Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

CapnBloodbeard
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Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby CapnBloodbeard » Sat Jan 06, 2018 3:24 pm

Hi all,
I bought a XDS CT430 hybrid just before Christmas for some short (25min) commuting and some longer fun rides on the weekend.

I'm still the slowest on the bike path but I figure that's because I've just started cycling :P

Anyway, I feel like it's still a bit of a slog to pedal, was wondering if changing out my tyres would help. Currently I'm running a pair of Kenda 935 700x40C tyres
https://www.amazon.com/Kenda-K935-Khan- ... op?ie=UTF8

So, still fairly knobbly even down the middle.

If i was to swap it out for, say, a 32C that's a bit slicker, would that make the bike feel a bit quicker, do you think? Any recommendations?

I know my bike isn't the lightest around, but I don't think that should have too much of an impact.

march83
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby march83 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 4:24 pm

Just ride them til they're worn out then replace them with something slicker and lighter. By that time you will have a few thousand more kays in your legs so you'll be stronger and you might not care about a few grams and a few knobs.

Zippy7
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Zippy7 » Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:47 pm

+1 keep the tyres on.
As you say, you've just started commuting. Your slowness is due to your legs, not the tyres, not the bike.
you can upgrade them after you've worn them out. Else you're just wasting your money.
New slick tyres won't make much difference, you'll be stronger in 6 months and that will make heaps more difference.
In a year, you might be complaining about your bike and upgrade it before you even wear out the tyres.
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CapnBloodbeard
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby CapnBloodbeard » Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:04 pm

Well I already want a road bike. N+1 is a medical disease, I'm sure :P

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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sat Jan 06, 2018 9:08 pm

If it was me, I'd swap them out for some 35mm Schwalbe Marathon and keep the Kendas as spares (or sell). Part of it is psychological, in that you know some of your watts are being wasted on an unco-operative tyre (plus I'm not a Kenda fan), and subsequently feel cheated. I'm all for anything that helps you enjoy the cycling experience, and more importantly, keeps getting you on the bike.

Image

The Schwalbe Marathon Racer (silly name for a touring tyre) is around about $40 each.

https://www.pushys.com.au/scwhalbe-mara ... -tyre.html
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Derny Driver
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Derny Driver » Sat Jan 06, 2018 9:48 pm

Mate put some 32s on. Why are you riding around on tyres like that for. Unless you are riding on a beach ... put some 32 slicks on. You WILL notice a massive difference.

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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Usernoname » Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:54 am

I've got some cheapish ($25) 35 wirebead on my flat bar commuter. Roll well and are big enough to absorb some rough road/cycle paths chatter. 25's on my roadie and 50's on a tourer. I think the 35's are sweet spot for speed and comfort if they have a nice rolling center tread with some side grip.
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uart
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby uart » Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:01 pm

CapnBloodbeard wrote:Hi all,
I bought a XDS CT430 hybrid just before Christmas for some short (25min) commuting and some longer fun rides on the weekend.

I'm still the slowest on the bike path but I figure that's because I've just started cycling :P

Anyway, I feel like it's still a bit of a slog to pedal, was wondering if changing out my tyres would help.
The short answer is yes. If you are interested in speed then getting better tyres will definitely help. The tyres you list would be a good choice if you are doing some fairly serious gravel grinding, but for reasonable sealed roads you can do a lot better.

Getting the right balance between performance and durability/puncture_resistance is like the perennial problem with bicycle tyres. There's no one solution that suits all here, as it depends on what your priorities are. If you aren't too interested in speed, but just want to get from A to B as reliably as possible, then your current tyres are fine. Once you get interested in speed and efficiency however then there are a lot of trade offs that you can look at.

To put all of this into perspective, your current tyres could easily have losses about 25 to 30 Watts per tyre at speeds in the low to mid 20's (km/h). A reasonable racing tyre will be more like about 10 to 12 Watts per tyre at those speeds, but probably an overkill (and too much of a durability trade off) for your hybrid - which let's face it is never going to be a race bike no matter what you do with the tyres. :)

A durable road tyre like the Conti GP 4 seasons (or gator skins) will be more like 15 to 17 Watts at those speeds, and would probably save you an average of about 20+ Watts power in total (assuming you are typically riding around low to mid 20's in km/hr). Considering that as a new rider you might only be putting an average of about 150 to 180 Watts through the pedals (depends a lot on your weight and fitness) then pissing away an extra 20+ Watts on low performance tyres really can be a big deal.

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Thoglette
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Thoglette » Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:00 pm

uart wrote:The short answer is yes. If you are interested in speed then getting better tyres will definitely help.
....
Getting the right balance between performance and durability/puncture_resistance is like the perennial problem with bicycle tyres.
Good summary of the sensible comments by all.

