My friend Bettina of velo-re.com fame, got the tyres and turned them into belts, of which I got one. Pretty much the only use I have for these “great” tyres after only 1800′ish miles.

Bettina and velo-re take old bicycle tyres and inner tubes and turn them into belts, wallet and bags. Velo-re have just started to use inner tubes as belts too – they’re rather funky.

Velo-re not a bad place to retyre (see what I did there, ok getting my coat) your old tyres into something useful.

LINK : velo-re.com – We make belts from recycled bicycle tyres, inner tube and assorted stuff…

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First it was my Surly LHT that had its back wheel playing up, then Peli’s Eva front wheel and now Tuesday night Pia was haunted.

Eva hasn’t been used for a while and as normal the tyres were a bit soft the front was a bit more than the back. So we pumped the tyres up to see if there was a visit and a few minutes later the front tyre was well soft. So Peli took out the inner tube and set upon fixing the one that was p*nct*red. As you do you pump the inner tube up and look, feel, smell and listen for air coming out but nothing. So Peli pumped it a bit more, nice and big now and still nothing to find, she then let it hang on the door while checking the tyre for cuts and splinters and then fitting the new inner tube. Two or so hours later nothing to see on the “supposed flat” inner tube, go figure.

Tuesday I dug out Pia my MTB come around the town commuter and because I haven’t used her for around 6 months the tyres were flat. So after a bit of exercise with the pump the tyres were at 110psi, some lube on the chain and the brakes checked over she as ready to ride again. As I was going to bed I gave the tyres a quick press and yup nice and hard still and ready for tomorrow’s ride. Got up in the AM and looked at the rear tyre and it was flat, bugger! The Schwalbe Marathon Plus Evolution tyres that I’m using on her are to say the least a BUGGER to get on and off the rims. I think I have only taken them of two times before over the 4-5000 miles I have used them and every time I have sworn a lot and broken a few tyre levers. Inner tube out, check it over nothing, arrggh !! Looked around to find a spare inner tube couldn’t find any, put the inner back into the tyre. Road 12miles on her on Wednesday and have just checked the tyres good as new.

What the feck is going on ?

So the question is who to contact, Ghostbusters or Father Merrin to get this sorted once and for all.

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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.

I’m still setting it up, fettling along with the handlebar set up, will post more about that later. And I have just ordered a set of SuperNova E3 Pro, let there be light :)

I got the wheels from a friend who built them himself and they are still going strong. As a part of the deal I got some used Bontrager Select Invert Hardcase 700x35c tyres with the wheels. And I have only had one visit, a nasty little staple managed to find its way through the Hardcase.

I can’t compare if they are slower or faster than other tyres. I do have some Schwalbe Marathon Plus but haven’t tested them. Peli has the +es on Milly and she says that they have a good roll and take the bumps very well. Though she is a few miles short of my mileage, she still hasn’t had a visit, and there are nearly no wear signs on them.

This bicycle have become my day to day commuter, shopping and work horse within a few days of building it and just love getting onto it even if it is heavy and slow. Thanks Surly for making this sofa with four wheels, now where next ?

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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 now and I have collected all the blogs I have done into this review, and will update as time permits.

I have ridden it in London, the Pyrenees and on a long hilly ride, and it is one of the best rides I have had.

After a little getting used to that everything happens so low to the ground, and the twitching handling, it just flyes. I have never ridden a folder before and it have been many years since I was on 20″ tyres.

Cycling in London’s traffic it is fast, responsive, comfy and light. It comes in at 10.4kg, but I do not feel it at all. Because of the 28″ to 125″ gear range, that just changes double fast, nothing different with the 3 hub gears that are like the 3 front rings. With it fancy handle bars and stem you can easy find a position that suit you.

It have a longer distance between the wheels, which makes the ride much more like a “normal” bike. Climbing up on the steepest part of the Tourmalet the front wheel never came off the ground, and I never had the twitch that you can have with a smaller wheel and going up hill at low speed.

Descending is fast and fun, I can’t say that there is anything different compared to a “normal” bike. That is off course when you have gotten used to its handling, but that is the same with any bike.

The only things I had to change on it …

Handlebars: I had to add some Bar Phat as the handle bars that is on it is too thin for my liking.

