I have been looking for a while now to upgrade my tyres on the commuting bike. The Kona Dew Drop came with stock 37mm Continental CountryRide tyres which although fine for their intended purpose are not the lightest or speediest tyres around.What initially piqued my interest for a thinner, lighter tyre was the fact that they could give an instant boost to ones cruising speed. Anything that gets me to work quicker is a good thing! I also wanted a little bit of puncture protection to see me through the harsh British winter.
As providence would have it while browsing through Wiggle one day I saw that they were doing a 25% off deal on Continental Gatorskin tyres. I read some of the reviews and was pleased to see that on the whole they were well recommended by fellow cyclists.
I ordered two tyres on Friday afternoon and they arrived on Saturday morning. Well done Wiggle! I brought the bike into the lounge and set to work. Before fitting, I carefully washed both wheels. They were in a dreadful state. You can see from the photos that the bike is still in need of a good clean. This is not a weeks worth of accumulation but a single days worth. I was riding along the Thames on LCN Route 4 at Putney. The receding Thames waterline had deposited a thick layer of mud along the road. Thank heavens for full length mudguards otherwise it would have not just been the bike that got covered in the brown stuff.
After fitting the tyres and pumping them up I noticed that the rear tyre was not uniformly circular. It seemed to have a dip on one side. My initial thoughts of a manufacturing defect were dispelled when I noticed the same thing on the front tyre. I also struggled to pump the tyres up to sufficient pressure. My handheld pump simply gave up when it got to a certain pressure.
I did a little Internet research and realised that the issue was simple. Wrong inner tubes. I assumed that the existing larger tubes would fit the smaller tyres but no! So a trip to Decathlon(my new favourite shop) was on the cards. I took Jake along for the ride. He enjoyed testing out the bikes and scooters. We browsed for half an hour during which time we purchased not only the inner tubes, but also a high pressure pump and, ahem, some cycling socks.
Later that evening I fitted the new tubes and tyres, pumped them up to max with the new pump(note to self, BUY A TRACK PUMP) and refitted the wheels. After adjusting the disc brakes I headed out for a ride. First impressions? The ride is smoother but harsher due to the higher pressure of the tyres. Are they speedier though? I say yes! The lighter weight and lower rolling resistance enables effortless cruising at 20mph. Before, I would be struggling to keep this pace. Time will tell, whether they manage to keep the wicked puncture fairy away :-).
