The bit about... Tyres

Tyres. Exciting, right?

Most people don't give the tyres fitted to their bike much thought. Which is odd, because it's the one bit of the machine that connects it to the surface upon which it moves. Of all the parts, it is the one that can make or break a ride. Why should this be the case? Punctures, mainly.

For most people, not thinking about tyres is fine, as riding around in warm, sunny weather in spring and summer on roads or paved cycle paths won't cause much bother.

As soon as you start commuting, and especially when you commute daily throughout the winter, tyres will almost certainly become a point of almost fanatical obsession, eagerly discussed between fellow cyclists-commuters at the tea point (to onlookers utter confusion and bemusement).

Riding along Britain's roads and cycle paths in winter can be a purgatory experience. Flint, screws, tacks, pins, obscure bits of twisted metal and plastic, and especially broken glass seem to become legion on almost every surface. Of them all, broken glass is the most common winter tyre killer, equalled only by flint on my route. Whether it's washed out by the rain, or scattered as a result of cars bumping into each other more in the dark, there always seems to be more broken glass in winter. Broken bottles too appear everywhere. Often the road glitters for mile after mile with myriad reflections of the bike's lamp; little stars of sharp nastiness that can ruin your day with that strange, squishy feeling of a deflating tyre miles from home.

You only have to experience that a few times before you start thinking it might be time to replace those cheap non-branded tyres your bike came with and replace them with tyres of a little more quality and, well, robustness.

But there are trade offs. Puncture proof tyres tend to rely on a reinforced bead - plastic or kevlar for example - beneath the tread. They make for good puncture resistance, but also make the tyre stiff, heavy and 'dull'. Dull is a good word for describing the relative lack of crispness to the handling compared to a lighter tyre, and also they are slower, as the rolling resistance tends to be higher. It's all a trade-off, and what tyre you get should best reflect the type of riding you do, and the route you normally take.

My commute in winter takes me through a lane that floods the entire width, washing tiny bits of flint out across the roadway, and it's almost as good as one of those things Police throw under the wheels of a miscreant's car to bring them to a halt in slicing and dicing tyres. So, after a little consideration, I opted for pretty much the toughest tyre I could get which still offered a reasonable rolling performance.

Well, actually, after choking on the price of some highly recommended puncture resistant tyres, I bought some that had 40% off in a sale, which tempered the pain to the wallet somewhat. Expensive is relative though, and two tyres still cost less than a tank of diesel in my car, so I considered that a win.

In two years of commuting through summer and winter, over 50 miles per week and extra weekend rides, my Continental Touring Plus tyres have done a sterling job. How many punctures have I had in those two years? Zero. And that is despite receiving detritus in the tread that does damage like this:

That nick goes down a long way, almost through the reinforcing material, but still it didn't puncture.

Two recommendations I'd make for ensuring your tyres provide protection throughout the winter: keep them inflated to the right pressure - not too low or too high (what exactly depends on the bike and tyre size ... you'll work it out) and perform a weekly tyre check. I closely inspect the tread and use a small sharp screwdriver to dig out the various bits of glass and metal that get stuck in the tyre. Each week I take out a few small hitch-hikers and a few larger pieces of crud which might otherwise work themselves through the protective belt and into the inner tube.

By the way, I'm a fan of inner tubes. They can be repaired easily at the side of the road, and a spare takes up little room. Tubeless tyres are becoming very popular, but they are all well and good until they aren't, and then it can get messy (literally). I don't have any real advice to give on those as I've never tried it - some people swear by 'em, but give me an inner tube any day! And as for that slimy anti-puncture stuff, you can keep it. I've got repairing a puncture down to less than 5 minutes. How have I done that if I've not punctured in two years? By helping to fix the punctures on other people's bikes at work and on my commute of course!

The bit about... The Bicycle

If you've found this blog and are wondering what it's about, then I'll give you a clue - it's about cycling. In particular I'm going to talk about commuting and touring by bicycle, and how such activity affects wealth, fitness, the environment and society in general. 

Along the way we'll explore attitudes to cycling in the UK and abroad, cycling infrastructure (good and bad), highlight campaigns to raise awareness of cycling, and, hopefully, encourage and inspire people thinking of taking up (or returning to) cycling as an everyday means of transport. 

In this first post, I'll introduce my cycling experience and my bicycle - neither being particularly special in that I am not super-fit or particularly fast, and my bicycle is getting quite old and is not really all that exceptional ... Except to me, for whom my bicycle is irreplaceable and priceless. Here it is:

I ride a Dawes one-down (as in a crossword clue - I might come back to that another time). As names go, it's a bit odd, I admit. It is also surpassing rare to find one these days. Dawes has a long history of bicycle manufacturing having been around since 1926, and a reputation for building quality and highly respected touring machines, particularly in the the Galaxy and Super-Galaxy brand. However, there's almost nothing left to mark the one-down's place in history. It was only produced for at most two years (replaced by the similar design and longer-production Sardar), and I suppose did not prove popular.

When I bought this particular one-down from new in 2000, I was taken by its strong 26-inch wheels and robust build, it being marketed as an 'expedition bike'. It is fair to say I was not knowledgeable or experienced enough to make an informed choice at the time, as if I had I would probably have bought a Galaxy with larger 700c wheels, but happy accident and naivety put me in company with a bike that I have come to cherish more and more as the years went by. 

Some facts: it's 20 years old, has the original Mavic wheels, hubs (and bearings), bottom bracket, derailleur and headset. The frame material is Reynolds 631 metal tubing, and the paint is virtually unmarked. It's been round southern England and France and has at various times been used to carry or tow trailers (cargo and kids), child seats and trailer bikes. It once sat unused for a few years in a garage before being brought back out, brushed off and pressed into use as a commuter machine, taking on the worst the winter can throw at it and coming out the other side without complaint. 

It is perfect? No. The riding position is slightly wrong and it is a little heavy and slow. But it does have character, and also that indefinable quality of 'pluck' that no other bike I've ever owned or ridden has in such amounts. It is also smooth (particularly when loaded up) and even after all the years and miles, rides very quietly.

In other words, it works for me. So much so, in fact, that I now ride it exclusively, despite having access to a light-weight and pacy road bike which, although comfortable and quick, just isn't up to the job of daily, all year round commuting on the UK's indifferent roads. I don't ride huge distances, and I'm not particularly fit. My commute to the office 2-3 days per week is just over nine miles each way, and an occasional weekend ride of around 16 miles is about all I have time (and energy) for. If I had all day, I could happily ride 35-40 miles, but I rarely have the time for such rides these days (unfortunately!) Despite this relatively modest mileage, my fitness has improved hugely over the last two years of regular cycle commuting, something I will explore in a later post. 

So what, you might ask? The point is that having a bicycle that fits your needs and riding style can make a huge difference to your enjoyment of cycling. If you are thinking of taking it up for pleasure or fitness, or considering ditching the car for the commute and using a bicycle instead, it is important I believe to have a bicycle that you enjoy riding, as real pleasure can be had in the ritual of pedalling a machine that speaks back to you as you roll along (and then there's the money saving!) Over the coming posts, I'll explore those things that I discovered make my riding experience enjoyable and comfortable, in the hope that others may find it useful. Maybe it will start some interesting debate, and perhaps others will contribute their views, experience and advice too. 

Anyway, welcome along, and enjoy the ride!