Yes, use the 48 tires you already have. A 42 would classify as a "marginal gain". What's overlooked in all this talk of weights and rolling resistance is the aerodymanic drag from the rider. Above 10 mph aero drag increases *dramatically, *whereas the rolling resistance of a tire rises only marginally. Even the weight of the wheels/bike doesn't have as much effect as the aerodymics. Weight only starts to drag in constant accelerations or in increasing grades of road. Riding position alone can greatly affect aero drag, as does the type of clothing. Loose, floppy clothing is a huge wind catcher. A large basket on the front, wind catcher. Riding with lower drop bars and non-floppy clothing will by far have a greater benefit in terms of energy loss from the invisible wind-wall than even the "fastest" tire. It's not easy to look at this because it's not something you can just put in a numerical value that anyone can relate to. You can feel it riding though. So for those riders not familiar with genuine racing and the bikes involved, they're designed very purposefully to minimize the riders bodily air resistance, plus minimize the effort required to keep the bike going. You don't have to be a "racer" to enjoy this either.
So while I'm not suggesting Leah do anything dramatic like changing to drop bars and such right now, I can see it happening if she finds she really enjoys riding such events. I get the idea of "I did it *my* way" and all that, just because you ride a drop bar and wear non-floppy clothing doesn't mean you lose any part of your identity, because *that *has nothing to do with what you ride or wear or do, it's not dependent on certain "conditions". š It's *unconditional. **And that's that**. * *This is the Way ...... š* On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 11:49:13āÆPM UTC-4 Collin A wrote: > SON is supposed to be releasing a light that has a charger and has a "high > beam" function in "Spring 2024" > Update: New version of the Edelux USB-FL ā SON Hub Dynamos (nabendynamo.de) > <https://nabendynamo.de/en/new-edelux-headlight-with-high-beam-function-2/> > > I'll be eager to try it out when it gets released... > > Collin in Berkeley > > > On Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 6:10:14āÆPM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! > wrote: > > I have had some of the same questions tumbling about in my brain as I wait > for the last of the parts for my Gravel & Travel Platy. I just got back > from a warm and delightful weekend of cycling in Philadelphia. I, a newly > minted Michigander, was happy to return to the shire, and for that, I was > welcomed with Second Winter. > > Michigan is over here, doing me dirty. > > Iām prevailing upon you to humor me and answer my questions, because a lot > of you are having spring and flowers and sunshine, so this is the least you > could do! > > I got the 50 cm Platy to take on trips. Will fit in the van better, will > fit on Amtrak, be easier to shove in elevators, that sort of thing. But the > tires I have on hand are 48 mm Gravel Kings. They are almost new. Iām > considering taking a train to a ride this summer, but that means no Racing > Platypus, only the purple one can fit. Can 48 mm tires do a 15-17 mph road > ride pace? I have 42 on all my other bikes. Would 48s be slow? The ride is > a 2 day event, 100 miles total. Iād like to keep the tires if I could, > because theyāre new and they are fat enough to also double as gravel tires, > should I decide to do a gravel ride again. But I do more road rides than > anything else, and if those 48s will cripple me, Iāll go back to 42s. > Whatās the consensus? > > Basket straps. I have the Nitto Basket Rack and even though Iāve disliked > it in the past, I figure itās pretty and I already own it and I might need > a front rack for travel. But do I really have to put the ugly strap from > bar to basket? Is the Nitto Basket Rack safer than the Markās Rack? I know > Sergio was thrown when his Markās Rack loosened and hit the front tire and > heās missing significant chunks of front teeth! What is everyone doing > about their front racks? > > Lights. I have an Edelux light. Itās not the right color for this build, > but itās perfectly good. But sometimes I think, āwouldnāt it be nice to > have a light that would charge your phone?ā The Sinewave Beacon 2 will do > just that, but it sounds like itās not a great road light. What are people > using to charge phones on long rides away from home? > > I ordered my wheels today. This, because J at the Velocity booth in Philly > talked me into them when he heard about the theme of my build. Hereās a > sneak peek. > > And thanks for helping me out here! Itās good to hear peopleās experiences > and points of view! > Leah > > > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/638e3cd0-fe27-4ae3-a75a-ea78ca2b14f3n%40googlegroups.com.
