Tyre / tire size

what's that "reverse resonant frame oscillation" supposed to mean? i don't get it.

This may be a stupid question but I couldn't find anything in the search

my back tire died yesterday and I'm going to replace it and have decided to replace the front aswell. My front wheel is the original 700 x 25 from a Raleigh flyer and I was wondering would a 700x23 tyre be too small for this rim?

I'm guessing the clue is in the question. Let the barrage of piss taking begin

700 = very approx tyre diameter
25= very approx tyre width

Your rim is probably something like 19 wide.
A range of width of tyres will fit, see Sheldon Brown for further advice

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html

x23 and x25 will be fine on the same rim.

Cheers chaps

So I guess it is my turn to get flamed for my lack of knowledge about bicycle parts, so here goes.
Winter is fast approaching and I am going to need some suitable tyres for snow. Winter here is pretty tough (-20-25c) and I know that I am going to have bike issue.

Last year I rode all winter on a mountain bike with an offroad front tyre and it was interesting at times, but doable. Now I have a fixed gear bike(a crap one!) and my tyres are smooth as anything and I really doubt their ability to serve me at all in the winter.
The tyres are marked 28-622, which I assume means I can substitute tyres with the same code. My only issue is about the clearance of any tyres I buy. How will I know if they will foul the frame?

I see in this thread a few tyres http://www.lfgss.com/thread10343.html
Will I be safe to just order them or would I need to go to a bike shop to check.

I am kind of reluctant to go to the 'best' bike shop here as they fuck up everything I ask them for.(Size wise) usually they just say, yes it should work, and when I get back home, it doesn't.
What do you think?

You can look for any tyre with marking 28-622.
Basically, it should fit.
But tyres sizes are not always (never) precise, so there is no 100% guarantee.

However, if the tyres have a different dimension that the label says, they are a bit smaller (most cases).
You can even look for something bigger, but you really have to try.
Consider cyclocross tyres with fine tread, but these are hard to find in 28mm.
30mm is widely available, although these may be labeled as 323 or 34mm.

Maybe you can tell us what brakes you use and if the brake pads are at the top or bottom.
Usually, brakes are the limiting factor.

Might be an idea to PM Smallfurry, he lives in Norway (I think) and is king of the winter tyres
Where are you based Nicky?

Good info I stumbled across last year while randomly browsing http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

How much clearance do you have around you current tyres? 28c is a bit small for decent winter tyres.

I'd recommend splashing out for some proper winter tyres. Studded if you experiance a lot of ice and hard pack snow. Cheap studded tyres are unpredictable, and therefore unsafe IMHO. The steel in the studs is cheap and wears fast too. Conti, Nokian, and schwalbe, and possibly others, use steel carbide which is worth the expense.

I live on the north(ish) west coast of Norway. The variation in temperature due mild air blowing in of the sea (warmed by the gulf stream), and freezing air bowing in from the mountains, means there is nearly always an ice layer under the snow. I've found that since investing in decent winter tyres, not only have I saved money (less damage occuring to my bike), but I have even started going on evening pleasure rides during the winter.

As well as good tyres, I'd recomend good mountain bike style pedals, that you can clip in and out of bloody quick.

P.S. That link Tommy posted is the holy grail of winter tyre info, I'd read it.

Your best bet for a decent studded winter tyre is the Schwalbe winter marathon. It comes in a 35x700 size, has 240 steel carbide studs and a resonbly aggressive tread (I doubt you have clearance fore a more extreme tread).

These will only fit if you have at least 1cm of clearance around your current tyres.

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/c2-1217-schwalbe-tires-marathon-winter.html

you could try the conti top contact winter if you dont have clearance for studs

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20topcontact.shtml

i couldnt get hold of them last year though...

Best studdless compromise I'm aware of. Is the Schalbe CX Pro, which is a knobbly CX tyre which comes in as small as 700x30, and doesnt have much in the way of side studs making clearance even easier.

I seem to remember Clefty having these?

Nokian A10s are a 32mm wide tyre (measure up smaller according to the Peter White page). Not as many studs as the Marathon Winter. Depending on your bike, perhaps you could run one of these at the back and a Marathon winter at the front (assuming forks have more clearance)?

Those A10s are the budget option, also sold under other names in local hardware stores (well local to me). There are too few studs for them to be effective, and the tread pattern is poor.

Basically cornering will be either great or shite depending on wever you're lucky enough to hit a couple studs during entry into the turn. I dont like the look of them personally.

Yep I bought one of these (CX Pro) last year, still got it and it will be going back on when needed.
It was perfect for my minimal clearances, there is a pic somewhere I think in the winter tyres thread, let me find it..

here we go http://www.lfgss.com/post1142656-151.html

I had another look and I have about 1cm of clearance on the front, but the back is not as easy - not only would the mudgurad have to come off, but it might even catch the frame.
I think I'm going to have to visit a better bike shop which actually stocks winter tyres. I remember the guy laughed a little when I said that I would ride through winter last year. Pissed me off already 3 times giving me shit, or the wrong size parts. Only problem is finding somewhere.

Thanks for the links, I'll read up a bit and when I end up getting some I'll be back.
Thanks

I'm in Poland, and last year we had plenty of snow, which in some places was cleared and in others not.

I had another look and I have about 1cm of clearance on the front, but the back is not as easy - not only would the mudgurad have to come off, but it might even catch the frame.
I think I'm going to have to visit a better bike shop which actually stocks winter tyres. I remember the guy laughed a little when I said that I would ride through winter last year. Pissed me off already 3 times giving me shit, or the wrong size parts. Only problem is finding somewhere.

Thanks for the links, I'll read up a bit and when I end up getting some I'll be back.
Thanks

I'm in Poland, and last year we had plenty of snow, which in some places was cleared and in others not.

I remove my full mudguards and put crud catchers on. Ugly as... but keeps the wet snow off my botty. You need to find a shop that'll let you try out a winter marathon, as it might fit.

Those A10s are the budget option

I wouldn't really call them budget. They should be, but are only a couple of euros cheaper than the marathon winter. Which is why I went with two marathon winters, but I'm not totally convinced it's going to fit in the rear. In which case I'll try an A10 as it's got to be better than no studs at all, especially with the marathon winter in front.

I my opinion there are 3 very clear winners for winter commuting tyres:

Conti Nordic Spike 240
Nokian hakka 240
schwalbe winter marathon

All of these have a low temperature specific rubber compound and 240 well placed steel carbide tipped studds.

For less extreme winters you can get the 120 stud versions of the nordic spike, or the hakka, or the Schwalbe snow stud.

(there are 360 stud tyres available, but I would'nt class them as commuting tyres)

Byt yeah if you have clearance issues a A10 is better than no studs, and it is still made with the same materials as the hakka.

this man knows about winter,
trust him

For the record, I have already had the chance to build two snow caves in the garden (now melted), and been running my winter tyres since mid October.

ah well, only 5-6 months of dark, wet, and cold to go ;S

and people complain about the U.K
fucking wingers

To be fair, nothing winges like a Smallfurry with wet feet.

Have my over shoes now though [/snugasabugetc]

For the record, I have already had the chance to build two snow caves in the garden (now melted), and been running my winter tyres since mid October.

ah well, only 5-6 months of dark, wet, and cold to go ;S

Crikey. Just one lot of snow/sleet/hail here(I had all three in one journey), at the time my studded tyres hadn't arrived and I was slipping going up hill, etc. However, since then it's been really mild so I've just kept my slicks on.