Tyres

[Karl]

I've used three different makes of tyres on my C5's over the years .

First up - The Sinclair tyres from Adam Harper


These where fitted to "Moneypit" when it was orginally overhauled by Adam in December 2006. They have lasted well, with lots of tread left on them despite having been used for every C5 meeting, including the London-Brighton run.

These Sinclair tyres are the same spec as the original fit, so for a concours restoration - where originality is a must - then these are the ones for you.They are made from quite a hard compound & wear well, mine are just starting to show their age with cracks now appearing in the sidewalls

In summary I'd say excellent tyres , but quite expensive - to put it into context you could buy a complete set of Schwalbe tyres,with tubes, for a similar cost to one of the Sinclair tyres. 

[Karl]

Very similar to the original spec rear wheel Sinclair tyre is the front tyre from a Raleigh Chopper - much cheaper but it does have the red line running around the sidewall;


This seems to be made of a softer compound than the Sinclair tyre as I managed to wear one through to the canvass on the skid pan at Brooklands (just before the wheel snapped )

Cheaper than the original spec tyre from Adam harper, but in my humble opinion, not as good.

[Karl]

My favourite tyre at the moment, and what seems to be the tyre of choice amongst most of us, is the Schwalbe "City jet".



They look great and run well, offering a good balance between minimal rolling resistance, which is important for maximum range, and good levels of grip, which is important for stopping and cornering  . The compound seems to be slightly softer than the original Sinclair spec but they still last well. They are also available in a matching set for both front and rear wheels.

I've found them to be an excellent choice for the c5 and highly recommend them 

[Umpa]

mine has those on it too, what are they originally for and where would I get some when the the time comes ?

[Karl]

schwalbe tyres are "on the shelf" ready to go ;
http://c5alive.co.uk/ecommerce/product_info.php?cPath=3&products_id=14&osCsid=9b5c83f28bb3e111e865dd53300137d0

genuine Sinclair tyres are available from Adam Harper

[Umpa]

Hi karl,

What I meant to say was, although these tyres fit C5's what are they really for?

[Karl]

Hi karl,

What I meant to say was, although these tyres fit C5's what are they really for?

...anything with the same size wheels  I believe Scwalbe primarily manufacture bicycle, wheelchair and pram tyres.

Although I "inherited" the preference for Schwalbe's when I took over the c5alive site  , I've found them to be an excellent choice for the c5. They also produce "cutting edge" racing tyres so they've got a good pedigree 

[fezza_rs]

the rears are intended for folding bikes and the fronts are for jogger style push chairs. You will find that schwalbe are the only manufacturer that has a size range to make a matching set of tyres for the c5. Continental make a front tyre but no rears. If you look on ebay there is 12" pram tyres and 16" folding bike tyres to be had but non are low rolling resistance and they all are spurious low quality tyres which i wouldn't ever put on a c5 that i cared about.

[Umpa]

Thanks guys, I understand now.

[minimin]

YES! That thing on my C5 is one of your ex controllers with the top ripped off! It looks identical to the one behind your rear wheel and is in the exact same place!
Thanks
Mark

[Karl]

YES! That thing on my C5 is one of your ex controllers with the top ripped off! It looks identical to the one behind your rear wheel and is in the exact same place!
Thanks
Mark

cool, means that it may have had a 24v kit fitted at some point 

[minimin]

YES! That thing on my C5 is one of your ex controllers with the top ripped off! It looks identical to the one behind your rear wheel and is in the exact same place!
Thanks
Mark

Yep. But it won't be used again. The wires have ALL been slashed. Bugger.
Mark

cool, means that it may have had a 24v kit fitted at some point 

[Karl]

Just to add to the comments about the Schwalbe "city jets".

We've fitted them to "Challenger" and watched them cope with the demands of the Brooklands Test Hill ,the track at Mercedes-Benz World and running at Santa Pod .

Considering "Challenger" is carrying 50kgs of batteries and running at speeds in excess of 30mph, I think they are proving themselves to be up to the job 

A highly recommended choice of tyre for the Sinclair C5 

[Retro Andy]

It's not the tyres that can't cope, it's the rear wheels on the skid pan where you must take care ! Ain't that right Karl 

Retro Andy.

[henzi]

Does anybody have experiences with or an opinion about trying Schwalbe "Big Apple" balloon tyres? see www.balloonbikes.com - they are available in appropriate sizes and claim to have better suspension and less rolling resistance. I am thinking about buying them for my C5, but as they are quite expensive I'd be happy to get some advice from experienced users.