700c? Can't argue with the Maxxis Re-Fuse, $25, awesome durability.
Rear tire for Back Breakers
For all of you skids out there who use back breaks, I'm wondering what tires you think last the longest. What do you use and what does it cost?
Right now I am using a Tioga City Slicker. I've had it for a few weeks and it seems to be surviving fairly well. It cost around 20 bucks. This seems to be one of the best values I've found. When I started playing polo I had my nice Schawlbe Marathon Plus on the my bike and that lasted for about 2 - 3 months playing 2-3 times per week. Those cost around 55 Canuck Bucks. I also used a Schwalbe Marathon without the plus (Kevlar woven but no puncture strip) and that only lasted about 6 weeks, cost around 40 or 45 bucks.
I've had $10 tires that only lasted a few games and free second hand tires that lasted a few weeks.
Obviously there are variables; court surface, how much you skid etc... whadya think?
I skid a lot so I burn through tires pretty quickly, so cost is important. You are right, the cheaper or used tires tend not to last as long, so it's a cost benefit thing. I ride with 26" wheels and I've used those city slickers before and they last well enough, but since one our regular players owns a used bike shop in town, and he gets heaps of used mountain bike parts and tires, he gives half price on used stuff for polo, so I usually just go that way and don't know which make is best. I just went and bought 6 26" tires, all in pretty good shape for $12, can't beat that!
I got a stack of $8 Forte tires from Performance a few months ago, and I skidded through the first one really quickly (2 nights I think). I was running 36/18 fixed at the time, so I had an issue with only 2 skid patches. Once I got proactive about taking the rear wheel off and turning it at the end of the night, they started lasting longer (current one still looks good after 1.5 months). I recently switched to a 21T cog, so I don't have the 2 skid patch problem any more. I know all of this isn't an issue with OP's freewheel setup, just trying to describe the durability of the tire - or lack thereof.
The $8 tires are pure crap (won't seat right, hold more than 100psi, etc.), but the price is right for polo.
bike shops have free tire boxes every where i have been rocking that deal for over 3 years now only have spent money on new tubes or even find old ones and patch them.
my polo bike usually gets handmedown tires from my work bike. usually a panaracer urban max or a soma everwear (also made by panaracer) the urban max is my favorite because the rubber is very hard and resistant to wear also relatively in expensive at $30 retail. the everwear has an extra 5mm of rubber in the middle of the tread to prolong it's life but i find i still burn throught em pretty fast cuz the rubber is a bit softer. if i'm buying a tire new for my polo bike specifically, i'll get the cheapest one possible. lately ive been making a conscious effort to skid less, not just to save rubber, mostly becase slowing down quickly is often more effective than skidding.
I second the everwear - lasts way longer than anything else I've tried (though I haven't tried a harder tire like the urban max). Joe's right though, slowing down judiciously instead of skidding is better anyhow. Brakes help a lot even if you are on a fixed.
The best way to save rubber is to run a front brake. No skidding
3...2...1...GO!
Mallets Of Mayhem
Everwear is the really the only way to go in this situation.
shwalbe marathon plus (get the "plus"). longest lasting skid tires EVER.
TOP CENTER 4-EVA
x2
x3 Love that tire, I ride fixed no breaks most of the time and it blows me away how long they last!
Martin...I'm not sure if you read it, but...EVERwear.
ben hunter wore out an ever wear in a single match. It was brand new as well. I think that actually a cross country city tire has more rubber on it and works longer, i'm finding the specialized armadillos work well. I think the Everwear are kind of poorly made. The sidewalls blow out and the composite on the rubber is really cheap.
The sidewalls are cheap. They go before the tread every time for me.
Maybe Ben is the exception here.
I was mostly joking up there with the comment to Martin. Whatever works for you is what you should use. I was riding an old armadillo for NACCCs and it lasted me.
In a mere 6 months of polo I've had an undue amount of time to think about rear tires. The City Slickers seemed like a good idea at first, but I lost one brand new in 2 games, and the second was on it's way before I retired it. Brand new Schwalbes are the sort of thing that make me feel like all of a sudden I have to work more to afford polo, which is just out of the question.
That puts me in Nick's camp: tires from the 26" dumpster. Why not? They're just gonna get skidded out anyway, especially at the East Van Grandview court, which is like 40 grit. (Ironically, I'm running a Schwalbe Marathon Plus I found dumpstering last time: It was like christmas!)
And as far as "slowing down efficiently," forget that. Skidding out and powerslides were what got me stoked on bikes when I was 9- polo is just a convenient excuse to tap into that again.
My only other contribution would be the use of Mr Tuffy's on the back tire, so at least you don't have to patch tubes all the time.
Cheng Shin (CST) makes a 26" tire called the Enduro. Basically a commuter tire with a 5mm additional center tread. Seems pretty tough-looking, but we'll see how it holds up... I just put one on before the NACCC's and it seems alright afterwards. Another of our teammates bought some as well, and he skidded like a mofo all weekend and it definitely wore down.
I have an issue with Specialized tires, especially the Armadillos... they are tough for skidding, but over time, that rubber tends to get really brittle, and the sidewalls crack apart like crazy.
In my experience, I haven't seen any correlation between more expensive tires lasting longer, but I've definitely seen the cheap ones wear down quickly in a day or so... for whatever that is worth.
{}------- lexington -------{}
I skidded through my first tire a few weeks ago, and bought a Panaracer Uff'Da from my LBS. It's a 26" dirt jumping/urban freestyle tire, and so far the rubber seems to be holding up well - it's pretty hard. They are available for $16 on Universal Cycles - which sucks cause I think I paid $26 for mine.
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=16620&cat...
If it starts to crack and get brittle, then I will resort to the cheap-o and/or free tires that I can salvage from Troy Bike Rescue.