Brake pads: The ones that comes with it as a standard don’t even bite, so I put some Koolstop and they have stopped me on the fast descents in the Pyrenees.

Seat post: Since I’m 6’4″ with an inside leg of 35″. The seat post that come with the bike is not long enough even though the web site states that it fits a 6’4″ person. So I got a seat post from a Dahon Vitesse which also have the normal seat clamp and not the new seat railing thing, and that is just the right length.

And of course riding it in France you will get of plenty of people looking at you and asking you questions about it.

Now that was all the good news about the Dahon Speed Pro TT, here comes the bad news …

I got this bike in August 2008 all being a very brilliant bike to ride. But compare to the amount of miles I have gotten out of the “Dahon Special Edition Schwalbe Stelvio, Mango/Black, 20″ x 1″, foldable Kevlar bead, DualCompound Silica casing, RaceGuard anti-puncture protection” I can only display my disappointment.

This bike has only touched the Queens highway, never been off road or on dirt track/canal/towpath. Though I have ridden it in the rain and the tyres have a brilliant grip and roll very fast. I have had 3 inner tubes on it and the tyres are now falling apart, click here to read my open letter to Schwalbe about this.

Total count of visits = 8 or was it 10 vs 1780 miles, now that is just not on, compared to the tyres on my other bicycles.

And in an attempt to get better braking on Chutney, I cut down the generous Dahon cable routing. Front brake by 2.5″ and the back nearly 6″. And I got much better bite on my front and back brake now compared to before. Though while fettling around I found out that my front break cable was a little bit frayed.

And when I pulled out the cable it was like a cork screw …

Never seen that before in my fettling career, after a little looksee I think I figured out what caused it. The cable outer is coming out of the handle bar and is going into the shifters at an sharp 90 deg angle with strait lines, not a rounded/smooth/curved angle. Which I also think is the reason for the fraying and some lack of braking power, I have to do some more fettling to see if I can get that routing in a softer/smother angle.

Rating

A brilliant, fast, fun ride. But what was Dahon thinking about when they put the tyres and brakes on this?

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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 year guarantee in the deal.

I managed to put them on the wheels after a bit of fighting, must remember to take my time and not rush it, because I will end up snapping a tyre lever.

And because of the free inner tube deal, I did not get any extra. And while fitting the tyres I found out that the valve is schreda not presta. Which I find quite weird, you sell a thin road bike tyre for small wheels, and you do not use presta valves ?

Here’s hoping that the SafteyGuard lives up to what they should do and I do not over heat the rims on these long downhills. As here in Southern France 20″ is unheard of.

-H

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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 fair few cuts in them as you can see in this photo.

 

I find these tyres very “grippy” and very fast, I think I have gained up to 6mph with changing from 2″ MTB tyres to these.

Total count of visit = 0 vs 3400 miles, that is a win.

Stella, 1980′s road bike now fixie.
I fitted some Specialized Armadillo, 700 x 28c, around 3.5 years ago. I have cycled on and off road, on dirt track/canal/towpath and a heck of distances on roads in London. They are a bit heavy to ride but I got used to that and plenty of grip and feel very comfy to ride on bumpy surfaces.

It is now just under 8000 miles later and I can only remember that I have had 2 punctures on these. One on front a big bugger of a flint and then there was the nail that went straight through to rim. I feel so safe I often go out on a long ride without tools and repair kit.

Though I do hear that people are falling out of love with the newer versions of these tyres.

Total count of visit = 2 vs 8000 miles, now that is fecking brilliant :)

Chutney, Dahon Speed TT 2008.
I got this bike in August 2008 all being a very brilliant bike to ride. But compare to the amount of miles I have gotten out of the “Dahon Special Edition Schwalbe Stelvio, Mango/Black, 20″ x 1″, foldable Kevlar bead, DualCompound Silica casing, RaceGuard anti-puncture protection” I can only display my disappointment.

This bike has only touched the Queens highway, never been off road or on dirt track/canal/towpath. Though I have ridden it in the rain and the tyres have a brilliant grip and roll very fast. I have had 3 inner tubes on it and the tyres are now falling apart, click here to read my open letter to Schwalbe about this.

Total count of visits = 8 or was it 10 vs 1780 miles, now that is just not on.

