Friday News And Views

The Blackburn "Honest" digital air gauge

Keepin' The Air Honest:

When you ride in colder temperatures, and especially if you ride voluminous tires, you should be monitoring air pressure more vigilantly. Why? Because if you set your plus bike's tires at, say 18psi, and you do that indoors, your pressure will be different outside at 28°F on the trail. In fact, it will be lower, and as you may know, 1psi can be a huge difference in feel, grip, and makes the difference between "fun" and, well.......not fun. 

Digital air gauges are nothing new. In fact, I've had one before. It was a PRO (Shimano accesory brand) digital gauge that was awesome. It was small, read very accurately, and was easy to use. Unfortunately, when the small battery went dead and I opened up the unit with expectations of replacing it, I found out I couldn't. The geniuses that manufactured the gauge tack welded in the battery.

Brilliant!  

So, I got a mechanical gauge, and my son got a hold of it, dropped it, and broke the glass over the gauge face.

Doh!

I went without a gauge last year, but I knew I needed another, and the shop where I work just got in these Blackburn "Honest" digital air gauges. I figured I'd give it a try. It has a pivoting head, holds the reading until you dismiss it, and reads in Bar or PSI. It's light and is about the size of a slightly plump BIC lighter. (Does anyone even use those anymore?) You can get one for about $24.99. NOTE- I bought this with my own damn money.

Velocity USA- More than just rims and hubs.

Taped Up:

My old polished set of A-23's from Velocity USA were quite tarnished and soiled. It was time for a clean up. This included changing the tape, which had been on there since 2012, and through various tire changes. It was time to re-do the tape, clean up the rim well, and get the wheels ready for a tire test I have to do.

Now, I could use Stan's yellow tape, and that would be fine, but did you know that Velocity USA also makes a tubeless tape and valve kit for their various wheels and rims? Yes, and it is good stuff too. So, since they make stuff made to measure for their rims, I ordered up and purchased this tubeless tape and valve kit. The tape has just the right consistency. A great mix of stretch, toughness, and sticky adhesive. It isn't like Stan's, but it is similar. The valves come with nice plastic spacers which sit between the rim and the Presta valve nut which helps lock in the valve inside the rim well better.

My old A-23's are polished, as I said, and are laced to polished Velocity branded hubs too. Classic looking stuff, but re-polishing cruddy, neglected rims is a chore! Ha! No one to blame but myself there! It took quite a while, but I got them looking pretty spiffy again. Next will be the new tape, valves, and then on to mounting the tires I need to test. By the way, if you haven't replaced your tape and/or valves in several years, you should. It may help to avoid a failure. Valves corrode and tape adhesive degrades over time. Another thing you should be doing is to replace your removable valve cores about every other time you re-up on sealant.  

Anyway, these wheels will be going on the "Orange Crush" Black Mountain Cycles bike which is being converted to single speed. I found some killer 80's era Sugino AX cranks in 180mm length in my stash that are going on there with a UN-55 sealed cartridge bottom bracket. It's going to be awesome. Stay tuned........

Special (Undeserved) Delivery:

The "gravel family" continues to amaze me with their thoughtfulness and generosity. The latest example comes from the IC Gravel event, which occurred October 27th. Originally I was scheduled to take part in the event. However; something came up within the family, (my own), and I had to cancel. I regretted doing so, and sent my notice and apology in to the race director.

I figured that was that. I would try to rectify my absenteeism next year. Although, I still am serving a self-imposed ban from the Spotted Horse for bailing on them two years in a row. Maybe I should do that in this instance. If there was anything that stuck in my craw about Trans Iowa was drop outs for no reason. While I had my reasons, I still feel like a heel for not coming, but I digress.......

Anyway.... The day was like any other day yesterday, but when my son brought the mail in, he had a package. Hmmm......... What could this be? I opened it up and it was my race packet for the IC Gravel replete with my race number, t-shirt, patches, and stickers. Wow! I was blown away!

Look, I didn't expect any of this because I didn't deserve it. Why should I get something others got because they toed the line? But that's not how IC Gravel saw it, and I have to say I am humbled. Thank you! I will wear the event t-shirt proudly and tell everyone that sees it about this great gravel event.

That's it for this week. It may have snowed where you are, but don't let that stop you from riding!

Friday News And Views

The Blackburn "Honest" digital air gauge

Keepin' The Air Honest:

When you ride in colder temperatures, and especially if you ride voluminous tires, you should be monitoring air pressure more vigilantly. Why? Because if you set your plus bike's tires at, say 18psi, and you do that indoors, your pressure will be different outside at 28°F on the trail. In fact, it will be lower, and as you may know, 1psi can be a huge difference in feel, grip, and makes the difference between "fun" and, well.......not fun. 

Digital air gauges are nothing new. In fact, I've had one before. It was a PRO (Shimano accesory brand) digital gauge that was awesome. It was small, read very accurately, and was easy to use. Unfortunately, when the small battery went dead and I opened up the unit with expectations of replacing it, I found out I couldn't. The geniuses that manufactured the gauge tack welded in the battery.

Brilliant!  

So, I got a mechanical gauge, and my son got a hold of it, dropped it, and broke the glass over the gauge face.

Doh!

I went without a gauge last year, but I knew I needed another, and the shop where I work just got in these Blackburn "Honest" digital air gauges. I figured I'd give it a try. It has a pivoting head, holds the reading until you dismiss it, and reads in Bar or PSI. It's light and is about the size of a slightly plump BIC lighter. (Does anyone even use those anymore?) You can get one for about $24.99. NOTE- I bought this with my own damn money.

Velocity USA- More than just rims and hubs.

Taped Up:

My old polished set of A-23's from Velocity USA were quite tarnished and soiled. It was time for a clean up. This included changing the tape, which had been on there since 2012, and through various tire changes. It was time to re-do the tape, clean up the rim well, and get the wheels ready for a tire test I have to do.

Now, I could use Stan's yellow tape, and that would be fine, but did you know that Velocity USA also makes a tubeless tape and valve kit for their various wheels and rims? Yes, and it is good stuff too. So, since they make stuff made to measure for their rims, I ordered up and purchased this tubeless tape and valve kit. The tape has just the right consistency. A great mix of stretch, toughness, and sticky adhesive. It isn't like Stan's, but it is similar. The valves come with nice plastic spacers which sit between the rim and the Presta valve nut which helps lock in the valve inside the rim well better.

