Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!news.quux.org!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Riding through the years.
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2025 17:10:11 -0600
Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd.
Lines: 201
Message-ID: <vlhnsi$1rhcl$1@dont-email.me>
References: <vlciq0$mfjc$1@dont-email.me> <vleac3$139hq$2@dont-email.me>
 <vlffij$1aavv$2@dont-email.me> <lu1pgsFefq5U1@mid.individual.net>
 <jrcnnjh800itjqcppsq1cuhjgdj67r83ov@4ax.com>
 <lu25cdFgas1U1@mid.individual.net> <vlhbta$1o0vo$2@dont-email.me>
 <lu358dFmjboU1@mid.individual.net> <vlhnfh$1r4h2$2@dont-email.me>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:10:11 +0100 (CET)
Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="25d04eb99cb60f086b16df684949fe1c";
	logging-data="1951125"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19hVbQd9FenxqaD9Y6BaPMG"
User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird
Cancel-Lock: sha1:pFTIcj2y94uTUSvjcJoZ70vCT8w=
In-Reply-To: <vlhnfh$1r4h2$2@dont-email.me>
Content-Language: en-US
Bytes: 8406

On 1/6/2025 5:03 PM, Zen Cycle wrote:
> On 1/6/2025 5:54 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>> Zen Cycle <funkmaster@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> On 1/6/2025 8:50 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>> Catrike Rider <soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
>>>>> On 6 Jan 2025 10:27:40 GMT, Roger Merriman 
>>>>> <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>>>>> On 1/5/2025 11:01 AM, AMuzi wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 1/4/2025 6:12 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I ride almost 4 times a week and until recently 
>>>>>>>>> with a fair sized group.
>>>>>>>>> Now there are about 6 of us that ride together on 
>>>>>>>>> and off. But a lot
>>>>>>>>> of my
>>>>>>>>> riding now is solo. This largely because the group 
>>>>>>>>> is aging and losing
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> ability to do the rides that I still do. Saturday 
>>>>>>>>> rides are easy rides
>>>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>>>> on the way out to the coffee stop, they ride harder 
>>>>>>>>> than I care to, and
>>>>>>>>> then on the return trips they are riding a lot 
>>>>>>>>> slower having burned
>>>>>>>>> themselve out.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Perhaps one of them is capable of doing my North 
>>>>>>>>> Palomares route but
>>>>>>>>> if he
>>>>>>>>> did he would drop me like a stone since he is 20 
>>>>>>>>> years younger than me.
>>>>>>>>> And he would freeze to death at the top waiting for 
>>>>>>>>> me. So the group id
>>>>>>>>> sging out from under me. Or too young snd too fast 
>>>>>>>>> to ride at my speed.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Four degrees at dawn today. I skipped; too damned cold.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Warmer than that today, but still too cold for me. I 
>>>>>>> took a walk in the
>>>>>>> forest preserve instead.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I saw someone had ridden a bike through there, based 
>>>>>>> on tracks in the
>>>>>>> packed-down snow on one gravel roadway. His tires 
>>>>>>> weren't wider than 32mm.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It got me thinking about the old puzzle of trying to 
>>>>>>> determine the
>>>>>>> direction a bike was going from its tracks. It's not 
>>>>>>> easy! I could tell
>>>>>>> the front tire track from the rear because the front 
>>>>>>> track has a sharper
>>>>>>> radius of curvature. But which direction? (Arthur 
>>>>>>> Conan Doyle got this
>>>>>>> puzzle wrong in one Sherlock story.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm pretty sure I was able to work it out eventually, 
>>>>>>> but from extra
>>>>>>> information. The tracks were straight on one short 
>>>>>>> steep hill, which
>>>>>>> seemed to be a clue that he descended it instead of 
>>>>>>> climbing it. (In
>>>>>>> addition to wobbling a bit on a climb, I think his 
>>>>>>> rear tire might have
>>>>>>> spun a bit climbing it.) I was also looking for an 
>>>>>>> obstacle that he
>>>>>>> would have swerved a bit to clear, which would have 
>>>>>>> given another clue,
>>>>>>> but didn't spot one.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Some MTB and gravel treads are directional so if the 
>>>>>> snow is crisp enough
>>>>>> to work out the tire pattern that is one potential clue.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Roger Merriman
>>>>>
>>>>> As I understand it, the treads should be pointing 
>>>>> opposite each other
>>>>> on the front vs the back. Even road tires have 
>>>>> directional tread, but
>>>>> I once read a blurb from Schwhalbe where they admitted 
>>>>> that the
>>>>> direction of the tread on their road tires was only for 
>>>>> looks.
>>>>>
>>>> Some tyres yes did be directional depending on front or 
>>>> rear, though
>>>> doesn’t seem many if any at moment, I think perhaps 
>>>> combo of being
>>>> confusing and being designed for two different uses?
>>>>
>>>> The Front tyres on my MTB and Gravel bikes are 
>>>> directional and only one
>>>> way, the rears are unidirectional.
>>>>
>>>> The tread on the Big Apples are apparently directional 
>>>> but are cosmetic!
>>>> Does I guess show wear rate and how old tyre is, they 
>>>> don’t tend to wear
>>>> out but get cut up and become puncture prone eventually.
>>>>
>>>> Roger Merriman
>>>>
>>>
>>> I read an article in Velo news a very long time ago when 
>>> mountain biking
>>> was first becoming big on MTB tread design. The article 
>>> basically said
>>> the only things that matter with MTB tire design are the 
>>> size and
>>> spacing of the lugs. Direction of the tread doesn't 
>>> really matter. One
>>> specific thing I remember from the article was an 
>>> engineer they
>>> interviewed from Specialized who said tread pattern is 
>>> overrated at
>>> best. The quote I remember was "we could make a tire that 
>>> leaves your
>>> name in the tire print and it would be as good as any 
>>> tire on the market".
>>
>> I’d add also add the caveat that Specialized while they do 
>> have one of the
>> iconic MTB models, there tyres particularly MTB have never 
>> got beyond Meh,
>> not bad but not perceived as kinda okay and tend to review 
>> as such.
> 
> This was in the early 90's, they were pretty close to the 
> best available back then.
> 
>>
>> Unlike in the Gravel space where the Pathfinder gets some 
>> love as the
>> racers like semi slicks.
>>
>> I’d also note that in the DH space trimming knobs down 
>> and/or adding cuts,
>> particularly as if one is sponsored maybe a gap in your 
>> sponsors line up.
>>>
>>> The only caveat there is that was when tires were rarely 
>>> outside 1.95 to
>>> 2.35". Bikes back then weren't being built to handle any 
>>> more than that.
>>> These days, I've noticed more of a difference in width 
>>> than anything,
>>> which is why I'm running 2.8R/3.0F on my FS.
>>>
>> I run 2.4/2.35 which is about right but tyres on the burly 
>> end of trail so
>> Magic Mary up front which lives up to its name in that it 
>> manages to grip
>> from slop to the hard pack only downside being not the 
>> lightest of fastest
>> rolling, it’s shoulders are definitely shaped as to why 
>> and would it make a
>> difference?
>>
>> Even just the front tyre makes a difference to the bike 
>> handling as has a
>> slightly more square shape than the Hans which I had on 
>> front/rear before,
>> which is noticeable on tarmac though isn’t a thing once 
>> off road, though do
>> notice the increased grip and mud clearance, it’s about 
>> the same on harder
>> surfaces.
>>
>> It’s not quite a full race spike but it’s very close but 
>> unlike those or
========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========