The little Tank, Surly Long Haul Trucker 2009 (LHT).
This bike is only a few weeks old but have already done 250 miles. I fitted some old Bontrager Select Invert Hardcase, 700 x 35c, I got these from a friend and I’m not sure how many miles they have done, there is some wear to see.

I have no experience with touring, only done 250 miles, so I don’t know how other touring tyres handle under heavy load. Though I did find these alright, good roll, albeit a bit slow to get going but I hear that about the LHT anyway. I have only cycled on road on these so yet to find out how they handle on dirt track/canal/towparth.

Total count of visits = 0 vs 250 or so miles, not bad but still not enough to know how well they last.

So right now if you can get hold of some old Specialized Armadillo you will get the best protection. Though the Schwalbe Marathon Plus‘ are pretty darn good too from what I see and hear about them, and I already got a set ready for my LHT for when the Bontrager wears out. But I will not be surprised that next year Michelin will have the tyres you just got to have.

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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 the HS 350 is, though I think that is a Schwalbe number to describe the tread.

And the 20″x1″1/8 is simple to understand, 20″ in diameter and 1″1/8 is the width.

But why the heck does that not fit to each others? The last time I measured 20″ it was 20″ which is 50.8cm or 508mm, it is not that hard to figure out.

This only leads to mistakes.

I also learned from Schwable or Bohle who is Schwable’s contact in the UK, that the Stelvio’s have been discontinued and been replaced with Durano.

So the hunt goes on for some tyres that is puncture proof and that fits my Dahon Speed Pro TT.

I did moan about this to Bohle (as the part conversion with them, remember the open letter ?) and got this reply.

Hello H

Re tyre sizes. Unfortunately tyre sizes can be quite confusing as you have just found out. Quite often it is the old Imperial sizes combined with Metric sizes that can fall under the same overall size classification ie 20″. The new Durano, although it has the same RaceGuard puncture protection system it has a much more durable tread compound so offering a more reliable and higher mileage tyre than the slightly lighter Stelvio.

28-406 Stelvio art no; 11613352 folding bead 11113129 wire bead
28-406 Durano art no; 11646979 folding bead 11146976 wire bead

Kind Rgds

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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 punctures away they are no better than soft Swiss cheese with holes. It’s not much use, that RaceGuard. They have simply been cut to pieces, and I only ride on roads on these tyres.

 

The numbers of flats I have had on these tyres is unknown, because I have given up counting. Every journey I now do on these tyres I count in extra time for a “break” to fit a new inner tube.

 

In the last 100 or so miles the tyres have started to wobble/kick very hard at certain speeds, and I take it that is because of the kink in the tyres. I know for sure that my brake block hasn’t touched the tyres, because that is one thing I’m scared of especially because I rely on them when cycling in the Pyrenees.

 

I have some old (4 years) Specialized Armadillos (700c x 28) which have done over 6000 miles and I think I have had 1 or 2 flat, and one of them was a nail that lodged itself in the rim.

 

These pictures are just from the rear tyre. The front tyre is also cut to bits, but yet have to develop a wobble and kink.

The Schwalbe Marathon Plus evolution (26″ x 1″), probably the best tyres I have, have done over 2000 miles and have had no visit yet, but got two quite big cuts in them but are still going strong. And I have not been shy with these tyres, I’ve ridden trough some nasty stuff with them.

Still have to try out the Schwalbe Marathon Plus (700c x 35) which I only got because of what I read about touring tyres and have tried with the Schwalbe Marathon Plus evolution.

Now I just hope that the Schwalbe Stelvio with RaceGuard (20″ x 1″ 1/8) I just got are better and do not suffer from the same problem. Because I could not find any Marathon Plus’ or Specialized Armadillos in that size.

I got a reply …

Hello H

Many thanks for your mail, most interesting. I am surprised that you have been able to obtain the 28-406 Stelvio as they have been discontinued and been replaced with the new Durano, we even have some of the Special Dahon Mango coloured version on stock.

Kind Rgds

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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 managed to do the Dun Run on them.

But today I heard the tell tell sign/sound of a flat, and low and behold in seconds I was riding a wobbly bike, yet another walk to work.

I have been thinking about getting the slim version of the armadillo’s and used today visit of the p+unt+re fairy to get a set. So let’s see how they are when I fit them on tonight.

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