Monday, July 07, 2008

Man Vs. Machine: The Constant Struggle

I picked up something on the way home.


Sorry for the crappy focus. It's a self-tapping pan-head screw. It self-tapped a snakebite into my tire. I noticed it (and a seriously out of true wheel) as Karen and I approached Chatlain park. My tire was down to 30 PSI. I hit it with a blast of CO2 and it got me home.

Cory passed us on his IRO. I think it's in SS mode but he never really lets up after he passes us. I swear I saw him coast right before hopping a curb a few weeks ago.


Did I mention it's hot? 104&deg was an "exposed to the sun" temperature on my bike's thermometer. Actual Heat Index of 97°F and hellacious headwind meant I didn't actually notice too much sweating, but it was so humid that my sweating wasn't doing much good.


The rear tire is trashed. It's worn down to cords in three spots and I noticed a bunch of tiny holes in the innertube where stuff's come through the tire. These have been great tires, lasting me since October 2006. At $7 each, the Forte Slick City STs seem like a sure deal. I'll be ordering a fresh pair soon. For now, it's back to the crappy ATB tire on the back of 'Zilla for the next few days.

5 comments:

Tom said...

Just curious- how many miles did you get from your tire?

Noah said...

Oh, goodness. When I bought the Sorrento used from the LBS, these tires were already on it, and they were already worn to a flat spot in the middle. I honestly have no clue what they'd been through when I bought the bike they came on.

I've put 1,000 miles on those tires already this year, and quite a few on them early last year before I got the road bike. Without really knowing how many miles they had to begin with, I couldn't begin to guess. All I know is that at $7 each, even only lasting 2,000 miles isn't bad. Inflated to 85 PSI, they roll smooth and almost as effortlessly as my 25mm road bike tires. At about 32mm wide, they absorb road shock very well and handle the occasional gravel road without a care in the world. I've noticed that they do get squirrely on large patches of sand or mud, but so does my road bike.

Sirrus Rider said...

Your gunna hate me, but the Michelins on the Monitor Pass are almost 8 years old and still going strong even after about 1,500 miles this year. (My drive train on the other hand had to be replaced.)

Noah said...

These tires could be 8 years old. The bike they came with is 10 years old but they're certainly not OEM for that bike.

Regardless, these tires have treated me well and were already markedly worn when I got them. They roll faster than any other 26" tire I've come across, and they're cheap as hell.

Apertome said...

Those are indeed very cheap ... I'm tempted to get some myself, but with my commuter's fate in question, I think I'll hold off.

It's freaky how cool it's been here so far this summer. I just wish I could enjoy it more, I finally got out for a ride on Sunday, but my finger is still being problematic. Argh.

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