BT17R

I switched from primarily road cycling to MTB about 18 months ago. After two sets of tires, too many tubes to count and a few scrapes and bruises, I enjoy it more than ever as I slowly improve and expand the envelope. This video shows why and is very similar to where and how I ride. Except for the log crossing bit, that's a carry section for me!

http://vimeo.com/filmevondraussen/10...mountainbiking

habanero

And it'll improve your road bike handling to boot! Why so many flats? Why only a few scrapes and bruises?

Did Tipperary loop in Winter Park and 401 in Crested Butte on the tandem with the kiddo very recently. Where on the road are you gonna have flowers biffing you as you go along (401) and you aren't crashing?

BT17R

Hab! Nice to hear from you! You were an inspiration from the start.

So true about improving road bike handling. My reactions and balance are up another level on-road. Off-road, I have a long way to go, but my GF X-Cal is taking good care of me despite my sometimes hamfisted vs. finesse approach but feel slight improvements after every run. I put the experiences up there with the best.

My flats are mostly below timerline where the blackberry bushes with huge thorns overtake the trail. I've gotten pretty quick at changing out tubes trailside and luckily 90% of flats have been on the front wheel.

I'm working on the scrapes and bruises!

I'll look up those trails, but can only imagine the views and fun given your mad skills, although isn't kiddo getting a little heavy by now?

habanero

Very heavy and me so out of shape! The final kick up 401 kicked my rear this time round, a wake up call to DO MORE BIKING!!!!! My 'mad skills' mostly involve pointing the bike at things and going fast enough to somehow magically get over them. You'd think after more than 2 decades of mountain biking I'd be better than that.... :/

I use tuffy liners in the tires cause they're cheaper than Gator Skins and I'm not a weight weenie. Flint rock is what usually does my tires in. Hate flats more because of the mosquitoes than anything else.

Good to hear you're having fun but no joining the collarbone club, ok?

Some of my favorite trails so far...
Monarch Crest, Salida CO
401, Crested Butte CO
Hermosa Creek, Durango CO
Porcupine Rim, Moab UT
Slickrock, Moab UT
Berryman, Bourbon MO
Lost Valley, St. Charles MO
Tipperary loop, Fraiser/WinterPark CO
Tsali Nat. Forest trails, NC

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Arghhh, have not rode mine this year with my leg/knee injury.
Maybe next year.

Getting the Rooster injection on Monday.
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/...njections-knee

Zack1983

401, porcupine Rim, and Slick rock are awesome. I am headed out to Colorado in mid September with a friend who has never been there, so I am really looking forward to riding lots of trails that I have been on before and showing someone new. I really like living in Madison, WI, but I really miss all the mountains everywhere from when I lived in Gunnison.

In September we are going to hit up Crested Butte, Gunnison, Fruita, Moab, maybe Monarch Crest(weather and fitness dependent), and maybe go around Durango.

BT17R

Hab, that made me flinch. No collarbone club but almost joined the kneecap club after locating the sharpest rock on the trail. My riding partner said I looked like a dying bug on it's back, while laughing of course.

Corey, that must be killing you, both your injury and being unable to ride in such a beautiful MTB area, sorry. Good luck and heal quickly with the injection, it sounds much better than surgery though.

I'm driving to Bend, Mt. Bachelor/Three Sisters area to ride this weekend and picking up a Finnish Spitz puppy from a breeder friend on the way home. Pics coming!

habanero

Owie owie owie!!!! Knees. Oy.

You inspired me to ride today while the kiddo's at take your kid to work day with his dad.
A) I am out of shape.
B) I am out of single-bike practice.
C) I have 'roadie eyes'. That's where you look at what you're rolling on rather than what you're going to be rolling on. It got better as I rode.
D) My bike is even more out of shape than I am. Shock puking oil, two worn Nuke-proof hubs, worn front and rear chain rings, etc etc etc.
E) Mountain biking is still a heck of a lot of FUN!!!

Finnish Spitz, eh? Very cute critters, demanding pics of both the trails and the puppy.


@Zack1983
The road up to Schofield pass (I think, the one to the 401 singletrack) was closed about a mile from the top last week on the Crusty Butt side, there was still a bunch of snow on the road. Walkable though, and not too long a section so don't let it stop you if it's still there.
Gunnison? Like to do an easy JRA in the sagebrush at Harman's Rocks and camp there. Wish the pancake place that's now a Chinese joint was still in business- tasty pancakes as big as your HEAD. I miss that place.

BT17R

Hab, pic of trail in middle running L/R horizontally off McKenzie Pass. I got two flats within the first hour from volcanic cinders, was out of spares so returned to the traihead not wanting to walk out on a hot day at 5,500' elevation. I'll have to check into liners, maybe they're more durable?

Puppy pics coming soon. He's too busy running around the house to sit still. Whew, I got about an hour total sleep last night with Housebreaking 101.

habanero

Beautiful trail!
Liners will at least protect your tread. Sidewalls no, so you may still get to practice flat repair. I also carry a flat kit for repairable tubes. Cheaper than a new tube every time and you're good to go until something else flats your tire. For bigger holes in the tire itself I carry powerbars. Eat a powerbar, use the wrapper to line the tire and get you home. Dollar bills work too, the bigger the currency the better.
Some tires are more prone to stuff poking through them, like my Hutchinson Mosquitoes were. Hated those tires....
You are getting flats from stuff poking into the tire, not a rough or pokey spot inside the wheel or at the valve stem, right?

