Will fat tires save my butt?

[KLizotte]

This past weekend I rode on the York Heritage Rail Trail in PA. The surface is crushed gravel and in excellent condition (but not suitable for skinny tires IMHO). Unfortunately, after 30 miles my butt was seriously hurting from the vibrations and I found the ride to be more uncomfortable than I would have liked even though I have seat and front suspension (I have a hybrid bike). When I hit pavement I sang Hallelujah! :p

My bike has Bontrager Hard-Case hybrid 700x35c tires. I presume I can install fatter tires for gravel trails (but not as fat as MTB tires) but I haven’t confirmed with the LBS yet.

My question is this: if I put on the biggest tires my bike will handle, will the ride be smoother? Since so many of the trails in the area are gravel I hate to give them up but I can’t bear the thought of a repeat of Saturday’s ride. At present, the C&O is out of the question for any decent distances.

Also, can anyone tell me why they insist on putting gravel down on some of these trails anyway? Along the YHT there were “bald” sections and they were fabulous to ride over (and much quieter). If a trail is relatively flat and wide, what does the gravel improve upon over just having hard packed earth? I understand gravel is needed for roads because car wheels will eventually dig trenches but I don’t think bikes are heavy enough for that.

If you have an MTB, I highly recomment the YHT. It has ample parking all along the trail, the scenery is beautiful, it’s well shaded and cool, there is a nice cafe along the path, the users are very friendly, the path is wide, and there are few peds. There are a fair number of road crossings but they are across little used country roads so very easy to breeze through. This trail will be beautiful in the fall when the leaves change.

Topic

[Dirt]

I’ve found the Continental Gatorskin tires very resistant to flats. They ride nicely too. I think they also make them in wider widths that will fit on a hybrid-type bike.

[Tim Kelley]

I like Bontrager Hard Case tires. I run 700 x 38s on the commuter mountain bike which has fat tires on a 700c rim.

[CCrew]

@Tim Kelley 6060 wrote:

I like Bontrager Hard Case tires. I run 700 x 38s on the commuter mountain bike which has fat tires on a 700c rim.

I think that’s what the OP is running except in a 35mm, based on the first post. I agree, decent tires. That’s what leads me to believe it’s not 100% a tire issue.

[Tim Kelley]

@CCrew 6061 wrote:

I think that’s what the OP is running except in a 35mm, based on the first post. I agree, decent tires. That’s what leads me to believe it’s not 100% a tire issue.

Agreed–these are the knobbies it came with and using them I can at least keep up with Mark Blacknell when he is on his full suspension mtb.

FYI–I can fit 2.25 mountain bike tires on the front no problem, but on the back I have issues with the way the rear derailleur is mounted, so I could only but in 10-20psi before it starts rubbing.

[KLizotte]

Brendan is right. I have caliper style brakes and I’ll run into a clearance issue if I go too big.

You definitely have fitter butt muscles than me then. I was very surprised since I can easily do 30 miles on asphalt without breaking a sweat. I had put in a lot of mileage the previous two days so maybe it was cumulative tiredness. It was also my first time on crushed limestone. I should have let some of the air out of the tires. Live and learn.

I don’t think my suspension seat is all that great; it came stock with the bike and appears to only have about 3/4 inch “wiggle.” The front suspension seems to be much more robust. It’s a comfort hybrid so it’s not heavy duty by any means. Am already planning on buying either a touring or road bike if I can figure out where to store it safely. Came very close to moving into a bigger apartment for the sole purpose of securing more bike space when my lease came up for renewal this month. I am steadily sliding down that slippery path….

I plan on buying studded tires for winter riding so appreciate any and all tire advice. It’s hard to believe I put on 10K+ miles on my old 18 speed and didn’t even know how to change a tire or lube a chain.

[KLizotte]

I should have posted a pic of my bike originally. Yes, I know what you are thinking. The handlebars are really high which doesn’t bother me if I’m going less than 30 miles though windy days are challenging. It does not appear that I can lower them via the stem so I plan on trying to lower them via the angle of the handlebar so I’m more aerodynamic. I can’t raise the seat any higher since I won’t be able to touch the ground (I’m only 5’2″).

As you can see, I already have a cushy, gel filled seat so don’t bother with padded shorts. On this bike, that would just look ridiculous!

In the city it’s a great bike to ride given its visibility and ease of control and I do load it up with commuting gear/shopping. I don’t plan on doing any centurys on it though. Need to find a more long-distance oriented bike.

This is the bike I rode on the York Heritage Trail last wknd for 30 miles and found the ride to be bumpier than I would have liked. Overall though, I do like the all-purpose tires that came with the bike for bopping around Arlington/DC.

[CCrew]

@KLizotte 6091 wrote:

Brendan is right. I have caliper style brakes.

The bike in the picture? They sure look like V-Brakes to me…

[KLizotte]

@CCrew 6103 wrote:

The bike in the picture? They sure look like V-Brakes to me…

Really? Out of pure ignorance I based my conclusion simply by looking at them and assuming V brakes would look like, well, like a V.

[CCrew]

@KLizotte 6119 wrote:

Really? Out of pure ignorance I based my conclusion simply by looking at them and assuming V brakes would look like, well, like a V.

No prob. V’s look generally like this: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BR306A00-Avid+Single+Digit+7+Brake+2011.aspx

While calipers look like this: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BR293E00-Shimano+Sora+Br-3400+Caliper.aspx

Brendan’s absolutely right, you don’t have much wiggle room with calipers, but I really think yours has v’s.

[Author]

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