My old A-23's are polished, as I said, and are laced to polished Velocity branded hubs too. Classic looking stuff, but re-polishing cruddy, neglected rims is a chore! Ha! No one to blame but myself there! It took quite a while, but I got them looking pretty spiffy again. Next will be the new tape, valves, and then on to mounting the tires I need to test. By the way, if you haven't replaced your tape and/or valves in several years, you should. It may help to avoid a failure. Valves corrode and tape adhesive degrades over time. Another thing you should be doing is to replace your removable valve cores about every other time you re-up on sealant.  

Anyway, these wheels will be going on the "Orange Crush" Black Mountain Cycles bike which is being converted to single speed. I found some killer 80's era Sugino AX cranks in 180mm length in my stash that are going on there with a UN-55 sealed cartridge bottom bracket. It's going to be awesome. Stay tuned........

Special (Undeserved) Delivery:

The "gravel family" continues to amaze me with their thoughtfulness and generosity. The latest example comes from the IC Gravel event, which occurred October 27th. Originally I was scheduled to take part in the event. However; something came up within the family, (my own), and I had to cancel. I regretted doing so, and sent my notice and apology in to the race director.

I figured that was that. I would try to rectify my absenteeism next year. Although, I still am serving a self-imposed ban from the Spotted Horse for bailing on them two years in a row. Maybe I should do that in this instance. If there was anything that stuck in my craw about Trans Iowa was drop outs for no reason. While I had my reasons, I still feel like a heel for not coming, but I digress.......

Anyway.... The day was like any other day yesterday, but when my son brought the mail in, he had a package. Hmmm......... What could this be? I opened it up and it was my race packet for the IC Gravel replete with my race number, t-shirt, patches, and stickers. Wow! I was blown away!

Look, I didn't expect any of this because I didn't deserve it. Why should I get something others got because they toed the line? But that's not how IC Gravel saw it, and I have to say I am humbled. Thank you! I will wear the event t-shirt proudly and tell everyone that sees it about this great gravel event.

That's it for this week. It may have snowed where you are, but don't let that stop you from riding!

Riddler Riding

The WTB Riddler 37 on a Velocity A23

Okay, so here we go with the WTB Riddler tires. I mentioned these last Friday and said I was going to try them on my Velocity A23 rims, which I have done. You can read all the details on that HERE.

I am going to try to stay away from repeating myself between the RidingGravel.com stuff and here, so this post should have some different information than that linked one does. Okay, so as far as this tire goes, here are some thoughts I have.

It has the oddity of being what size WTB says it is. Tire companies have, for years now, said such-and-such a tire is "x" inches wide and you could easily win bets by saying that the tire would not be that width, but skinnier. Almost every single time, this was the case. However; now it seems that, for whatever reasons, tires are more than likely going to actually be the size printed on the sidewalls, or be bigger than stated width. The Gravel King 40's are an example where I don't think anyone has measured one of those tires at 40mm. It is always reported to be wider than that.

Weird. 

Don't get me wrong, I love that things have switched around in that way concerning tires. It makes you feel like you got more for your hard earned dollars when your 40mm tire turns out to be more like a 42mm tire. That said, your now 42mm tire may not fit the bike you had intended it for. That's the flip side of this tire deal, and it can be a bummer. But just know that as far as the gravel bike tire class widths go, you should be getting what you paid for, and you'd better have the room for that tire in your bike!

The Riddler 37 is just such a tire. 37.2mm average width across both tires I measured, and that is on a "roadie width" A23 rim. I really feel the 36-37mm width tires are the sweet spot for most gravel. Not too heavy, but just wide enough to give you most of what a heavier 40mm tire would. Not as skinny and as low volume as a 33-35mm tire either, which you are more likely to get a harsher ride out of because you can't go so low on the pressures. Plus at that width, around here, tires start "hunting lines", cutting into and not rolling over gravel, and that's wasting energy.

More soon.....

Riddler Riding

The WTB Riddler 37 on a Velocity A23

Okay, so here we go with the WTB Riddler tires. I mentioned these last Friday and said I was going to try them on my Velocity A23 rims, which I have done. You can read all the details on that HERE.

I am going to try to stay away from repeating myself between the RidingGravel.com stuff and here, so this post should have some different information than that linked one does. Okay, so as far as this tire goes, here are some thoughts I have.

It has the oddity of being what size WTB says it is. Tire companies have, for years now, said such-and-such a tire is "x" inches wide and you could easily win bets by saying that the tire would not be that width, but skinnier. Almost every single time, this was the case. However; now it seems that, for whatever reasons, tires are more than likely going to actually be the size printed on the sidewalls, or be bigger than stated width. The Gravel King 40's are an example where I don't think anyone has measured one of those tires at 40mm. It is always reported to be wider than that.

Weird. 

Don't get me wrong, I love that things have switched around in that way concerning tires. It makes you feel like you got more for your hard earned dollars when your 40mm tire turns out to be more like a 42mm tire. That said, your now 42mm tire may not fit the bike you had intended it for. That's the flip side of this tire deal, and it can be a bummer. But just know that as far as the gravel bike tire class widths go, you should be getting what you paid for, and you'd better have the room for that tire in your bike!

The Riddler 37 is just such a tire. 37.2mm average width across both tires I measured, and that is on a "roadie width" A23 rim. I really feel the 36-37mm width tires are the sweet spot for most gravel. Not too heavy, but just wide enough to give you most of what a heavier 40mm tire would. Not as skinny and as low volume as a 33-35mm tire either, which you are more likely to get a harsher ride out of because you can't go so low on the pressures. Plus at that width, around here, tires start "hunting lines", cutting into and not rolling over gravel, and that's wasting energy.

More soon.....

Clean The Machine

Cleaned up and ready for its close up, Mr DeMille!

I got the WTB Riddler 37's the other day, and I purposed to mount those on the Black Mountain Cycles rig using the Velocity USA A23 wheel set I have. No big deal, right? Just get it done. Wealth of bikes and first world problems aside, I had to do some cleaning of the beast, because I had "ridden it hard and put it away wet" one too many times. The old steed was in desperate need of a good, thorough cleaning.

