Wide Rims, Big Tires, Low Pressures

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

I am seeking the smoothest, most vibration free ride for a pure road application. I have nerve damage in a toe and road buzz leads to severe pain toward the end of longer rides. A pebbly surface like rough chipseal is a killer for me, even with GP 4000 25mm at 80 psi on Hed Belgiums (17.5 mm internal).

I have some rim brake Mavic Allroad Elite (22mm internal) wheels and my plan was to run Mavic Yksion Pro UST 28 mm tubeless - the bike doesn't have clearance for anything bigger. As it is this will measure over 30mm.

The question is how low can I set the pressure at my weight of 170 pounds (77 kg). What are people getting away with - can I run 60 psi? Wondering about control when descending.

And also is the tubeless approach the best solution? What about a super supple tire like Compass with a latex tube?
Last edited by Mr.Gib on Fri Aug 31, 2018 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

JoO
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by JoO

I would go for cotton casing tires (vittoria, compass, specialized)
Take de widest ones your frame accepts.

I might have killed my conti's with too low pressures.
my vittoris's are still holding up. 25 mm 622-21 rims 60 PSI (62 kg)
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Zakalwe
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by Zakalwe

Have you tried foam rubber insoles in your shoes as well? Maybe even ride clip pedals, every little helps

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

I have run the yskion ust tyres at 40 psi and i weigh more than you and my commuter bike weighs more than your road bike.

At 40 psi they did not feel squidgy either. a bit draggy but otherwise fine. they did not bottom out either.

So Mr.Gib, how low do you want to go is the question not how low can you go.

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

bm0p700f wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 11:53 pm
I have run the yskion ust tyres at 40 psi and i weigh more than you and my commuter bike weighs more than your road bike.

At 40 psi they did not feel squidgy either. a bit draggy but otherwise fine. they did not bottom out either.

So Mr.Gib, how low do you want to go is the question not how low can you go.
Wow 40 psi. Not for me.

I did some testing this afternoon. Out for about 3 hours on the Yksion Pro UST 28mm on a mix of surfaces. I spent the first two hours at 60 psi and thought that was perfect. Last hour I dropped the pressure to 50 psi and didn't like the handling. And there was no addition benefit as far as vibration damping. Road cracks and bigger hits were softened, but 60 psi handled those plenty good enough. And besides, it's the higher frequency vibration that is my issue.

These are excellent tires. Silky smooth and comfortable at 60 psi. Road feedback as one would expect is a bit muted (which is what I was looking for), but still very good connected-to-the-road feeling when cornering. Although my days of really testing the limits are over, my sense is that these tires have amazing grip.

Interestingly they are not that big for 28mm. On 22mm internal rims they measure a touch over 29mm. Still a nice fat set up for road use though. At 60 psi there was very little compression of the tire under my weight and no deflection during hard cornering. I assume this has to do with the way the tire is supported by the wide rims.

I might have to give Compass tires a try. I might have room for the 32mm Stampede Pass on a 17mm internal rim. Just worried about punctures with those.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

To combat high frequency vibrations (i.e. road buzz) I have an Ergon suspension seatpost. The post was tested in a lab and came in #1, well ahead of other posts. I ride on mostly chip sealed roads and the post works amazingly well. I keep a high tire pressure for my weight for rolling resistance reduction. The post gives me a nice ride without hindering my speed or bike handling. This post is standard equipment on higher end Canyon endurance bikes. The Canyon owner’s brother owns Ergon.


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mpulsiv
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by mpulsiv

I feel the same about chip seal. Veloflex and Turbo cotton will provide smoother ride over vulcanized tire. There’s an exception though, it’s compass. Their tires won’t roll as fast as cotton race tires but ride quality takes you to the next level.
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Marin
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by Marin

Cotton, or Compass / Grand Bois. A Cerf Bleu on Latex is the smoothest ride you can get.

nachetetm
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by nachetetm

I didn't try tubeless yet, but I weight the same as you and I've been running Challenge paris roubaix rear and Elite front at 65/60 psi and the handling is as good as it gets (same or better than with higher pressure) but the comfort is excellent, much better than with vulcanized tires. With lower pressure the handling does feel worse though,so for me that is the sweet point. On 19mm rims (inner width) they measure 30.5/27.5mm, as your rims are wider you may want to have an eye on that.

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

pdlpsher1 wrote:
Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:19 am
To combat high frequency vibrations (i.e. road buzz) I have an Ergon suspension seatpost. The post was tested in a lab and came in #1, well ahead of other posts. I ride on mostly chip sealed roads and the post works amazingly well. I keep a high tire pressure for my weight for rolling resistance reduction. The post gives me a nice ride without hindering my speed or bike handling. This post is standard equipment on higher end Canyon endurance bikes. The Canyon owner’s brother owns Ergon.
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Thanks but my problem is with my feet. The ass is proper hard.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

mattr
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by mattr

Zakalwe wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 8:23 pm
Have you tried foam rubber insoles in your shoes as well? Maybe even ride clip pedals, every little helps
we have some sound and vibration deadening rubber sheet we use at work that might help. I can have a word with the acoustics guys and see what the brand/technical name is. (We get it in several different tunes for different frequencies and locations.)

it's a bit like the stuff they use for after market car stereo installs.

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

mattr wrote:
Sat Sep 01, 2018 10:05 pm
Zakalwe wrote:
Fri Aug 31, 2018 8:23 pm
Have you tried foam rubber insoles in your shoes as well? Maybe even ride clip pedals, every little helps
we have some sound and vibration deadening rubber sheet we use at work that might help. I can have a word with the acoustics guys and see what the brand/technical name is. (We get it in several different tunes for different frequencies and locations.)

it's a bit like the stuff they use for after market car stereo installs.
Cool - thanks.
I will also try Sorbothane insoles. The challenge will be incorporating it into my current insole setup. My S-Works shoes fit generously so there is hope.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

Try tubeless so you can drop pressures without worrying about snakebites. I sometimes get snakebites even at 95psi when I get surprised by an obstacle.

Get as wide a tire as your frame allows in the back. In the front you can run one step narrower if it looks to ugly there.

/a

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

yes 60 psi for the yskions is about right Mr Gib. I do run them up to 80 psi and don't notice much difference in comfort or pace. the tyres, however, wear out too fast. In contrast, the IRC formula Pro RBCC 28mm tyre offer similar comfort and feel fine at 60 psi but last twice as long has better wet grip possibly (the mavic tyres are pretty good though) and cuts up less. You can guess which one I prefer.

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mattr
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by mattr

Mr.Gib wrote:
Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:01 am
Cool - thanks.
Had a chat, far too soft to use as insole. But it is a type of sorbothane (thats the base anyway). So thats probably worth a try.

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