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compass 700 x28c chinook tyres part two

compass chinook 700 x 28 tyres

as a teenager, i cannot deny that i had more than a passing interest in motor racing. thankfully, i have since seen the error of my ways, quickly switching the tv channel, should i inadvertently settle on a morning's worth of practice for one grand-prix or another, but there's little doubt that there was a smidgeon of peer pressure involved at the time. and in retrospect, there may also have been an accompanying sideline, in that the weekly title 'motoring news' was published in newspaper format and i feel imay have been more drawn by that than the contents.

however, one of the fascinations, when watching a formula one grand prix, was the notion of pit stops, where teams would occasionally attempt to outwit their opponents by switching to softer compound, yet short-lived tyres only a matter of laps from the finish. i've no idea quite how many tyre compounds or tread patterns are available to the modern-day, substantially funded racing team, but, a bit like cyclocross (which will be here in the twinkling of an eye), there's no doubt that pre-race tyre strategies play almost as big a part in the day's proceedings as does engine reliability and driver skill.

compass chinook 700 x 28 tyres

those are features that, so far, have played little or no part in modern-day cycle road racing. though the majority of riders still attack the parcours du jour on tubulars, more and more tyre manufacturers seem to be offering what at least one has named open tubulars. in other words, exactly the same type of rubber as ridden by the pros, but without being sewn up and fitted with cotton tape to facilitate glueing to the rim. if i have correctly understood that which accompanied these tubeless compatible compass chinook tyres, this is the very means by which this particular rubber has been constituted.

as mentioned in my initial review of the chinooks, i have opted to run these on a pair of wheelsmith handbuilt wheels, but with inner tubes, rather than rely on their tubeless capabilities. i have reviewed two other brands of tubeless tyres over the past year or so, both sets of which have acquitted themselves with aplomb and nary the hint of a puncture, but there's still this nagging doubt at the back of my mind that i'm riding without a safety net. i'm inclined to put this down to a combination of old dogs and new tricks, but at least one of my colleagues in the sunday morning peloton harbours the same misgivings.

i've no doubt this is a stumbling block of which the world's tyre manufacturers are aware, possibly meaning a redoubling of their marketing efforts.

compass chinook 700 x 28 tyres

however, with regard to the compass chinook tyres under consideration, in the month since my initial review, they have contended with roads earmarked for repair, skittery bits of grass verge when confronted with visiting motorists who either do not comprehend the purpose of passing places, or are too arrogant to make use of them, and the occasional heavy rain saturating roads that have lain dry for most of the summer. reminders of the latter, by way of cars lying in ditches, have been tangible. however, the luxury of 28 millimetres width is not something to be underestimated, particularly when combined with a tread pattern that is worth the price of admission alone.

tread patterns are the very stuff of lengthy discussion in the pits at monaco or the nurburgring, but generally of less interest with relation to velocipedinal matters. like many, i have ridden tyres with no tread whatsoever, on patterns that would do justice to aubrey beardsley or charles rennie mackintosh, and traditional herring-bone treads of which johan museeuw would be proud. to be honest, i can see little to choose between them in terms of grip on the road. tyre width, sidewall flexibility and carcass resilience have a far greater influence over such matters than any designer tread pattern. and with one or two exceptions, none of us are capable of riding fast enough through saturated road surfaces to induce any propensity to acquaplane.

compass chinook 700 x 28 tyres

the chinooks have instilled sufficient confidence even in a timorous rider such as myself, to pay them scant attention when threading one's way past a downhilling peloton at foreland, or negotiating the verisimilitude of paris roubaix, on passing through the abattoirenberg forest en-route to somewhere less fraught with potholes. their state-of-the-art girth allows lower pressures than were common with 25c rubber, helping isolate yours truly from the immediate environment beneath my wheels. though hardly surprising, there's scarcely any sign of wear, nor has the surface become infected with the little cuts that are part and parcel of riding on rural roads, midst local agriculture.

i fully intend to make mention of the compass chinooks in the foreseeable future, but probably after winter has set in, though judging by yesterday's wind and rain, that might be sooner than i'd hoped.

compass tyres are exclusively available in the uk from dorset's sven cycles. the standard version as reviewed are priced at £50 each, while the lightweight version costs £75 each.

compass tyres

saturday 25 august 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................