So, I got my coker two wednesdays ago, put it together, and had my first ride two thursdays ago. I rode 5.5 miles total. I thought the wheel was pumped fairly low, turns out the gauge on our pump was broken and it was really quite high. So the next day I go to pump it up more and it explodes. So then I order a tube from UDC on Sunday, a week ago today. Then I leave for vacation 10 hours before it arrives, so I just got back today. After inserting the tube and tire back on the rim I pump it up to 19.5 and take it for a ride, 1 and 3/5ths of a mile in 13 minutes. My first ride was split up but the later part was 4 miles in a half hour.
Now, I was doing great riding it a week ago and it was a breeze. But today I was really struggling and I thought I was going fairly fast but I really wasn’t. Is this just because my tire was pumped up low or why?
Will I get better pretty fast or will it take a while?
How high should I pump up my tube? What is the highest that you have pumped up your tube to?
Also, when you are going fast you are supposed to barely feel bumps, but I feel them all the time, just the littelest bumps make a pretty big impact, or at least as much if not more as when on my 24. Why is this? Will I feel them less if I am going just a little bit faster?
What speed do most of you folks cruise at if you are just going to do about a 10 mile ride?
Sorry for rambling on alot, but I am just curious about if I am a normal coker rider or what. Okay, thanks to anyone that helps.
congrats on the new uni, i dont have a clue how i could help, but i’m the first one to respond! horray!
There is a good thread on Coker tire pressure. It has convinced me to up my pressure from ~25 to 40 lbs.
I ride ~7mph, sorta slow for a Coker rider.
Not sure about the feel of bumps. The coker certainly rolls over things easier.
If you rode better before the flat, check that your bearing caps are properly tight, but do not over tighten them. Riding can feel strange if the caps are loose. Other than that the seat height is critical as well everything else being tight.
Really sorry that your tube arrived too late to bring on your vacation. It hurts to think about that.
and Congratulations!
Tyre pressure can have a significant effect on your riding experience. In general I find a higher pressure results in me feeling more of the road surface and in particular I notice bumps more. On the plus side higher pressure decreases the size of the contact patch, which reduces the rolling resistance and makes pedaling easier. Increase your pressue and you should notice an improvement in responsiveness and it will require less effort to cruise along.
You can easily take your pressure up to 32 psi and many experienced coker riders use a higher pressure of between 40 and 50 psi.
Thanks for the responses so far.
Is there any word to how high you can go before you risk explosion?
And if you get it too high won’t it really risk exploding at just a little bit of a bump?
I ride my bike tires at 60psi… the tires themselves are rated for 90psi…
I think you just had a defective tube if it exploded.