Tired of tires

After a frustrating series of tire problems, I finally threw in the towel on Saturday and took the bike to the LBS for a new set of tires and tubes. I'm having them true the wheels as well, and I'm switching to 28mm Continental Gatorskins. It's an expensive move for me, having just put on the Maxxis ReFuse within the last six months (and not many miles). But enough is enough. My rule, whether it's a bike or a car, is when I no longer have confidence in my ride, it's time to take action. I was happier with the 28mm width than the 25s, in spite of a little faster roll. I was really reluctant to ride the packed limestone trails, and that's what is nearest my house.

Since I won't have the bike back for a few days, I took my old Schwinn Sierra mountain/comfort bike out on Sunday. I did 38 miles, which is the longest ride I've ever done on that bike, and it wasn't all that bad. The wind was the worst part, and that was made worse by a bike with an upright position.

I also had some growing pains with the new Brooks saddle. When I got the B17 for my road bike it was comfortable immediately. The B68 is a little wider, designed for the more upright position of my Schwinn. It seems like it's going to take some breaking in. One possible factor is tilt; I'm now a complete convert to two-bolt seatposts, and the Schwinn is a one bolt, so getting the tilt perfectly set up is almost impossible. I think that's a real factor with Brooks saddles -- the tilt really has to be perfect or you're either pushing yourself back or sliding into the "hammock" or sling part of the seat. That puts even more stress on the hands and wrists.

While the Schwinn has served me well, I'm leaning more toward a new alternative bike. I get a lot of discomfort when I ride the road bike exclusively, and it seems really refreshing to switch back and forth between bikes. And I am leaning toward another upright bike of some sort.

I've studied the specs of several hybrids, including the Specialized Sirrus, the Cannondale Quick CX, the Trek 7.5 FX and the Fuji Sunbird series. I'm not that interested in a suspension fork, but I do like carbon. And I'd rather have an aluminum frame. I'd move over my Brooks B68 saddle and add some bar ends. Of the bikes above, I'm most interested in seeing the Specialized Sirrus Elite.

A Deflating Experience

After years of riding my Schwinn Sierra with its 1.95 inch wide knobby tires, I don't remember ever having a flat tire. I'd been warned by friends that I might have a few more when I switched to a road bike with those little skinny tires. I got a Motobecane cyclocross, and it had a skinnier tire than I was used to, but still not super narrow. It came with Kenda Kwick 28mm cross tires. A little bit of knobbiness, a little bit of width. But pretty soft. I started having thorns and glass and rocks go right through them. And I wore them out pretty fast.

So I looked at some forums and talked to some friends and settled on a new tire: Maxxis ReFuse training tires in 700x25. They, I learned, ReFuse to get a flat. For weeks, I further discovered.

After a few flats I decided it was time to get even more serious. More seriouser, I'm telling you! I added a set of tire liners. They come with a guarantee: if you ever get a puncture flat they will replace your tube and your tire liner! How could I lose? Even had my LBS install them for me.

Four miles into my first ride I had a pinch flat. That was me on the side of the road, as usual, fixing a flat. I decided not to spend all day trying to get the tube liner back in, put in another tube and pumped it up as much as I could and hit the road. I also decided not to let it ruin my day. And even though it was a bit soft I had a good ride.

Another nice feature we have along the Madison County Illinois trail system is a rest stop near Collinsville which has a compressor. I stopped and used  it, but couldn't get past around 75 psi. Still, I had a nice ride, got in around 30 miles, and most importantly, did not let it ruin my day.

I also did something a bit daring for me: I decided to fix that flat on the roadside with a patched tube. I don't normally have good luck with patched tubes, but this one has held up well. I think it's partly a matter of getting more experience patching them. I think I have to remember to totally deflate the tube before applying the patch. I hear people say that they patch them while they're inflated so they can see (or feel) the hole better. But that is not working out for me. Tell me I'm wrong, I'd love to hear it. My last tube was $7.00, though, so I'm going to use these things as much as I can!

So I don't know what my next step is. Planning to ride in an hour or two from now. I've put the tube liner back in, and I hope it isn't creating more problems than it's designed to solve. If this fails, I'm looking at a set of Continental Gatorskins 700Cx28mm.

***

UPDATE: My tire was flat when I got home. Took it all apart and found another hole. I patched it and reassembled and headed out. Almost 10 miles out I noticed a slight sidewall bulge. I stopped, deflated the tire, then carefully pumped it back up. Rode the remaining six miles home. We'll see (when my parents said "we'll see" it was never good).

Not the perfect fit?

[caption id="attachment_22" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Motobecane Fantom Cross"][/caption]

I've been swapping back and forth between bikes lately. I've only been riding a road bike (technically it's a cyclocross) for a year and a half. In spite of a lot of adjusting my fit, I'm still having some discomfort. I was able to solve(!) the saddle problem with a Brooks B17. That hard leather chunk of British brilliance has effectively ended my butt soreness and especially the pressure between the legs that never ended with a hard plastic saddle or with a gel saddle.

But I'm still dealing with pain in my hands and occasionally in my neck and shoulders. Seems like I'm riding with a lot of tension, especially on windy or cold days, which is causing the neck pain. But even on a good day I'm having problems with my hands. I ride with gloves, hands on the hoods most of the time. I only go to the drop position occasionally. Having more hand positions has to help, but overall there are still comfort issues.

So I alternate from time to time with my old Schwinn Sierra mountain bike. I've just added a Brooks B68 to it. No neck or shoulder pain, but hands are going numb with this setup. And I don't have alternative hand positions, so this numbness and pain doesn't get better. I still believe that, even after thousands of miles, I'm still "getting used to it." I used to stop and take short breaks every 10 miles or so. Now it's more like 20 miles. So that's progress!

Now I'm having dreams of another new bike -- it always comes down to new toys, doesn't it? I'm looking at hybrids and wondering if one of those might be a good replacement for the old Schwinn. I like the taller frame, the 700C wheels, the 35mm tire width. Maybe a riser bar...any thoughts?

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