Wheel Weight

I'll be hitting the gym in a bit, but I'll make another post about my new tires while I'm digesting Costco's honey chicken. Not the yummiest, but it's ready after microwaving for only 2:15 minutes.

It's after only taking this picture that I realized how many tires I have.





It took me a couple days to decide, but I've chosen to swap the newly installed Schwalbe City Jets with the new Marathon Racers. After all, that's what I'll be using. More on this in the next post. For now, let's look at wheel weights.

What did the trike start out with? KMX slapped their name on the Chinese brand and together with the Slime tubes, they weigh 1.6lbs.




How about the Big Apples? These came next. I've been riding on these for at least 1,000 miles. They've done me well. Tread is still good and absolutely no flats. They weigh just a bit less.


Now for the City Jets. These were only on the trike briefly. Though they look much beefier, they weigh the same! The turning response with these tires is amazing! It turns so much more quickly than the Big Apples.

The trike's now slapped on with Marathon Racers up front. The weight is a bit misleading b/c it has a regular lighter weight tube rather than the Slime kind. Total with the tire is half the weight of stock!

I'll weigh the new Sunlite tubes when the arrive in the mail. I'm guessing it'll hit 1.2lbs. The tires are significantly lighter in weight than the other tires I've been using.

Not an optical illusion. That donut on the right is the Slime tube. Thicker rubber and literally filled with green slime. Wider b/c it's a different size. 1.75-2.125" wide. The skinny one is for my the Marathon Racer 1.5" wide tire.

Schwalbe was one of the few companies (other is Sunlite and Q-tube) who make tubes my size. Schwalbe's got plastic caps! Not too durable when rocks are flying. It also has an adjustable ring on the threads.


Tire treads! Unlike on cars, more tread on bicycle tires doesn't translate to better grip. I won't get technical about it, but here's an interesting look at the various tread patterns of the tires I've been using so far.

Why so many tires? The tires in the above picture are lined up in order of when I got them. The one at the far left is the original KMX stamped wheel. It got flats which worried me. After test riding Mike's KMX with the second tire, the Big Apple, I was sold. It rolled better and just felt like an improvement over stock. More cushy and I could pop up on two wheels more more easily (fun!).

The third tread pattern is from the City Jet's. They're supposed to be a slick, but they're super big. Looks like an SUV. It's actually taller than the Big Apples which is already a mondo cycling tire.

I may put these back on when I return from my ride. They seem fun since the turning response is so immediate. Good for maneuvering btw kids at Golden Gate park.

Looks more like a trike now, doesn't it? These are the same tires on my dream trike, the Catrike Speed!




Here's a closer look at my new found treasure. I can't wait to ride this thing!