The bike was last extensively used during the Winter and early Spring testing of three or four different tires. That meant I had done some muddy rides. I had to practically do an archeological dig to uncover the bottom bracket area! Besides that, there had been contact with oil, road spray, and whatever else one might find on city streets, so there was quite a lot of "elbow grease" applied while the cleanup continued through the mid-afternoon yesterday.

The old Bontrager bar tape was also pretty grungy, so I had this Origin 8 bar tape to try out, which is pretty close to "Safety Green". It's really comfortable and grippy, but I'll have to see how it holds up. The "Hi-Viz' thing is not really me, but hey...... I was given the stuff to try out, so I ain't complainin'! I'm sure after a few sweaty, dusty gravel rides it will tone down a bit. After that was put on, I was almost done. Two hours later! I still have to clean up the drive train some more and perhaps put on a new chain.

Then it will be time to give these Riddler treads a go. Stay tuned.......

Clean The Machine

Cleaned up and ready for its close up, Mr DeMille!

I got the WTB Riddler 37's the other day, and I purposed to mount those on the Black Mountain Cycles rig using the Velocity USA A23 wheel set I have. No big deal, right? Just get it done. Wealth of bikes and first world problems aside, I had to do some cleaning of the beast, because I had "ridden it hard and put it away wet" one too many times. The old steed was in desperate need of a good, thorough cleaning.

The bike was last extensively used during the Winter and early Spring testing of three or four different tires. That meant I had done some muddy rides. I had to practically do an archeological dig to uncover the bottom bracket area! Besides that, there had been contact with oil, road spray, and whatever else one might find on city streets, so there was quite a lot of "elbow grease" applied while the cleanup continued through the mid-afternoon yesterday.

The old Bontrager bar tape was also pretty grungy, so I had this Origin 8 bar tape to try out, which is pretty close to "Safety Green". It's really comfortable and grippy, but I'll have to see how it holds up. The "Hi-Viz' thing is not really me, but hey...... I was given the stuff to try out, so I ain't complainin'! I'm sure after a few sweaty, dusty gravel rides it will tone down a bit. After that was put on, I was almost done. Two hours later! I still have to clean up the drive train some more and perhaps put on a new chain.

Then it will be time to give these Riddler treads a go. Stay tuned.......

A Tale Of Two Tubeless Set Ups

Tubeless and meant to be.

Back in 2012 I had my first experiences with Clement tires and I was playing around with two models- The MSO 40mm and the USH 35mm tires. I liked the MSO straight away, but I wasn't falling in love with the narrower, harsher riding USH. So, I decided upon trying the USH out with the Velocity A-23's in a tubeless manner. That went........well, rather poorly. I struggled for weeks until I finally got the USH tires set up tubeless with some guidance from my friend MG. You can check out a brief recap of the deal by clicking here to read my August 2012 post about it.

The USH was vastly better tubeless, but the tire leaked down a lot, and I wasn't 100% confident in the fit on the rim, being very afraid to raise the pressures above 45psi for fear of blowing them off. That pressure, as it turns out, wasn't high enough to handle me on gravel roads. So, I abandoned the whole deal, and since the USH was a wholly different tire in a worse way with tubes, I never rode them again.

The silver A-23's make the BMC look more classy than ever.

Fast forward to November of this year. I received the newest tire from Clement for review on RidingGravel.com. It is a 36mm wide tire in the MSO model. Very similar width to the USH, but with a design that considered tubeless set ups from the onset.

Using the same A-23 rims- as in the exact same ones as I had in 2012- I was able to set up both tires tubeless from the beginning to the end of the process in a half an hour. Compare that to the hours and hours of work and trial and error to get those USH tires to go tubeless and it becomes evident that a specific design for tubeless makes a world of difference here.

Plus, I can run higher pressures since the tire fits better and has an actual tubeless bead that can handle the stresses of being set up tubeless. The sole barrier against you having a great ride or having the tire blow off the rim catastrophically and causing you to biff yourself spectacularly is the bead of the tire and how it fits the rim. And things could go really bad if it were only a folding bead tire like the USH I tried. A real tubeless design? That's peace of mind right there, that's what that is! Now I can have a decent pressure for me and my style of riding. That's important.

One more thing to add, and that is that these are, (hopefully they rectified this), compatible with sealant. The old, folding bead Clements were not getting along with sealants at all. Delaminated casings were the main cause for concern here, but blistering was also noted by some riders. So, say what you will about converting tires that are folding bead, non-tubeless design to tubeless. I ain't listening to that clap-trap. Not when you don't have to do that dance anymore. Now that several tubeless tires from 32mm-42mm tires exist, there is no need to convert something that was never meant to be converted.

A Tale Of Two Tubeless Set Ups

Tubeless and meant to be.

Back in 2012 I had my first experiences with Clement tires and I was playing around with two models- The MSO 40mm and the USH 35mm tires. I liked the MSO straight away, but I wasn't falling in love with the narrower, harsher riding USH. So, I decided upon trying the USH out with the Velocity A-23's in a tubeless manner. That went........well, rather poorly. I struggled for weeks until I finally got the USH tires set up tubeless with some guidance from my friend MG. You can check out a brief recap of the deal by clicking here to read my August 2012 post about it.

The USH was vastly better tubeless, but the tire leaked down a lot, and I wasn't 100% confident in the fit on the rim, being very afraid to raise the pressures above 45psi for fear of blowing them off. That pressure, as it turns out, wasn't high enough to handle me on gravel roads. So, I abandoned the whole deal, and since the USH was a wholly different tire in a worse way with tubes, I never rode them again.

The silver A-23's make the BMC look more classy than ever.

Fast forward to November of this year. I received the newest tire from Clement for review on RidingGravel.com. It is a 36mm wide tire in the MSO model. Very similar width to the USH, but with a design that considered tubeless set ups from the onset.

Using the same A-23 rims- as in the exact same ones as I had in 2012- I was able to set up both tires tubeless from the beginning to the end of the process in a half an hour. Compare that to the hours and hours of work and trial and error to get those USH tires to go tubeless and it becomes evident that a specific design for tubeless makes a world of difference here.

Plus, I can run higher pressures since the tire fits better and has an actual tubeless bead that can handle the stresses of being set up tubeless. The sole barrier against you having a great ride or having the tire blow off the rim catastrophically and causing you to biff yourself spectacularly is the bead of the tire and how it fits the rim. And things could go really bad if it were only a folding bead tire like the USH I tried. A real tubeless design? That's peace of mind right there, that's what that is! Now I can have a decent pressure for me and my style of riding. That's important.

