Fast Tires for 2012 - 1
A supple, flexible tire coupled with a reasonable pressure makes a system that is more willing to conform to less-than-perfect road surfaces. Even with a seemingly glass-smooth surface, there are microscopic imperfections that you can't notice through the dampening of your tires, wheels, frame, saddle, and bib shorts. But theyre there. Think of it as a very small scale version of what a mountain bike sees. Their log crossing may be akin to a dimple in the road. Both have an effect on your forward travel, just scaled appropriately. What you want is efficient storage and return of energy while traversing these obstacles. A tire and tube system that "rides nice" isnt simply smoke and mirrors. Your thick butyl tube and training tire dont absorb and return as much energy as a thin racing tire and latex tube, which are more elastic. On a non-suspended bicyclewhether for road or mountain your tire IS your suspension. To go faster, we want to put less energy in to the up-and-down motion ofDoes your ride need a tune-up?
Riding a bicycle feels so great that it's easy to forget how good it is for you.
Or good for the environment. Or good for the community.
The children of all ages among us know how much fun it is.
Some older folks --say, those over 30 --may have forgotten how much they loved learning to ride a bicycle and how thrilling it was to feel the wind in their face as they raced down a hill or navigated bush trails. If you are among those for whom the exhilaration is a fading memory, it's never too late to rediscover your youth.
You don't have to remember that the bicycle is the greatest invention of all time, when it comes to translating muscle energy into motion.
You probably won't even notice how much smooth exercise you are getting as you pedal, nor how many calories you are burning. Riding the Tour de France is like running two marathons back to back, day in and day out for 30 days. Not that many of us will ever cycle at 50 kilometres an hour or climb giant hills, but it just goes to show how much energy can be expended while sitting on a bicycle saddle.
"I always see people out with clearly not enough air in the tires," says Schwartzman, "and that will bang up your rims or damage the tire." Sit on your bike. The tire should flare out just a quarter inch where it hits the ground.
