How big is too big? How soft is too soft?
The Rider is the best book ever written about Cycling. I don’t mean that figuratively, I literally mean that literally. I say this despite having had my hand in writing our own Book about Cycling. What makes this book great is not just the prose, which is immaculate, but the spirit of the Velominatus that permeates the work. My friend @ErikdR recently sent me a copy in the original Dutch and, to my amazement, the English translation loses very little of the subtext that most translations do. Still, some expressions as they are written in Dutch carry so much meaning that it is impossible to translate into a foreign tongue. This is the essential underlying art, the intangible essence that separates language from communication.
Early in the book, Krabbé rides a short warm-up and upon reaching his turn-around point, climbs off to answer the call of nature. As he remounts, he carefully wipes his tires clean before setting off back towards the start/finish line. I had never noticed that bit of the book before but the Dutch version used a particular turn of phrase that expressed, if not a love, then an unusual degree of care given to an inanimate object.
And I realized, at that moment, that Cyclists today don’t love their tires anymore; clinchers have desensitized us against the miracle of riding on a membrane supported only by air. Tubulars, on the other hand, make you work to appreciate their miracle. You have to huff some glue (technically that counts as a win-win), you have to align the tyre properly, you have to keep the glue off both the braking surface and the sidewall, which seems like a paradox to the uninitiated. Tubulars make you work for it, they help you appreciate that a tire isn’t a bit of disposable kit; it is a commitment towards mutual benefit.
I was raised like every other Merckx-fearing Velominatus: on a strict diet of Rule #5, long hours in the saddle, and 19mm tires pumped to the highest number the sidewall said to pump them to. Which was usually around 10 bar (150 psi). Simple physics: less surface area meant less friction, and everyone knows friction is an asshole.
Until the last few years, I’ve ridden 23mm tires at 8 bar, no questions asked. In the past few years, however, we’ve come to understand that lower pressures and wider tires provide some significant benefits, like being faster and more comfortable, to pick two. I have accepted this transition like a toddler “accepts” his vegetables.
Like Grandpa adjusting to color film in his camera, I have gradually moved towards wider tires at lower pressures. I’ve been experimenting with 25mm, 26mm, and 27mm tires for the last few seasons, pumped up anywhere from 6.5 to 8.5 bar. (On the cobbles in Northern Europe, I ride them at 5 to 5.5 bar, depending on the conditions.) Empirically, the difference in ride quality by tire pressure comes down first to the quality of the tire and its materials, the weight and riding style of the rider, countered by the road conditions.
Mileage may vary based on your weight and tire, but for now I’ve landed on 26mm tires at 7.5 bar. Now I’m just waiting for my order of Gianni’s Digital Lezyne pressure gauge to show up so I can really get down to business.
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@Nate
We closed on our first house yesterday; that really makes me a good husband!!!
Now...resist all other bike purchases and save up to build a 1st rate bike barn. We've got a 1 acre backyard, huge considering we live right downtown in a city.
@Ron
Hey thats right I am a norcal guy.
Definitely a NE sport, yup. But it seems to be getting popular out here too. My impression of it is a bit prepschooly in general but very cool that you played against the people that originated the game. I like John McPhee's writing on it also.
@Ron
Congrats, you are a real grown up now! I bought last year and have put off thoughts of spending real $$ on bikes.... indefinitely.
@Bespoke
You don't have to wait, my friend. I made this switch a few years ago. Was on the GP 4000s with butyl.
Now am on: 1) Open Pro rims, Record hubs, Vittoria Corsa SC tires in 25mm with Vredestein latex tubes. What a ride! 2) Mavic SuperLight wheels with 25mm Veloflex Masters with Vredestein tubes. Sure, they're not tubulars. However, the ride quality is far superior. No question. I'd never go back to other tires.
Latex tubes take a bit more care in installing, but they're worth it for me. I also have no problems with tire lifespan or punctures either. No more, and probably less, than when I was riding Continental GPs.
@Ron
Ron is right. It's an interesting blind test on a presumably nonobsessive subject. You, however, are a Velominatus and should heed the call of the Veloflex now.
Nate - I KNOW! I have been dragging my feet in grad school and riding my bikes just to delay adulthood. Damnit, I think it's finally here. In actuality, things are really great overall for me/us, so I can't complain. Plus, I'm still on a bicycle seven days a week, so that is a good way to stay young and young at heart. And thank you. It feels pretty incredible to have a place to settle in. And, I'm looking forward to not moving for years and years. Moving is terrible. Congratulations on your settling down too!
I need a new wheelset, but that's really all I want these days. Been on mismatched OP rims on my Casati for five years. Don't blame me, blame the original owner who had them built up. I'm just trying to set things right!
McPhee has done a nice job. Yup, lacrosse does have the unfortunate prep school aspect. I played with a lot of them in college. But, in New York State it is a huge sport and all the public schools field girls and boys teams. The only "prep" schools that have it in NY are the Catholic schools. But in MD and NH and MA and NJ the big-time, big $ prep schools take it seriously. Upstate NY is a hotbed and Long Island even more so, with their insane population density. Look at every good college team and they'll have 25-50% of the team from NYS. Look at the best college player this year, he's from Onondaga Nation, which is near Syracuse.
It's still very much a traditional game in the sense that the same high schools and areas have been producing the best players for years and years. And, most of the best players have a father or uncle who played. Syracuse has two players on the team who are the sons of coaches. My uncle played in college and gave me a stick when I was 8. His college teammate started the program in my town. His other college teammate...Bill Tierney, 4 time national champ, and the guy who has made Denver a powerhouse, though their program is quite new. The guy is an excellent coach. And yeller, he's comical to watch berate the refs and his players. I've bumped into the Duke coach walking around town (well, he was walking, I was cycling) and spoken with him. He coached two of my brother's high school teammates at Hofstra. Very small world in this sport, which is a lot like cycling in a sense.
It's a great sport, I just worry it's going the way of surfing; more about the gear and 'tude than the soul and passion.
@Nate
Okay. It shall be done. Forthwith!
@RobSandy
If I may, gator skins are the worst tires I'm presently aware of. Their approach to puncture resistance is to make them very tough, whereas a more supple tire generally can flex around whatever is about to cause a flat.
9 times out of 10, the rider in the group with a flat is one with the gator skins.
Try the Conti Four Seasons instead; very good tire and durable.
@freddy
Sadly, I had to take the 27mm FMBs pictured off as they were rubbing the frame. That said, FMBs are very big; their 25 is more like a 27 and their 27 is really a 29...
@antihero
I run fast and loose with this too. I have no qualms whatsoever riding tires I glued on minutes previous. Just don't hang ten in the corners until they've sat a day or two.
I love that it's not easy to get a run on straight and without bulges. You have to work at it, massage it.
A well glued-on tire is something to be proud of.
@KogaLover
Totally.
@unversio
Gommitalia Calypsos are great, and come in at $80 for a pair.
http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=8&description=Calypso+K+Tire+Pair&vendorCode=GOMMI&major=1&minor=27
@Bruce Lee
Spot the fuck on, mate.