One more thing to add, and that is that these are, (hopefully they rectified this), compatible with sealant. The old, folding bead Clements were not getting along with sealants at all. Delaminated casings were the main cause for concern here, but blistering was also noted by some riders. So, say what you will about converting tires that are folding bead, non-tubeless design to tubeless. I ain't listening to that clap-trap. Not when you don't have to do that dance anymore. Now that several tubeless tires from 32mm-42mm tires exist, there is no need to convert something that was never meant to be converted.

Latest Edition

The BMC as it sits now...

Okay, I thought it might be a good time to update my set up on the Black Mountain Cycles Cross frame. This has been the way I've been riding it for most of this year, (when I could ride it), so far.

Going back to last Fall, I stuck the HED Ardennes+ wheels on this rig and those have been swapped back and forth with the Velocity A-23 silver wheel set to test different tires. I've used Almanzo Open 30's, Panaracer Pasela 37's, and now I have a set of new Challenge Strada Bianca 30's on there. I'll get to the tires later, but now I want to say that the Ardennes+ wheels have two things going for them that are a "big" deal, in my opinion. First- they are wider rims. This gives tires like the skinny Almanzo Open 30 a much better profile, a better ride quality, and a bit better contact patch. Of course, it will do similar things for wider tires, but it is a must for tires like the Almanzo, in my opinion, to be run on a wider rim like the Ardennes+. Secondly, the aero factor is there. I am still uncertain what is going on in a head wind, but there is something there.  I will say that in a quartering tail wind to a straight on tail wind you get a dramatic effect. It feels like someone is pushing the bike along at times. I am still surprised when it happens. Definitely these things make these wheels better than the A-23's, but the Ardennes+ is heavy! The A-23's are certainly no slouch either, and they are lighter. Anywho....

The fenders are about to be jettisoned for the season. We've pretty much come out of slop season now, so no need to have them on. Besides, I see that they are starting to fail at a few places. I doubt Planet Bike had lots of gravel and dirt riding in mind for these commuter fenders when they were designed, so I am okay with that find today. If fenders go back on again, (and likely they will for next Fall late and then stay on through Spring of '14), they will be something fancy, like the Velo Orange fenders.

The El Cofrecito bag has stayed on, and on, and on.... I have a hard time with the thought of riding without it now. In fact, I jettisoned the seat bag and stuffed a smaller repair kit in the El Cofrecito instead. Plus, I can jam a windbreaker, or rain jacket in there, just in case. If I go back to a Tangle Bag, it will likely come off again, but that hasn't happened....

So, that's about it, really. The BMC is still doing great. Needs a new bottom bracket soon, but otherwise, I am good to go for a season of 3GR rides and more.....

Latest Edition

The BMC as it sits now...

Okay, I thought it might be a good time to update my set up on the Black Mountain Cycles Cross frame. This has been the way I've been riding it for most of this year, (when I could ride it), so far.

Going back to last Fall, I stuck the HED Ardennes+ wheels on this rig and those have been swapped back and forth with the Velocity A-23 silver wheel set to test different tires. I've used Almanzo Open 30's, Panaracer Pasela 37's, and now I have a set of new Challenge Strada Bianca 30's on there. I'll get to the tires later, but now I want to say that the Ardennes+ wheels have two things going for them that are a "big" deal, in my opinion. First- they are wider rims. This gives tires like the skinny Almanzo Open 30 a much better profile, a better ride quality, and a bit better contact patch. Of course, it will do similar things for wider tires, but it is a must for tires like the Almanzo, in my opinion, to be run on a wider rim like the Ardennes+. Secondly, the aero factor is there. I am still uncertain what is going on in a head wind, but there is something there.  I will say that in a quartering tail wind to a straight on tail wind you get a dramatic effect. It feels like someone is pushing the bike along at times. I am still surprised when it happens. Definitely these things make these wheels better than the A-23's, but the Ardennes+ is heavy! The A-23's are certainly no slouch either, and they are lighter. Anywho....

The fenders are about to be jettisoned for the season. We've pretty much come out of slop season now, so no need to have them on. Besides, I see that they are starting to fail at a few places. I doubt Planet Bike had lots of gravel and dirt riding in mind for these commuter fenders when they were designed, so I am okay with that find today. If fenders go back on again, (and likely they will for next Fall late and then stay on through Spring of '14), they will be something fancy, like the Velo Orange fenders.

The El Cofrecito bag has stayed on, and on, and on.... I have a hard time with the thought of riding without it now. In fact, I jettisoned the seat bag and stuffed a smaller repair kit in the El Cofrecito instead. Plus, I can jam a windbreaker, or rain jacket in there, just in case. If I go back to a Tangle Bag, it will likely come off again, but that hasn't happened....

So, that's about it, really. The BMC is still doing great. Needs a new bottom bracket soon, but otherwise, I am good to go for a season of 3GR rides and more.....

Tale Of Two Victories

Well, yesterday was a day of two small victories, but I'll take those victories where I can get them, ya know? The first up was a "take two" on the stove/pot stand test firing.

Brought water to a boil in 10 minutes

The new pot stand was made from a can of Bush's Baked Beans. I cut it down, then drilled six holes near the edge of the opening where I can use these stainless steel spokes I modified as support for the cup, or as in this case, the stainless steel martini mixing cup.

I placed the alcohol stove I made inside the bean can, then filled it with fuel. The nice thing here is that if I spill some fuel, it stays contained in the bean can. Then I lit the stove. It gets going rather easily, by the way.

Then I threaded in the stainless steel supports through the holes I drilled, then the cup went on top. I had enough water in it to make a nice, standard cup of coffee. Then, I waited...

It took about ten minutes to get a "roiling boil" going on, so I was pleased. The stove and pot stand are totally stable too. Not like attempt #1! That's for sure! This should cook anything well, as long as it is for one, and the pot I use isn't bigger than the pot stand in diameter. I plan on using a cup anyway. Smaller, lighter, and forces me to pack less.

