dB UPDATE - Tires, Tubeless & MoM 200k
XC MTB Tires...
My sealant comparison was kind of interesting. I am running Stan's rim strips in standard rims (Bonty Mustang Disc - rear & a Cane Creek WAM Disc - front) and using standard tires (Tioga XC Xtreme 2.1, Conti Vert Pro, IRC KUJO - rear & a Tioga Factory DH 2.3 front). The XC Xtreme was the tire I've run for the past 16 mos., but it has been discontinued. Great tire with center tread blocks being a little too short and quick wearing for my tastes. Also had puncture issues in sharp rock situations - which Stan's reliably countered in most instances - sometimes it needed a little help - but always got home tubeless which is the goal.
The Conti is an awesome climber and descended fast s-track almost as well as the Tioga - but the sidewalls bled fluid, and it was more susceptible to punctures than the XC Xtreme, also tore off tread knobs. The KUJO got thrown on as an emergency back-up and well - you can ride it on 20 psi no sweat. Just ignore the extra weight - the tire does it all and with no punctures. It helped me give Chenger all he wanted on his favorite downhill - so... Awaiting the rebuild of my shock and fork to try a new tire on the back... Kenda Nevegal with dual tread compound and side wall protection. Than recommends!
We'll see - never ridden Kenda before. The Tioga front is going into it's 2nd year - Bomber BEEF-O tire! Point and shoot, it doesn't let you down.
Stan's versus Juice - UPDATE ...
Bontrager Super Juice is pretty good stuff. I guess if you are in a west coast thorny environ it would do fine - BUT, if you are on East Coast singletrack with rocks sticking up like landmines - then you need to run the Stan's. It stops most punctures w/out you having to stop - the bigger ones plug up with a little debris shoved up in the hole. The latex clots around it - a little air from a pump and off you go. Forget about the hole - it stays plugged until you finally ditch the tire months later.
Mountains of Misery Double Metric 125 miles, 13,000' of climbing ...
- FINISHED in 8hrs, 54mins
Did first 100 miles in 6:10, good pacelining really helped. Steady on the climbs saving the oomph for the last climb - and I needed it. This was the first time I've climbed the back side of Mt. Lake and heard voices in my head telling me to get off and walk - I refused - and barely stayed upright - but gritted it out - told the voices to "shut up an go to hell".
Last week I set a new personal best on that climb riding from my house. The old time was 1hr, 03mns. My new record is 58 mins and 24 secs. I was not about to give in - though this may have been my slowest ever ascent. I looked down and saw 3.8 mph on the computer after I rounded the hard right hand switchback one mile from the top while standing on the pedals and thought... 20 MORE MINUTES OF THIS?!? ARGHHHHHH...!!! There was a crowd at that switchback too.
Rougher day for some...
25 miles in a deer plowed t-bone style right into the paceline I had just bailed off of (needed to pee). Witnesses that I joined up with just a few minutes later said that the young deer was startled by the large group of 30+ cyclists, ran into a fence, spun around then charged up the bank across the road and hit a guy mid-pack who flipped 8' up in the air landing on his face on the rocky bank beside the road.
When I came through there were about 8 folks on the side of the road and a bloody dude laying on the bank looking pretty shaken. A small deer was in the ditch just twitching. I later heard a deputy shot the deer - it's neck was broke. The cyclist was stable at Montgomery Regional - no confirmation of his injuries yet. Just BAD luck.
The other bloody mess I saw belonged to a guy with VT Team jersey that had crashed on the descent after the last rest stop (Eggleston Road). I suspect he missed the chicane in the road that is the bridge creek crossing at the bottom. Some local in a farm truck gave him a ride to the rest stop where I was taking on water for the last assault. He wasn't talking much, had a bloody chin and forehead, looked pretty stunned. I told him he didn't look too bad - he looked like he'd been on one of our typical mountain bike REGIME rides... he just groaned... oops!
On the final assault I just put it in 'chairlift mode' - I knew I had my goal of under 9 hours in sight if I didn't cramp or blow up - so I just took it easy. Caught a lot of folks in the final two miles who had blown past me at the bottom all chipper about the end of the ride. They looked pretty bad - and most of them were walking their bikes - or laying in the shade. I saw one guy who was just standing there holding his bike looking lost. One lady had taken her shoes off and was pushing her bike up the hill in her socks. No walking - I'd hate myself all year and have to come back do it all over again.
Hammer Heed and Perpetuem did the job I stayed hydrated in spite of the 85 degree heat. I didn't drink any pure water on the ride. Had a bottle of Perpetuem the night before, another after my morning coffee, and another in my bottle cage. Drank HEED throughout. Hit the Hammer gel - Vanilla before the climbs and on Maggie Valley. No cramps, no stomach issues.
The smoke from burning meat at the finish line almost did me in though - that smoke really flipped my stomach for a awhile - managed to get some watermelon down before riding down the mountain with Paul Ely and the Eggleston gang. That actually felt really good! Finished up the day with 136 miles and a New River Pale Ale. Oh yeah and a chocolate milk. Went to bed at 8:30 and slept till 7AM. Felt pretty good Monday and this AM. Usually I am sick as a dawg. I am sold on that Perpetuem stuff. You can believe I'll be hitting it on the SM100 in September!
