Tires recs for the STP and LOTOJA

[bking]

First time riding 200 miles, and I'm not looking to break any records; other than to establish mine with a finish.
I ride 25s, mostly Shwalbe, in Nevada where our roads by most standards are pretty smooth, and in Utah where they're a bit rougher, but still good for the most part.
How bad (or good) are the roads, and would you roll a 28 for comfort, and maybe something a bit more durable for flat resistance?
Thanks.

[dave thompson]

I've done the STP numerous times, all on 'normal' road tires: GP4000, Schwalbe ZX, etc. The roads, at worst, are decent but generally very good, country roads, good chip-seal, minimal problems. Nothing special needed, other than good bike preparation.

You're going to be on the bike for a fairly long time so anything to increase your comfort would be good.

[cachagua]

You're going to be on the bike for a fairly long time so anything to increase your comfort would be good.

Yes, and I don't think there's any other single factor that'll improve your comfort as much as going up a size or two in tires.

If you have ridden 28s/30s/32s and hated them, stick with what you like. But, while I wouldn't suggest riding STP on any untried equipment, there's still time to check out the difference a little cush could make.

Can you borrow someone's tires or wheels? Any ride long enough to be meaningful training will be long enough to let you evaluate the effect. And if you end up wanting some of your own, I'd say lean towards comfort over flat protection -- the tires that offer the best comfort won't be any more fragile than the 25s you're riding, and the tires that are really unflattable are *dogs* to ride.

Remember to put in less air. Start lower than seems reasonable, and go up 5 pounds at a time to experiment. Lower pressure helps both comfort and durability.

[Wayne77]

I do the Lotoja, competitive event, every year with my team. The roads are plenty smooth and 25's would be perfect. I race on tubulars with 25's. Since it is an expensive race, and for many around here it's their A-race they spend all season training for, a lot of guys like to minimize risk of flating out of contention and race on tires more robust than a typical light race tire. All season tires like Conti Gatorskins, Veloflex Arenburg, etc are popular.

[KidWok]

Supple 25's are perfectly fine for STP. Maybe 28's if you have a more unforgiving frameset.

Tai

[bking]

thanks fellas. I've got some nice Shwalbe 28's, I'll roll with those.

[TheEnglish]

I rode STP in one day, once. While STP is a very fun and worthwhile event, the first 15 miles are some of the scariest riding I have ever done. Just take it easy and pay attention. It's a giant pack of cyclists that haven't ridden in a pack and are hopped up on adrenaline. Stay back and keep it chill. After 15 miles you can settle in to your desired pace. The other trick is to find a good paceline for the second half. The first half flew by, the second hald was when it got hard. The last 40 miles, were brutal and pretty much all on my own.

The trick some people used that had ridden the ride a bunch was to join in after 10 miles.

[notsew]

I rode STP in one day, once. While STP is a very fun and worthwhile event, the first 15 miles are some of the scariest riding I have ever done. Just take it easy and pay attention. It's a giant pack of cyclists that haven't ridden in a pack and are hopped up on adrenaline. Stay back and keep it chill. After 15 miles you can settle in to your desired pace. The other trick is to find a good paceline for the second half. The first half flew by, the second hald was when it got hard. The last 40 miles, were brutal and pretty much all on my own.

The trick some people used that had ridden the ride a bunch was to join in after 10 miles.

Man, that first bit was some of my favorite riding of the whole thing... being around all those happy cyclist while the sun was rising across the lake, it was a great feeling.

I'll agree about that last section, the highway to Portland is a crappy end to a day.

The most important lesson I learned on my one day STP? There is no such thing as too much chamois butter... :crap:

[Ken Robb]

Please tell us ignorant folk what these rides are. :help:

[TheEnglish]

STP = Seattle to Portland
LoToJa = Logan to Jackson (Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, WY)

[TheEnglish]

Man, that first bit was some of my favorite riding of the whole thing... being around all those happy cyclist while the sun was rising across the lake, it was a great feeling.

I'll agree about that last section, the highway to Portland is a crappy end to a day.

The most important lesson I learned on my one day STP? There is no such thing as too much chamois butter... :crap:

Definitely would agree with you after about 10 miles in. I had a great time. Maybe it's down to different start times (since I did the one day thing, I left early), but I saw at least 3 gnarly crashes and at least 6 close calls before we even got past Rainier Beach. After you get past Lake Washington, it's all clear really. For example Lake Washington Blvd is only closed down on the south-bound lane, but tons of people we riding in the oncoming lane for no reason. A couple people hit dividers because they wanted to get passed the crowd and made sketchy passes. There was also a few people that hit curbs, again trying to get around people. All in a ride that is not even timed. Just keep an even head and don't try and do anything other than stay safe in the first 10 miles.

Now, if you want to get down to a long distance ride that you should do in the area, I would ride RAMROD any day of the week over STP.

[gasman]

I did the STP in one day with a group of 5 of us. I used 23's and they were fine so you should be good with 25's.
No desire to ride it again, it's too long to be on a bike and the ride is too flat for my tastes. It still manages to fill every year and I know some guys who do it yearly, but they do the 2 day ride.