Seeing the loads carried by Australian sheep shearers in the late 1800’s on similar width tires over likely similar roads/trails has inspired me to test Compass Steilacoom 38mm tires on my fixed gear Hunqapillar for bikepacking and seeing how that goes and what I learn. Any real world, similar set-up experience greatly appreciated. A few data points and questions experience (mine and/or yours) can/will answer:
— I’ve noted handling of the Hunqapillar is optimal with 38-44mm tires compared with 2.1” tires. Tracking and smoothness of handling is noticeably improved, to the point that I was considering a 650b conversion to decrease wheel/tire mass yet have bigger tires until Grant laughed me to my senses. — 44mm Snowqualmie (smooth) handle more poorly on the terrain I ride than 38mm knobbie Steilacombs. — My bikepacking load with engine, food, and water totals 250 pounds. — I’m betting an increase of tire pressure by 5-7 lbs will take care of the load increase and still keep the ride plush. — float in sand/mud/loose gravel will be diminished, but my experience with fixed and the plush Steilacooms on the Quickbeam says both factors make up a lot of the ground lost by using a narrower tire. Will be interesting to see. — My rear wheel plan is a cliffhanger, which has an inner width of 25mm. Will this work with a 38mm tire, or be too wide? — I carry all non-engine weight on the rear rack, save for my water bottles. — I went from 50mm Schwalbe Dureme tires (beefy marathons) loaded on trails, to ThunderBurts, which were a vast improvement. I’ve not tried loaded on plush more narrow tires, but unloaded, the Steilacooms are far superior to the Duremes and the Thunderburts in nearly all conditions. The Thunderburts (and now Racing Ralphs) do better in loose sand, which isn’t a huge part of what I ride). Anything I’m missing that I ought to consider? With abandon, Patrick www.CredoFamily.org www.MindYourHeadCoop.org -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