It's also the usual triangle: fast; cheap; reliable. Pick one. You can buy quite fast 700Cx40 tyres (well, 38 mm or 44mm) but they'll cost you over $100 each.

Some good suggestions on more sensible first-steps-post-kenda have been made. I'd add Panaracer's Pasela and Conti's Grand Sport (someone must have mentioned Gatorskins by now) but both are 32mm max. If you can find them, the (usually inexpensive) Maxxis Refuse comes in 40mm (as well as 32mm) and will be much better than the Kendas.
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macca33
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby macca33 » Tue Jan 09, 2018 4:52 pm

Try some Continental CX Speed tyres in 35mm - they are quick and reliable in all conditions.

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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Mulger bill » Mon Jan 15, 2018 9:48 pm

Somebody said to store the Kendas as emergency spares and move up to 32-35s...

He's right. ;-)
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grimbo
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby grimbo » Tue Jan 16, 2018 9:53 am

On my first hybrid commuter, I changed from some ghastly Kenda 40's to some Maxxis Refuse 32's, and the difference was dramatic in every way - lighter, spun up to speed quicker, better handling, better in the wet.

Some of that may have been psychological, but if it works, it works.
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby find_bruce » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:49 pm

I'm late to the party I know, but there is no rule that requires you to have the same size tyres front & back. Switching to slicks will make a noticeable difference to feel. On a 25 minute commute its not going to make much difference to your overall time.

As an example on my commuter I run 32 or 28 mm tyres on the front and a 40mm at the rear. Like 10speedsemiracer I use schwalbe marathons - they are heavy & some can be a pain to fit, but have had very few punctures.

CapnBloodbeard
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby CapnBloodbeard » Wed Jan 31, 2018 5:41 pm

So I bit the bullet and picked up some Maxxis Refuse 28's. I would have gone for 32's but the 28s were discounted, so yeah.
Huge difference in how it feels - it no longer feels like I'm fighting against the bike with every pedal push. this change has gotten the bike to how I wanted it to feel, so I'm happy. I haven't noticed any difference to my time, but in the morning I take it very, very easy (I just get tired if I try to exercise before work :P), and in the afternoon I'm just unfit...lol
Thanks for all the advice!

Ivanerrol
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Ivanerrol » Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:55 pm

I changed my 700x40's to 700x32 Vittoria Randonneurs on my Specialized Hybrid. Made a perceptible difference.
More of a difference was selling the hybrid and buying a XDS flat bar roadie.

However it was my experience that for every kilogram I lost the commute time would drop a minute or so plus (In combination with getting a little fitter).

CapnBloodbeard
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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby CapnBloodbeard » Mon Feb 05, 2018 10:28 pm

I still never quite figured out the practical differences between a hybrid and a flat bar roadie beyond some references to 'geometry' :P(same sort of thing as the mtb/road components...I know what people say but I like specifics and reasons :P)

Which XDS did you get? My wife and I are both using XDS bikes. Hers was also a commuter a couple of hundred cheaper than mine, but it's significantly lighter and I kind of regret not just getting the same bike. Hers uses the Claris groupset too, which at this entry level price range very, very few bikes do. Mine at least uses Alivio, so a higher range groupset than pretty much anything else in that price range.

Having a few niggles, but it's only 2 months old so it's settling in. Starting to teach myself bike maintenance though, so I can service the bikes myself.

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Re: Would it help to change from my 700x40C tyres? - commuting

Postby Ivanerrol » Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:21 pm

I bought a RX580. End of model XL frame so got it cheap - $499.00
(Brunswick Cycles still had them at $750.00 at the time)
Alloy frame with carbon forks.
It runs road Sora level componentry. Because it's flat bar - uses mini V brakes - I changed them over to XT's
The frame is road bike geometry. No holes for mudguards ( need clip on) - none for a pack rack - need the special road bike type.

I'd suggest that XDS just put a flat bar handle on a road bike design which originally was purposed for drops.
Everything is Shimano including the wheels (RS500's).
A good bike with good components for the price.


It has 700x28's but these tyres are some no name Chinese brand - I'm waiting for them to wear out so I can put something better on.

Miles faster than the Specialized Crossroads hybrid. But not as fast as the Specialized Allez roadie.
The Specialized Sirrus would be the equivalent to the XDS however for the same components you pay another $650.00

The only problem with it was a squeaky chain ring. The bike shop had it for two weeks trying to find where the noise was coming from.
Shimano supplied a brand new chainring set under warranty. The cost of the new chainring plus the time the bike shop mechanics spent on it exceeded the original buy price. (They probably would have been better off just giving me another bike)

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