(1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of fat vs. thin tires for
urban (pavement) riding?
(2) The relatively narrow frame of my 24-inch Miyata Deluxe can accomodate
only a 24 x 1.75 tire. Is this a significant drawback for urban (pavement)
riding?
Thanks for your help!
Fat tyres are good for jumping up and down kerbs. But they tend to come with a knobbly tread which is harder to balance on and will wear down quickly on pavements.
Personally, I like the standard Nimbus II 24x2.125 tyre for riding around on pavements. Available from unicycle.uk.com.
The Miyata Deluxe frame, at least my 20" version, was very narrow at the crown and would not take the fatter tires, not even the Primo 1.85. I swapped it out for a Sem XL frame.
you can get fat tires with a slick tread. and if you’re only doing urban riding, you shouldn’t really care at all if the knobs wear down quickly, since you don’t want them there. myself, i’m going to buy a hoggy g as soon as uni.com gets back to me with a price. hafta buy a new frame to fit it, but the one i have now’s got a bent fork
What do you mean by urban riding? If it’s just getting from A to B or doing flatland tricks, the “normal width” tire will be fine. It when you start jumping and landing, or riding more challenging terrain that a bigger tire becomes a big advantage.
Re: Questions: fat vs. thin tires, Miyata frame clearance
>(1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of fat vs. thin tires for
>urban (pavement) riding?
>
>(2) The relatively narrow frame of my 24-inch Miyata Deluxe can accomodate
>only a 24 x 1.75 tire. Is this a significant drawback for urban (pavement)
>riding?
>
>Thanks for your help!
For ordinary pavement riding, fat vs. thin is mostly a matter of personal
preference. Fatter tires at lower pressures roll over bumps more smoothly and
bounce better when you’re hopping. The standard 1.75 tire has less rolling
resistance and a “crisper” road feel, and is fine for general riding.
Personally I prefer a fatter tire for the smoother ride. But, I’m me.
I have this Kenda whitewall balloon tire on my 24" Sem XLW:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=288
There doesn’t seem to be a picture of the tire itself there, so here is a uni
wearing it:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=28
It will almost certainly not fit on a Miyata, though; the crown is too narrow
for it.
I actually like this tire quite a bit, at least for the low-key kind of
sidewalk riding that I use it for; it’s big, knobless, smooth-rolling and
cushy, turns easily, looks cool and is certainly cheap enough. I keep it at
about 45 psi. I have an Alex DX32 wide rim, but it apparently fits on a regular
rim.
Re: Questions: fat vs. thin tires, Miyata frame clearance
On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 20:38:16 -0400, “Unicyclist” <nospam> wrote:
>(1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of fat vs. thin tires for
>urban (pavement) riding?
On the plus side for fat tyres:
o The ride is more cushioned (this of course is the single most
important difference!). And yes it DOES matter on pavement.
o A fat tire looks better, more grown-up.
o A fat tyre has LESS rolling resistance at the same pressure.
Surprising huh? There was a thread about it a few months ago.
(You need a slick tread for the rolling resistance to be less, e.g.
the Big Apple tyre from Schwalbe.)
On the minus side for fat tyres:
o They are more expensive, and you need a more expensive tube as well.
o They don’t fit in all frames.
>(2) The relatively narrow frame of my 24-inch Miyata Deluxe can accomodate
>only a 24 x 1.75 tire. Is this a significant drawback for urban (pavement)
>riding?
Somewhat. For commuting/distance/speed purposes on pavement the 24"
wheel is a bit small anyway.
This weekend I changed my 28 x 35c tyre for a 28 x 2.35". So that’s 60
mm wide in stead of 35 mm. A huge difference in appearance and a
significant difference in cushiness.
If the crank is moving then it really sounds as if it’s loose. - onewheeldave trying to pinpoint the cause of a clicking crank
