Thanks for all the feedback, especially the detailed report from Hugh. I went out again today on a 27 mile all pavement ride with them pumped to about 40 psi (front and rear), still didn't feel comfortable with them, especially on the long fast twisty descents. Maybe its psychological (from the recent crash), maybe the rims (which i finally measured with a crude tape measure, look to be either 23 or 25mm on the outside, but still....fits 2.1 smart sams fine), but...I felt pretty uncomfortable with them, throwing the smart sams back on, they seemed to roll pretty well on the pavement anyway.
Maybe the 2.0 Big Bens will be better than the 2.15's? Either way, not about to invest in new rims If anyone wants to buy my 26 x 2.15 big bens let me know. On Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 11:40:25 PM UTC-8, hsmitham wrote: > > David, > > I've got some more feedback since I've been running em through the paces. > Just did a mixed terrain ride up to Mount Lowe Trail Camp, about 50 miles & > nearly 6000' elevation. About 70% was on pavement and 30% dirt rail trail > with some technical sections with fist sized rocks, gravel & sand. So on > the ride up my tire pressure was approximately 25-30 psi and the BB's > handled like champs they really just floated over all of it. For a heavy > tire weighing in at 760g they roll surprisingly fast. > > On the way down I deflated them to 20 psi if I thought they performed well > at 30 psi they were even better at 20! The down hill off the mountain I > rode is extremely steep with lots of curves & switch backs with loose hard > pack. The asphalt had loose debris and is even steeper so I kept my speed > down for safety, but I felt no discernible squirreliness on turns and yeah > I know I contradicting my earlier comment above but I'm redacting that :) > While riding on the hardtop they rolled fast and cushy. Here's the load I > was carrying: > > I'm 160# and carried a large sackville saddle bag weighing approximately > 20 lbs and a shop sack up front weighing 6 lbs, plus 3 large water bottles. > > My conclusion, these are really capable tires that I'll be using for a > good long while. > > Here's my Atlantis loaded: > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedalpusher61/15793428233/ > > Here's the terrain I/We rode. > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/37347002@N05/16413586922/ > > Here's the downhill asphalt section. > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedalpusher61/16413467805/ > > Hope this helps. > > Cheers, > > ~Hugh > > “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep > moving.” ― Albert Einstein > > http://velocipedemusings.blogspot.com/ > > > > On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 11:15 AM, David Stein <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> Shoji and Hugh - what psi do you run at typically? understood that weigh >> of rider plus racks and bags and stuff can play into that. Thanks for the >> feedback though. Taking it out this weekend on an all pavement ride and >> will run at higher psi and be cautious on downhill turns. I also lowered my >> handlebars some which was also recommended. >> >> On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 7:33 AM, Hugh Smitham <[email protected] >> <javascript:>> wrote: >> >>> I concur with Shoji, that's been my experience thus far. A great rolling >>> tire nonetheless. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> >>> ~Hugh >>> >>> “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep >>> moving.” ― Albert Einstein >>> >>> http://velocipedemusings.blogspot.com/ >>> >>> >>> >>> On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 7:16 AM, Shoji Takahashi <[email protected] >>> <javascript:>> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi DS, >>>> I have 26" Big Bens on my Hunqapillar. I find the cornering to-be >>>> squirrely on roads if the tire pressure is too low (and cornering speeds >>>> are somewhat high). Easily resolved by raising the pressure a bit. If >>>> you're going on a mixed terrain ride, I'd say pump 'em up a little more. >>>> Shoji >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 5:29:09 PM UTC-5, DS wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Does anyone notice or have any input on handling with a Big Ben or >>>>> balloon type tire? Especially on cornering on fast descents? >>>>> >>>>> Reason I ask is, I just bought some Big Bens (26 x 2.15) for my >>>>> Hunqapillar for mixed ride use. Took them out for a first ride a few >>>>> weeks >>>>> ago, had a bad crash while on a somewhat but not terribly fast descent on >>>>> pavement, turning into a curve, though I'm 95% sure it was due to a way >>>>> under inflated tire (I had a flat about 20 minutes before that on the >>>>> trails and replaced tube but feel I did not inflate enough for the ride >>>>> home). >>>>> >>>>> Today, went out with properly-ish inflated tires (34 front, 40 psi >>>>> rear), but still felt like the bike was squirrely on turns and it felt >>>>> like >>>>> the bike was going to slide out underneath me on some moderate turns, so >>>>> I >>>>> took them pretty slow. But, it was also my first ride back since the >>>>> crash, >>>>> so maybe that had something else to do with it. Anyone else have any >>>>> comments on the handling of these? Am I imagining things and being overly >>>>> sensitive due to the crash and this is user error? >>>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/8AGU5zWF7Sc/unsubscribe >>>> . >>>> >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>>> [email protected] <javascript:>. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>> <javascript:>. >>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/8AGU5zWF7Sc/unsubscribe >>> . >>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>> [email protected] <javascript:>. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>> <javascript:>. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/8AGU5zWF7Sc/unsubscribe >> . >> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >> [email protected] <javascript:>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <javascript:>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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