Roly Poly Experience
 

I finally mounted the RP's I bought over the winter to be used as one of the Wheel tire combo's on my incoming Kirk. I was pleasantly suprised that they fit on my Ottrott with D/A 7800 brakes and an F2 fork. The clearance was reasonable, although it was a bit tight between the chainstays. I inflated the rear to 95lbs. and the front to 90lbs. I rode 29 miles on a route that I'm familiar with every nook and crany along the way. I usually run a set of 23cm Vittoria Open Corsa Cx's inflated to the same amount. What a difference in ride quality the RP's made. It was soooo smooth compared to to the Cx's. How much did the RP's slow me down? It was hard to tell if I was slower with the heavier wider tires. It was really windy, but I figure I lost a little on the performance end. I could feel they accelarated a bit slower, but seemed fine once I was up to speed. I doubt I'll keep them on the Ottrott (looks kinda goofy) but they will be great on the Kirk on days when ride quality is priority. Highly recommended!!
Jeff
PS- Anyone compare the RP's to the Michelin Pro Race 25's? I'm considering buying a pair

Thanks for the pics. Can you provide accurate height and width measurements?

I think on most rims the RP/RTs are a true 27mm wide.

they don't look any goofier to me than that smileon your face as you glide over the crap on the road. :beer: :banana:

Ken,
I agree with you 100%, however the Ottrott is my bike for all out hammering, and paceline riding although I would like to try the Michelin Pro Race in a 25. The incoming kirk is deigned for wider tire such as RP's, and riding crappy roads.
Jeff

Fierte , is it not an oxymoron to say crappy roads and buffalo in the same sentence , what with the snow and ice and road heave , what do u guys consider smooth . man you gots to live in jersy to see smooth roads , ask keno about that :)

I tried the RP's.....
 

on my legend with an F2.

They fit, but the first stone they picked up scratched the underside of the fork.......nuff of that.

I have been riding them for 2+ years on my fixie and they are smooth as all get out....and they are bullettproof.

Now if you could just get them without the gumwalls.

Len

I know that my perception of what is faster is not always proven by the facts so I would be really interested in the results if you can try some actual time trials/comparos of your speed on the RPs versus "racier" skinny tires. If the skinny tires have any advantage I might guess that it would diminish as the length of the ride increases and comfort becomes more important. I read somewhere that the real difference between skinny/less skinny tires comes from the aero advantage at high (25+mph) speeds rather than rolling resistance or weight.

The real, as opposed to advertised, weight of the RPs isn't that much greater than supposedly lighter tires.

I love the ride of Michelins but I get way too many flats due to our debris-strewn roads. None yet with my RuffyTuffy or Conti UltraGatorkins.

I've switched back and forth a few times between Roly Polys and Michelin 25s and 23s on two different bikes. The Michelin 25s ride firmer and feel faster than the Roly Polys. Compared to the 23s, they are softer and feel a touch slower. If you put the Roly Polys and the Michelin 23s on opposite ends of a spectrum, the 25s would fall near the middle, a little closer to the 23s. I hope that made some sense.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll give the Michelin Pro Race 25's a try.
Jeff

That's the reason I don't use regular Michelins except the carbon models. I wonder whether those tires (ex Veloflex...) which give you supreme ride quality pick up debris, small stone easily...

I was gonna reply with this but you beat me to the punch. I have Roly Polys on a bike and they're great tires for easy meandering rides. But they do FEEL a bit slow, whether that's real or perceived. I'm personally quite slow so I live for the occasional PERCEPTION of speed, which I find more often with Pro Race 23s and almost never with the Roly Polys. But the Pro Race 25s are a perfect compromise. Most of the accelleration you feel with the Pro Race 23s and most of the cush you feel with the Roly Polys. All three are great tires, but there's a spectrum of perceived speed to comfort there.

-Ray

My experience is different from the prevailing opinion here. Now that the Michelin 25c is the smallest tire I use (well, there are rare exceptions) I've had a good bit of time to compare it with the RP/RT. If you put 110psi in either tire my experience is that they feel about the same or, to put it another way, the RP/RT is no slower. The "perception" as I experience it is that fat tires like the RP/RT have this rap. I just no longer think it is true, so I guess it's not my perception. YPMD.

dbrk

I blame my lack of speed on my tires too :)

Don't get me wrong - my lack of true and actual speed is all on me - my equipment plays essentially NO role in this malady. Except that I don't consider it a malady. But I find that some types of equipment choices DO affect the way a bike feels. And since I can't ACTUALLY make one go very fast, I buy whatever I can that will help fool myself into FEELING, even for a fleeting moment, like I might be moving a little quicker than a dead slug (a live slug would clearly drop me on a hill). I count wheels and tires first and formost among these deceptive bits. Up to a point, bike geometry can make a difference too. Bike weight maybe eventually, like over 28 pounds or something, but I have 21+ pound bikes that feel every bit as fast as my 17 pound bike.

But, hey, light wheels and tires just seem like they spin up with less effort to any given speed. I KNOW this is an illusion - it's been explained to me many different times and very effectively. But its an illusion I like a LOT. And I'm stiking with it. Once I'm comfortable with a set of illusions, please don't mess with them.

Thank you,

-Ray