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Bike Myths We Wish Would Die

5351 Views 58 Replies 19 Participants Last post by  velodog
I'll go first:

1) Bike tires need to have directional treads to prevent hydroplaning.

2) When building a wheel, the greater the spoke tension, the stronger and stiffer the wheel.

3) A stiffer rim will give you a stiffer wheel.

4) Bicycle wheels need to be balanced to within precise limits, less than the weight of valves.

5) Rotational mass will slow you down much more than static mass.

6) Aluminum doesn't corrode.

7) Carbon fiber is more prone to catastrophic failure than other materials.
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Didn't GCN tech just talk about how the side tread pattern on Conti 4000 tires serendipitously made the tire super aero because it tripped the air just the right amount? Gains are gains...
please explain why bikes don't hydroplane
Because bicycles have very small contact patches. You can lose traction very easily because of this, but hydroplaning would require unrealistic speeds, above 65mph.
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