Lightside dang it!

[mickier]

Well I gave up on the darkside... sad to say... I had a bit of an uneasy almost loose feeling at certain speeds - especially over 75 mph - finally traced it down to a bulge in my new Nexen tire - I guess I musta hurt it while fumbling to mount it so hard... so anyway - I went back to the light side - and it's riding fine again...

I said dang-it because I really liked the feel of the nexen especially on my gravel driveway and it's super stable on the "tar snakes" -but the wiggle-waggle at certain speeds was too much for me - and after I saw the uneven sidewall - I had to do something. I believe I just didn't get it to seat quite right on both sides.

[Sidehopper]

I'm slowly convincing myself that changing bike tires in my garage isn't that big of a deal, but I don't think I'd ever be able to trust myself to mount a car tire on a bike rim and not have it go poorly somehow after reading about how hard it can be to set the bead. Glad to hear you were able to get home safe! Do you think you'll try going darkside again sometime?

[SgtSlag]

I considered it, for a while, myself. After reading how people were going up to 90 PSI to seat the bead, I decided that was too much stress for any tire. Car tires are usually run at no more than 42 PSI; pumping them up to 90+ PSI would put incredible strain on every square inch of them... I've heard horror stories of car tires exploding, from over pressuring them to seat the bead, on car tire rims!

The other issue is that I am concerned that my insurance company would void my policy and refuse to pay out, if I had an accident, and they found out I had a car tire on my bike.

I read the posts by many a Darksider. I know the pro's, and I think I have a decent understanding of the con's. It just is not for me. Bike tires are not that expensive, nor do I wear them out so fast that I want to assume the risks of using a car tire.

It is a free country. Each rider has the freedom to choose for themselves. I, too, have that right, to choose for myself. Cheers!

[sheiserman]

I've had a Nexen on mine for quite awhile now. I noticed immediately that handling took a hit. It can't be denied, and I don't have any uneven wear or bulging. I've run them ( for hours at a time) at anything from 32 to 50 psi. I prefer the lower pressure, but the old XII is trying to tell me something is amiss back there. It isn't any worse than the handling I experienced a couple years ago when I put an American Elite tire on the front. Regardless of how it handles on the painfully boring straightaways in Iowa, it rides like it's on rails on the much more challenging county roads in Wisconsin. I will also say a car tire will lock up just as easily as an Elite 3 or 4. I'm inclined to say easier, but that isn't what the real darksiders are claiming. I also only got 22k out of my first Nexen. Again, not what the darksiders are claiming. I'm running lower pressure on the current tire, so we shall see.

There's a dude on youtube that goes by the name fortnine. He makes the best videos in my opinion. He has one on car tires that is worth watching.

[SgtSlag]

I have watched fortnine. I found some questionable 'facts' in one of his videos. It was his (wrong) opinion, in reality. Chew the straw, spit out the sticks. Not crazy about his "I am right, everyone else is wrong," authoritarian attitude. Just my opinion of him. I have watched a dozen of his videos. I view them with a critical eye, like most. Cheers!