A ride at FATS went kaput this weekend when there was too much rain. Oh well, there is an easy solution, Joe and I packed up and headed down the road to Sandychester.
While we were getting ready to ride out, a family showed up and the father wanted to know what trails he could take his family out on. Joe was polite enough to show him a few routes that might be suitable on the map and as we were rolling out of the lot, I noticed that there were a lot of bikes and no helmets. Maybe there is a reason a father doesn’t give his family helmets. . .
I didn’t have my best of days. My legs felt sluggish from this past week’s rides and it was hot and muggy. It reminded me of what the Cowbell was going to feel like in only 7 days.
We rode K3 and Hardcore, that was enough for my legs as I was in the need for a long rest. We did a small loop after that but not much more. Here is a picture of a stunt that someone built out there on Hardcore. It is a weird one as there is no exit at all, we figured that it must be set up for a 360 at the top because there is no other way to get down.
I recently bought some Bontrager Race Light 29’er wheels for the Monkey. I have never tried running tubeless before so after a long discussion with Joe, I decided it would be best if I banked off of his superior knowledge.
Sunday I took advantage of Joe’s offer and went over to his house to see if we could get things set up. I had everything I needed for the conversion except for some Stans stems. Joe let me have a set of his as he showed me the seal they create is much better than the tiny rubber o-ring that Bontrager supplies.
We put the Bontrager specific tubeless rim strips in and then went to work. I was getting the Small Block Eight mounted on the rim when I noticed a tear in the sidewall. So I opted for one of my Exi-Wolfs to go on the back instead.
We mounted the tire all the way around except for the last bit and hung the wheel and tire up in the garage. Then the Stans was poured into the tire and the tire sealed all the way around. Joe would shoot some compressed air into the tire and then the barrage of pumping began. I would pump while Joe made sure the Stans was sealing. At 50 PSI the bead still had not set all the way around, 60 PSI and there were two spots still not set. At 63 PSI, PAAAAAANNGGGGGG, there you have it, the wire bead on the Exi popped into place and we quickly let some pressure out. That scares me like you wouldn’t believe. I envision my vision ruined by a rubber-Stans combo flying at 400 mph around my face.
Next up was the front wheel and the Nevegal. This time the bead set at 50 PSI and I was surprised at how easily both the tires were set up. It is good to have experience on your side. Thanks Joe!
While we were getting ready to ride out, a family showed up and the father wanted to know what trails he could take his family out on. Joe was polite enough to show him a few routes that might be suitable on the map and as we were rolling out of the lot, I noticed that there were a lot of bikes and no helmets. Maybe there is a reason a father doesn’t give his family helmets. . .
I didn’t have my best of days. My legs felt sluggish from this past week’s rides and it was hot and muggy. It reminded me of what the Cowbell was going to feel like in only 7 days.
We rode K3 and Hardcore, that was enough for my legs as I was in the need for a long rest. We did a small loop after that but not much more. Here is a picture of a stunt that someone built out there on Hardcore. It is a weird one as there is no exit at all, we figured that it must be set up for a 360 at the top because there is no other way to get down.
I recently bought some Bontrager Race Light 29’er wheels for the Monkey. I have never tried running tubeless before so after a long discussion with Joe, I decided it would be best if I banked off of his superior knowledge.
Sunday I took advantage of Joe’s offer and went over to his house to see if we could get things set up. I had everything I needed for the conversion except for some Stans stems. Joe let me have a set of his as he showed me the seal they create is much better than the tiny rubber o-ring that Bontrager supplies.
We put the Bontrager specific tubeless rim strips in and then went to work. I was getting the Small Block Eight mounted on the rim when I noticed a tear in the sidewall. So I opted for one of my Exi-Wolfs to go on the back instead.
We mounted the tire all the way around except for the last bit and hung the wheel and tire up in the garage. Then the Stans was poured into the tire and the tire sealed all the way around. Joe would shoot some compressed air into the tire and then the barrage of pumping began. I would pump while Joe made sure the Stans was sealing. At 50 PSI the bead still had not set all the way around, 60 PSI and there were two spots still not set. At 63 PSI, PAAAAAANNGGGGGG, there you have it, the wire bead on the Exi popped into place and we quickly let some pressure out. That scares me like you wouldn’t believe. I envision my vision ruined by a rubber-Stans combo flying at 400 mph around my face.
Next up was the front wheel and the Nevegal. This time the bead set at 50 PSI and I was surprised at how easily both the tires were set up. It is good to have experience on your side. Thanks Joe!
1 comment:
hEY lEROY - No worries on Sunday it had just dumped rain like 30 minutes before we rode. Wet like only Harbison could be. Managed 2 hours of splish splashing fun.
Cowbell - after Tsali I'll be attempting the 6hr version of the Cowbell. For what it's worth I'll be on the single speed. I'll try running a 32*20 fo 6 hrs.
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