All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Daggom I kilt my ankle tonight on the pump track. Started to slip and did a lil dabby. I’m gonna keep the wheel reflectors on for a long time. I need to look like a beginner, not just ride like one.

I did practice just coming off of some 1’ curbs and I’ve gotta get more loose, I’m not soaking up enough through my body. Also practiced dropping in maybe 3’ ramps. Still scares me dropping in, coming out I can bail easily so not too bad.

I also did more exploring across the place.. more and more impressed, something for everyone for sure. Also, I could see DJ’s being great city cruisers with friends.

Lastly, dude the guys on a DJ doing 360’s going up the bowl and throwing that thing sideways, before coming back down, jumping out of the bowl doing a 180 and rolling backwards before turning back. Had no idea we had this talent around here. Barry Nobles the pro BMX racer from Bama I heard goes there on Mondays a lot. That I want to see.


https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgdSmciooLs/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

Damn that dude rips!

 

He’s definitely testing durability of a lightweight race frame.

 

These are the sprockets off an aluminum Trek BMX bike that I picked up for free with no wheels.

I soaked these in a pan of brake fluid in the hot sun for two days, and the paint basically fell right off.

After a quick rub with scotchbrite 99% of the paint was gone.

This hoop had a dent in it.


I carved this little block of wood & clamped it in my vise as a back up.

Then I knocked the dent with a rubber mallet.

The spoke shows where the dent was and it came out pretty clean. The rim measures within 1/32” all the way around with no sharp arrises.


I hit that rust with a wire brush, and then I drenched the wheel in hot brake fluid, wrapped it in a plastic garbage bag, and put it in a metal pan in the hot sun.

I measured the temperature with an infrared thermometer and the metal was hitting 145°F yesterday. I soaked it all day, and I will try getting it even hotter today, with the Wagner heat gun.

 

Weird quoting myself, but easiest way to continue the post...

After about 100 miles, in every terrain I ride regularly, here's where I'm at with these.
Construction: Excellent quality. I would place quality above Maxxis for sure, on par or above Schwalbe.
Installation: Hard to get on the rim, like most everything nowadays. But was the easiest tire to set up to pressure. One quick blast of air and it jumped right on to the rim bead. Most Maxxis tires take me about 2/3 tires, or at least have to sit in the sun opened up to get on. These came right from the box, seated easy and fast.
Holding air: Same as every quality tire I run. Loses about 2 psi over 3 days. No sealant seeping on the sidewalls, no sealant seeping from the bead.
Casing Stability: I went with the Enduro casing, and I usually run the Double Down on Maxxis. I would put this casing feel more like the EXO+ in terms of side-loading high-G roll. On compact berms, or hard-pack when really pushing into the tire (especially pronounced on the rear) it does have some roll on my normal 24 PSI. So I bump up to 25 PSI, and most of the roll was gone. Still not as stable as a DD tire though, and looking at casing construction it seems like their DH casing is more comparable to the the DD Maxxis. For bike parks, where high speeds and high-G loads are the norm, definitely go for the DH casing.
Carcass Feel: Way more supple than the DD or DH tires I usually run. It's like running a few lower PSI in terms of how it handles the terrain underneath you. It's quite weird at first, way more damp. When I bumped up the pressure a bit, it did very slightly change that, but not much. At first I didn't like it since it felt like the EXO+ tires, worried that it meant the tire would pinch flat in a day or two. I rode them gingerly, and slowly got more aggressive with them. Happy to report after 100 miles I was able to roll into them as hard as any tire I have ridden. This was my biggest surprise. There's a section of sharp pointy rocks that I usually take at high speed. The first couple of times I slowed down and rode around them. By the end, I was just blasting into it without any hesitation. I definitely hit the rim a few times on rocks and roots, hearing that dreaded ping. But there were no pinch flats, no burping, no loss of air.
Grip: Holy hell. Wow, for a rear tire it blew me away. Loads more braking grip than the HR2, or even the DHR2, on par with a Magic Mary but without the drag. It's so grippy that it actually changed the way I ride steeper tracks, even had to adjust my fork's damping a bit. Coming down loose sections (already moon-dust here in UT) it provided so much grip it transferred more of my weight to the front. I stiffened up the compression damping on my fork to compensate, and it's truly amazing to me. Having that much braking power from the rear, and way less drift, is awesome. So much more control on steep loose descents. The side lugs also provide plenty of cornering grip, but do let go predictably. There's no on/off sensation, but when they do break loose they let go quickly. Let off the rear brake a bit, and they come right back on line. They can still get a bit wild (I like to ride a bit loose), but prefer to hold on.
I haven't ridden these on slabs. I have no idea how they would do on granite slabs, especially wet ones.
Roots are roots. Wet roots are the source of all evil in this world and will kill you if given the chance on any tire.
Rolling: Great rolling characteristics. I don't ride much on pavement, but on the trail I can definitely feel they are a faster rolling tire than the HR2, even a bit better than the DHR2 in DD. This is likely due to the lighter construction, but it's noticeable. These won't compare to XC tires, but do great for what they are, grippy, gravity focused tire.
Wear: So far so good. After 100 rough miles they show there same amount of wear as a standard rear Maxxis in Terra. I expect they should have the same life, will update if that changes.

