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Been asked to get a set for a friend for an old Dawes Galazy 531 Road bike.. my first choice is "SKS chromoplastic Road" due to great experiences with their commuter sets.. anything else I should look at (or to bear in mind).
He want maximum effectiveness, and isn't bothered about looks.
Tyres measure around 27mm.. I assume he needs a "700x20-28 - Narrow"?
(as you can see I'm well versed with road bikes...)
I use the standard narrow road ones with front flap and rear reflector. No complaints, other than I'm fussy about them being perfectly straight and it's hard to lay the bike in the back of a car without them bending just a tiny bit.
I had the Longboards before these. Horrid, horrid things. Wouldn't stay still on the bike. Tolerable once I pulled the big, heavy rubber flaps off.
If I was mounting a rear lamp on them or had a really posh bike I'd give Berthouds a whirl.
If I was in your position I'd be doing exactly the same thing. SKS all the way. Tho I might consider wider ones as the narrow ones may restrict tyre choice in future?
R_I_D this is my concern TBH.. just checked the tyres.. their marked as 28 x 1.5/8 x 1.1/8 any idea what this is in real money?
Umm which using some help from google is 28x41x28(ish) a 700x28...
So would the "wide" look totally silly? (out of place?)
Probably look OK on an old Dawes, assuming they'll fit (probably will on a steel bike like that). I'd go with the wider option to as 'up to 28mm' on the narrow ones is probably cutting it close
cheers!
As I've no idea how much wider they'd be, didn't realise the narrow were up to 28mm.. they should fit onto the bike going by my experience with the commuter sets.
Be careful going too wide as you might find the guard fouling the rear brake bridge and stays. - It's a common wear point.
Also be worth checking that there's another little bridge between the chainstays just behind the bottom bracket. They're generally drilled and threaded to accept a guard and this means you cover pretty much all of the frame.
Oh and to be nice to other cyclists who may ride with your mate, add a 2 - 3" wide X 5" long strip of milk bottle carton or similar to the bottom of the rear guard. You'll be surprised how much water still comes off the back wheel.
Will bear those points in mind, he's not planning to become a full time roadie, but has signed up to ride 100 miles with a couple of other guys.. hense his old road bike being brought out of retirement.