Thanks for the gear tip.  These sound like tires that WAAM can recommend for
folks heading on longer rides/tours.

-India, We Are All Mechanics
http://www.WeAreAllMechanics.com

On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 11:51 AM, Swell Schultz <[email protected]>wrote:

>  My 2 cents...
>
> I went from 23c road tires 2 years ago to 25c Conti Gatorskin "training"
> tires - they are TOUGH and only a bit larger. I think they have a layer of a
> ceramic cloth  similar to kevlar. No flats in 2 years and they are nice
> handling meats.
> Dan
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:23:31 -0700
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]; [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Bikies] MS Ride and tires
>
> Like anything else in life, you can't gain a feature while changing one
> option without giving up another feature.
> We have established the probability of the slag as one factor of increased
> flats, and road trash as a another factor, lightweight and thin tires as a
> another factor. The conflict then appears to be municipality's desire for
> cost effective means of keeping streets safe and smooth and the cyclists
> desire to keep ounces off the bicycle for speed. Umm, lets see which desire
> wins when it comes to the public budget time.
> I know I'm a poster child for heavy bikes or trikes but if I had to choose
> between protecting my bones or my racing self-image, I'll protect my bones
> with heavier puncture resistant tires because I can't win a race by spending
> time changing tires.
>
> My humble two cents worth.
> DJ
>
> --- On *Fri, 8/12/11, Michael Rewey <[email protected]>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Michael Rewey <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [Bikies] MS Ride and tires
> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
> Date: Friday, August 12, 2011, 10:49 AM
>
>   Larry presented a very good history.
>
>    We've been presented that it is either pea gravel or coal slag for
> sealing our streets.  While I support the sealing of streets (but not
> necessarily with coal slag) we've been given an either/or scenario.  Let's
> look at it differently.
>
>    I suggest that we use fractured stone or stone chips that are
> pre-coated.  They do it in Ireland where the chips are actually pretty
> big.   Yes, it will cost a little more, but the street will be "ready to go"
> right after application, there will be no glass slivers that cause flat
> tires and it removes the environmental question surrounding the using of
> coal slag in urban and residential areas.
>
>    Mike Rewey
>
>
>
>    --------------------------------------------------
>
>  On 12 Aug 2011 at 8:27, Larry D. Nelson wrote:
>
>
>    Let me attempt to give some background on this issue, Kevin.  I am sure
> that Mike Rewey can add information as well.
>
>   ·        Counties and local municipalities would prefer to maintain
> roads by grinding off the surface and replacing with new asphalt every 15 to
> 20 years.  That takes a lot of petroleum and energy in exchange for a smooth
> surface.
>
>  ·        Sealing the surface with aggregate and water emulsified asphalt
> every five years seals the cracks and, for a residential street, allows the
> pavement to be maintained indefinitely.  The material covers the
> imperfections but does not reduce them but that is not generally a problem
> on residential streets where there is a demand for slower traffic.
>
>  ·        In the early 1970s, air pollution concerns required the shift
> from asphaltic cutback materials to water emulsified materials to reduce the
> release of volatile compounds into the atmosphere.  The old material was bad
> for the air but it was excellent for pavements.
>
>  ·        The City of Madison used chip seal on its 80 miles of unimproved
> streets but would not employee the material on its improved streets.  City
> policy assessed the cost of the pavement to the property owner and residents
> of unimproved streets would tolerate the pea gravel and oil rather than be
> assessed for an improved street.  Dane County did the work.
>
>  ·        The use of pea gravel has some serious problems.  As I said,
> bikers were particularly impacted because “it’s like biking on marbles.”
> Also, pea gravel is mined from glacial outwash deposits, often along
> streams.  Getting a quarry/surface mine in Dane County is pretty difficult.
>
>  ·        Dane County Recycling Coordinator, working with the Dane County
> Highway Department, successfully demonstrated using recycling materials from
> power plants for aggregate on County projects.
>
>  ·        Based on my observations, the recycled materials adhere to the
> pavement better than pea gravel.  And, people can walk and bike on the
> material almost immediately.
>
>  Given our experience in using pea gravel in past years and probability of
> bike crashes, I think its use is too great a risk to the public.
>
>  Larry
>
>
>    From: [email protected] [mailto:bikies-
> [email protected]] On Behalf Of Kevin Luecke
>
>  Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 3:54 PM
>
>  To: [email protected]
>
>  Subject: Re: [Bikies] MS Ride and tires
>
>
>    I will chime in because I keep seeing mention of tire choice making a
> big impact on the flats people are reporting. Tires definitely make a big
> difference in flat prevention - my commuter bikes have heavy, slow rolling,
> uncomfortable tires that are damn near impossible to flat. I never carry
> patches or tubes on my commuters.
>
>
>    On my road bike I ride typical training tires: 23c, narrow, light
> tires. Why? They are noticeably faster and more comfortable than heavily
> armored tires.
>
>
>    In the last four years I have had a total of two flats in the Madison
> area on these tires (and one was because I let the tire visibly wear too
> thin). This summer my wife and I have had at least 6 flats! Nothing has
> changed on the equipment side of things, so I have to think it is something
> on the road that is causing more flats.
>   Every time I have have examined the tires, there are more and more
> little cuts, usually filled with very small chips of what looks like glass.
> After all of these messages, and taking a closer look at what is out on the
> road, I am now convinced that it is the coal slag being used as chip-seal
> aggregate. While I like that a practical use is being found for what is
> otherwise a waste product, this may not be the best use for it. And Larry,
> you mentioned that this is "less expensive" than pea gravel - shouldn't coal
> plants be paying municipalities to take it off their hands or at least
> giving it away for free? Otherwise they'd have to pay to dump it. Seems like
> the munis are getting screwed!
>
>
>    Kevin
>
>  --
>
>  Kevin Luecke
>
>  Lead Planner, Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
>
>  www.bfw.org  | 608-251-4456
>
> -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
>
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