There are certainly many variations on supple out there. TPI is not always a good guide for suppleness because there is variation in the number of plies (layers) in a tire and there is no standardization in whether or not TPI refers to the threads in an individual layer or the cumulative TPI of all of the layers (e.g. one 180 TPI layer vs. 3x60 TPI layers). Jan has also said that there is variation in the thread material which affects suppleness, which I think is what distinguishes the "extralight" Compass/GB tires from the "standard" ones. There's also the thickness of the rubber and any puncture resistant material, coated vs. non-coated sidewalls, etc.
I too would like to see more discussion of the vagaries of suppleness among the sub-compass tires, and how other factors might affect ride quality for those of us interested more in compromise (puncture resistance, long wear, price) rather than suppleness above all. For instance, the sidewalls of my Schwalbe Kojaks feel very supple, on par with high-end road tires, but the tread area is very stiff (yet thin), probably due to whatever puncture resistant belt they put in there. Do the supple sidewalls or stiff tread play more of a role in its bump absorption and/or rolling resistance? I applaud Jan et. al's efforts at testing and quantifying a lot of this stuff but the OP is right that it can be hard to figure out if you're considering something other than super-supple tires. In my experience it often comes down to how a tire feels in hand; how easy it to flex the sidewalls and tread. Floppier tires are more likely to roll better and be smoother, but you're probably giving something up in price and puncture resistance. Until you've felt and tried a bunch of tires it can be hard to know where the balance lies for you, and even then it can be hard to know before purchasing a new tire, unless you have the chance to feel it. On Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 3:27:12 PM UTC-7, ian m wrote: > > Hopefully not beating a dying horse here, but I am confused by how this > topic is often discussed. With how BQ and Compass/Grand Bois talk about > their tires it seems as though it's a binary opposition, right? Supple > tires vs. non-supple tires, new tire technology vs. old tires, their tires > vs. the rest. But what is even being discussed when we talk about > suppleness? Am I confused in thinking that there has long been differing > levels of casing quality with TPI being a good indicator of suppleness (and > why doesn't Compass advertise the TPI on their tires)? > > It seems to me that it's more of a continuum of supple, from maybe the > steel belted kevlar enforced urban assault Schwalbe to the hand sewn from > the finest silk undies race only FMBs. In that continuum you have your > clincher and your tubular, your wire bead and folding bead, your 120TPI and > your puncture-proof belt. But where in the continuum are they? > > I'm not interested in performance and am a proud unracer. My only Riv bike > is a Clem and I love it. But I know and appreciate quality bicycle > components and, as they say, am too poor to buy cheap things. While the > rising interest in wide tires in the performance bicycling world will mean > more options for us balloon bikers, that also means more companies making > all sorts of unverifiable claims about their tires. I remember when I > switched from Schwalbe Delta Cruisers to Clement 120TPI USH tires on a > previous touring bike. I was not let down. But would I notice the same > change if I went from the light Jack Browns on my SS to Compass tires? I > would like to upgrade from the bottom of the line wire bead Schwalbe's > currently on my Clem (mostly because they have a wobble in the bead) to a > lighter "all road" 650b. How does one compare the supple-itude? > > - Perpetually Confused by Marketing > > > > -- 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 https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
