Hopefully not beating a dying horse here, but I am confused by how this topic is often discussed. With how BQ and Compass/Grand Bois talk about their tires it seems as though it's a binary opposition, right? Supple tires vs. non-supple tires, new tire technology vs. old tires, their tires vs. the rest. But what is even being discussed when we talk about suppleness? Am I confused in thinking that there has long been differing levels of casing quality with TPI being a good indicator of suppleness (and why doesn't Compass advertise the TPI on their tires)?
It seems to me that it's more of a continuum of supple, from maybe the steel belted kevlar enforced urban assault Schwalbe to the hand sewn from the finest silk undies race only FMBs. In that continuum you have your clincher and your tubular, your wire bead and folding bead, your 120TPI and your puncture-proof belt. But where in the continuum are they? I'm not interested in performance and am a proud unracer. My only Riv bike is a Clem and I love it. But I know and appreciate quality bicycle components and, as they say, am too poor to buy cheap things. While the rising interest in wide tires in the performance bicycling world will mean more options for us balloon bikers, that also means more companies making all sorts of unverifiable claims about their tires. I remember when I switched from Schwalbe Delta Cruisers to Clement 120TPI USH tires on a previous touring bike. I was not let down. But would I notice the same change if I went from the light Jack Browns on my SS to Compass tires? I would like to upgrade from the bottom of the line wire bead Schwalbe's currently on my Clem (mostly because they have a wobble in the bead) to a lighter "all road" 650b. How does one compare the supple-itude? - Perpetually Confused by Marketing -- 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 [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
