Today's Bike Ride

[Marco]

Rode to town yesterday to book the van in for work, coming home suddenly something felt a bit "lumpy" with each tyre revolution. No idea what it was and thinking about stopping ....... or just carry on regardless and hope for the best. As I did, obviously.
1/2 mile later in the village (so not fast, even if I could) a massive bang from behind, just like I had run over a glass container, except a spray of tubeless white gunk all across the road and on bike. Now I knew what the problem was. A 8 inch section of tyre seemed to have gone all lumpy/bumpy and burst, somehow the gunk sealed the large split enough for me to make the final 3 miles very slowly home, riding in the middle of the road trying to avoid potholes and rough tarmac.
Now have to order new tyres as that is wrecked - could have been worse outcome.

Unlucky. I've avoided tubeless tyres so far, not because I'm a luddite but more because they don't work on the narrow tyres I ride on (23mm in summer and 25mm in winter).

You don't necessarily have to order two tyres, as the front will probably be fine. They do recommend clearing out the sealant gunk regularly and inserting new such material. The only problem with doing this, is that you have to take the tyre off to do it and they're a bit to take off/put back on.

You're right it could have been a lot worse. Decades ago, I had full-on front wheel blow-out whilst riding tubs (tubular tyres). The problem with tubs, is that it is the tyre pressure that keeps it on the rim. When you lose pressure you have 7 seconds until the tyre comes off - and when they tyre comes off you get accidents like the one that effectively finished Joseba Beloki's career in the 2003 Tour de France

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAKU2LCygc

I wasn't going this fast, but it was the start of a 1-in-9 descent and without any brakes or steering to speak of I shifted my weight to the left and took it down a convenient ditch and into the hedge.

[molehill]

Tubeless seem like the easy option for me, riding lots of trashy minor roads in the middle of nowhere, I do get plenty of minor punctures and the gunk gets me out of trouble. Been riding 32 WTB tyres (2 years old now) on the road bike, so thinking I might be brave and go a little narrower - hoping I don’t wobble too much!
Buying tyres is another nightmare, making sense of it all, wish it was like buying running shoes in the old days “studs or flats mate”?

[Marco]

Buying tyres is another nightmare, making sense of it all, wish it was like buying running shoes in the old days “studs or flats mate”?

I'm told getting tubeless tyres onto the rim and getting them to seal properly is an even bigger nightmare. The good news is that once they're fitted properly they work well, and are very well suited to trashy roads and off-road stuff.

[PeteS]

I've still not gone tubeless on any of my (4) bikes. Call me a luddite but as long as you look after your tyres, keep them inflated to the appropriate pressure and buy a quality tyre fit for purpose in the first place, punctures should be few and far between. I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me on my cycle commute home this evening!

On my winter commuter bike I do have the added precaution of sealant in the inner tube - belt & braces.

[Graham Breeze]

I've still not gone tubeless on any of my (4) bikes. Call me a luddite but as long as you look after your tyres, keep them inflated to the appropriate pressure and buy a quality tyre fit for purpose in the first place, punctures should be few and far between. I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me on my cycle commute home this evening!

On my winter commuter bike I do have the added precaution of sealant in the inner tube - belt & braces.

The man who sold me my Italian bike said that it was important to always remember that the bike business was a fashion industry and manufacturers had to keep coming up with new ideas to extract money from gullible cyclists.

He had been selling bikes for a very long time.

[Marco]

The man who sold me my Italian bike said that it was important to always remember that the bike business was a fashion industry and manufacturers had to keep coming up with new ideas to extract money from gullible cyclists.

He had been selling bikes for a very long time.

In the world of mountain bikes and gravel bikes, tubeless tyres are here to stay as they work well on big tyres at low pressures.

On the road the benefits are not really there, yet. If the next generation of tubeless tyres go on the rims and seal more easily at high pressures then it could be the way forward.

Most cyclists do seem to be gullible and want to have the latest 'thing', and the 2023 version of this is the two speed electronic rear hub being used this year by professional Victor Campenaerts and others.

https://www.classified-cycling.cc/powershift-technology

[molehill]

The man who sold me my Italian bike said that it was important to always remember that the bike business was a fashion industry and manufacturers had to keep coming up with new ideas to extract money from gullible cyclists.

He had been selling bikes for a very long time.

Very like the Japanese manufacturer of my fishing reels, I have a vision of an office where they come in to work on a Monday morning "What are we on this week, reels or gears"?

[Graham Breeze]

Very like the Japanese manufacturer of my fishing reels, I have a vision of an office where they come in to work on a Monday morning "What are we on this week, reels or gears"?

I was pondering if I could fashion a pun on the lines of Cream's second album Disreeli Gears? - but I always thought Cream were vastly over rated so perhaps not.

So buoyed up by a 92 miler last week off I went today to explore the narrow hidden country lanes round Thorpe - a 4 house hamlet, high on the hills above Grassington and Cracoe where few people venture. Although today I came across a motorist in a farm gate, car on jack, spare wheel in hand, "that'll teach you to use gimmicky tubeless" I guffawed as I zoomed past.

I am fascinated by quarries and Cracoe has a huge one. When it was owned by Tilcon it had a kiln to make lime which was one of the first huge industrial gas loads secured by North Eastern Gas. NEG had to lay a new pipline for 6 miles from Skipton but having thus subsidised the pipeline with Tilcon's money NEG then extended it to Grassington to try and secure new domestic customers.

The quarry is now owned by Tarmac and just supplies zillions of tons of aggregate to the world and the kiln has been removed; but the gas customers of Grassington are still happy.

The other fascinating thing is that once upon a time a railway connected Grassington (actually Threshfield) from Skipton. The line was closed for passengers quite early but 7 miles and 9 chains of it remain to allow the quarry to send out aggregate by train by the thousands of tonnes pulled by a single GBRf General Motors Class 66 generating 2500HP at the rail. About a mile from the quarry is a train driver controlled level crossing but what actually happens is that the quarry sends a man in a van who opens the gates railside just in time so the train can purr through without stopping. Up to four times a day. The trackbed is maintained by Network Rail and is kept in immaculate condition.

Splendidly ballasted!

Going out riding is so exciting and 34 miles today makes over 700 miles so far this year. Woo hoo.

[PeteS]

The man who sold me my Italian bike said that it was important to always remember that the bike business was a fashion industry and manufacturers had to keep coming up with new ideas to extract money from gullible cyclists.

He had been selling bikes for a very long time.

I have long thought this to be true. There is a lot of messing around with gears, derailleurs etc currently. It is difficult to separate fad from what is an innovation that might stick but if history is anything to go by, with the possible exception of disk brakes, the last 50 years have seen no great step change and just a series of marginal improvements.

[molehill]

Couple of years back when I was looking for a bike (off road) I came across one make with a single front fork, believe it is called a “lefty”, even to my novice eyes it didn’t look right and I avoided it, not falling for the desire to be different from the pack.
I have yet to see one about and presume it is a marketing gimmick that has not taken off, though possibly they are the future of cycling and I’m too dumb to realise it.