Warm Cycling Apparel

Weather in the winter months can be especially unpredictable. Be prepared for chilly or inclement weather. Now you can dressed for the occasion. A pair of leg warmers stuffed in your jersey pocket or saddle bag is the perfect solution. You can also carry arm warmers and knee warmers from Assos, DeFeet, Capoforma and Pearl Izumi. Click this link and then click apparel on the left to see all of the cycling clothing options for men and women. Stay warm even if it’s cold or wet without bothering with winter tights and jerseys!

The top of the line are the Assos Roubaix Arm Warmers and Assos Roubaix Leg Warmers. These limb-warmers are made of multiple panels of a stretchy, comfy, breathable material for the absolute best fit. They’ll keep you cozy and comfortable over a range of temperatures, and they’re available in a variety of colors to match with your bike or accessories.

Pearl Izumi Thermafleece Leg Warmers, made of Thermarfleece and utilize Sensor fabric for increased wicking. Pearl Izumi’s ergonomic multi-panel design offers great range of movement, close fit, with the warmth. Pearl Izumi Men’s Seamless Arm Warmers are great for the off-season riding. See them all at this link, then click apparel.

DeFeet offer not only the tried and true DeFeet Kneekers and DeFeet Armskins, but also the DeFeet Wool Kneekers and DeFeet Wool Armskins. Wool keeps its warmth even when wet so it’s a great choice for changing in moist conditions.

Leg and arm warmers are a perfect armor against the elements, and they are excellent layering pieces when you’re not sure what kind of weather you’ll be dealing with. At least there are lots of options to choose from now.

Hit the Road!

Road Bike Fenders

The weather is changing. It’s time to get out the fenders. Fenders are the first thing to pull out when the rainy season hits. Unfortunately, most road bikes aren’t designed to be mounted with fenders, and some riders would never put a fender on their bike. If you’re considering fenders, the folks at SKS and Planet Bike have some decent solutions.

The SKS Race Blade and Planet Bike Speedez Roadbike Fenders 35mm are convenient fenders that clip on to most any road bike; no fender mounts necessary, and the easy to use rubber straps are not harsh on your paint job.

The SKS X-tra Dry Rear Fender is an extremely convenient way to keep that rooster tail from creeping up your back.

The SKS and Planet Bike fenders are two of the most dependable names in the industry. For help fitting your road bike with fenders, is offering advice on their Web site and over the phone 800-682-0570.
Hit the Road!

Mountain Bike Road Tires

Mountain road tires known as slick/semi-slick mountain tires, are made for those who ride their mountain bikes on the road. Traditional knobby mountain bike tires are not designed for common road use and will wear down especially quickly when used on paved roads.

Slick/semi-slick mountain tires utilize a smooth tread on a tire with mountain tire dimensions. Slick/semi-slick mountain tires are often utilized by mountain bike racers when racing short track – a discipline in which mountain bikes are raced on courses containing pavement, gravel, packed dirt and man-made obstacles – as well as commuters and anyone with a nice fat-tire cruiser.

Continental, Michelin, Kenda, Innova, and Ritchey are some of the best known manufacturers that provide slick mountain tires.

*Innova Kruiser Kangaroo 26″ Tire is a traditional, white walled cruiser tire.

*The Vredestein Perfect Moiree and Continental City Contact Tire 26″ are great tires for everyday commuting or touring.

*The Maxxis Holy Roller 26″ Tire is designed for urban freeriders, mountain bikers who perform tricks in on ramps and city courses.

*The Michelin XC Road Tire is designed for short track mountain bike racers.

Questions regarding slick/semi-slick mountain tires and other bike tires.

Bike Tire Tips

Here are a few tire tips and safety recommendations gathered from riding experience. Leave your thoughts if you have any good tips to share.

Tips

*Proper mounting of tires and tubes is critical for safety. If you have not changed your bike tires and tubes before or do not feel fully capable of doing so, you should ask a bike mechanic for assistance.

* On your first ride with brand new tires, take it easy around corners to avoid wipe-outs. New tires, Michelin in particular often have some mold-prevention compound still on them from the manufacturing process, making them slicker than they will be once broken in.

*Clincher tires, all of the tires that aren’t tubulars, require hooked rims. The term ‘hooked’ refers to the ridge on the inside of the rim the holds the Kevlar bead of the tire in place. Most contemporary rims are ‘hooked’. If you have doubts, refer to your rim’s specifications.

* When you return from a ride, wipe down your tires with a rag and inspect them for imbedded glass and debris. Objects imbedded in the tire will gradually penetrate the casing, causing flats on future rides. Let some air out of your tires and pump them back to full pressure before your next ride.

* Dust your tubes with baby powder before installing them to help them seat more easily.

* It is not safe to rotate tires by swapping the front and rear. We suggest discarding a used rear tire, moving the used front tire to the rear and then putting a new tire on the front. The front wheel is responsible for most of your traction when cornering while the rear supports most of your body weight and facilitates the power transfer caused by pedalling. Rear tires wear faster and front tires need traction.

*Tires with black treads will generally last longer than any other color due to their carbon content.

* If a road hazard damages your sidewall while on a ride, a folded dollar bill or ProBar wrapper can be inserted between the tube and the tire as a makeshift tire boot.

* If you’re having difficulty mounting a new tire, try using a little hand dish detergent on the tire bead to make it a little more slippery and easier to slide over the rim.

Hit the Road!
Leave Your Tips Below
Best Bike Tires

Tire Width

There are a wide variety of tire widths available for the “standard” tire sizes. Which width is best for you depends on your applications. The most common width for road riding is 23mm. This is a good compromise between aerodynamics, weight, rolling resistance, and comfort.

