Chubby tyres

[SpokeyDokey]

Well my Trek is due next week but I am in a bit of a fret. Tested it for a short while and it felt ok for fit but the firm ride I put down to me not having ridden a road bike for a squillion years.

Got talking to a lad in the village last week who rides a carbon Synapse and he offered to lend it to me and due to the rubbish Lakes weather I finally got to take him up on the offer today.

After a 22 mile ride I now have a sore rump (expected) but I am still not keen on the ride of these road bikes.

I guess perseverance will help and one day it will all seem as smooth as glass.

Until then I am thinking about some chubby tyres on the Trek in the hope it'll make things a tad more plush - so does anyone know how fat I can go on a Trek 2.3 please?

I know they'll be slower but on the basis it took me nearly 2 hours to knock out today's ride it is hardly a moot point and I can live with it.

Sort of wishing I had gone the cyclo-cross route at the moment!

 

[ianrauk]

It depends on what clearence the forks on the bike have.
You could go up to 25's or 28's at a push.

You could lower the psi to the minimum that the tyre sidewall states, that will help a little.

But to be honest, those sizes won't make the bike an any more 'plush' ride.
Getting on and riding a road bike for the first time does seem very weird, uncomfortable and twitchy for some, but it does get better and easier to ride with practice. That and a good pair of padded shorts.

Don't fret on it, get on the bike and ride... it won't be long until you start enjoying the ride that a road bike gives.

 

[Paulus]

+1 to the advice above.

 

[fossyant]

Don't worry, your backside will soon harden up. Not all tyres give a good ride, and bigger isn't always better.

Maybe some 25c or 28c quality tyres.

 

[sabian92]

Get some padded shorts - it'll help to no end and as well with it being winter, longs will have a pad in as well that will help. Could it be that your saddle is set wrong?

I ride 25c tyres on crap roads and they aren't that bad - it might be just that your bum isn't used to it and to be honest, fatter tyres can sometimes give a rougher ride. If not anything else, they'll slow you down as well.

It took me a while to get used to my road bike from my hybrid (I went from 26x1.75 tyres to 700x25) but now I can't even remember what the other bike was like. Just stick at it for a few weeks, ease yourself into it with a few short rides (your definition of short is probably far different to mine ) and your bum will get used to it.