Contrary to some opinions that the MRC is merely a sidepocket entity of the NECS (which is wholly owned by Team Seagal), that organizes rides for those with superior state of mind, we are also a translation division, that try our best to keep you appraised of the latest developments to ensure a superior ride. Our special source, yes the same one that has brought you some of these choice interviews, has gotten his hairy paws on this fine piece of R&D from our parent Corporation. Team Seagal has unleashed it's entire brain trust in a massive R&D program to educate the layman on just what choices one has in the rubber
department - not this kind of rubber
but this kind of rubber -
Spearheading the effort is Nobel Prize winner and
esteemed University of St. Louis tenured professor, Casey "Coach"
Ryback. And here, for your reading and educational pleasure is Coach's master
thesis -
If you like to dork-out over some tire tech our
Team Seagal test team (Scooter, Cockpunchor, Stove and Ttocs tested a shitload
of tires over controlled conditions and rated them based on the results. I
found some of the results very surprising, while some other results reinforced
my already-held beliefs.
One not-very-surprising result that I noticed, was
that the Crank Brothers tire with the cool anodization just fell apart and had
to be warrantied after two test-runs.
The Campagnolo tire, regarded as the most beautiful
tire, seemed to develop a better, more-supple, worn-in feel as the test went on
- and it was also the only tire to have a user-replaceable bead and tread.
The Thomson Masterpiece tire showed absolutely no
wear whatsoever, with the test-rider Friedrich noting that he expected that
tire to outlast several wheels and frames.
The newcomer to the market, the Rivendell tire, a
gumwall, was the only tire to actually utilize full steel-belting, despite
weighing 13 pounds per tire. But as Grant Peterson said, "Steel is the
only real material," and that only those racers on carbon race bikes need
tires with cotton or nylon casings. The Rivendell tire was also the only tire
to make it all the way to the "AR-15 rifle" stage of the
puncture-resistance test, however the results are somewhat skewed as it is only
available in a 650b size and therefore doesn't compare equally to the 700c size
of the rest of the test tires. Mr. Peterson, in response to complaints about
the extra weight of the steel belting, said he would consider producing a tires
with a wool or even a tweed casing.
Cervelo's tire was unable to be tested, as it was
delivered with severe cracking due to premature dry-rot, thus rendering it
unsafe to ride.
The tire from Cannondale showcased a revolutionary
and proprietary design that utilized a series of integrated needle bearings all
around the tread, and actually surpassed all other tires in rolling resistance,
however it only worked on Cannondale-branded rims, and the process to change
the tire proved to be needlessly complex, requiring a proprietary tools and a
Cannondale dealer to do the work.
Quintana Roo's tire seemed to provide better
performance in wet conditions, specifically if those wet conditions were as a
result of puddles of urine - so for the QR test, they set the test track up in
the men's urine-trough at the nearby ballpark.
Neither the THM or Cipollini tires were able to be tested. We couldn't
afford to get a hold of the THM tires for the test, and testers all agreed that
they weren't cool enough to even get close to the Cipollini tires
