Matt's old bird

[Danneaux]

Hi Matt!

You surely managed some good use out of the old tires, and -- yes! -- I always do feel as if I am riding a bit higher on new tires. When I was a kid, I wore canvas tennis shoes and they'd always "go flat" and feel dead about the time I outgrew them (seemed like monthly at times). The new ones felt springy and fresh and I imagined I could leap tall buildings in a single bound. New tires are the bicycle version of that. 

As for pressures, you're right in the ballpark for general riding with tires of that dimension. For unladen riding on my Nomad with 2.0 Schwalbe Duremes, I have settled on 29psi/2bar in front, 34psi/2.3bar at the rear and this has worked well for me in general use when riding unladen. Of course, I increase the pressures to just below or right at Andy Blance's recommended maximums when touring with a full expedition load. Everything in-between is on a case-by-case basis depending on weight carried and terrain. I'm having good luck with the Berto tire pressure app for Andorid, described here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3798.msg58369#msg58369 It results in a pretty consistent 15% drop under load, which I've found ideal. The difficult part is finding a riding configuration that matches yours. It seems to be spot-on for me when I use the "French Randonneur" configuration, which most closely matches my Nomad's setup and my positioning on it.

Great photos as always, Matt!

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

this is what i didn't like about marathon plus no matter what pressure you put it the tyre always felt hard to the touch..35 i reckon isto little what is max on side of tyre.matt.

[Matt2matt2002]

Not at home with the bike at the moment, Jags.
I will report back Saturday.

[jags]

  matt some people  like low psi i'm not one of them i like to  use the max 


jags.

[Danneaux]

Hi Anto!

Sometimes the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall isn't the maximum pressure that is safe for rims. Particularly with large-section tires and relatively narrow rims, pumping the tires up full exerts a *lot* of force against the rim sidewalls -- enough to split the rim asunder in some cases. A person can get away with less pressure in a larger-section tire casing because of the greater air volume. A narrower tire requires more pressure to prevent "snakebite" flats caused by the tube getting caught between the tire beads and the rim. For example, while I use F/R pressures of 29/34psi on the Nomad's 2in Duremes, my rando bike with 700x32C road slicks hums along at 80psi in both tires. A 15% drop under combined load of bike and rider is a good compromise between rolling resistance and comfort. My rando bike tires are a bit on the high side even at that. A person would never get away with such low pressures in a racing tire. As I recall, you ran 1.6in tires on your Sherpa. Those would require higher pressure than a 2.0 tire, thanks to the narrower cross-section and reduced air volume.

Back in the day (in this case, the late 1970s/early 1980s) when it was really difficult to get good *touring* tires in America and tubulars/sew-ups were a pain for touring, my father and I used to tour on early Specialized high-pressure wired-on training tires, and those were labeled optimistically for width. One set labeled 28mm were actually just 23mm in actual cross-section when calipered. When we toured with full loads on gravel, we pumped them up to 125psi. Anything less, and we were plagued by snakebite punctures. They road like they were made of steel bands, just like the "tires" used by pioneers' conestoga wagons on the Oregon Trail. I trace a lot of my present cycling-related hand nerve trauma to those days, but that's really all we had to ride with. The old large-section touring tires were hard to come by and when they did come available, were extremely short-lived.

All the best,

Dan.

[jags]

i guess i'm just using road bikes so tyres would always get pumped hard,for the life of me i cant remember what pressure i used on the supreams but i reckon what eve the max was thats what they got.ah well you learn something new every day.


jags.

[Matt2matt2002]

The old girl got a new pair of tires, Schwalbe Marathon Supremes “HD Speed Guard” 26 x 1.6 at a relatively light 440 grams. These replace a pair of much heavier Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 26 x 1.75 tires that had incredibly lasted all four rides that I had done in Asia and Europe this trip.

Just saw the above  posted by Bill Wier on the crazy guy site.
He has just finished an Asian loop and is heading back to USA.
Looks like I have picked a pair of winners for my own tour.

Matt

[Matt2matt2002]

Hello folks.
I see my last posting was back in May 2014.
So here's an up-date.

New chain, front and rear sprockets and chain-glider fitted in October 2014
New handle bars and Rohloff shifter fitted Nov 2014.

Previous posts of mine have recorded these events and many thanks again to those of you who offered advice.

Today I changed both tires from 1.75 to 2.00
Schwalbe Marathon XR HD Ceramic Guard.

This is in preparation for my tour in late May to The Pamir Highway in Tajikistan.
2 months away on my dream adventure.
I'll start another topic on this tour nearer the time.

Here's is a snap of the front tire.


A bit of a huff and puff to get on but I don't change many tires - so probably down to my inexperience.

Chainglider was tricky to remove - but to be fare, I hadn't removed it since I put in on last October. And I think most users would agree there it a knack to fitting them?

Here is the rear sprocket.
I am ashamed to say I have only done 400 miles on it - so it should look this good


Here are 3 shots of the chain




It's a KMC X1.
Brand new. Not lubed my me before fitting.

Any thoughts? Inside the chainglider was some fine dust. Not dirty or wet in any way. Chain runs fine. Minimal to zero noise.

The only problem I had was fitting the rear wheel. The tire sat well on the wheel rims but did not appear a uniform fit around the side walls.
It had not been stored flat so was 'kinked' slightly before fitting.
The problem was the side wall rubbing slightly on the AXA lock. I had to readjust the lock further up the frame. And even now it's a close fit.
The tire runs free but I'll have to keep an eye on it.