Overall, love this tire. At first I was disappointed with the damp feeling and roll I would get at high speeds. But after a small bump in pressure, I am stoked. It's still a little weird getting used to the sensation of a softer feeling tire that can still handle abuse. I would like to try these in the DH casing, since the weight it the same as the Maxxis DD. I'd also like to try them on the front (in the front specific), in both casings. I'd likely run the DH casing in the summer, when I'm really pushing the tire and riding faster trails. But if my focus and riding were more mellow or needed more grip, the Enduro casing is great.
Definitely impressed with Conti. I'm a convert (for now) and will be buying their tires for a while. Can't wait to try these on the front in the softest compound.

 

Patience is key.
My install tool is made out of wood and threaded rod. You can use a wooden ball on the cup and bearing side as it will self center and apply even pressure. Carbon, Al and steel - all work fine. For BB I use the Park insert for Shimano for a good fit. I have used it on the SRAM drives as well.

 

Lots of good advice already, but I recently installed an angled headset and used a cheap-ish press I have (not Park, I think from Performance Bike pre-Amazon era) for install. I think having a press rather than tapping in is better for carbon plus it makes it easier to keep the angle set aligned perfectly. I use a short piece of wooden closet pole and a hammer for cup removal though. And my angle set (Works Components) came with a split crown race so that was easier than a pressed race. Good luck; I’m still stoked on how much better my old steep HTA bike feels with 1.5° more slack.

 

Agree 100% - Pressing in is always better. Long time ago I used the tap method and it immediately went crooked

 

So I went on my morning trail ride. I go through the back of our neighborhood to get on the trails and I was going down the street next to a T intersection when some little kid on a 24” bike blasts down the blind side intersection against the right of way and I have to slam my brakes not to hit him on my bike. His parents are up the street arguing about something.

I rode up to them and I tell them that they need to tell their boy that he needs to stop and look both ways and not go blasting down a blind intersection because if I had been a car I would’ve hit him, the father immediately gets all pissed off and tells me not to tell him how to raise his son.

Are people just nuts now?

 

Yes, people are a combination of crazy and stupid and god forbid you tell them about something their kids did wrong…

 

If I were to be in the market for a carbon-frame trail bike with 27.5 wheels (not a mullet), what would you guys recommend? There aren’t a ton of options I can find in 27.5, 29ers are taking over it seems. I’m looking in the 130-150 rear travel range, 140-150 front travel. If I go to 29, I have lots of options, not convinced I want to give up 27.5 wheels, I like the smaller wheels.

 

5010

 

I did an oopsie

 

Forgot about that one. I’ve got the Transition and the Canyon so far for carbon 27.5 trail bikes. And I think Salsa’s Rustler

 

you hit a rock at the right angle?

 

yeah coming down a steeper rock garden with a dropish at the end. I think I bonked a little to hard. Spoke was loose and went through the tube. LBS tightened the spoke and said I could band aid it with a tube for now, but ultimately need a new rim

sooo if anyone has a recommendation on something they like or is selling rear wheel or rim, lmk lol

 

Or wrong angle?

 

Bronson? Mojo? I live in Santa Cruz so those are the bikes that come to mind.

 

I’ll have to see if I can get Ibis out here. The Bronson is a Mullet now, not a 27.5 any longer. The 5010 fits the bill though from Santa Cruz.

 

When you're injured and can't "ride", you sight see.