I snuffed out the stove easily by dumping out the boiling water and turning the cup upside down over the stove-pot stand. The stove, which had been burning for 20 minutes, still had plenty of fuel left inside of it, so I figure I could have cooked up another boiling cup of water, or two, easily. Then I discovered the spent Foster's can I tried my first stove construction with fits neatly over the bean can with a bit of slight modifications to both cans. Now I have a sleek, neat, lightweight storage system for all the cooking stuff.  Victory #1.....

Got 'em set up and rolling!

With that under my belt I moved on to the Velocity A-23 wheels and Clement X'Plor USH tires I had been wrestling to set up tubeless over the past.....what has it been now? A month? Nearly so, I think.

Well, some consultations with my good buddy, MG, gave me some new ideas to try and after applying those, I had some good signs that I was on the way to success there. Overnight pressures held up, and after a three day pressure test, the tires weren't flat. Good.

I decided to take the wheels out for a ride Wednesday, since it was very nice out, and I had no other pressing things to do. I headed straight out North of town. On the way, it was apparent that the brakes were not happy with the new wheels. I had REALLY LOUD noises from the front and back. I decided to get out into the country before dealing with it though.

Funny thing was that by the time I got out of town, the front had bedded in and was fine. The rear wheel brakes were horrible, chattering so badly I thought my nether regions were going to go numb if I used the brake. I stopped by the big rock, namesake for Big Rock Road, and dug out my tools. 

After several attempts, I finally struck upon a reverse toe-in set up that was really quiet, so I went with it, then rode on in back to town. Tubeless wheels set up, and brake noises subdued. Victory #2.

Tale Of Two Victories

Well, yesterday was a day of two small victories, but I'll take those victories where I can get them, ya know? The first up was a "take two" on the stove/pot stand test firing.

Brought water to a boil in 10 minutes

The new pot stand was made from a can of Bush's Baked Beans. I cut it down, then drilled six holes near the edge of the opening where I can use these stainless steel spokes I modified as support for the cup, or as in this case, the stainless steel martini mixing cup.

I placed the alcohol stove I made inside the bean can, then filled it with fuel. The nice thing here is that if I spill some fuel, it stays contained in the bean can. Then I lit the stove. It gets going rather easily, by the way.

Then I threaded in the stainless steel supports through the holes I drilled, then the cup went on top. I had enough water in it to make a nice, standard cup of coffee. Then, I waited...

It took about ten minutes to get a "roiling boil" going on, so I was pleased. The stove and pot stand are totally stable too. Not like attempt #1! That's for sure! This should cook anything well, as long as it is for one, and the pot I use isn't bigger than the pot stand in diameter. I plan on using a cup anyway. Smaller, lighter, and forces me to pack less.

I snuffed out the stove easily by dumping out the boiling water and turning the cup upside down over the stove-pot stand. The stove, which had been burning for 20 minutes, still had plenty of fuel left inside of it, so I figure I could have cooked up another boiling cup of water, or two, easily. Then I discovered the spent Foster's can I tried my first stove construction with fits neatly over the bean can with a bit of slight modifications to both cans. Now I have a sleek, neat, lightweight storage system for all the cooking stuff.  Victory #1.....

Got 'em set up and rolling!

With that under my belt I moved on to the Velocity A-23 wheels and Clement X'Plor USH tires I had been wrestling to set up tubeless over the past.....what has it been now? A month? Nearly so, I think.

Well, some consultations with my good buddy, MG, gave me some new ideas to try and after applying those, I had some good signs that I was on the way to success there. Overnight pressures held up, and after a three day pressure test, the tires weren't flat. Good.

I decided to take the wheels out for a ride Wednesday, since it was very nice out, and I had no other pressing things to do. I headed straight out North of town. On the way, it was apparent that the brakes were not happy with the new wheels. I had REALLY LOUD noises from the front and back. I decided to get out into the country before dealing with it though.

Funny thing was that by the time I got out of town, the front had bedded in and was fine. The rear wheel brakes were horrible, chattering so badly I thought my nether regions were going to go numb if I used the brake. I stopped by the big rock, namesake for Big Rock Road, and dug out my tools. 

After several attempts, I finally struck upon a reverse toe-in set up that was really quiet, so I went with it, then rode on in back to town. Tubeless wheels set up, and brake noises subdued. Victory #2.

The Battle Rages On

Haven't quite sealed up.....yet!

About two weeks ago I wrote how I was setting up the "Orange Crush" with the new A-23's and a tubeless set up on the Clement X'Plor USH tires.

I gotta say, it's been a big battle so far!

I got the tires set up enough for a quick spin around the block or two, but they would not seal up enough to hold air overnight. No way, no how.

I kept at it for a solid week after work and writing duties, but to no avail. I was going to give up and throw on some tubes, but I decided to give my buddy MG a call. He is the one that I got the sealant recipe from in the first place. MG has set up so many tires tubeless it's crazy. From fat bike tires to cyclo cross rubber and everything in between. I decided to tap his vast knowledge and experience before throwing in the towel.

Samo ole, same ole...

MG had some enlightening ideas. Thicken up the solution, add more than I thought before, and do some fancy slam action on the tires. (I'd get into details, but it's pretty boring stuff, really.) Well, the signs are pointing to a victory now. Thing is, it will be two and a half weeks soon before I get these to set up! Dang! Hopefully it'll be worth it. What makes it even more frustrating is that some of you have commented saying that these tires set up tubeless for you just fine. Meh!

So for today's 3GR the Orange Crush looks like it always has for the last several weeks. Not that this is bad, but I was ready to sport the silver goodness, and I just can not quite trust it yet. Of course, I'll do a close in ride this weekend, hoping to bed in the USH/A-23 combo, and if it fails, I won't have far to walk home!

One positive that has come from all of this inflating-deflating, and that is that the USH tires have stretched a bit, now coming closer to the width of the MSO's. They probably won't get all the way there, but I bet they are 37mm wide now.

Well, that's the update on those. Hopefully I'll have good news later in the weekend. At least I am making headway now. Thanks MG! (Hope that the Dakota 50 went well for ya today!)

The Battle Rages On

Haven't quite sealed up.....yet!

About two weeks ago I wrote how I was setting up the "Orange Crush" with the new A-23's and a tubeless set up on the Clement X'Plor USH tires.

I gotta say, it's been a big battle so far!

I got the tires set up enough for a quick spin around the block or two, but they would not seal up enough to hold air overnight. No way, no how.

