Welcome to this week’s installment of Mountain Bike Monday. Today, Wandering Justin shares how he got schooled by a problem with his tubeless tires.
A few weeks ago, I realized that I’d worn the front tire on my mountain bike down to nothing. I dropped in at my old buddy Cal’s shop, Bicycle Haus. They’re a Specialized dealer, and carry a lot of their parts. One of the Specialized tires looked like my bag – The Captain! Named after mountain bike icon Ned Overend and aggressively treaded, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. I carted it home, and it was a breeze to install on my rim. That’s not always the case – tubeless tires and sealant can be a right bugger to install.
And it had traction galore! It did great on my first ride at Black Canyon Trail. Then I took it to Trail 100. After about eight miles of riding, that rocky monster tore a hole in The Captain’s sidewall. And the sealant couldn’t slam the door on the leak. I limped back hom by sticking a tube into the tire, which really screws up the ride quality.
To replace The Captain (which I hereby demote to The Private), I dropped into The Slippery Pig (The Captain’s failure is no fault of Bicycle Haus – and I would’ve gone there for another tire, but they mostly had Specialized. I wanted to cast a slightly wider net.). The friendly staff member there recommended the Geax Saguaro tires, which come in a [...]
mountain bikes
Mountain Bike Monday – Two Tubeless Tire Tips
Retro Resurrection – Return of the Breezer MTB
Back in the mid 90s, the sleek, elegant Breezer mountain bikes made me swoon. Then they disappeared, with the brand being consigned to commuter bikes. No shame in that – and also no excitement (not for me, at least).
Now, Breezer owner and all-around mensch Joe Breeze has done enough planet saving through bike commuting, and he’s getting back to his mountain biking roots: The awesome Breezer Thunder (aluminum) and Lightning (steel) are back for 2010! Cycleicio.us has a nice preview of the Thunder with more real info than what I’m offering in my fanboy drooling.
Breezers still make me weak in the knees. Joe has wisely spec’d these bikes to eliminate finicky fluff. They’re modern workhorse bikes – technologically advanced frames, excellent suspension, solid but unassuming components. And also some of the best-looking, most distinctive and dignified bicycles on the planet.
I still have questions – where are the frames made? Are they available frame-0nly? Where can I find a dealer? But overall …
If Borat rode a bicycle, he’d say “Ah, sexy time! Very nice … how much?”
