The current Silvio S30?

[Terry Ulmer]

I am looking to buy the current
Silvio S30. Do I really have to be concerned about slippage problems I've been reading when climbing Hills? (Wet or Dry) Has there been any solution or fix on the new Silvio 30s? Any thoughts would be helpful.

 

[ratz]

I am looking to buy the current
Silvio S30. Do I really have to be concerned about slippage problems I've been reading when climbing Hills? (Wet or Dry) Has there been any solution or fix on the new Silvio 30s? Any thoughts would be helpful.

Fix is a funny word; you don't really fix something that's not broken. The bike has certain design characterics; one of them is it's fwd; and the front wheel will have have to pull the bike up hill versus push it. That has traction implications; but only at the extremes. Like anything else proper setup and skills reduces that to non-factor for most to all users.

So the answer is "it depends, but probably not really anything to be concerned about"

The discussions the past week have been around the extremes; > 12%, wet, gravel etc. We probably got pretty deep in the weeds comparing the V20 versus the S30, the regulars can get a bit obsessed on the minute details and counter points. We like to get that 99.9999% answer. For most riders those situation are going to be at their limits. On most hills I have slipped a tire, other people in general aren't strong enough to climb, so I usually blame myself for being silly enough to try and climb it. Proper Gearing, Tire selection, inflation all come in to play.... After all the miles I've ridden; I have slipped a tire around 6 times; only requiring me to ease off the power and sit-up to get the traction back and ride up the hill. @Rick Youngblood and a few others here do far longer climb with far lower gearing (aka more problematic torque) and report few problem. End of the day; it's not a gravel grinder so if you frequently need to ride up steep gravel roads the FWD in general would probably frustrate you; beyond that shouldn't be an issue. As a final thought this is also going to be a new rider issue more than not; those learning are gong to often over muscle the bike until they learn to relax and ride it; if you are fighting the bike you'll like impart too much torque for the situation and on a hill with loose sand or gravel you'll get the slippage.

I know one or two people might have reported some exact challenging situation in at the start of the last discussion; some photos of the roads and hills in question might help clarify the conditions they are struggling with.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Do I really have to be concerned about slippage problems I've been reading when climbing Hills?

Short answer, no you really don't have to be concerned. Long answer, well, Bob explained it very well, we do get obsessed and go deep into these discussions, mostly for fun.

 

[super slim]

Does the new S30 with no front suspension, come with a std OR Large chainstay, the same as for the V20, as on the website there is only the std mentioned?

 

[super slim]

Going to a 28 mm tyre (Schwalbe Ultremo) from a Cont 400s 23 mm was a 200% improvement in hill climbing in wet conditions!

 

[ratz]

Going to a 28 mm tyre (Schwalbe Ultremo) from a Cont 400s 23 mm was a 200% improvement in hill climbing in wet conditions!

Compound matters for sure; the Schwalbe Pro One is an amazing all around tire.

Just to come back to the original topic. I was changing out the gearing on the V20's last night in prep for the Portland retreat; I added 4.1 gear inches to the low end; that's a lot; then I went out to the 12% hill that leads up to our house. Prior to the change I could go up the hill without slipping the wheel. So I purposely dropped to the lowest gear started pedaling squares and headed up the hill where there is some loose sand/dirt on the road. No problem making the tire slip. (This was expected). The man reason was I didn't need that gears I was using; they gave me too much leverage and I paired that with sloppy pedalling. Repeat the test two gears higher; and I road right up the hill same "line" no tire slip pedaling squares again. Third test; back to the lowest gear; and this time pedal circle and focus on pulling the pedals to help prevent putting too much torque in. Road the same line and went through the loose stuff without slipping. So what does that mean, simple: In situations where the tire is unloaded of the usual weight it becomes more important to understand what you are doing. Don't select and in appropriately low gear for the situation and that you don't muscle it incorrectly for the situation.

As a fun comparison, way way back in the day I use to ride/race a Trek Y Foil (before those got banned too) it's had a triple on it. I remember riding an event that had a 12% grade after coming around a tight corner that forced everyone to slow down. That bike had a triple (because that was the rage) I have a vivid memory of dropping into the granny and slamming down on the pedals to attacked the hill. But in a example of too much torque; The bike immediately did a wheelie and shot forward out from under me and I was suddenly laying on the ground like a turtle with the bike still attached to my shoes..... You can undergear any bike what you get for a result depends on the platform.

Df -> wheelie machine
FWD -> wheel slippy machine
RWD Recumbent -> Spin but go so slow you tip over machine
Trike -> get passed by people walking while you spin up the hill.

Awareness matters; and like I use to say on BROL a lot, you can gear the bike for any situation; you still have to have the skills to ride that situation or weird stuff happens.

 

[MrSteve]

Weight matters a lot too, of course.
Mine... I'm talking my personal weight here.
You guys have your own diet thread and everything!

So anyway, when I'm light, I can comfortably climb a staircase two treads at a time.
When this happens, usually in the Fall, I can race up hills in the big ring.

In early Spring, when I carefully climb a staircase like normal Americans,
I climb hills in the small ring, spinning and wishing for a smaller third ring.

In this context, 'weight' means pounds... NOT grams.

 

[ratz]

Weight matters a lot too, of course.
Mine... I'm talking my personal weight here.
You guys have your own diet thread and everything!

So anyway, when I'm light, I can comfortably climb a staircase two treads at a time.
When this happens, usually in the Fall, I can race up hills in the big ring.

In early Spring, when I carefully climb a staircase like normal Americans,
I climb hills in the small ring, spinning and wishing for a smaller third ring.

In this context, 'weight' means pounds... NOT grams.

Drink a beer get light-headed go up hill faster; problem solved right?

 

[Bill K]

I have been commuting on a V20 since last December, usually 4 days a week.
On my commute, there is a short 13% grade that is typically wet and covered with a light layer of moss in winter. I have had no slippage problems on it.
But sometimes I get some wheel spin when I start from a red light on a 2% incline when it has just started raining (and the oil from cars has not washed away yet). Like Ratz says above if you apply power carefully wheel slip is not a problem. It is when I try to start too fast that I get some wheel slip.

 

[brokemyback]

The only time I ever had my wheel slip, was on wet grass while stomping my cleat to get it to engage.