I kept at it for a solid week after work and writing duties, but to no avail. I was going to give up and throw on some tubes, but I decided to give my buddy MG a call. He is the one that I got the sealant recipe from in the first place. MG has set up so many tires tubeless it's crazy. From fat bike tires to cyclo cross rubber and everything in between. I decided to tap his vast knowledge and experience before throwing in the towel.

Samo ole, same ole...

MG had some enlightening ideas. Thicken up the solution, add more than I thought before, and do some fancy slam action on the tires. (I'd get into details, but it's pretty boring stuff, really.) Well, the signs are pointing to a victory now. Thing is, it will be two and a half weeks soon before I get these to set up! Dang! Hopefully it'll be worth it. What makes it even more frustrating is that some of you have commented saying that these tires set up tubeless for you just fine. Meh!

So for today's 3GR the Orange Crush looks like it always has for the last several weeks. Not that this is bad, but I was ready to sport the silver goodness, and I just can not quite trust it yet. Of course, I'll do a close in ride this weekend, hoping to bed in the USH/A-23 combo, and if it fails, I won't have far to walk home!

One positive that has come from all of this inflating-deflating, and that is that the USH tires have stretched a bit, now coming closer to the width of the MSO's. They probably won't get all the way there, but I bet they are 37mm wide now.

Well, that's the update on those. Hopefully I'll have good news later in the weekend. At least I am making headway now. Thanks MG! (Hope that the Dakota 50 went well for ya today!)

Rainy Day Experimenting

New wheels for the Orange Crush

Well, it was a good thing I wasted my legs on Saturday, because Sunday was a, (much needed, much appreciated), washout. It rained steadily off and on for most of the day, making any effort to ride an unwise decision for the most part. Not that you can not ride in the rain, but for mountain biking and gravel, it isn't preferable or a good idea at all at times.

So anyway, I decided that it was as good a time as any to mount up the new A23's in silver I just got not long ago. While I was at it, I used some Velocity tubeless tape and valves to try and do the tubeless thing with skinny(er) tires than I usually do. These are the X'Plor USH tires that will be stock on Salsa Cycles Warbird bikes, just so you know. Well, the tubeless process is well understood by me, and I will report that these tires are not super easy to set up tubeless. Experienced folk with the process will have to use most every trick to get these to go tubeless on Velocity A23's, at any rate. I'm not 100% stoked on how they will turn out, but so far.....

I am stoked on the silver rims/hubs on the Orange Crush from Black Mountain Cycles. This is how I had envisioned the build from the get-go. Classic silver parts are just really good looking, and the Orange Crush comes off in a totally different way with these wheels. The new Velocity silver color is a result of actual polishing of the metal and then is clear anodized to preserve the shine. All made in the U.S.A. as well, by the way.

I'll be doing some testing with the tubeless thing if the Clements can hold air for any length of time tubeless. Not knocking Clement here, so don't get me wrong. These are not tubeless tires. I understand the risks involved and will be fully okay with it if they do not go tubeless, as I hope they will. Besides that, there is something else in the works that will be going on as a test product on this bike. Stay tuned for that and more soon....

Rainy Day Experimenting

New wheels for the Orange Crush

Well, it was a good thing I wasted my legs on Saturday, because Sunday was a, (much needed, much appreciated), washout. It rained steadily off and on for most of the day, making any effort to ride an unwise decision for the most part. Not that you can not ride in the rain, but for mountain biking and gravel, it isn't preferable or a good idea at all at times.

So anyway, I decided that it was as good a time as any to mount up the new A23's in silver I just got not long ago. While I was at it, I used some Velocity tubeless tape and valves to try and do the tubeless thing with skinny(er) tires than I usually do. These are the X'Plor USH tires that will be stock on Salsa Cycles Warbird bikes, just so you know. Well, the tubeless process is well understood by me, and I will report that these tires are not super easy to set up tubeless. Experienced folk with the process will have to use most every trick to get these to go tubeless on Velocity A23's, at any rate. I'm not 100% stoked on how they will turn out, but so far.....

I am stoked on the silver rims/hubs on the Orange Crush from Black Mountain Cycles. This is how I had envisioned the build from the get-go. Classic silver parts are just really good looking, and the Orange Crush comes off in a totally different way with these wheels. The new Velocity silver color is a result of actual polishing of the metal and then is clear anodized to preserve the shine. All made in the U.S.A. as well, by the way.

I'll be doing some testing with the tubeless thing if the Clements can hold air for any length of time tubeless. Not knocking Clement here, so don't get me wrong. These are not tubeless tires. I understand the risks involved and will be fully okay with it if they do not go tubeless, as I hope they will. Besides that, there is something else in the works that will be going on as a test product on this bike. Stay tuned for that and more soon....

Does "Made In USA" Matter?

Recently Velocity started USA rim production

When I was a kid, (yes- this was a long time ago!), there were a lot of things made in the U.S.A. Even my home town had an agricultural tractor company in it. (Home of the first gas powered ag tractor, as a matter of fact.) It wasn't odd or weird to have cities with factories and products being produced here.

But now it is weird and unusual to see products made in the U.S.A. I know little of anything bicycle related is made here anymore, but recently something happened that added another product to the "Made In U.S.A." column. That would be Velocity rims.

I don't know about you, but I think this fact is cool. I live here in this country, and it makes me feel as though I am supporting other residents that live here if I get a Velocity rim. But does that even matter?

I think the easy, immediate response is "yes", it does matter. But this is a complex question. There are a lot of ways to look at it. When it comes right down to it though, I think I am almost always going to root for the home team and say "yes". Yes it does matter.

New A23's

Well, anyway, here are the Velocity wheels in full view that I just got for myself. Some of you may remember that originally I wanted silver stuff for the "Orange Crush" BMC bike I own. Well, I had to compromise with the original A23 set I had and do all black. That's all there was to have back then.

Okay, then I traded that set of wheels off to get Mrs. Guitar Ted's Kona Africa Bike single speed, (which she loves, by the way), and that left me with no wheels for the BMC for over a month.

Well, with the recent purchase of Mike's XTR/Salsa Delgado cross wheels and these I now have two sets of wheels for the BMC. Nice! Now I'm set for different conditions and situations. Eventually I will get some rim tape to set these up tubeless too.

The new Velocity skewers are pretty sweet for these wheels. Internal cam mechanism, similar to Shimano's, and a classy looking rubberized plastic pearl button on the pivot. I sure hope these clamp near as well as the XTR skewers do.

