Today I passed the 2000 miles mark on my little Tank the Surly Long Haul Trucker \o/ Why haven’t I listened to others before, kinda kicking myself here, when they talked about a touring bicycle. Because it is such a joy to ride. Worth every penny.

Me and Chutney (a Dahon Speed Pro TT, 2008) on the top of Tourmalet.
Description: (From their site) The Speed Pro TT is the bike for the serious roadie who wants it all: a bike that can take on a century as easily as it can pack into a suitcase for travel. The SRAM DualDrive gearing delivers 27 gears for anything from the steepest hills to hammering on the flats.
As seen on the blog: Label : Dahon Speed Pro TT
I have now had this bicycle for a little over a year …

… will know about me and my tyres by now.
I managed to hunt down some new tyres for my Dahon Speed Pro TT \o/
I had a look at the Schwable Durano and they felt just way too thin and flimsy, really didn’t feel like I could trust them to keep the fairies away.
So I went for the Continental Sport Contact with SafetyGuard, 20″ x 1 1/8″ (HS 28-406). They look and felt much more solid that the Durano, and had a great offer of a free inner tube and one …

… my kingdom for some tyres that work.
I got 4 bikes that I use a lot, and all run different tyres. I pretty much tend to ride on road surfaces with them all and in all kinds of weather all year around.
Dirty Pia, MTB Principia, 1995.She was converted to a flat bar “road bike” some years ago. Last year I fitted some Schwalbe Marathon Plus Evolution, 26″ x 1″. Which have already clocked up over 3400 miles, on roads and dirt track/canal/towpath in all kinds of weather.
And got a …

… 20″ ?
Ordered some Schwalbe Stelvio with RaceGuard (20″ x 1″ 1/8) at my local bike shop. Only to find out that 20″ x 1″ 1/8 is not 20″ x 1″ 1/8, yes they thickness is the same but my old tyres can easily fit within these new one.
I know that there is this number system, 28-406 (20″x1″1/8) HS 350 …
The 28-406 is the width and diameter of the tyre, a standard which is set by set by E.T.R.T.O – The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation.
I’m not sure what …

Hi,
I just saw the recall you have for the Schwalbe ULTREMO R tyres. The problem rings a bell to my tyres.
 
This is what Dahon said about the tyres on their website.
Dahon Special Edition Schwalbe Stelvio, Mango/Black, 28-406, foldable Kevlar bead, DualCompound Silica casing, RaceGuard anti-puncture protection, 120 psi
 
I have done just over 1700 miles on them over the last 11 month, they have brilliant grip and are very fast, not scared at all going around corners at speed and you can really lean in.
 
But when it come to keeping the …

… or as they are also called a visit by the fairies. And a good defense against then is to get some tyres that have Kevlar (Specialized Armadillos) in them. I have been using armadillos with great success over the years. Well until the buggers started to use the heavy artillery, like a nail that went strait tru’ and made a hole in my wheel.
 

… my armadillo tires survived 7 months of riding trough one of London borough that is well known for not putting street cleaning high on it’s list.
Back in April I went over Hammersmith Bridge, the very day after the boat race, and was greeted with a road paved with glass, and 2 flat tyres later, a walk the rest of the way to work.
I then invested in some Specialized Nimbus Armadillo tires and they worked a treat, when pumped with a high PSI gives a great roll, I even …