Tubeless tires and the dilemma

So last weekend, I did a full conversion of my wheels to a tubeless system. Find more info here:http://www.notubes.com/

I have to admit, it wasn't very difficult to do. The tires I'm using are Kenda Nevegal 2.35 DTCs. I've read that they're some of the hardest to seal. It was a day long process, but I was able to ride on Sunday. The performance gain was instantly evident, but I could not get past the fact that they might leak on me or something. They had been slowly leaking air all day Sat. but seemed all sealed up. Either way, the ride was good and the tires were doing thier job.

Well, come Monday, I find the front tire flat, leaking sealant. I went through the steps to reseal it and on Tuesday, it had lost some air but was doing ok. I rode Tuesday afternoon (just ahead of the snowstorm, I might add. Temps close to 60 degrees) and they held up pretty good. The rear has a wobble in it that's a bit annoying (I've noticed this on new Nevegal tires before) but on the trail it's not noticeable.

Come Wednesday, the rear tire was flat overnight! I pumped it up before work to 40psi and it was holding air, so that's not the issue. It seems that maybe it's not sealing or that during riding, the seal is breaking. I can't figure it out. I'm not giving up yet, but it seems that tubes are much easier to deal with. I just love the faster rolling wheels that tubeless provides. And with all the thorns around, the flat resistance is a must. But how resistant is it?

To be continued...

Winter blahs?

Well, I haven't had them! We've had days of 70 degrees this winter and I've been able to ride at least twice a week. It finally snowed last Wednesday, but it melted by Friday. It's snowing now again, but I'm confident that it will be gone soon enough. I'm glad for it too...who likes dealing with all the snow and ice? The mountains, however have been utterly blanketed with snow this year. Steamboat Springs reports that the champagne powder is "epic". Vail has had record crowds. Denver Int'l Airport is setting records for the number of travelers moving through. That means that spring will be green on the plains! The reservoirs are predicted to overflow for the first time since the late '90s when the state officially went into drought. For a while, things are getting back to normal around here. But I suppose that's only true in our microcosm of the world - in Seattle they've had record rains. California, too. Wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma in January! The NE is saturated. Killer hurricanes, increased glacial melt in places like Alaska and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa where they predict there will be no more glacial ice in ten years at 19,340'! Read more about that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilimanjaro.

I feel like I'm outside the storm, but the evidence is there that things are heating up. And I'm not sure that people really mind. Still, it can't be good in the long run. For now, I'll be content with my 70 degree days in February and maybe I'll start driving less. Maybe it would be a good time to begin recycling - $35/lb for aluminum. If only bikes were that cheap! I figure my aluminum bike is about $700/lb! I'd better start recycling to help bring down the cost of Al for my OWN good!

Cake and the Unlimited Sunshine

Defnitely one of Crystal's favorite bands, we got our second chance to see Cake in Colorado at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The Auditorium has a storied past. It was once a roller rink and the old hardwood floors remain. It's a great venue for a concert.

Cake is excellent in concert, so if you get the chance to see them, do so! They might be coming to a town near you! (or not, it looks like they'll be in Japan next month) We'd have preferred to go see them in Vegas, but we'll settle for Denver!