Big Apple Liteskins: stable, supple, fast
Andre Jute
some further observations by Andre Jute
It may be that I've adapted to the bike I ride now, or it may be that
I found the right inflation for the Big Apples, but they're even
better as a suspension medium than I thought at first.
At the back of the bike judgement is of course complicated by fitting
a fully sprung Brooks saddle, but at the front I now perceive the Big
Apples to be very nearly as good on the big bumps as the best front
suspension I own, Shimano's Di2 electronically controlled fork, and
better on removing the microripples.
The Big Apples also have stickitivity around fast tight corners,
appearing to stick to all their edges, though it is quite difficult to
find that out as the tyre sticks to the main surface for a long time
before it rolls over a little. With the Big Apples carrying pretty low
inflation (1.8 bar, under the recommended level for my weight), there
is a certain amount of apparent float, something like a Citroen DS at
high speed over cobblestones, but it's all in the head as the contact
patch remains stiffly attached to the road.
I think there's a lot more cornering power to discover in those Big
Apples, but without having my fastest downhills cleared of oncoming
traffic I shall probably never have an opportunity to find the excess.
It seems to me very likely that the Big Apple's cornering power
exceeds good sense, bravery, and possibly even recklessness.
In short, the Big Apples can be inflated below the recommended level,
and they provide a stable platform, supply suspended. Mine are the
Liteskin version. Since I have no experience of the standard Big
Apple, I can't say if the Liteskins are worth the extra, but the Big
Apple is surely worth the money.
Andre Jute
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DougC
> SCHWALBE'S BIG APPLE LIGHTSKINS
> some further observations by Andre Jute
> I think there's a lot more cornering power to discover in those Big
> Apples, but without having my fastest downhills cleared of oncoming
> traffic I shall probably never have an opportunity to find the excess.
> In short, the Big Apples can be inflated below the recommended level,
> and they provide a stable platform, supply suspended.
They work even better on wider rims, if you don't have fairly-wide rims
already.
Except for cruisers, most bikes in the US come with narrow ~1" rims.
That's really too narrow for fat tires--the inflation pressure has to be
kept too high to avoid sideways flexing, and then the tire doesn't
absorb bumps.
Fat bicycle tires are intended for rims 1.25' to 2' wide or so, and
shouldn't ever need more than about 2.2 bar of pressure at the most.
If you absolutely love the way the fat tires ride, then consider getting
some wheels with rims that are 1.25 to 1.5" wide.
~
Andre Jute
Thanks, Doug. I already have what in Europe are the standard wide 622
rims for Big Apples all the way to 622-60, in fact specifically
designed for the Big Apples, the XL25, which is 25mm across the beads.
Only one wider rim is available here in 28in size, the Kris Holm 29er
unicycle rim, which is 31mm across the beads. Americans describe these
rims by their outside width, the XL25 as a 31mm, the Kris Holm 29er as
a 38mm; the one-inchers you condemn are usually 17-19mm across the
beads.
Chalo Colina generously shared his wide experience before I took the
plunge into balloons: "I've run the 60-622 Big Apple on three kinds of
rims: Mavic T519 (an ordinary touring bike rim), Sun Rhyno Lite 700c
(a 27.5mm wide MTB rim) and Kris Holm 29er mountain unicycle rim (a
38mm wide downhill-
style rim). Not surprisingly, it works best on the widest rim. It is
on the 38mm wide rim that I can use sub-30 psi pressures without
noticing any lateral casing deflection in hard corners. The Sun Rhyno
Lite is almost as good in that regard, but mounted on the Mavic rim
the tire is significantly less stable at high lean angles. However,
the tire's shock absorbtion seems slightly better at any given
pressure when the tire is mounted on the narrower rim."
Note that at 210-215 pounds I weight only 60% of one Chalo.
Accordingly I've already gone down to 1.8 bar without adverse
circumstances, once by accident down to 1.7 bar for several days
without any problems. But such extremes are unnecesary. At 1.8 bar I
have a supple ride and no fear of pinch flats.
If and when I have to replace my rims, I'll try the Kris Holm 29er, or
perhaps by then there will be even wider rims available.
Andre Jute
The Serene Cyclist