Well I am back home in Salt Lake City and excited to take the Fantom to my local trail. I put a wireless computer on the bike to keep track of my miles now that the break in rides are all done with. I like wireless computers because from a maintenance perspective there is no wire to bother with when taking the front end apart. I put the Kenda Klimax tire back on the bike since I was familiar with my trial and felt they would be fine to ride with (OOO just wait). I inflated the tires to the minimum suggestion of 40psi since I wanted the tires to provide some type of traction on the trail.
As I left my house to go ride the Shore Line Trail I noticed the tires were fast on the rode. It was funny to look down at the tire since I am used to the 2.4 Mountain Kings on my Giant. Its about a 10 minute rode ride from my house to the trail so its a nice warm up. I was really enjoying my ride on the trail until about 2 miles in I ripped the bike right though a rock bed and a few minutes later I felt the rim bottom out. CRAP, snake bike.
I quickly pulled the super lite condom thin race tube out and put in a nice burly tube and Co2ed that tire nice and hard. I was back riding for a while even did a nice climb to overlook SLC proceeding with a great singletrack ride along the hills. The trail edged down hill a little so I pick up some speed and bunny hopped a big rock in the middle of the trail to only land in a 10' rock bed after it and sure enough I heard a weird noise which proceeded to feeling the rim bottoming out AGAIN. Snake bite and I was out of tubes.
I have not bummed a tube since 1995 while riding in Santa Rosa CA. SLC has the nicest mountain bikers so I knew I was going to be fine. By the time I got the tire off a nice guy rides up and offers assistance. He gave me a tube but said it had been in his camelback for 10 years and may have a hole rubbed in it. I installed the tube and the air was holding ( for now). I got a minuet down the trail and sure enough another flat.
I pulled the tube and there was a wear mark from rubbing something for 10 years. By the time I got the tube out another cyclist stopped by and I bummed another tube. This was a nice $8 Torrelli tube which I felt bad about taking. By this time I was out of C02 and used the guys pump. Off I was and being a little more careful with the rocks. I got to the top of our down hill trail Bobsled and felt the rear tire which felt soft. A guy came up and I asked to use his pump. I had to ride my bike down hill through lots of rocks through City Creek Canyon. I made sure the tire was hard to allow me to get home. 2 miles down the best part of my whole ride, the reason the we climb up mountains, BOOM another snake bite.
It was right before this great tight singletrack section. I walked a long way home that day!! The tires worked great and did provide ample traction. There are just better suited for smooth trails. This was also the one ride I didn't bring my cell phone so my wife thought I was dead. 4 flats, 3 snake bites and 1 crappy tube flat.
Not my best ride. While all this was going on I as able to focus my attention to the brakes. Since I was taking the rear wheel out so much, I noticed the rear brake was rubbing pretty bad. I fixed it on the trail by loosing the brake bolt, making sure the caliper wiggled back and forth, pulled the brake lever, and then retightened the bolts. This worked to recenter the brakes. At least while I walked all the way home I didn't have to listen to the brakes rubbing. Both rotors were a little out of true and need adjusting. 
No comments:
Post a Comment