# Road bikes on rough surfaces.



## Brandane (16 May 2010)

How do you guys on road bikes with skinny high pressure tyres manage on roads with less than perfect surfaces (and that seems to be just about ALL roads nowadays)??

Reason I ask is that I recently changed tyres on my Tricross from 700x32 to 700x28 which I inflate to about 90 psi. Now a Tricross is supposedly a cyclocross bike and you would think it should be better able to soak up the odd bump or two. A lot of the roads around here have been tarred with that horrible surface that is mostly small stones held together with tar. Fine when in the car. Not pot-holed, but just very rough, uncomfortable and really hard going on a bike, if I am getting my description across here! You certainly notice a huge difference when you do find a smoother bit of road. 

It has really made me think again about any aspirations I had of getting a proper road bike. In fact, because there are so many badly surfaced roads about here, I would probably tend to go the other way and get a mountain bike with road tyres. The Tricross was meant to be a compromise but even that is hard work. Why can't they put down decent road surfaces these days??


----------



## guitarpete247 (16 May 2010)

Just put up with it. I've not got 700's but 27" 1 /14" and know where I'm going to have my a**e rattled. (FNARR don't see this). I'm just ready for it and lift my bum up a little when I see the surface I'm going over.
The roads I ride on aren't that brilliant but I cope and so do lot of others. I live and ride near the juction of National Routes 52 and 63 so there are a lot of cyclists using local roads so don't know if they have a lot of pressure to bear. If they do the roads are that good, especially Route 52. 
I just ride the rough as I would off road on MTB lift up if needed and check wheels regularly. Mine are 25 year old Mavic Module E rims and still OK.


----------



## gaz (16 May 2010)

Get on the drops and POWER!

lol in all seriousness don't do that, just get light and let the bike roll, might be uncomfortable but the bike should take it if it's only minor stuff.


----------



## mpeter (16 May 2010)

I've got a Tricross too and have just change to 700x25's. Some of the roads I was on today were atrocious and made me wish I'd stuck with the knobblies at times. With the broader tyres it seemed to cope very well with rough road conditions. That said, even though I hit some potholes quite hard the road tyres seemed to cope OK. It's mostly just a case of trying to avoid the worst of it and being ready for it when you can't, ie brace yourself and try to "ride light" by lifting yourself out of the saddle slightly. I know what you mean about that gravelly stuff though - if you get up to speed it can feel like it's going to shake the eyeballs right out of your head.


----------



## buggi (16 May 2010)

on my commute, one road is so bad with deep crevaces that it makes me wince for my poor bike everytime i have to go over one. i'm thinking of finding another road... only thing is, i don't think i'll have much luck unless i want to venture on to very fast A roads.


----------



## on the road (16 May 2010)

You just have to grin and bear it. I've got 23mm tyres and often ride on really bad teeth shattering roads, it's no fun but I put up with it.


----------



## Globalti (17 May 2010)

Have a look at Specialized Roubaix tyres. They're made a bit deeper to give more comfort on bad roads, hence the name. 

Your wheels have a lot to do with it too, I have recently upgraded to stiffer wheels and I did notice that my bum was correspondingly a little painful after Saturday's 48 miler on the same kind of roads where the top dressing is wearing off leaving a horribly rough surface.


----------



## on the road (17 May 2010)

You have to take the rough with the smooth


----------



## croyde (17 May 2010)

One of the reasons that I stayed away from road bikes was the feeling that the ride must be terrible on the roads, as they are in such a state. I have a hard enough time on my Giant M1 with 26 ins road/off road tyres.

I was pleasantly surprised when I took out an Allez Elite on a test, that it was actually more comfortable than my Giant on the same roads.


----------



## Gerry Attrick (17 May 2010)

Frame design has a huge influence as to how road surfaces are perceived in the saddle. My old Dawes Shadow with its frame tubes cut from gas pipe and 27 x 1 1/4 is sheer hell on anything but the smoothest surfaces, whilst my CF Cannondale on 23mm Vittorias just glides over the rough stuff. Generally (sticking neck out) aluminium tends to be a somewhat harsher ride than a quality (say 631) steel frame or that provided by Ti or CF. However, because of the stiffness required by out and out race bikes, some of those very expensive CF also have their tooth-chipping moments.


----------



## redddraggon (17 May 2010)

MTFU


----------



## MichaelM (17 May 2010)

I think it comes down to what you're used to. I managed fine for years on 700x23 tyres. This winter I built up a cross bike and put 700x30 tyres on it due to all the water/crap filled potholes that I seem to find. Bike felt like luxury. I recently brought my summer bike out of hibernation with 700X23 - I don't half notice the bad surfaces now.


----------



## Jezston (17 May 2010)

Gerry Attrick said:


> Generally (sticking neck out) aluminium tends to be a somewhat harsher ride than a quality (say 631) steel frame



Damn right it is. Even with 37s on my Kona Dew and replacement steel handlebars rough surfaces are far from fun. And there seems to be a lot more rough surfaces out there than there used to be.

But yes, at the end of the day, MTFU.


----------



## dodgy (17 May 2010)

HTFU or buy a titanium framed bike


----------



## steve52 (17 May 2010)

jjjuuussstt ggrriittt urrr tttteettthhh aaannnndd kkkkeeepppp gggooooiiinnggg aaasss bbbeesstt yyoooouuu ccaaannn!!!!


----------



## Globalti (17 May 2010)

....and dream of riding on the continent where all the roads are smooth.


----------



## MacB (17 May 2010)

titanium frame, carbon forks and 32mm tyres could give you the best result.


