Noise Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Hey guys i have been pondering about changing my front tyre as its starting to crack around the walls and also its still a white wall tyre (which looks stupid being the only white wall tyre on the bike) so i was wanting to change the front to a nobbily to carry on the "bad ass" theame that im going for. But the questions i have are: Will i loose grip on the road? Can you get the right size to fit on a Draggie? And will it be a rough/er ride? Its still a "thought" and not a 100% yes im gunna do it, just after a few opinions really Cheers Noise
Ttaskmaster Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 You can get nobblies that work both on and off-road. AFAIK, they don't perform as well as road-specific tyres, like Avon Venoms. Dunno about sizing - You'd have to look through the manufacturers' webshites and see... They likely won't list one specifically for the Drag, but may still have them in the right size.
Noise Posted December 8, 2011 Author Posted December 8, 2011 Ok cool, i will dig a little deeper into the price/size that will fit the bike and i may see about photo shopping a set onto a pic of my bike to see if they will look right or not. If they are a good price and a good look then it will go ahead.....if not then it was a stupid idea anf should never be brough up in conversation again. )
Ttaskmaster Posted December 8, 2011 Posted December 8, 2011 Never be brought up in convers..... NAH!! This is how we find out what's good, mate - Trial and error. Many Ratbikes and Survival bikes look shite, because people think it's all about bolting crap on and spraying it black... True beauty has many forms and achieving it is an art. It's an interesting idea and one I've not very often. By all means give it a go! Post pictures, too, even if they're photoshop test ones!
Paulwhite Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 would a nobbily tire work better in the winter e.g. snow, frost, and sludge (not quite melted/frozen snow) ? ......im in need of a new set.....but need to use the bike to get to work. been slipping all over the place the last week or so. and didnt think of nobbilies till reading this thread.
Ttaskmaster Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Eeeeeerrrrrruuuummmmmmeeeerrrrrrr....... dunno. Probably not, though I can't say for sure. Let's think it through... The issues you'll find is that the Drags need a fair bit of braking to stop... ever. An additional dab of back is often better to alter the weight shift and bring the braking effort down into the ground, rather than along it with such a rake angle as the forks have. Do that just a little too much on show and you'll fishtail. Cruisers have TORQUE, which means their best aid in stopping is engine braking. You drop the throttle on even a 125 with all it's 12 horses and you can spin the back wheel, fishtailing again. Drop it fast enough and you'll instantly lowside. So your only option is front brake, but with so much slippery stuff it's easy to lock the brake up. Now, this is easier to recover from if you're upright, as I found in one Tesco's (Value) sheet-ice car park. But if you're at a slight angle or carrying too much speed and weight into the brake, then you'll lowside even faster. Now... On uncompacted snow, knobblies will probably stand you in better stead. On compacted snow, it will be a rough, wibbly ride and on a heavy Cruiser (even just a 24st 125) you'll struggle. Motos and Trailies allow you to rapidly alter yoru bodyweight. Cruisers turn even the lightest of us into fat-ass sacks of potatoes. You have only your arms to control the bike so unless you're Geoff Capes (see the young 'uns stare blankly), if the bike's weight moves, your weight goes with it. Frost - You might slip around a bit, but I imagine no more or less than normal tyres. Not that I'd want to try... As for sludge, ice, mush and all, forget it. You need contact with something that feeds back and this is the same as riding through squishy mud. Wheelspin, wheelspin, wheelspin until your tyres cut through the crap and find some grip. If your weight is off-centre, you go down in possibly the most spectacular lowside of them all. Olympic judges will hold up cards to score the crazed flapping fo yoru arms and legs as if it were an interpretive gymnastic dance routine... You'll still go down, 'cept this time you will be all over the place as the bike swishes all whichy-ways, effective aquaplaning through ground that goes from no grip to all grip and back over mere inches. So yes, there will be some improvement. But not enough that you can ride anywhere near normally. If you were on a Trailie, then quite possibly. But not a pregnant cow like a Cruiser. Best bet, whatever tyres you have, is to take it slow as fuck, ride in the trenches created by the cagers where the grip is best and leave PLENTY of braking distance. Book says at least 10 times the normal gap. Sod whatever anyone else is doing, keep to a safe speed (20 in a 30, if that). Hold your position, usually in the right wheel trench. Braking - slowly off the throttle, clutch in if you have to. Front brake gently and be ready to release and reapply at the slightest twitch - FEEL your back end. Become one with it. Use the Force. Whatever... just be very aware of it. Moving off - VERY slow and gentle. Dump the clutch or whazz the throttle open and you're fucked. Best bet, find a buddy with a car, catch a bus/train, walk or stay home and take some days leave.
Moderator Cynic Posted December 10, 2011 Moderator Posted December 10, 2011 The critical component to cold weather riding is the actual rubber not the tread pattern. Winter/ off road tyres tyres have far more silica in them which makes them more effective in poor grip situations and lower temperatures. It is actually possible for extreem performance tyres, track day stuff to be nigh on useless below about 5deg. Open block tyres take this further by allowing more mud,snow,whatever from clearing the tread while biting into the surface as well. The other benefit of the knobbly in poor traction situations is the smaller surface area of the tread will prevent material getting between the tyre and the 'surface' the edge of the blocks also helping. BUT, you knew that was coming, for all the benefits they will hurt your stopping distances on a good surface against a regular tyre. They don't actually have to wear all that much for the grip to drop away substantially as a lot of it is from the edge of the blocks that round off. Throw into this the fact that they overheat and actually give much lower grip in hotter conditions and with more natural rubber harden up?. Overall though so long as you go with a min 60/40 road/dirt tyre you should have an all round good tyre that will work well in our climate. Giving away peak performance in the summer but giving it back in the poorer weather. I have been riding my DT for years in some pretty awful weather and also in the summer(yeah ok pretty awful weather). and used the same Bridgestone open block tyre for years, sadly not listed anymore and have never had grip/slip issues that i have had on any other bikes. Ok 15HP will hardly set the world on fire but it can bite.
Moderator Cynic Posted December 10, 2011 Moderator Posted December 10, 2011 Task, i agree with everything there except for the riding in the trenches of the car tyres. I would not have said grip is best, more predictable maybe.
Ttaskmaster Posted December 12, 2011 Posted December 12, 2011 Trenches - I was referring more to a Drag with normal road tyres on, though I doubt knobblies would help much more. Then again, I also leave for work around half 9, so by that stage enough cars have gone by to rid the trenches of all but the slightest slush. The problem comes when you have to turn out of the trench and onto full slush, compacted snow and then untouched snow. That will have you down real quick on a Drag.
Noise Posted December 12, 2011 Author Posted December 12, 2011 Thanks for all the advice. but i will just say that me and my bike will not go any where near snow id much prefer to have four wheels in them conditions or my own two feet lol. I have pondered more about this knobbly tyre and am still in two minds as i have now decided not to go with the Springer front forks (but i could change my mind again) so at this moment in time im looking / thinking about a set of up side down forks so they may look strange with a knobbly tyre.....but then again some motor cross bikes have USD forks so it may look ok? we shall see i guess
Ttaskmaster Posted December 12, 2011 Posted December 12, 2011 OMG, I *SO* forgot to say - When motoring along on snow, use a higher gear than normal. This will help reduce the chances of wheelspin!!
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