BT17R

Right. I've gone over all parts of the wheels to triple check for problems and mark them and tires to see if puncture locations repeat, but they're always random. Maybe pressures are too high, usually 45-55psi. I'll drop to 35-45 and test.

Also, the X-Cal came with tubeless ready wheels I've never used. Are those more durable? If so, I could convert easily enough.

My puppy became sick overnight, waiting now for a callback from the vet. Hopefully nothing serious but he had the runs 3X overnight, stopped eating and is drinking very little, poor boy. I'd collect a sample but he also stopped eliminating. I'm a nervous wreck, he was so happy and frisky but is sleeping all the time.

habanero

Poor little guy! Hope he's better soon soon soon!

That's high. I run 32-35 on tubed tires and weigh mpmhmmmhhppmmph. Ok, I'm no little chickadee....I think your 35-45 is a decent start and it'll be easier to climb without losing traction and you won't be bouncing over obstacles either. The only way I'd run over 40 is if the trail was smooth, hard and fast. Anywho, start with 40 tops unless you're a really big dude and drop from there. If you're getting snakebites you've gone too low.
My hubby rides tubeless and swears by it. Less flats, can run less pressure for better traction (sub 35 for a 190-200# guy), uses Stan's to seal punctures.

BT17R

Thanks for the well wishes. I boiled a chicken breast and he got about ½ cup of that and some broth down. The !@#$% vet never called back so I'm switching vets tomorrow.

I posted in the dog thread:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f5/p...l#post51771577

I'm about your hubby's weight so will try lower. Yeah, I lose grip on climbs and even worse on descents, especially the front. It gets a little exciting when it washes out with worn knobs. Is there a tubeless tire brand he likes that comes in 29"? I really liked my Ignitors until they wore out, but don't think they come tubeless.

habanero

I don't know 'bout 29rs, we're old school 26rs.

Yeah, lower pressure and new knobbies sounds good.

That'd make me switch vets too! Best wishes again.

BT17R

Hab, great tip about pressures. I dropped them five psi on each of the next few rides. Remarkable improvements all around as the sidewall lugs got better grip and ride became downright cushy over bigger roots and rocks. So I got carried away and dropped to 30 and got a sidewall cut (snakebite?) and had to retire the set.

So I got a some new takeoffs from my LBS. They're tubeless with an inner liner but I run them with a heavy duty tube on conventional wheels. No flats this weekend! But the weight increase is noticeable when climbing and the new tires have far less sidewall grip than my old worn ones in the dry, haven't tried mud yet. After some shock tuning to control the added weight, the ride and steering feel became more stable in a straight line, the whole bike feels more substantial. If it weren't for their tendency to wash out on gravel, I'd keep them, but will be shopping for replacements during Winter sales.

I'm getting 26er envy tho, wondering what I'm missing compared to this 29er, especially climbing. Anyone here had/have both for comparison?

habanero

Cool. I'm really liking the Panaracer Fire XC pro 26" made in japan tires (they also have a cheap version) right now though I did take out a sidewall a few months ago. Cheap @ Nashbar.
I've tried (and rejected) soooo many tires.
My least favorites were Hutchinson mosquitos. Too much volume made them squirmy and if a rock so much as looked at it I got a puncture. I thought the Contis were ok but they were the hardest tire to get on and off my Ringle Sun lite rims.
I usually run around 32 on the single and 34-36psi on the tandem.

Snakebites are when you have too low pressure and pinch holes in the tube between the tire and each side of the rim, creating a 'bite' of 2 holes in the tube. Sidewall cut's just that, a cut in the sidewall. Did you know you can 'bandage' the sidewall enough to ride out? Power bar wrappers, dollar bills, even a tube patch if it's not too big. Anything that will allow the tube to be inflated without bulging out.

I wrote all this, went back through the posts and realized it's all stuff I've said before so don't worry, the echo is not in your head.

BT17R

I used your "dollar bill" tip to ride out from the sidewall failure. It started with what I thought was another routine flat but while switching out tubes saw the sidewall cut. Worked great, got me back to the trailhead easily.

After yesterday's ride I've about had it with these take-off tires, Bontrager XDX's. I don't trust them to maintain grip while braking downhill or turning. I miss the outstanding Maxxis Ignitors flashkl recommended, but they're over $55 each locally! I'll check out those Panaracer XC's, thanks for the tip.

habanero

If you find Panaracer XC's in a 29 make sure they are the Japanese version and not the even cheaper stuff. Different TPIs. I try to get most of my stuff from the LBS but I simply can't afford tires from there so it's online. My stable alone is 5 bikes, then there's my hubby's bikes and the kid's bikes. That's a lot of tires! Which reminds me, I need new roadie tires for the tandem and my road bike. Conti Grand Prix 4seasons for the win! What do you use on road?

BT17R

Yeah, I noticed the TPI difference when searching Pana last night.

On-road, I used to run Conti GP 3000's until a few years ago when I got a deal on some Michelin Pro Race tires. I liked the ride a little better, wear is about the same (1,200 miles on rear), seem to have less rolling resistance and are easier to change than the Conti's. Either is very good and will get another set of whichever is next on sale.

Those GP 4S look like a good all-around tire, but for $80 each they better last awhile!

habanero

Michelin makes a mtb tire, but I've not tried them. The 4seasons do last awhile. Not as good on rolling resistance as what you use but excellent puncture resistance and wet traction- and they come in a 700x28. They can be had for $55 each.