----------



## Globalti (17 May 2010)

A carbon seatpost helps.


----------



## Hont (17 May 2010)

Globalti said:


> ....and dream of riding on the continent where all the roads are smooth.


Except in Flanders 

I've got an alu bike and 700x23 tyres and I just try to imagine I'm riding Paris Roubaix all the time. 

But there's nothing worse than a previously tarmaced road being re-surfaced with that chipping crap it can take 2-3mph from you, never mind the discomfort.


----------



## BigSteev (17 May 2010)

Globalti said:


> ....and dream of riding on the continent where all the roads are smooth.



Mmmm, lovely smooth roads...


----------



## Davidc (17 May 2010)

That type of surface is bad, and even worse when it wears so there are patches of it with the old surface exposed in places, and the difference in level to jolt you!

I use a tourer with 700 wheels and 32 marathons inflated to 90 psi. I generally find the combination comfortable, but those surfaces are still poor to ride.

I agree with the comments about steel, although the advantage doesn't seem as great with modern frame geometry.

I also have an aluminium mtb with suspension forks which is fitted with 1.5" slicks at 65 psi, and on most road surfaces it isn't any more or less testing on the backside than the tourer. It came with some knobblies which I found the most uncomfortable ride ever!

Perhaps it's just my perception, but I think our road surfaces are now worse than I can remember them ever being in the past.


----------



## accountantpete (17 May 2010)

It's just that the advantages of my Veloflex 20mm's pumped up to the max outweigh the disadvantages.

They can ping a pebble at 100mph right onto the shins of pedestrians or the paintwork of a gleaming new car causing no end of mirth.


----------



## totallyfixed (17 May 2010)

Learn to bunny hop.


----------



## Globalti (17 May 2010)

I borrowed this really stiff aluminium bike for a 48 miler in SA last year and it nearly killed me, the roads weren't even as bad as UK roads with the worn out surface dressing but I felt absolutely knackered at the end. It also needed a good service because it wouldn't go down onto the granny ring so at every hill I had to get off and push the chain over manually. The frame was one size too small so I had too much weight on my hands and have you seen the size of that big ring....? Nightmare.


----------



## robz400 (17 May 2010)

What the hell is a smooth road??


----------



## Paulus (17 May 2010)

robz400 said:


> What the hell is a smooth road??



I seem to remember them from the dim and distant past.


----------



## Randochap (18 May 2010)

As I've said before, there is no virtue in suffering when you don't need to and it's just smart to choose the right tool for the job. The surface you're referring to we refer to as "chipseal" and is best tackled with wider, lower-pressure tyres. You'll be more comfortable and go faster.

The bike I like riding best on bumpy surfaces is my 650b bike with 42mm high-performance tyres, which is featured in "my bikes" and has its own page at VeloWeb.

I also write about the virtues of wider tyres in a recent article on VeloWebLog.


----------



## RedBike (18 May 2010)

I had a tri-cross for a bit. Despite the 'cyclo-x' frame and those stupidly heavy zert insert forks it was NOT a comfortable bike. 

Go and try a good steel or carbon audax (not tourer) bike.


----------



## zizou (18 May 2010)

Its a right pain - Only upside is that it makes smooth tarmac all the bigger reward. 

To improve things a bit you could try different bar tape (or even double bar tape)


----------



## Jezston (18 May 2010)

Globalti said:


> I borrowed this really stiff aluminium bike for a 48 miler in SA last year and it nearly killed me, the roads weren't even as bad as UK roads with the worn out surface dressing but I felt absolutely knackered at the end. It also needed a good service because it wouldn't go down onto the granny ring so at every hill I had to get off and push the chain over manually. The frame was one size too small so I had too much weight on my hands and have you seen the size of that big ring....? Nightmare.



What about the big ... [double take] ... holy crap!


----------



## GrasB (18 May 2010)

Comfort isn't all about the tyres by any means. A harsh frame & stiff wheels on big tyres will let more vibration through to the contact points if the tyres are correctly inflated compared to a more compliant frame & wheel set. For handle bars I find that 'standard' 25.4-26mm bars tend to flex a little more which dampens vibration compared to 31.8mm 'oversized' bars. 

With this in mind I found that my fixie on 650x23c tyres was more comfortable to ride over bad surfaces than my Marin with 700x44c tyres. I also know which frame was far stiffer.


----------



## Hont (18 May 2010)

Globalti said:


>



What is that big ring FFS? A 65? Was it stamped "For downhill only"?

Went out for a spin this am. One road just coated with chippings (and I mean _just_ - slithered all over the place), two showing signs of closure for "surface renewal". I'm guessing that doesn't mean nice smooth tarmac.


----------



## threefingerjoe (20 May 2010)

I must agree with Randochap. You can get the comfort you want with big, slick tyres. Tests, by the way, show little to no performance hit vs. skinny, high pressure tyres.

It's a shame that that cycle industry is so driven by racing. FAR too many people are riding road bikes, though they have no intention of ever entering a race. MOST people would be better off on a touring bike, with it's slightly more relaxed geometry, wider gear ratios, and ability to fit wide tyres, (not to mention, all the braze-ons that you would want for racks and mudguards).


----------



## GrasB (20 May 2010)

Depends what you mean by little to no hit. I call a measured 17% increase in power requirements a big hit my self, the difference between a 700x28c & 700x40c M+ from a 20mph roll down test. That kinda difference is small at say 15mph but get up to 20mph & the extra power required is quite noticeable.


----------

