I appreciate both you and Grant chiming in to this thread. There doesn't have to be much more to say to the topic, but I will say this - I think you both are totally correct with the wider tires are better tires. Even on my set up for fast club riding Roadeo I went with 33's and don't feel slowed down compared to the other club riders are riding 23's. I know I am more comfortable on the 33's, also happier. Oh, and I hate flats. On Wednesday, March 19, 2014 10:37:22 AM UTC-5, Jan Heine wrote:
> Grant, > > Thank you for the nice words. Yes, I appreciate your friendship, too. Fond > memories... I totally understand where you are coming from when it comes to > tires. There is a place for sturdy tires. You articulate it well: How much > do you want to think about your bike. I don't mind changing my chain once > in a while, so I ride derailleurs, not an internally-geared hub. And I > don't mind looking at my tires every couple of months to make sure that the > sidewalls are still OK. (They usually are, I haven't had a sidewall cut in > decades.) > > For me, riding a bike is all about the smiles. The wind in my face, the > bike leaning into a corner, picking up speed as I pedal harder – it's an > incredible feeling. It's as much fun today as it was when I was ten and got > my first ten-speed. I am looking for tires that sing on the road. I want my > tires to absorb even the worst chipseal without making my hands blur on the > handlebars. On gravel roads, I want my tires to float over the pebbles > rather than bounce with each little bump. It's an added bonus that these > tires allow me to ride through the night and feel none the worse for wear > when I see the sun come up behind some peak in the Cascades. But even on > short rides – especially on short rides – great tires makes the ride much > more fun for me. > > When I go for a run or a walk, I wear running shoes, not steel-shanked > hiking boots. I'll have to be a bit more careful where I step, but that is > OK. I also don't wear racing flats, and for the same reason, we don't make > "event" tires with ultra-thin tread that lasts only 1500 miles and is more > likely to puncture. I want tires that offer a great ride and performance, > but that a good rider can use every day. > > Like Grant, I don't like flats, and with the wider tires we ride these > days, flats are such a rare occurrence that I rarely think about them. In > more than 25,000 miles of riding Hetres and Babyshoe Pass 650B x 42 mm > tires, I've had three flats. Two were caused by steel wires that would have > penetrated most tires eventually. Even so, I would be willing to endure a > flat every few months in return for a tire that puts a smile on my face. > > Jan Heine > Compass Bicycles Ltd. > www.compasscycle.com > > Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/ > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
