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

New bike tire question: As posted a few days ago, I got a new Ripley AF which so far I am loving. Replaced a 2015 Tallboy 2 which had a carbon frame but was the tail end of the older geometry (70° HTA, seat post and chain stay lengths set up for a front derailleur). Also old school 19mm internal rims!! I took advantage of those narrow rims to run light XC tires, Ikon or Ardent 3C MaxSpeed which helped my aging body go faster on fire roads and gripped just fine for my modest cornering pace.

The new bike is so much better in every regard, including climbing over most trail “bumps”. But the rear tire, a 2.4 EXO Dissector (not 3C) on 35 mm wide rims, tends to slide sideways climbing over angled roots or climbing up the side of a rut that’s mostly parallel to the trail. Only certain situations, but the side grip of the rear definitely feels worse than my old bike/tire combo. I started running 23 psi, dropped to 20, no change. I weigh about 170 on the bike. Rear suspension sag and rebound is set per Ibis recommendations, and I’m running low speed compression wide open. Any thoughts, or just get used to it? Thanks.

 

The Dissector is a fast rolling/cornering tire but not really the best technical climber. I'd recommend swapping it for DHR2 or a Highroller II if you want more grip out back.

 

Yeah, but shouldn’t it be better than an Ikon? The knobs are a lot bigger. That’s why I was wondering about the compound. I’ll give the Dissector until it wears out ‘cause I’m cheap and lazy but I’d be open to a DHR2 which is what Ibis fit on the front in a 3C MaxTerra compound.

 

the non 3C is a dual compound, these are relatively hard and not that sticky. The knobs will probably start coming off before you wear it out. Here's a guy slanging cheap Maxxis OEms on ebay. $33 bux for a DHR2 , the guy is legit I have bought a bunch of stuff off him. https://www.ebay.com/itm/364275782190

 

Well, it’s $45 with shipping but still cheap. An interesting experiment to see if the compound makes that much difference. I don’t know why Ibis cheaped out on the rear tire since the front is 3C. Though I can’t complain, they gave me a carbon bar for free. Thanks.

 

tried truing a wheel today.. definitely not great but way better than it was before i tried lol. How often do people do this and do you DIY or bring it to a shop. seems my rear wheel needs it every 2 or so months.

 

How much time ya got?

 

It could be the compound. I rock a 2.4 rekon maxxterra on the rear of my Ripley af and have minimal issues with climbing traction. Some situations it can get squirrely such as super dry or wet conditions but for the most part it’s solid. I also run like 23 psi on a hookless 30mm inner width rim and I’m like 240 loaded up.

 

Quite a bit when I’m not riding or working. Took today off from riding to button up some maintenance stuff I’ve been putting off so I’m good for tomorrow morning. Messing with the wheel took me maybe a half hour to make it “okay”.

Or did I miss the point of your question?

 

The original wheel builder probably did not put linseed oil (or spoke prep) during building and tensioning the wheel. This prevents the spokes from backing out as you ride. I would rebuild the wheel using linseed oil on the spokes and get a spoke tension meter to get the wheel to the right tension. Ride it a few times and retighten if needed. Wheel building can be therapeutic with the right beverage.

 

I talked to a coworkers son who is a bike mechanic, he said the same thing about not using spoke powder or something along those lines causing the spokes to loosen. Since the LBS who built the wheel is closed on sundays, ill give them a call tomorrow to ask if they use anything linseed or spoke powder when assembling. Wheel truing can be therapeutic like you said, it's a nice time to just sit down and focus on something and not worry about busting knuckles

 

Personal experience with learning how to true a wheel (only built two from scratch) is that it's not something that you can just follow steps to get right. Right enough, sure. But actually get your wheel built/trued up well takes time and lots of practice. Usually more that doing it a few times a year. I had 4 bikes, all that I practiced on regularly and I still didn't get it as good as a shop did in a few minutes and $25. Of course YMMV.
As mentioned above, a good tension meter, stand, nipple wrench, spoke prep, time and patience are a must. You can get by without a stand, using the frame and some zip ties, but it's not ideal.
One bit of advice I can offer is that tension is the most important thing, getting wobbles and hops out are the outcome of good tension. If the tension is off your wheel will get out of true faster and be significantly more prone to failure. It's highly unlikely you'll notice a small hop/wobble when you're riding, as most tires have some when installed anyway.
It's definitely a zen-like practice, but it can also be infuriating at times.

 

yeah, i was thinking a shop could get this done way faster for the $20-25 OTD and it still be better than what i did since my tools are limited to zip ties and a spoke wrench

Im just about to head out the door for a ride, ill let you know how it goes.

 

Had a nice ride this morning. Wanted more but the legs said no. Wheel felt good and stiff leading to getting some more speed out of corners which was cool. Pics or it didn’t happen right?

 

This came in the mail!

I’ll be healed up for fat bike season and I plan to make up for lost time!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghca_h82Lmc

Still have to put a supercut together of the trip but here is Mag 7 to Portal. Good stuff at 2:45

 

Well done on that trail! Not sure I would have the balls to carry the speed you did on those exposure sections.

 

desert riding always good. Burro was closed so we only did Hazard county down but it's still a blast to rip.



@abacall and I were talking, next year, we need to organize a TW trip to do....TWE! (The Whole Enchilada)

 

Good stuff, I've learned you need to book TWE at least twice if you're making the trip to Moab. Just in case weather is crap that day. I'm all in for going back!

 

really depends on time of year. August is when you're likely to see any type of storm in the area. it can bleed into Sept but Sept is usually your best bet. October is always a gamble but if you get lucky with a full run in Oct, you get some amazing weather and temperatures to ride in (i was able to do it super late october before)