The rear wheel has an aluminum free hub body, so I can not bring myself to put on any ol' cassette. Nope. Not gonna do it. So, another parts order will be going in for a cassette with a carrier type construction instead of individual cogs that will only dig in and destroy the splines.  kind of a bummer, because I thought I had a cassette like this in reserve, but I must have used it. More waiting...

I was hoping to run these wheels this weekend for the 3GR, but they'll have to wait to make their debut.

Does "Made In USA" Matter?

Recently Velocity started USA rim production

When I was a kid, (yes- this was a long time ago!), there were a lot of things made in the U.S.A. Even my home town had an agricultural tractor company in it. (Home of the first gas powered ag tractor, as a matter of fact.) It wasn't odd or weird to have cities with factories and products being produced here.

But now it is weird and unusual to see products made in the U.S.A. I know little of anything bicycle related is made here anymore, but recently something happened that added another product to the "Made In U.S.A." column. That would be Velocity rims.

I don't know about you, but I think this fact is cool. I live here in this country, and it makes me feel as though I am supporting other residents that live here if I get a Velocity rim. But does that even matter?

I think the easy, immediate response is "yes", it does matter. But this is a complex question. There are a lot of ways to look at it. When it comes right down to it though, I think I am almost always going to root for the home team and say "yes". Yes it does matter.

New A23's

Well, anyway, here are the Velocity wheels in full view that I just got for myself. Some of you may remember that originally I wanted silver stuff for the "Orange Crush" BMC bike I own. Well, I had to compromise with the original A23 set I had and do all black. That's all there was to have back then.

Okay, then I traded that set of wheels off to get Mrs. Guitar Ted's Kona Africa Bike single speed, (which she loves, by the way), and that left me with no wheels for the BMC for over a month.

Well, with the recent purchase of Mike's XTR/Salsa Delgado cross wheels and these I now have two sets of wheels for the BMC. Nice! Now I'm set for different conditions and situations. Eventually I will get some rim tape to set these up tubeless too.

The new Velocity skewers are pretty sweet for these wheels. Internal cam mechanism, similar to Shimano's, and a classy looking rubberized plastic pearl button on the pivot. I sure hope these clamp near as well as the XTR skewers do.

The rear wheel has an aluminum free hub body, so I can not bring myself to put on any ol' cassette. Nope. Not gonna do it. So, another parts order will be going in for a cassette with a carrier type construction instead of individual cogs that will only dig in and destroy the splines.  kind of a bummer, because I thought I had a cassette like this in reserve, but I must have used it. More waiting...

I was hoping to run these wheels this weekend for the 3GR, but they'll have to wait to make their debut.

Spring Cleaning: The Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross

Making it look pretty....

Some folks notion of "spring cleaning" most likely refers to the sweeping away of the winter's filth and grime, or ridding one's self of mathoms gathered throughout the years. My version is much simpler:

Clean the bike you used at the Renegade Gentleman's Race.

It needed it too. I had some gunk stuck on the drive train that required the use of "Euro Mechanic Techniques" to get off. The dusty gravel residue was easily got rid of, but with fenders and the various nooks and crannies that a bicycle has, well.....  Let's just say it turned out to be a muti-houred task.

I always say that if you really want to inspect your bicycle for an upcoming ride for potential issues, or to see what needs maintenance, a good, thorough, multi-hour cleaning session with your bicycle will show you anything that looks iffy. Your eyes will cover every square millimeter of the machine, and nothing will escape your watchful eye. At least, that's if you are not drinking beer while you are doing this!

I thought it might be good to review every bit on the bike as long as I was at it, so here goes:

Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross Frame:

I've had this frame now for over a year and it is impressive. A nice riding, well behaved handling, good looking bike. Only one area has ever bothered me about this rig: The drop outs and their spacing. I wish that the "not-right" drop out spacing would have been spec'ed at 130mm. I ended up cold setting mine to "close" to 130mm because I hated fighting with the rear drop outs while taking a wheel out and replacing it. 130mm seems to me to be the logical spacing for a bicycle like this. Secondly, I wish it had short, track end style drops. Yes- with a derailleur hangar. The rearward facing drops would maybe make taking out a wheel less easy, but would definitely make riding the bike possible if you wango-tangoed your rear mech off in the mud, or just wanted an easy single speed option. 

Otherwise, this bike rocks. (For a detailed review on the BMC, see here)

Going back to this.

  Bontrager Satellite Carbon Fork:

I have been running this carbon fork long enough now to say that....."meh!" It doesn't really do all that much better than the steel one, as far as I can tell. So, I will be swapping out to the steel fork again, just to see if there is anything I might miss about that carbon one. 

Yes, the carbon fork is lighter, but that's all the difference I can find. I don't mind the weight of the steel fork as long as it does something better/different that I like over the carbon one. 

Shimano Ultegra/STX/SRAM Bits: 

I have been running a weird drive train on this bike for some time now. It consists of an Ultegra crank set, compact 50T/34T rings, an Ultegra 9spd long cage rear derailleur, an STX top pull mountain bike derailleur, and a SRAM 9spd chain running a SRAM 11-34T cassette. Nothing to say here other than it works well and I want a smaller big ring! 

Shifters: Ultegra STI/ Retroshift:  

I left out the shifters since I've used two different set ups here. The STI Ultegra shifters are.....well reliable, and Shimano. The only issues here are expense to replace/maintain and the levers rattled against the shift paddles at times. Now I am running the Retroshift set up. Check out my take on the shifters here.

Cowbell Handle Bar: Here's something I get hits on the site about consistently- The Salsa Cycles Cowbell handle bar is awesome. Probably the best gravel grinder bar for geared set ups out there. See my initial comparo with a Bell Lap bar here.

Origin 8 Head Set:  The head set is an "el-cheapo" Origin 8 unit, but it does have sealed bearings, a polished finish, and has been very reliable. 

Velocity A-23 Wheels

 Velocity A-23 Wheel Set: 

The Velocity A-23 wheels  have been thrashed all over the place. Rain, dust, streets, gravel, and dirt have not phased these things. I may have trued these once, but I am not sure. 

Either way, I am fully impressed with the way they have performed, and, rumor has it that new A-23's are tubeless ready. Nice.  The bearings are as smooth as the day I got them, and the free hub body has never hiccuped once. The rims are 23mm wide and give the tires I use a decent base to work off of. They are available in a few different versions too.

