done now before birds start nesting.

On the negative site, the towpath is now unavoidably strewn with that sharp enemy of cyclists across northern Europe – hawthorn spines.

I’ve often thought they should make planes out of the same stuff these thorns are made of – it can work it’s way through some very tough tyres, and causes about 80% of the flats I get.

If you’re not rocking puncture proof tyres (or even if you are) this stretch of towpath is probably best avoided for a week or two.

January 5th – A fiddly maintenance job this evening. Studded ice tyres currently fitted to my bike have small, very hard carbide studs in them to grip black ice. They sit in pockets in the tyre tread, and on the back in particular, if you skid on tarmac or brake very hard, they rip out.

Once I’ve lost ten or so, I delve into the spares box and whip out a small bag containing replacement studs, supplied by Schwalbe, the tyre manufacturer. 

By deflating the tyre and pinching the cavity, with pliers one can pop fresh studs in, using a drop of washing up liquid as a lubricant. Fiddly at first, once you’ve got the hang, it’s easy to do.

It may sound overzealous, but for the want of a couple of studs, you could slide. A stitch in time, and all that…

December 28th – The winter boots are on. These Schwalbe Marathon Plus Winter are on their third season now. A 38mm 700c tyre with grippy central rubber tread, flanked by twin rows of proud, carbide studs, they grip well on black ice and make short work of snow. They’re not infallible but give me confidence when cornering and feel sure-footed and secure when the chips are down.

They are, however, noisy in use and not terribly fast; but they’re home for the next few weeks at least.

If you’re out on the roads over the cold spell, here are my tips for safe cycling, even if you don’t have winter tyres…

  • Stick to main routes where possible. Avoid backlanes and canal towpaths.
  • Ride on the road, out of the gutter where standing water freezes.
  • Take it steady, and ease off on the speed – particularly downhill.
  • Use your momentum and judge it – avoid braking where possible.
  • Turn gently without braking.
  • Use your back brake rather than your front, and pulse it don’t clamp it on. Just light touches.
  • Move with the bike. Go with it if it slides, don’t fight it.
  • If you lose the back, you can pull out of it with care. Lose the front and you’re gone. Bear that in mind in a slide.
  • Give other roadusers more space, and consider the consequences if they slide. 
  • Let a little air out of your tyres to increase contact area.

Take it easy, folks.