Change of tyres = wow!!!

[sddpc]

Hi all,
soon after i bought a Raleigh AT30 hardtail mtb the snows arrived here in fenland, so i chucked on a pair of maxxis
high rollers (26X2.35) with "sticky rubber tread"

Apart from finding i had grip over black ice, i also found i could cycle in places where you couldn't walk when the tracks got muddy
and as a result i've kept these tyres on for several months ... even for cycling hard, dried up roman roads such as the peddars way and
the viking way, not forgetting my frequent blasts around the tracks of thetford forest.
I suspect i'm putting in 50% more energy for any given speed due to the "sluggishness" of these tyres, which seem especially draggy
on tarmac, but always make up for it on mud!!

Anyway, i've noticed the treads are wearing back, so i thought i'd pull them off and save them for winter, replacing them with tyres
a bit more appropriate for the time of year (dry).


My typical "training" ride on my "road bike" is 22 miles, taking 90 minutes, the only time i tried it on the raleigh with the maxxis tyres
damn near killed me ... the same 22 miles took 155 minutes.

Today with a set of racing ralphs on i did the 22 mile ride in ...... 105 minutes. (In spite of the heat).

The question is, am i now going to fall off the moment i ride over some wet grass?? Have i choosen a bad set of tyres for summer use??

 

[Friz]

Find some wet grass and give it a shot.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Racing Ralphs are designed for hard pack riding. They are great summer tyres. That said you won't fall off on wet grass but you will notice a lack of traction through mud and slippery conditions.

 

[Jezston]

Racing Ralphs are designed for hard pack riding. They are great summer tyres. That said you won't fall off on wet grass but you will notice a lack of traction through mud and slippery conditions.

They're hardly slicks - I've seen cyclocross tyres with less knobbly bits. Surely they'd be fine in all but the worst of conditions?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

They're hardly slicks - I've seen cyclocross tyres with less knobbly bits. Surely they'd be fine in all but the worst of conditions?

I speak from personal experience. They are not good in muddy conditions at all.

 

[sddpc]

Tried my 22 miler training route again tonight (in the rain) and managed 97 mins round trip, so definately faster than the maxxis.

So the opinion is these tyres will mess me around on mud, but are fine over hard-pack, which suits my summer riding style.
Its hard to find tyres that are "fast" on tarmac, yet grippy on mud ... i think i should buy another pair of rims for the maxxis
and just swap around depending on conditions.


I'll be visiting thetford forest this weekend, so will get a better idea how the rr's handle across the sand leading into some of the bomb-holes!!

 

[jethro10]

I have this on the rear, and a Rocket Ron on the front.
I ride it all year round on all kinda of terrain with no problems. Last weekend was over Skiddaw way, lots of single track, rocks, grassy banks etc.

It's lack of tread makes it no use in really muddy conditions though, but for me, it's great 98% of the time and I just push the bike the other 2% !

Jeff

 

[sddpc]

Ok, friday night i took the bike up to norfolk and cycled along the coast path.
A couple of times i dropped down onto the marsh and found the tyres would maintain grip, even up slight inclines on mud.
(I had a frog hop across in front of me ... and then later a crab scuttled past. Makes a change from pedestrians i suppose).

I did find the racing ralphs to be unusable over dry sand though ... i've fitted a wide-range cassette and have a silly stupid low gear for
mountain climbing ... this low gear is used over dry sand as well.
Basically where i can power through deep sand on the maxxis high rollers, the ralph's won't steer and won't grip!

Overall i'm happy with the change of tyres, because at 41 years old i'm not exactly going to be racing over technical terrain ... i'm quite
happy being able to out-pace kids half my age on the roads. :-)