Unsettled Velo Wa (ベロ 和)

Fatties not fitting fine

No Harmony Peace Balance

Rode to Ride my Bike

I rolled out of Chez Snack at approximately 2:45 PM on Sunday with the intention of riding to Lake Waramug on Surly only to get a quarter of a mile away and discover that I was still having wheel alignment issues with those big, honking Vee rubber tires.  Ever since having my rear deraileur serviced I haven't been able to seat the wheel properly.  After returning home and fixing the rear alignment I found that the front was rubbing in the fork, too.  I think the front wheel needs a little trueing.  Since this wasn't going to be the day, I switched to Cannondale Synapse and rode north.

I was in such a rush to get going, I left all my gear in the Ventour Handlebar bag that I wanted to test out and Sunday's weather was not as Summery as it was Saturday making me somewhat uncomfortable but I rode on.  Between my attire and the fact that my chain sounded a bit dry really unsettled my Velo Wa (ベロ 和) that I just did a 20 mile loop.

After I got home, the first think I did was order a pair of Schwalbe Land Cruiser HS 307 700x40c tires that I had been eyeballin' for quite sometime.

Serfas HTK Vida Hybrid Tire: First Blush

My experience with bike commuting tires has focused primarily on touring tires because I want the smoothness down the middle for riding the pave but some grip on the edges for the dirt.  The Serfas HTK Vida Hybrid Tire will be my first dedicated commuter tire.  A couple of things attracted me to theses tire right off the bat:  low rolling resistance; inflation to 80 psi; and really stiff sidewalls.  The combination of these three features means these tires are going to fly!

The tread pattern is definitely more conducive to  road riding than I would imagine for dirt and the gravle but then again for all the dirt roads I have ridden with tires having a more aggressive tread pattern it never seemed like there was an actual benefit.  A post Gravel Grinder review will definitely be necessary. It will also be interesting to see how these tires handle some of the dual and singletrack I usually find myself riding from time to time.

I was a little nervous at getting wire bead tires because my past experiences have included a lot pain and frustration getting them on the rims, often resulting in broken levers and snake bite. Throwing these tires on to my Salsa Delgado rims was unbelievably fast and easy.  In fact, I went back to the label in disbelief to make sure I read it correctly because they were so easy to slip on!  I pumped up the tires to 75 psi in the front and 80 psi in the rear because when I ride to work I ride dirt roads, older paved roads with crappy surfaces and with lower front psi softens the initial bump along the way.

My first commute on the new tires was awesome.  I flew down my road a lot faster which was pretty much as I expected would happen with the higher PSI tires.  Once on the dirt road is when I noticed that a higher psi is great for pave but not so much on the gravle.  The bike seemed to bounce around a little more than usual, so much in fact, that my pannier came off the rack but I had noticed that it was loose and was in the middle of stopping so there was no harm to the contents.

Still, my two commutes this week were a great mix of conditions, cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon on Tuesday.  Warmer on Wednesday in the morning but cold and rainy Wednesday evening.  Despite the bounciness on the gravle road, the tires felt very durable and strong.  On the bumpy roads, again really strong and durable.  The one thing I noticed while riding on smoother pavement was road noise coming from the tires.  I don't know if that's good or bad, but what I do know is these tires felt great and definitely worth the money so far.

To see additional posts on this tire:  Serfas HTK Vida Hybrid Tire Review

New Meats: Serfas HTK Vida Hybrid Tire

I stopped in at The Bicycle Center the other day because I wanted to get Shawn's opinion on some Schwalbe tires that I was thinking of ordering.  After almost 3000 miles on my Continental Tour Ride tires and two catastrophic failures with their Flat Protection System, I figured it was time for a change.  Shawn suggested that I check out these tires from Serfas, the HTK Vida Hybrid Tire.  In fact, he offered them to me at a price that I couldn't refuse provided that I write up a review on them. The one caveat is my review could be either negative or positive.   

But how do you write a tire review and make it worth while?  A tire such as this is, I would expect to last quite a long time and I don't think anyone can write a review after a couple of rides and truly opine on whether these are good tires or not.  I think what is needed is a couple of reviews after some milestones are achieved while riding them.

To see all posts I make on this tire:  Serfas HTK Vida Hybrid Tire Review

This Week in Bike Commuting: Continental Tour Ride Failure

This was a great week for bike commuting.  Weather stayed warm in the mornings and afternoon temps were perfect, now if my equipment lived up to what it was supposed to do it would have been a great week!

Tuesday's forecast was for some really warm weather in October, no less.  I headed out quite early with lights for my first morning darkness commute on the Randomuter.  I left early enough to try a new 20 mile route that didn't include Castle Hill but rather Boggs Hill, which isn't as climby as the prior hill so I figured I would make better time.

Continental Tour Ride Tires are not so puncture resistant, after all!

I have ridden well over 2000 miles on these Continental Tour Ride Tires and never had a problem, that is until Thursday's commute, in the pouring rain.  I flatted on Route 25 just past the railroad tracks in Hawleyville.  Fortunately, I was able to get under an awning by Papa Al's Pizza and stay dry while I replace the tube.