I know some folk here are running long term tests on Chaingliders - so their comments would be appreciated.
Does the chain look in need of a lube?

Comments always welcome folks.

Regards form Aberdeen UK

Matt

[geocycle]

Thanks for the update Matt, must be exciting getting ready for the big trip!  I've done lots of riding in Europe but nothing like that! 

On the chain: yes it needs lubrication.  IME you need to lube much less frequently with a chainglider but I think you'd need to be a light user with a dry shed to use none at all.  The rust is probably down to condensation.

[Matt2matt2002]

Thanks for the good wishes geocycle.

I am presently going over the whole bike in detail so as to avoid any silly mistakes and errors while away.
On my last 30 day trip around Scotland, on the 3rd day my front sprocket stripped itself and would not engage the chain.
Of course, as soon as I returned home I did exactly what I should have done before departing; fitted new front and rear sprockets, plus chain.
They had been on the bike for 2 years, and the bike came second hand - so goodness knows how many miles were on the clocks!

So this weeks jobs: Refit Axa lock, renew Swisstop brake pads and take a look at the EBB.
( I peaked at the EBB a few months ago and noted it was very pitted and worn.
Dan kindly informed me that the EBB part I have requires an internal cartridge bottom bracket and a removal tool.

Anyway, here is how today went.
Easy jobs first.
Swisstop brake pads. A set came with the bike but I took a look at the sets for sale on SJS.
As much as I like them, I have always found them bad in the wet. And think I have picked up on other folk saying the same thing.
And also, I believe that SJS only fit them to one wheel on bikes they now sell?
But here is a quote for the sales pitch:
We have confirmed that they offer long life and good braking in wet or dry conditions

Any comments?

The job went well and the old ones looked very skinny compared to the new ones now on.

Next job the Axa.
It's been on the bike since day one and I am a big fan.
However after fitting 2" Schwalbe tires there was rubbing - no matter how I tweaked them, up, down sideways.
I even went I bought a new set of fitments - but to no avail.
They are fiddly to fit, with a mudguard on. I had the wheel off but it appeared that the wide guards I have on SKS Chromoplastic 26 Inch Mudguards are just too wide for the opening of the Axa. It's the black fitting inserts that appear to rub the tires.
I was using 1.75 inch tires. The fit was close then - so I think 2 inch is too big for me.
Dan ( a better man ) has succeeded with 2 inch. But I'm beat.

This is not good news for my tour since the Axa has always given me a great sense of safety security.
I will now have to rethink my lock arrangements.

Next job for tomorrow will be exploring the EBB.

Many thanks for those who have offered advice.
All comments greatly appreciated.

Matt

[JimK]

I have the swiss stop blue pads on CSS rims. Yeah, I find braking in the wet to be poor. The other day I was out and got a bunch of snow packed in around the brakes. Wow, considerably worse! When it's just wet, I find that I can ride the brakes lightly for a minute or so and then the brakes will have skimmed off the water and the braking power comes back. I guess with all that snow, there was always more water melting onto the rim. I did manage to slow down eventually but it was a bit of a fright.

These days I am using an Abus Bordo folding lock. I am just using the combination lock at this point. Not super secure but I don't leave my bike for a long time or in very dangerous places. I really like the way it can be stored compactly on the bike. I have the Granite-X or whatever it's called, the heavy high security version, stashed away. I hope I am smart enough to switch to that before I discover that I should have! 



If you want a frame lock, I think the Abus Amparo has a touch more room than the Axa. See:

http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4148.0

[martinf]

If you want a frame lock, I think the Abus Amparo has a touch more room than the Axa. See:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4148.0

I have an Abus Ampero on my old mountain bike with 2.0" Marathon Supremes and 65 mm width Chromoplastic mudguards (as sold by SJS on their Raven Tour and Nomad bikes). In Thorn terms, the frame geometry seems to be between Raven Tour and Nomad.

Not yet put a frame lock on either of my Thorns. I intend to fit one on my "utility"  Raven Tour, which is mainly used for local errands. Not yet sure I want one on the "touring" Raven Tour, as I probably need a U-lock for relatively secure parking on tour.

[geocycle]

Hi Matt, I must be one of the lucky ones who have not had problems with swissstop blue pads. Even in wet weather they have been ok and comparable to other rims and pads.  But Jim is right that slushy snow is probably the worse for stopping.  Current recommendation at SJS is for an ordinary rim on the front with standard blocks and CSS rims on the back with swissstop Blues.

[Matt2matt2002]

Thanks folks. Lots of tips already.
Abus looks good. I'll compare it size wise to the Axa.

When I come back from my tour I will return to the 1.75 tires. Plenty of life left in them. And hopefully refit the Axa.

I am touring with 3 others so security will be a little better than being alone.
But I must drag along some kind of U lock I guess.

The Swosstops I had on were pretty worn so maybe these new ones will impress me in the wet.

EBB fun tomorrow.

Matt

[Matt2matt2002]

Day 2
Took a look at the EBB

Quite a bit of time was spent removing the front part of the Chainglider. It's a job not done often since the rear wheel comes off with just the 2 rear parts removed.

Here is where I got to before I ran out of time and had to put everything back together.
For some reason the chain appeared twisted and I only solved the problem by breaking the chain and re threading it correctly through the frame.
I'll have to pay more attention next time I take things apart



And another shot


What do I need to do next to slide the EBB out?

Here are the tools I have


Many thanks folks

Matt