Saturday, July 24, 2010

New Axle, New Tires

Well, I've installed a new axle on the Trek, a new chain, and new tires. I also bought some new bar tape, but didn't have the time to put it on. The old Trek worked pretty well this morning on the club ride. It did much better than its hot, sweaty owner.



I bought a couple of Continental Ultra Sport tires from my LBS last night for $18 each. I'd like to buy tires with better puncture protection, like the Continental Ultra Gatorskin for this bike, but I didn't want to shell out the $40 per tire. These tires rode well for me today. They're 28's so I can ride some short stretches of gravel also.


Jon suggested that I re-align the dropouts, but two of the mechanics from my LBS have never heard of such a thing. I think I can make my own tool out of a couple sections of threaded rod - stay tuned for further updates.

The heat is supposed to break tomorrow and I will happily welcome it. All you people out there in bike land stay cool.

Happy riding!

9 comments:

Steve A said...

Please update us on your new Continentals as they acquire miles and age. The tread is almost the same as the GP 4 Season. I'm guessing the anti-puncture isn't as strong, but I don't encounter a lot of debris anyway. It's interesting that the inflation recommendations by Conti are different for the two tires in the same size.

Almost certainly, the 4 Season is a better tire, but it costs almost 5 times as much. I suspect some of that difference is the "made in Germany" and your choice may prove to ultimately be a good one. Anyway, I look forward to hearing how they last. You can't do much better than that pricewise nowadays, and they're good looking tires as well.

Big Oak said...

Will do, Steve.

2whls3spds said...

Sounds like your LBS "mechanics" need an education! I have taken the trouble to align dropouts on an old steel Raleigh sports...after my brother plowed into a parked car.

I would not have paid an LBS to do it, but it sure makes the bike handle better.

Aaron

Apertome said...

I'll be curious to see how those tires do for you. They sure are inexpensive! I have Conti "Ultra Race" tires on my Bianchi, they fall between the Ultra Sports and the Gatorskins. So far, so good.

Did you feel the Gatorskins? I felt the casing on one of them and I couldn't believe how thick/stiff it was. I'm sure it would last forever, but I bet they have a harsh ride ...

Big Oak said...

Michael - no I didn't touch the Gatorskins. Since I didn't want to spend that much, I figured touching them would be temptation. These Ultra Sport tires are quite stiff when inflated, although they seemed fairly soft at the store. These babies seem pretty fast, though.

rlove2bike said...

There are items out there on the roads and trails, when no matter what the tire, if it's your turn for the flat, it's your turn.

LvilleTex said...

take a look at the reviews of those Contis. I bought them cheap, looked and was horrified at the reviews, and then picked up a flat on the first ride in the first 15min. good luck. i normally love conti products.

Big Oak said...

Tex - you might be right. I've had a flat tire already. But the tires are pretty fast. Hopefully I can get at least a 1,000 miles out of them.

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