Speaking of breaking (ah hah hah, not exactly breaking but)...
Has anyone tried out one of these lil' buddies?
http://www.boxwoodbicyclepolo.com/brakes.html
Seems like a good investment to me.
My buddy just got one from somewhere, and he's stoked! I'll ask him how he likes it this Sunday.
two brakes is excess in polo no matter what type of bike you ride. Why have one other thing to have to fix?
{}------- lexington -------{}
Ethan uses one here in NYC. It's cheaply made and probably wouldn't stand up to much abuse (I have broken a few similar levers just from squeezing them over and over on the polo court). Also, I've heard the complaint somewhere here on the forum that they quickly and frequently go out of adjustment.
they kinda suck. whatever you do, reverse the order of the brake cables, so that the front engages first, not the back.
your number of skid patches obviously will really affect how quickly you go through tires.
on my "regular" bike i run brakeless and ride it every day and have had an everwear on all summer and it's still got plenty left and i skid A LOT. burlington is hilly.
i'll never buy another tire (until someone comes out with a cheaper alternative) for my rear wheel. i used to run cheap/used tires and would usually burn through them in 3 weeks or so.
i ride 47/17 on that which gives me plenty of skid patches.
on my polo bike i just run cheap tires, i only ride it once a week or so, the polo rink is nice and smooth and i'm barely wearing on that tire (brakeless also). on that bike i run 35/51 i think??
i'm about to start running a rear brake for polo only, HUGE advantage for killing it right to the corner and being able to shoot and stop
If you rely heavily on maneuvering or skidding as part of your game, a good performance tire is worth it. Any tire that has excess rubber on the center tread may burn longer but your game will suffer. The stack of rubber in the center makes your tire a bit like a triangle and less like an evenly curved crown. A sharp turn and you may feel like you're going to slide out until the side of the tire catches you and you continue. Or so you hope. That gap in the continuity from center to side is a brief moment when there's relatively little to no rubber on the court. Case in point, after trying several tires that performed well but burned away too quickly, I bought the Panaracer Tserv hoping for a tough compound, solid construction, long wear, and great handling. I received the first three. The center tread build-up was, for me, the deal breaker because my cornering suffered. I let out a little air which improved the cornering, but not enough. As a result, I encourage everyone with handling in mind to check out the Panaracer RibMo. From the structure to the design, I think it will make a lot of polo players very happy.
Also try: the Continental Sport Contact (1.3, 1.6), the Schwalbe Kojak (1.35, 2.0) and (though it's a bit heavy) the Schwalbe Marathon/Marathon Plus.
Lastly, I want to echo Joe MKE in this thread: quickly slowing down is far better than a skid, 90 percent of the time. It's a far more effective way to play and will save rubber.
chicagobikepolo.com
hey jfrench let me know next time you purchase something from universal cycles i work there in portland ill hook you up with something that goes for every one give me a shout at d.kinney@my.wci.edu i run the warehouse here. and we have a bunch of great deals
Axles of Evil "little beirut"
i have been buying up these kenda cosmo tires , any kendas that have a little thingy on them that says SHEILD are good to go but the cosmos are particularily good . either that or you can make really good home made tires out of garbage bags and soccer balls.
i skidded a tire through today, but only worn in one spot so im experimenting..cut the walls off an old tire and fit it into the holy tire. the rubber's doubled but i dont know if it'll hold up..i guess i'll let you know next saturday....
There's an old avocet cross terrian tire that doesn't have a very round profile but has a lot of rubber. If you can find them, throw that on the rear.
The city slicker seems to be the best cost / benefit for 26, though I'm going to give a panaracer RiBMo or whatever a try for the rear. Don't use a Kojak, it costs too much and can't handle the type of wear, which is sad because it's very round in profile and has a killer ride. The old Michelin Transworld City (way long ago, discontinued about 4 years ago) lasts forever street riding. I have one that's 5 years old and going to the rear (following the dead Kojak). If you can find them, grab them (note: there is a modern version of the transworld city. avoid it). The thing I have against the Marathon Plus is that there is too much rubber and too much weight (on the circumference of a wheel, weight makes a huge difference). You wear it flat and lose cornering long before the carcass wears out.
5 dollar deal, Kenda contender and stupid tube.
simplelivingcycles.com
Kendas are surprisingly durable
DAMN. Ive been skid/skip stopping on a kenda everyday for two months now with only 3 skid patches and theyre still in good shape. fuck I think i just jinxed myself.
If you're breaking your back then you must be stopping way too fast...and that must hurt....quit it before you're paralyzed!!
Maybe it has something to do with your "brakes"??
Kenda Kommuter 26x2.0. 4+ months and showing NO wear. 7 bux wholesale. will also be testing similar Czech made rubena Flash soon.
beware, Kommuter's a terrible front tire on slippy courts, even at low pressure, but great rear.
Who's got advice for an awesome front grippy light tire? I'm thinking like a Primo Comet but 26x2.0
soma everwear tires have been holding up really well. so have halo twin rail couriers.for 26s specialized tires seem to last for ever.
maxis the "Holy Roller" model i have had them for about 6 months now and still have some tread on the back one and i skid like a motherfucker, If you can find old continental tires (the ones that are gum-walled) are pretty dope and sound like screeching death.
I have had the everwears on my work bike the only complaint I have about those are the ridiculously thin side walls.
I think cheaper is better in most cases; by that I mean a good heavy black rubber tire. I hope that in the future polo gets "big enough" so bike gear companies start making stuff with polo in mind. R&D. If so I hope they make it good and reatively cheap...not super high end shit that breaks just 'cause you're giv'ner. I'm ridin' freewheel with back brake and skid here and there; it saves on rubber I think.