tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12848285.post1969935572649294705..comments2023-10-11T04:39:04.767-07:00Comments on Bruce's Bike Blog: The Year of the Broken BicyclesBruce's Bike Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02759238126089631572noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12848285.post-24189217690858605562010-04-19T10:24:41.658-07:002010-04-19T10:24:41.658-07:0028c tires offer a smoother ride and save a bit of ...28c tires offer a smoother ride and save a bit of wear and tear on rougher roads. I use Gatorskins myself and get good mileage when I don't thrash them on road hazards (razor blades and stuff that nothing can withstand). I doubt your trek could handle 28's but they might be a good idea for your Raleigh. Older road bikes handle rougher roads a lot better than today's road bikes, have more brake clearance, and I think you would see the larger tires make a big difference and last longer. They aren't much slower either if you use the same pressure. Some tests show that on rougher roads they are actually faster since the wheel doesn't bounce around as much.<br />Anyway that's my 2 cents. A dedicated commuter makes sense as you can put all the heavy duty indestructible parts on when you don't mind losing a bit of performance but have a greater need of dependability. Then you can save the performance machine for the rides where you really nead it.starstuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00878348939517702777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12848285.post-74586222450694396472010-04-17T08:53:24.344-07:002010-04-17T08:53:24.344-07:00When I still worked at the old place, there was an...When I still worked at the old place, there was another bike commuter that worked in a neighboring building. I spoke to him once or twice. Anyway, one day he rode down Hooter's Hill (on which I could get up to 40 mph on a hybrid without too much effort) on his son's bike and realized way too late that the brakes on the bike didn't work too well. He ended up slamming into the back of a car driven by someone from my office. He apparently lost consciousness briefly and they called the ambulance. He lived to tell the tale, but... ouch.Doohickiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06088639153697449691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12848285.post-49478975831761912542010-04-17T07:38:51.570-07:002010-04-17T07:38:51.570-07:00Regardless of the other stuff, those "aw #$%&...Regardless of the other stuff, those "aw #$%" moments are one reason why you practice the bike handling skills!Steve Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650405341304401203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12848285.post-71850962921441751662010-04-17T05:05:37.586-07:002010-04-17T05:05:37.586-07:00Bruce, glad to hear you weren't injured from y...Bruce, glad to hear you weren't injured from your broke brake incident. And it is good Phil caught the broken axle. You may want to ask Phil if he would order parts for you, then you could put them on yourself. My LBS will order stuff for me, then I buy it when it comes in. It's slightly more expensive than buying on line, but when I have to add on shipping and handling, on line purchases suddenly don't seem to be as good of a deal.<br /><br />As for tires, I have a set of Schwalbe Marathon tires I have close to 4,000 miles on. And I've only had one flat. They are probably much heavier and slower than the tires on your Grand Prix, but I am no speed demon. They are also expensive, but when you add up the cost of tires that last maybe 500 miles, suddenly the Schwalbe's become a better deal.<br /><br />I commute almost exclusively on my 2007 Specialized Tricross, which is a cyclocross bike. It is very sturdy, and has been a great bike for me. I have a few old steel framed bikes from the 70's and 80's that I still ride, but the Tricross gets the bulk of the riding. It is heavier than a real road bike, but again, I am no speed demon, and I can ride where most road bikes dare not tread.Big Oakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06713190395281794960noreply@blogger.com