Thanks for taking the trouble to test, record & post your findings. The impressions are especially helpful. Oftentimes I find the subjective feel of how a tire rides & handles to be an important factor in my perception of the performance of the tire. Good stuff.
dougP On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 12:35:46 AM UTC-7, Takashi wrote: > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cNIRsIoimIo/Vef3SgEqpKI/AAAAAAAAAC4/V1Jqz4I5S9g/s1600/chart.jpg> > I tested various 700c (29-inch) tires on a same route to see how they > perform, and I thought I'd share the results here. > > Please note that this is not a detailed study, as I rode only once with > each pair. > Climate conditions as well as my body condition differed from one day to > another, so that might have affected results. > > > *THE TIRES:* > The tires I tested are following 6 pairs: > > Maxxis CrossMark 29x2.1 (52/52-622) 60TPI, single compound > Schwalbe Thunder Burt 29x2.10 (54-622) RaceGuard > Schwalbe Furious Fred 29x2.00 (50-622) > Bruce Gordon Rock-n-Road 700x43 (43-622) > Schwalbe Marathon Mondial 700x40 (42-622) Performance Line, wired > Compass Barlow Pass 700x38 (38-622) standard casing > > > *THE ROUTE:* > The route is 20.4 kilometers (12.7 miles) long, which consists of 4 > portions: > Portion 1: paved; 7.6km (4.7mi); 271m (889ft) ascent; 91m (298ft) descent > Portion 2: dirt/gravel; 2.6km (1.6mi); 210m (689ft) ascent; no descent > Portion 3: dirt/gravel; 5.4km (3.4mi); no ascent; 406m (1332ft) descent > Portion 4: paved; 4.8km (3.0mi); 74m (243ft) ascent; 79m (259ft) descent > > > *RESULTS:* > Please see the attached chart for the results. > > > *IMPRESSIONS:* > > *Cross Mark (15psi front, 25psi rear)* > It felt a bit sluggish when climbing. > Rear wheel sometimes slipped in portion 2. > Difficulty when descending in portion 3 as rear wheel sometimes skidded, > but looking at GPS data, these were fastest, so maybe it wasn't bad. > > *Thunder Burt (20psi front, 30psi rear)* > I recall that someone wrote about these tires as "smooth as butter," and I > absolutely agree. Very smooth both on pavement and on gravel. Also they > felt less sluggish than Cross Marks, thus easier to climb. > It was easier to handle on gravel than Cross Marks, though rear wheel > slipped a bit in portion 2. > Also I felt them easier to handle in portion 3. > By the way, I always took brief rests (a few minutes) between portions. > Looking at GPS data, I noticed that my rest was shorter when testing > Thunder Burts and Furious Freds. I guess their smoothness or > non-sluggishness made me less tired, thus requiring shorter break. > (It's possible that it was due to climate conditions, not tires.) > I put TBs on my Hunq when I went touring this August, and they served very > well. > https://www.flickr.com/photos/77318553@N08/albums/72157655035690913 > > Furious Fred (22psi front, 30psi rear) > Least sluggish among tires I tested, and indeed very fast when climbing. > As I wrote above, I needed shorter break between portions. > I did not notice slipping in portion 2, easy to handle in portion 3. > So I liked them very much, but on another day when I rode unpaved road > with these tires, I found a few cuts on the tread (not sidewall). Schwalbe > website suggests that they are fragile, and indeed they are. > I am reluctant to use them for long-distance ride when the route includes > unpaved roads. > > Rock n Road (30psi front, 38psi rear) > They feel relatively smooth both on pavement and dirt, but extremely > sluggish when climbing. > I had to resort to lower gears with these tires than with other tires. > Handling was fine in portions 2 and 3, but harder to handle than fatter > tires. > > Marathon Mondial (30psi front, 38psi rear) > Felt less sluggish than RnR. > Among tires I tested, these felt hardest to handle on gravel road. > So I was surprised when I checked GPS data to find that these performed > pretty well in portions 2 and 3. > I have always thought that these are "slow" tires, so I have not used them > often, but I will have to change my mind and use them more often to see how > they perform. > > Barlow Pass (38psi front, 42psi rear) > Before the test, I expected these to be fastest, especially when climbing > paved road, but I was wrong. > Compared to Furious Freds, Barlow Pass felt slow, and I felt more tired. > (Maybe because it was a hot day when I tested these.) > In portions 2 and 3, I felt them difficult to handle. Felt easier than > Marathons, but slower actually. > Extralight ones might be faster, but I guess that they are as fragile as > Furious Freds. > > > Takashi > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
