The Bicycling Thread

[955i]

Bears, I recently SQUEEZED some 28x700c cheap-ass Amazon tires onto my 1990 Merckx MX Leader. I have about 1mm clearance on each side behind the bottom bracket. These are cheapies and probably stiffer than need be (they do have a nifty reflective sidewall, though). I have not ridden it much since the change over because of my adductor tendinapathy. What little I have ridden gives me the impression that the wider tires make it both slower and more comfortable in equal measure. I look forward to screwing around with different tire pressures.

LOL This bike was designed and ridden originally when 19's were still a thing, 21's were commonly used, and 23's were seen as a compromise used by sissies.

[wildbears]

I think I posted a while back the different actual tire, bead to opposite bead distances over the tread.
Marked difference between different brands.
As I recall, the higher end tires were closer to the stated size while the cheaper ones were maybe larger.
1 mm clearance is really pushing it. Getting a rock jammed between the tire and frame could be dangerous. See my
post from today.

[wildbears]

Pulled the back wheel out of the dropouts today while pedalling and putting a lot of torque into the cranks.
The tire hit the bottom bracket and very suddenly stopped rotating.
Fortuneately I was going up a very steep hill without much forward speed.
There was immediate personal contact with the pavement. I will be limping for at least a few days.

[955i]

Bummer, Bears. No lasting damage to you or the bike, I hope.

Three weeks ago I crashed into a raised sidewalk while riding across the University lawn. (Don't ask.) I crashed at no more than one to two miles an hour. Barked my shin on either the off-road serrated pedal or the chain ring. Regardless, it was ugly and my scabs were deep and filled with chain lube. The scabs are now gone and oozing wounds are starting to scar over. It will look cool someday.