no more band-aids
just slapped on a fancy new 45nrth xerces tire on the rear wheel of my trusty kona dew fs winter bike, to replace my now-janky schwalbe snow stud. the new one is thinner – 700x30c rather than the 38c I had been using in the winter. and 140 aluminum carbide studs. should be fun on the icy morning rides, while still being fun on the melty afternoon rides home 🙂
I managed to snap a spoke on my rear wheel while running an errand at lunch today. I had to borrow a pair of snips to clip it off so I could ride home. Not sure I want to keep riding with one spoke missing and an unknown number of other weakened spokes. More downtime for the bike…
I finally got back on the bike again, after hardly riding at all during this last nasty stretch of winterness.
the wet, salty road grime isn’t doing my bike any favours. worth it.
the studded tires work really, really well. I get better traction while on the bike than when walking. Ice and snow aren’t much of a problem with these tires installed.
The rear tire finally wore out, after more than 12,000km of use. The centre was worn to a paper-thin sheaf of rubber, exposing the threads in several spots. Time to replace it with a new one.
Both tires are Specialized Armadillo Crossroads 700x38c. Armadillos have kevlar threads, making them extremely puncture resistant.
The tire on the left is a 2.5 year old, well worn. The one on the right is brand new.
passing through the bowmont pathway area in silver springs, on the way to campus. one of my happy places.
the road blurs past me on the ride home today – only the bike in sharp focus – everything else dampened, lost in thought.
I’d wanted to try a shot like this since getting the 10-20mm lens. I wrapped the camera strap tightly around my left hand, and pumped of a whole bunch of shots while leaning down as I rode. I was going about 25km/h when I shot this.
over 5400km on the stock front tire on my trusty Kona, and it’s starting to show some wear. I’m saving up for an Armadillo tire to put on before winter.