Ti Muk 2 Upgrade Path: Part 2

The Cake Eater 26" X 4.0" tires on the Ti Muk 2

Last week I outlined my "upgrade path" for the Ti Muk 2. As I stated then, the first order of business was to swap out the tires. I received the Cake Eater tires shortly afterward and set them up this past weekend.

Now, when I picked the bike up from Sam, I had no idea if the tires were set up tubeless or not. We never got around to talking about that. But when I dismounted the 45NRTH tires, I found out that they were set up tubeless. This was a process I was dreading a bit, having dealt with taking off fat bike tires set up tubeless at the shop where I work at. I knew about the Mulefut rims and how hard they were to deal with. But we just don't see a lot of Whiskey rims come through, so I wasn't experienced with that rim myself. Not tubeless anyway. So, I was really hoping that these weren't going to be the dreaded Mulefut experience. Thankfully, they were actually easier than some 29"er rims I've dealt with.

I did have to patch up the tape job on one wheel a bit, but overall, the set up was straight forward. Tip: When mounting up a fat bike tire first place the wheel inside of the carcass of the tire. Both beads should be outward of the rim. Then start working over each bead until it is inside the rim well. This technique is far easier than using the traditional mounting technique most of us use to mount other tires.

The Cake Eater tires are about 300 grams lighter a piece than what I was running. I used the "MG" home made sealant and the tires never weeped, burped, or did anything odd. They held pressure overnight. So far, so good.

I rode them to and from work yesterday and the smoother ride was readily apparent as was the speed. I was running about 10psi, but I think I can go a pound, maybe two lower and get some more smoothness out of them on harder surfaces. Coasting downhill was faster and so I know the rolling resistance of those 45NRTH tires was much higher. The Cake Eaters are not as voluminous nor quite as wide as the Flow/Dunderbeist tires I was using. Obviously, they also are not as knobby either. That's all to the good for my purposes for Summer and Fall riding.

So, the next bit to get is a rear rack. Then I will tidy up the generator light wiring. My friend Tony came into the shop and looked at my light mount. He has a similar one and Jones Bars as well. He advised me on a great way to mount the light mount and how he ran the wiring. So, when I get the rack I'll do that all at once.

That should about wrap up the upgrades. the fork? Meh....... I could live without that, and the expense is more than the benefit I might derive from it. Plus I have a fork made from metal. I like that idea. So, I am leaning toward not getting that upgrade.

More soon......