--dB
My sealant comparison was kind of interesting. I am running Stan's rim strips in standard rims (Bonty Mustang Disc - rear & a Cane Creek WAM Disc - front) and using standard tires (Tioga XC Xtreme 2.1, Conti Vert Pro, IRC KUJO - rear & a Tioga Factory DH 2.3 front). The XC Xtreme was the tire I've run for the past 16 mos., but it has been discontinued. Great tire with center tread blocks being a little too short and quick wearing for my tastes. Also had puncture issues in sharp rock situations - which Stan's reliably countered in most instances - sometimes it needed a little help - but always got home tubeless which is the goal.
The Conti is an awesome climber and descended fast s-track almost as well as the Tioga - but the sidewalls bled fluid, and it was more susceptible to punctures than the XC Xtreme, also tore off tread knobs. The KUJO got thrown on as an emergency back-up and well - you can ride it on 20 psi no sweat. Just ignore the extra weight - the tire does it all and with no punctures. It helped me give Chenger all he wanted on his favorite downhill - so... Awaiting the rebuild of my shock and fork to try a new tire on the back... Kenda Nevegal with dual tread compound and side wall protection. Than recommends!
We'll see - never ridden Kenda before. The Tioga front is going into it's 2nd year - Bomber BEEF-O tire! Point and shoot, it doesn't let you down.
Stan's versus Juice - UPDATE ...
Bontrager Super Juice is pretty good stuff. I guess if you are in a west coast thorny environ it would do fine - BUT, if you are on East Coast singletrack with rocks sticking up like landmines - then you need to run the Stan's. It stops most punctures w/out you having to stop - the bigger ones plug up with a little debris shoved up in the hole. The latex clots around it - a little air from a pump and off you go. Forget about the hole - it stays plugged until you finally ditch the tire months later.
Mountains of Misery Double Metric 125 miles, 13,000' of climbing ...
- FINISHED in 8hrs, 54mins
Did first 100 miles in 6:10, good pacelining really helped. Steady on the climbs saving the oomph for the last climb - and I needed it. This was the first time I've climbed the back side of Mt. Lake and heard voices in my head telling me to get off and walk - I refused - and barely stayed upright - but gritted it out - told the voices to "shut up an go to hell".
Last week I set a new personal best on that climb riding from my house. The old time was 1hr, 03mns. My new record is 58 mins and 24 secs. I was not about to give in - though this may have been my slowest ever ascent. I looked down and saw 3.8 mph on the computer after I rounded the hard right hand switchback one mile from the top while standing on the pedals and thought... 20 MORE MINUTES OF THIS?!? ARGHHHHHH...!!! There was a crowd at that switchback too.
Rougher day for some...
25 miles in a deer plowed t-bone style right into the paceline I had just bailed off of (needed to pee). Witnesses that I joined up with just a few minutes later said that the young deer was startled by the large group of 30+ cyclists, ran into a fence, spun around then charged up the bank across the road and hit a guy mid-pack who flipped 8' up in the air landing on his face on the rocky bank beside the road.
When I came through there were about 8 folks on the side of the road and a bloody dude laying on the bank looking pretty shaken. A small deer was in the ditch just twitching. I later heard a deputy shot the deer - it's neck was broke. The cyclist was stable at Montgomery Regional - no confirmation of his injuries yet. Just BAD luck.
The other bloody mess I saw belonged to a guy with VT Team jersey that had crashed on the descent after the last rest stop (Eggleston Road). I suspect he missed the chicane in the road that is the bridge creek crossing at the bottom. Some local in a farm truck gave him a ride to the rest stop where I was taking on water for the last assault. He wasn't talking much, had a bloody chin and forehead, looked pretty stunned. I told him he didn't look too bad - he looked like he'd been on one of our typical mountain bike REGIME rides... he just groaned... oops!
On the final assault I just put it in 'chairlift mode' - I knew I had my goal of under 9 hours in sight if I didn't cramp or blow up - so I just took it easy. Caught a lot of folks in the final two miles who had blown past me at the bottom all chipper about the end of the ride. They looked pretty bad - and most of them were walking their bikes - or laying in the shade. I saw one guy who was just standing there holding his bike looking lost. One lady had taken her shoes off and was pushing her bike up the hill in her socks. No walking - I'd hate myself all year and have to come back do it all over again.
Hammer Heed and Perpetuem did the job I stayed hydrated in spite of the 85 degree heat. I didn't drink any pure water on the ride. Had a bottle of Perpetuem the night before, another after my morning coffee, and another in my bottle cage. Drank HEED throughout. Hit the Hammer gel - Vanilla before the climbs and on Maggie Valley. No cramps, no stomach issues.
The smoke from burning meat at the finish line almost did me in though - that smoke really flipped my stomach for a awhile - managed to get some watermelon down before riding down the mountain with Paul Ely and the Eggleston gang. That actually felt really good! Finished up the day with 136 miles and a New River Pale Ale. Oh yeah and a chocolate milk. Went to bed at 8:30 and slept till 7AM. Felt pretty good Monday and this AM. Usually I am sick as a dawg. I am sold on that Perpetuem stuff. You can believe I'll be hitting it on the SM100 in September!
--dB
posted by doubleB at 7:30 AM
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