User loginNavigation |
best tiresOn my early 90's tires, there's no name brand, but I believe they're 1.25 w. Will using 1.50 improve stability, in that I have to course sorrect the steering to keep the car feeling like it'll go on its own left or right, into passing cars? What are the best tires for stability, with that wider spec., and I'm not racing or going cross the USA, I'd like some comment on whether Kevlar is a good thing (I was underimpression that Shcwalbe Marathon plus is best, but someone else said that's not a tire in keeping with the p-38's spirit). Thanks
|
Schwalbe Tires
My Schwalbe Marathons are 1.5 inch wide and are stable, reliable and flat free so far over 1000 miles. I have them on the Aerospoke wheels and they fit fine. I think the front wheel is the metric sized 20 inch equivalent and the back wheel is the metric sized 26 inch equivalent but the tires fit fine. I don't worry about being fast. agoetz616
the varieties of Schwalbe Marathon tire
Hi Andy,
I like the Schwalbe Marathon tires in general. But the best one of all is the tire called the Marathon PLUS. This tire is as close to a flat-proof pneumatic tire as I have found.
If you ride in very cold weather, or under time constraints, flat tires can be a real pain in the nether regions. They can also be life-threatening if you get one while zipping down a hill at high speed. I find that I enjoy riding more because the worry of flatting is mostly gone.
Yeah, a skinny high pressure racing tire will let me go faster. I'd rather sacrifice some speed for safety and convenience.
But I do not share your fondness for the Aerospoke wheels. They are expensive, heavy, and of dubious aero benefit, despite the name. Hit a pothole and ding a rim, and you need to send it back to Aerospoke for repair. This can consume time and money.
An ordinary wheel can be repaired locally for less $.
Safe riding,
Joel
Which tire is best?
Hey John,
Your tire choices are going to be limited by your ISO 451 so-called 20" front wheel. Engrave that phrase - ISO 451 - on the tablets of your mind. Get a tire that is just called "twenty inch", but is NOT ISO 451, and you will be getting a tire that will not fit your front wheel. The "451" refers to the diameter, in milimeters, of the part of the rim that the tire rests upon, also known as the bead seat diameter.
Usually tires have their bead seat diameter noted on the sidewalls. But not always.
Most tires in your ISO 451 size are skinny high pressure racing tires. Like the Schwalbe Stelvio and the IRC Roadlite.
The Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire is a great tire for avoiding flats, but it is true that it is not "in the spirit" of the Lightning P-38. The P-38 is a speedy recumbent, and the Marathon Plus is not a speedy tire.
None of this matters, since the Marathon Plus is not available in the ISO 451 size anyway.
A somewhat wider tire is the Primo Comet, available in your size and 1&3/8" wide. Calhoun Cycles sells them, and other shops will too.
Will a fatter tire help you feel more stable? Maybe. But I do not know of any tire in your size that is fatter than the Primo Comet 1 & 3/8", and that is just slightly wider than the tire you already have.
Kevlar belts in tires help some with puncture resistance. The Primo is available with a Kevlar belt.
Also, regarding your unusually large front wheel: if you scroll down through the pictures in the gallery area of this site, you will find a photo of a large size P-38 owned by Ben Fox. It is a silver bike with a cloth tail fairing, and it also has an ISO 451 front wheel, just like yours.
Ben actually likes his bike set up this way, so it proves that there is no commandment "Thou shalt not use an ISO 451 front wheel on a Lightning recumbent." Ben solved the hard interference problem by substituting shorter 155mm crank arms for the more common 170mm and 175mm cranksets most people use.
Good luck,
Joel
Front tire sizes.
A way to tell the difference is that the 451 tire widths are usually given in fractions of an inch - like 1 3/8, but the 406 tire widths are given in decimal inches - like 1.50