Clement X'Plor MSO Tires:

These wheels are currently shod with the Clement Pneumatics  X'Plor MSO tires which I have reviewed here. Again, I have had really good experiences with these so far, and I will continue to experiment with them for the rest of the spring and into summer. Stay tuned for some updates on that in the future. 

Me on the right here....

 The Ritchey post and stem, Bontrager saddle and grip tape, and other various bits and pieces are all functioning well. All around, I have to say that the entire package here is awesome for gravel road riding fun and racing. 

The Future: I originally wanted to do a custom gravel road frame, put all of my geared set up on it, and then transfer single speed duties back to this bike. I still intend to do just that, and I have further tweaks I would make to fine tune this bike to what I would desire. 

That said, if it never happens, the Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross, (or "Orange Crush", as I like to call it), is a great enough rig that I could live with it happily for years. The handling is still great to my mind, and honestly, the tweaks I would make are more to satisfy my curiousity more than fixing any "defects" this BMC bike has. As I said, other than the drop out style and their spacing, there isn't much.....well- nothing really, that I can complain about here.  

So, it's ready for the upcoming gravel road rides, cleaned, no issues found, and all I have to do with it now is ride. 

I intend to do a lot of just that...... 

Spring Cleaning: The Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross

Making it look pretty....

Some folks notion of "spring cleaning" most likely refers to the sweeping away of the winter's filth and grime, or ridding one's self of mathoms gathered throughout the years. My version is much simpler:

Clean the bike you used at the Renegade Gentleman's Race.

It needed it too. I had some gunk stuck on the drive train that required the use of "Euro Mechanic Techniques" to get off. The dusty gravel residue was easily got rid of, but with fenders and the various nooks and crannies that a bicycle has, well.....  Let's just say it turned out to be a muti-houred task.

I always say that if you really want to inspect your bicycle for an upcoming ride for potential issues, or to see what needs maintenance, a good, thorough, multi-hour cleaning session with your bicycle will show you anything that looks iffy. Your eyes will cover every square millimeter of the machine, and nothing will escape your watchful eye. At least, that's if you are not drinking beer while you are doing this!

I thought it might be good to review every bit on the bike as long as I was at it, so here goes:

Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross Frame:

I've had this frame now for over a year and it is impressive. A nice riding, well behaved handling, good looking bike. Only one area has ever bothered me about this rig: The drop outs and their spacing. I wish that the "not-right" drop out spacing would have been spec'ed at 130mm. I ended up cold setting mine to "close" to 130mm because I hated fighting with the rear drop outs while taking a wheel out and replacing it. 130mm seems to me to be the logical spacing for a bicycle like this. Secondly, I wish it had short, track end style drops. Yes- with a derailleur hangar. The rearward facing drops would maybe make taking out a wheel less easy, but would definitely make riding the bike possible if you wango-tangoed your rear mech off in the mud, or just wanted an easy single speed option. 

Otherwise, this bike rocks. (For a detailed review on the BMC, see here)

Going back to this.

  Bontrager Satellite Carbon Fork:

I have been running this carbon fork long enough now to say that....."meh!" It doesn't really do all that much better than the steel one, as far as I can tell. So, I will be swapping out to the steel fork again, just to see if there is anything I might miss about that carbon one. 

Yes, the carbon fork is lighter, but that's all the difference I can find. I don't mind the weight of the steel fork as long as it does something better/different that I like over the carbon one. 

Shimano Ultegra/STX/SRAM Bits: 

I have been running a weird drive train on this bike for some time now. It consists of an Ultegra crank set, compact 50T/34T rings, an Ultegra 9spd long cage rear derailleur, an STX top pull mountain bike derailleur, and a SRAM 9spd chain running a SRAM 11-34T cassette. Nothing to say here other than it works well and I want a smaller big ring! 

Shifters: Ultegra STI/ Retroshift:  

I left out the shifters since I've used two different set ups here. The STI Ultegra shifters are.....well reliable, and Shimano. The only issues here are expense to replace/maintain and the levers rattled against the shift paddles at times. Now I am running the Retroshift set up. Check out my take on the shifters here.

Cowbell Handle Bar: Here's something I get hits on the site about consistently- The Salsa Cycles Cowbell handle bar is awesome. Probably the best gravel grinder bar for geared set ups out there. See my initial comparo with a Bell Lap bar here.

Origin 8 Head Set:  The head set is an "el-cheapo" Origin 8 unit, but it does have sealed bearings, a polished finish, and has been very reliable. 

Velocity A-23 Wheels

 Velocity A-23 Wheel Set: 

The Velocity A-23 wheels  have been thrashed all over the place. Rain, dust, streets, gravel, and dirt have not phased these things. I may have trued these once, but I am not sure. 

Either way, I am fully impressed with the way they have performed, and, rumor has it that new A-23's are tubeless ready. Nice.  The bearings are as smooth as the day I got them, and the free hub body has never hiccuped once. The rims are 23mm wide and give the tires I use a decent base to work off of. They are available in a few different versions too.

Clement X'Plor MSO Tires:

These wheels are currently shod with the Clement Pneumatics  X'Plor MSO tires which I have reviewed here. Again, I have had really good experiences with these so far, and I will continue to experiment with them for the rest of the spring and into summer. Stay tuned for some updates on that in the future. 

Me on the right here....

 The Ritchey post and stem, Bontrager saddle and grip tape, and other various bits and pieces are all functioning well. All around, I have to say that the entire package here is awesome for gravel road riding fun and racing. 

The Future: I originally wanted to do a custom gravel road frame, put all of my geared set up on it, and then transfer single speed duties back to this bike. I still intend to do just that, and I have further tweaks I would make to fine tune this bike to what I would desire. 

That said, if it never happens, the Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross, (or "Orange Crush", as I like to call it), is a great enough rig that I could live with it happily for years. The handling is still great to my mind, and honestly, the tweaks I would make are more to satisfy my curiousity more than fixing any "defects" this BMC bike has. As I said, other than the drop out style and their spacing, there isn't much.....well- nothing really, that I can complain about here.  

So, it's ready for the upcoming gravel road rides, cleaned, no issues found, and all I have to do with it now is ride. 

I intend to do a lot of just that......