Which tires, which bike for Ride the Rockies?

[Mojo]

Ride the Rockies starts weekend next. Is anyone from this group going to be there?  

 

So I am between two bikes, a standard Rivendell road and a Legolas.

The Legolas has longboard fenders on it, so the thought is I will take the road if the weather forecast is dry, the Legolas if wet.

I like the idea of having fenders for a 6 day ride though. Both bikes weigh around 25lbs with empty saddlebag, empty water bottles, pump, repair kit, bell, small lights.

 

Now tires. This is 440 miles with about 25 miles of dirt. One 15 mile stretch of dirt is towards the end of the longest day at 92 miles. The dirt roads are described as smooth. I have three sets of tires: Jack Brown Greens, Rolly Polys, Schwalbe Ultremo ZX (28mm). If the Legolas goes it will definitely have the Jack Browns. The Riv road can take any of these tires without fenders.

 

Thoughts? Thanks!

[Ryan Watson]

I'll be there! I've done RTR almost every year since 1993.

I've not ridden the dirt section in question, but the other dirt roads they've used in the past have actually been smoother than most of the pavement. They spray some kind of chemical binder on the road ahead of time.

Colorado pavement, especially in the mountains, is pretty crappy. I wouldn't use anything narrower than 32mm myself. 

Having said that, 90+% of the riders use skinny 23mm tires and seem to enjoy themselves. You do see lots of thick bar tape, jelly filled gloves and those anti-vibration bar plugs!

On one particularly rough section I once picked up almost a dozen of those plugs that had rattled loose and fallen on the road.

I'll be on my 650B Kogswell with 38-40mm tires, probably Trimlines. Fenders too.

I'll be surprised if there are more than 10 fendered bikes there. I've seen many totally rain-free years, but last year, it rained like hell on the last day. You never know. Most likely, rain will come in the form of the occasional brief, but intense afternoon thunderstorm.

Also, a bell is worth it's weight in gold when sharing the road with 2000 other riders.

Ryan in Albuquerque 

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[PATRICK MOORE]

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Ryan Watson <rswa...@me.com> wrote:

> Having said that, 90+% of the riders use skinny 23mm tires and seem to enjoy
> themselves. You do see lots of thick bar tape, jelly filled gloves and those
> anti-vibration bar plugs!

What the heck are "anti vibration bar plugs"?!

> I'll be on my 650B Kogswell with 38-40mm tires, probably Trimlines. Fenders
> too.

Curious: why not the very nice Herse? Was the K the one I borrowed briefly?

Patrick Moore, girding my loins for a massively epic 30 miler once the
smoke dies down in ABQ, NM

[Ryan Watson]

On Jun 1, 2012, at 10:37, PATRICK MOORE <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Ryan Watson <rswa...@me.com> wrote:
>
>> Having said that, 90+% of the riders use skinny 23mm tires and seem to enjoy
>> themselves. You do see lots of thick bar tape, jelly filled gloves and those
>> anti-vibration bar plugs!
>
> What the heck are "anti vibration bar plugs"?!

These things:
http://bontrager.com/model/04579

A total gimmick if you ask me. I probably still have a set if you want to try em.

> I'll be on my 650B Kogswell with 38-40mm tires, probably Trimlines. Fenders
>> too.
>
> Curious: why not the very nice Herse?

I sold it to you, remember! Unless you mean the Boulder. I don't need all the Boulder's randonneur accoutrements on a ride like RTR, so I usually take the Kogswell. I reserve the right to change my mind, though.

> Was the K the one I borrowed briefly?

That's the one!

>
> Patrick Moore, girding my loins for a massively epic 30 miler once the
> smoke dies down in ABQ, NM
>

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> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

[PATRICK MOORE]

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 1:25 PM, Ryan Watson <rswa...@me.com> wrote:
>> What the heck are "anti vibration bar plugs"?!
> These things:
> http://bontrager.com/model/04579
>
> A total gimmick if you ask me. I probably still have a set if you want to try em.

Thanks, but no thanks -- they're not carbon fiber.

I meant the Boulder, of course. FWIW, the woman to whom I sold the
Herse, a long distance rider from MD, loves it -- I think it finally
found a rest from its peregrinations. Odd how I disliked the Kogswell
but liked the fit and feel of the Herse -- just not the sort of bike I
use regularly.

I think I've found a buyer for the trike ...

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

Jacks and fenders. There's no downside to having them both and they might make your six days in the saddle a lot more pleasant.

[William]

Harmonica Damper Technology!  

On Friday, June 1, 2012 12:25:25 PM UTC-7, Ryan wrote:

On Jun 1, 2012, at 10:37, PATRICK MOORE <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Ryan Watson <rswa...@me.com> wrote:
>
>> Having said that, 90+% of the riders use skinny 23mm tires and seem to enjoy
>> themselves. You do see lots of thick bar tape, jelly filled gloves and those
>> anti-vibration bar plugs!
>
> What the heck are "anti vibration bar plugs"?!


These things:
http://bontrager.com/model/04579

A total gimmick if you ask me. I probably still have a set if you want to try em.


> I'll be on my 650B Kogswell with 38-40mm tires, probably Trimlines. Fenders
>> too.
>
> Curious: why not the very nice Herse?

I sold it to you, remember! Unless you mean the Boulder. I don't need all the Boulder's randonneur accoutrements on a ride like RTR, so I usually take the Kogswell. I reserve the right to change my mind, though.


> Was the K the one I borrowed briefly?

That's the one!

>
> Patrick Moore, girding my loins for a massively epic 30 miler once the
> smoke dies down in ABQ, NM
>
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> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

[Mojo]

Great Ryan, I will look for you there. It should be easy to find the guy with the fat-tired, fendered Kogswell. :)

 

Thanks everyone for your advice. The JB's seem like a great idea.

I do like the Road standard's handling and its cockpit (44cm Noodles vs 46cm on the Legolas) a bit more.

So I am biased towards that bike.

Either bike will be fun.

I am looking forward to it.

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[Matthew J]

> These things: 
http://bontrager.com/model/04579 

> A total gimmick if you ask me. I probably still have a set if you want to try em.

Odd and a sorry commentary about a lot of things going on in cycling today.  Don't use readily available tires that are right for the ride.  Scour the whack parts bin for something that will make you think you are addressing the shortcomings of your peer approved tires.