A narrower tire will have lower aerodynamic drag and lighter weight. At the same inflation pressure, a wider tire will actually have lower rolling resistance on most road surfaces because the majority of the rolling resistance comes from the heat loss of tire deformation. Since a wider tire, at the same inflation pressure will deform less, it will lose less energy while rolling.

Generally though, wider tires are run at lower inflation pressure. The added volume allows lower inflation pressures to be used without the risk of pinch flats and rim damage. The lower inflation pressure will provide a more comfortable ride.

The tire widths that you can use on your bike is determined by the rim width and the frame clearance. The chart above shows the range of tire widths that can be used for a given rim width. The rim width measurement is the inside width of the rim; the width of the bead seat in the rim. This is a fairly conservative range; you can probably get away with using a tire that is narrower or wider than the range indicated.

If you use a tire that is too narrow for the rim, you’re more likely to get pinch flats and risk damaging the rim if you hit pot holes or other road hazards. If you use a tire that is too wide for the rim, you risk damaging the rim and tire, and are also likely to have handling problems.

A bike frame designed for 23mm tires is unlikely to have the clearance between the tire and frame to support a 42mm tire, even if the rim could accommodate such a wide tire. Most road bike frames can accommodate a tire as wide as about 28mm. Cyclocross and touring bikes are generally designed to accommodate wider tires.

We recommend 23mm and 25mm wide tires for recreational road cyclists. The 25mm width is nice for long distance riding since it will provide a more comfortable ride. Narrower widths are worth considering for racers that are looking for every advantage.

For self-supported touring, a wider tire is desirable since the added load can be distributed over a larger contact patch. This will improve handling and reduce flatting. If your bike can accommodate it, use a tire that is at least 28mm.

Many touring and hybrid bikes will be fitted with even wider tires – up to 47mm wide. These wider tires will definitely provide a cushier ride, so if comfort is your main priority, sticking with these wider tire widths is a good idea. The main disadvantage to the wider tires is weight. Switching to a slightly narrower tire will give you a little better acceleration performance and provide a zippier ride.

For mountain biking, a wider tire, 2.0 to 2.5″ will provide more air volume which is beneficial for riding on loose surfaces. It will also prevent pinch flats on very rough terrain. If your riding is primarily on hard-pack dirt roads, a slightly narrower tire, 1.5 to 2.2″ will reduce weight and provide better performance.

Most modern mountain bikes have rims that are fairly narrow in the interest of saving weight. The cross-country tires that are usually installed when you buy the bike are actually on the wide end of the range that can be accommodated by the rims. While you probably should measure the rims to be sure, most mountain bike rims can easily accommodate a tire that is as narrow as 1.5″ or even 1.3″ without difficulty.
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26 inch Cruiser Tires

Older bicycles built prior to the 1990’s use 26″ tires that are not the same size as modern 26″ mountain bike and hybrid bicycle tires. These older bicycle tires generally use a fractional width measurement, such as 26×1 3/8″, instead of a decimal measurement, such as 26×1.9″.

To make matters more confusing, there are four common 26″ sizes that use this fractional width measurement which are not compatible with one another. This article will help you figure out which size is correct for your bicycle.

Measuring your Current Tire

If you have old tires from your bicycle, you can take a measurement to help you determine which size is correct. Tires are sized based on the bead-seat diameter. This is the diameter of the tire at the bead-seat (the point at which the tire contacts the wheel). Your tire will have a ridge along the edge where it contacts the wheel, called the tire bead. If you measure the diameter of the tire at this ridge, you will have the bead-seat diameter. If you don’t have the tire, you can approximate this dimension by measuring the diameter of your wheel and subtracting 1/4″.

Schwinn S-7

These tires have a bead-seat diameter of 22 1/2″ (571mm). They are typically marked with S7 or S-7, with typical sizes of 26×1 1/2″ or 26×1 3/4″. These tires were used on Schwinn middleweight bikes from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. We have one tire available in this size; the Kenda S-7 Schwinn 26″

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650B

These tires have a bead-seat diameter of 23″ (584mm), and are typically marked with 650B. The 650B size was used on older Raleigh and Schwinn mountain bikes and French utility and touring bikes, among others. We have one tire available in this size, the Panaracer Col De La Vie 650B x 38 Tire

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EA3 or 650A

These tires have a bead-seat diameter of 23 1/4″ (590mm), and are typically marked with 650A or EA3. The most common size is 26 x 1 3/8″. These tires were used on department store 3 speed bikes, children’s 10 speed bikes, and some Italian road bikes designed for smaller riders. We have several tires available in this size; EA3 Tires

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Schwinn S-6

These tires have a bead-seat diameter of 23 1/2″ (597mm). They are often confused with the EA3 tire since the most common size for this tire is also 26 x 1 3/8″. These tires will often be marked with S-6 or S6, but not always. They were used on older British bikes, and Schwinn lightweight bikes from the 60’s and 70’s, so they are less common than the EA3 size. We have one tire available in this size; the Kenda S-6 Schwinn 26″

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Hello Cyclists and Racers!

Welcome to Best Bike Tires.  This is our first post to start blogging about cyclists and racing supplies and tire tips.  We will post treads discussing the top cycling  brands featuring the latest current-model products from brands you’ve come to trust like Shimano, Campagnolo, Sidi, Continental, Michelin, Bell, Giro, Mavic, Pearl Izumi, Park Tool, and more.  Search the Bike Tires Direct link above to see what’s new.