New tires on wet race day?

[cbrshadow]

I wouldn't even go if it's raining. An early bird crit isn't worth the risk!

I crashed last week on the same series and that is why I was on my dad's bike this week.

Were you one of the guys who locked handlebars on the front straight? I saw that one happen and just heard carbon slamming the pavement - ouch.

Per everyone's advice above, I kept the old tires on the bike for this race and lowered the pressure to 80psi (conti 4000s ii tires, 25mm clinchers on FLO 30 wheels, I'm 180 lbs) and everything was fine. It rained during my race but everyone seemed to slow down quite a bit. I ended up finishing 2nd.

I'll switch the tires this week and be sure to get a ride in during the week so I'm not in the same position next weekend for the next crit!

[TobinHatesYou]

I should do the Cat 5 35+ races. Looks like this week’s was 2mph slower than the 15-34 race! I ended up doing 4.23w/kg normalized and crossed the line 6th. The guy just ahead of me overlapped wheels, took out the other guy’s rear derailleur and went down hard.

[Hellgate]

For reference, new tires usually have residual mold release on them, which can be extremely slippery (since it's usually some kind of silicone or teflon). Same goes for car tires.

If you really want/have to race new tires, wipe down with rubbing alcohol, acetone, or some other solvent and it wouldn't hurt to scuff them up a bit with sandpaper.

That is a wives tale. The same rumor is on motorcycle forums. It is not the case.

My R6 has brand new tires at the start of the day. All it takes is two smooth laps to warm them up.

On a bicycle it even less of a worry as no horsepower is involved. Just ride smooth, and stay on line.

[TobinHatesYou]

The only tires I’ve bought with a significant amount of slippery material on the tread are Michelin Power series tires. They have an excessive amount of waxy substance all over the exterior of the tire. Those are the only tires I would be weary of, and yeah, a few miles of warmup would take care of it.