See the tire above? It's the front WTB ExiWolf Tire
that came stock on my two month old Redline Monocog Flight 29er. If you look close, you can still see that the knobs are still crisp. The matching rear tire shows only slightly more wear. These tires (and the bike) have 2027 miles on them as of this writing. Mountain miles. Dirt miles. Singletrack miles. And a bunch of pavement miles, as I've been commuting on the Flight pretty much every day since I got it.I hesitate to write this, lest I rouse the wrath of the tire gods, but I've had zero issues with these tires. None. No flats. No inconvenient losses of traction. None. Gravel, mud, roots, rocks, pavement, curbs, litter, these tires just roll over it all.
See this saddle? It's the stock WTB Rocket V
that came with the bike. Still a little flashy for my tastes, still perfectly comfortable after a couple of thousand miles, still comfy at the end of long days.I don't have pictures of the brake pads in my Avid BB5 brakes or the chain or pedals or all the other parts of my bike that are still going strong after the first couple of thousand miles, but they are going strong and I'm damn pleased with the Redline. Simple. Strong. Reliable.
And did I mention that the bike is so darn much fun to ride? It is.
I've got some upgrades waiting for someday when the stock stuff wears in a bit more. A less flashy Rocket V. WTB Nano Raptors
will replace the ExiWolfs eventually. (A set of Nanos is 12 ounces lighter than the Exis, and the Nano is still tough enough to be the most beloved tire on the Great Divide Route). Kool Stop brake pads
will eventually go into the disk brakes and the Nanos will have also have TrueGoo tubes in them.Eventually. Once I get around to wearing out the stock stuff on this bike. Which seems to be happening quite slowly now. Things will wear quicker when the rainy season comes.
Keep 'em rolling,Kent
9 comments:
Hi Kent,
Is TrueGoo better than Slime in some ways or is it more of a personal preference?
Bob
Hey Kent,
Since you are sharing all the details, I'd love to know what size chain ring and cog you are running?
Cheers,
Nick
Bob,
The buzz on TrueGoo is that it's better for what I'm doing. More of the Colorado guys seem to like it, so I'm giving it a try.
NobbyNick,
I'm running 32*17 gearing on the Monocog Flight.
Kent
mmmm...
it's always tricky talking about tires and not angering the flat Gods. I hope you snuck under the wire with this one!
Mark
Hey Kent, by the look of things it seem you past over into the parallel and materialistic universe...;)
I got some Slime way back in -92 when I was working as a messanger and had a horrible experience the very next day. It only fix small holes and I had a large head of a nail penetrating my tires. The green gue sprayed like a fountain in my face and all over the bike before I could come to a full stop. Got some air in but it would start gushing again once I got rolling. When I replaced the tube the inside of the tire was soiled with lots more. Not worth the extra weight and expense if you ask me! Keep 'em commin'!
fenderbender,
As I wrote in The Way of the Mountain Turtle and as I was just saying to Russ the other day, in a very real way being out on the trail is the most materialistic thing we do. We literally weigh our options, obsess over our gear, etc.
Ahhhhhhhh the flat gods have heard your insolence and blasphemy Ahhhhhhh!!!
PREPARE FOR SWIFT RETRIBUTION
Kent,
This is about your much earlier post on Power Grips. What do you do when it's time to put rain covers on your shoes? I find that they make it a lot harder to get into the straps, and, because they don't go in as far, change the fitting of my feet.
thanks much,
Ken
Ken,
I never use shoe covers. Waterproof socks or vapor barrier socks or plastic bags underneath wool socks but never shoe covers. So it's never been an issue.
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