wagner@uw-june (Dave Wagner) (08/05/85)
I have just returned from a 1100 mile tour of Washington state and the Canadian
Rockies, during which I was using a Specialized K-4 and a Cycle Pro Kevlar
tire. Both tires feature a Kevlar belt under the tread to prevent punctures.
Well, let me tell you, they really work! As anyone who has done any loaded
touring knows, this is really an acid test for tires, what with being forced
to ride on glass-strewn road shoulders, on gravel roads, and with a lot
of extra weight on the bike (in my case, combined weight of bike, packs, and
rider is approximately 290 pounds!).
I only had two flats; one was a heat-induced blowout
(I wasn't even riding it at the time) and the second was
due to turning a spoke nipple without first deflating the tire (I should have
known better, but...). Both flats were on the Specialized, which was on the
rear wheel, but as I mentioned, neither one was due to road hazards.
In fact, as I was examining the tread when I was fixing a flat, I found
all kinds of broken glass shards embedded in the tread of the K-4, but none
had worked its way to the inside of the tire.
A nice plus for the Cycle Pro is that it also has a Kevlar bead, making it
lighter than the K-4 as well as foldable.
Don't leave home without 'em!
Dave Wagner
University of Washington Comp Sci Department
wagner@washington.arpa
{ihnp4,decvax,ucbvax}!uw-beaver!uw-june!wagner
"The surest thing there is is we are riders,
And though none too successful at it, guiders,
Through everything presented, land and tide
And now the very air, of what we ride."
- Frost