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

I have some Berd TR27s on Onyx Vesper hook flange hubs. I'm a little over 6 months into them. I still love them. Can't speak to maintenance and repair - I haven't done any. They stay true and haven't needed repair. Exactly as I expect from good wheels.

They did run a black friday or cyber monday sale for 20% off last year. That's the only discount I've ever seen on them.

 

Sold! Local guy from PB snagged them. Funny enough, he showed up in a Gen 2 Taco and is a member here but not overly active. Nice guy, he's building up a Chromag hardtail.

 

Well, I waited for a coupon and finally bit. Got the Megamat 15 since the REI coupon on used gear is so good. Perfect for the RTT.

 

Was doing a solo night ride last night and came across what I would imagine to be a hunter's butcher area. Middle of the forest and the headlight illuminates the remains of a deer in a blood trail leading down the path - always nice when people leave their mess in the middle of some singletrack! Spoiler tag for the picture of the carnage.

Spoiler

 

Thats pretty lame.

 

Scored some Hayes Dominion A4 brakes for $125 front and $125 rear. This years Black Friday sales are going to be good.

 

Unfinished thoughts...

Michelin Wild Enduro Gum-X front and rear..

I saw these on sale so I figured I'd give them a shot. I haven't ridden a Michelin for many years but I've read a lot of good things about them.

-Grip 4/5
These tires look aggressive AF and ride the part. They have a square-ish profile with profound side knobs and a relatively open pattern almost like a dirt bike tire. Those side knobs are firm and very well supported. You feel that support as soon as you tip in and they really dig in when you lean over.

My first few laps on these tires were enlightening. I found I was riding totally different lines on my regular trails. I kept pushing far inside and had to re-adjust my brain-to-bar input to the feel and immense support these provide to not cut in. I would liken the feel to something like a Magic mary/Shorty but way more direct. It wasn't long before I felt confident just chucking them in with maximum aggression. When they catch there's support for days which is very confidence inspiring. These are very much intermediate to loose conditions tires not something you want on purely hardpack or slabs. Otherwise these are awesome on anything they can bite in to. The Gum-x compound is the softer option vs Mag-x. It's not as tacky in the wet as a Maxx Grip but definitely better than Maxx Terra.

-Rolling 2.5/5
Those big knobs love to dig and that means these tires roll a bit slower. They make up for it a bit with the lighter weight but I thought they would roll faster than they do. If you want a super fast rolling tire for a short travel trail bike look elsewhere.

-Casing 3.5/5
For the weight these meats seem to be pretty damn solid. (front 1060g, rear 1130g) To be honest I was a bit concerned at the lighter weight and feel of the casing at first but they've since earned my trust. The rear is 3x33 TPI which is a different than you see from pretty much anyone else but it seems to be quite durable. They were easy to mount by hand and pumped popped right on no drama. I would have given a 4/5 but they leaked air/sealant out of the sidewalls upon mounting them for a week or so until the sealant finally got them fully sealed up.

Overall I'm very much digging these and planning on riding them out.

Pros:
Durability for the weight.
God mode cornering in the dry.
Can be found on the cheaper side.

Cons:
Slower rolling.
Not as sticky in the icky as some.
Leaky casings initially.






Up Next: Forbidden Druid V2.

Yes I have ridden it but not enough to have any solid opinions. So far it's quite good. Full schpiel soon.

 

Snagged a OneUp 35mm rise from the LBS for their sale and then my RC Hellions should be here tonight. Should be a good weekend of riding!

 

The fact they come with two sets of pads each makes it a hell of a deal for someone like me who's already running A4's on two bikes.

 

I should have planned my builds better... i have TRPs, SLX, Tektro and generic brakes, Microshift, SRAM SX and SLX drivetrains, and Fox, Rockshox, DVO and Manitou suspension bits... They all have PNW grips and pedals though!

 

Fresh wash and lube before the rides this weekend! Cheers to Friday!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXBrZulNCis&t=12s

Really interesting Hydra hub video. I actually had this exact axle housing breakage on my SB wheelset. Important to note though, i9 customer service and warranty were impeccable.

 

For when ya absolutely gotta pedal something…


Yuck!
My sister gave me this brand new but basically worthless Walmart bicycle, the Brian Wind Trainer came from a yard sale discard pile. I actually spent $40 on that nice seat, which will end up going on one of my cruiser bikes.

I swapped the rear tire with one I had, because this thing doesn’t work with knobbies.

 

First real single track ride today after my broken wrist escapade! Still can’t handle big chunk, or fast chunky stuff. Can’t do drops and hits yet, but I can pedal through rocks and roots just fine. Basically, mellow single track is where I’m at, but at least I’m back in the woods! The fat bike with the floaty tires and Mastodon fork I think are what makes trail riding tolerable. They just soak everything up.

 

Mike’s Bikes built last year’s Tallboy C frames with D Al bike parts for some cost saving builds. I have one coming in later this week. We’ll see how it works.

 

Glad you're finally getting out there.
Next Ortho is 11/27, which will hopefully have the date, and scope of surgery.
Trainer until, spring at least...

 

Oof, good luck!
I have one more follow up also. My thumb and pad of my hand still feel like they're asleep (pins and needle feeling). I need to sort that out. Otherwise, the chunk is uncomfortable but that will get better with time i'd imagine. The fat bike is becoming my physical therapy bike!

 

Congrats man! It feels so good to get back out there after an injury, really makes you appreciate the little things. Take it easy for now, you'll be back rippin' before you know it.

 

I'm trying to take it easy. Started on the road with my flat bar skinny tire hybrid bike (I can't use the hoods on my gravel bike yet, I can't pull the rear brake), then started pedaling the fat bike on gravel. It was good to be on a mountain bike, but that's boring as all hell and a workout and a half putting in miles like that on a fat bike! Felt great to at least be on mellow single track. I'll be sticking to that for a bit.

In other news, it was a cold start last Sunday morning, 28 degrees when I set off. Ketl's cold weather socks are amazing. I need to find a better base layer top, but I was happy to have finally found some warm socks that are comfortable in my riding shoes.