Weekend Adventurecross Fun!

Tiffin and I were somewhere between Mudlick Road and Turkey Run Road in Buckhannon, WV. These are some rutted out abandoned country roads that are primarily used by ATV’s now. I put some 29 x 1.8′s (46mm) tires on my cross bike, and decided to see how well it did. Everything was fine, other than the frame and fork clearances for mud…

Contact Michelin Now For Green Cross Tires!

 

Michelin Muds (GREEN) at Cross Vegas 2012!

Who doesn’t love the celeste beauties that were the Michelin Mud and Sprint tires from the early 2000’s?

These tires are becoming more and more scarce, and this is a very sad thing since their color is recognizable even a half-field over on a cross course, even when covered in mud and slop!

The pneus vert has a spot in everyone’s heart that has ever seen them. Check out these postings:

http://www.cxmagazine.com/bjorn-fox-worlds-raffle-michelin-green-mud-tires

http://crossjunkie.blogspot.com/2010/12/getting-evangelical-about-going-green.html

http://www.cxmagazine.com/bid-nos-green-michelin-mud-cyclocross-tires-auction

http://www.cxmagazine.com/michelin-mud-gree-cyclocross-tire-auction

The Michelin Mud (v.1) has a review of 4.33/5 on RoadBikeReview: http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/wheels/tires-clincher/michelin/cyclocross-mud/prd_112167_2489crx.aspx

With the Michelin Sprint (v.1) having a 5/5 review: http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/wheels/tires-clincher/michelin/cyclocross-sprint/prd_112168_2489crx.aspx

CXMagazine.com has an obsession of showing how much these tires sell for on ebay: http://www.cxmagazine.com/green-with-envy-another-nos-green-michelin-mud-cyclocross-tire-auction

 

Take a look at this forum post on RoadBikeReview that talks about the reverence held for these tires!: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/cyclocross/michelin-green-tires-112014.html

Quotes:

“The green was a compound that has a cult following, myself included. Michelin will tell you that the new rubber is better I am sure.  Are they Mudds or Sprints? All green (inc sidewalls) or tan sidewalls? How is the tread wear? “

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/cyclocross/michelin-green-tires-30311.html

Quotes:

“Sorry I can’t help with a source, but I’d sure like to know if any supplier you find has the green Sprints…I’ve tried every online dealer I could think of, visited about 2 dozen local shops, Googled, all to no avail.”

“the 2s seem to hook up ever so slightly better than the 1s, but the 1s clear mud better. I like the 1s better. if you are consistently washing out the front tire it means your bike is under-stering. It generally means you weight is too far back. The closer your nose is to your front hub, the more weight is on your front tire. Experiment on a slick surface. At will you should be able to switch your weight on your bike where you can induce over-steer (your back tire washing out) and under-steer. Also, be very careful when using your front brake while cornering on slick surfaces. Your front brake is for slowing, your rear brake is for steering. That’s a really long way of saying the tires aren’t your problem.”

There is even a petition going with seven pages of posts: http://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/forum/topics/who-wants-michelin-to

This is on a site where you have to register, wait for moderator confirmation, then sign up before being able to sign the petition! Dedication!

Many people finding remains of these legendary tires are not sending them to FMB (http://www.fmbtires.com/) to be glued onto a tubular casing, either for the specific purpose of being a tubular, or because the casings of the tires are dry-rotting.

http://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/profiles/blogs/ebay-warning-green-michelin-muds-on-dugast-casings?xg_source=activity

These are on Dugast casings: http://www.cxmagazine.com/green-michelin-mud-cyclocross-tire-more-than-dugast

Well, this is where you can do your part. Contact Michelin. http://www.michelinman.com/contact-us.page

You can also call them: 1-866-866-6605 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (M-F) 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Sat.) (Eastern Time)

I emailed them, received a quick message from an automated response unit, then another from a human. After this THEY SEND A SURVEY. Make sure you state that your inquiry or resolution has not been solved. They will call you. Speak to the person on the line and make it clear to them that they need to reissue these green tires.

The marketing lady I spoke to said that they need some consumer confidence before doing a pilot study, and if there is enough attention, they will forward their claims to the home office.

Do your part and spread the word!

 

Eastern Panhandle Cycling Info!

 

Material by ways of EP/BC:

Hello Those about to Bike: I believe Fall is here, my favorite season and why I choose to live in Wild Wonderful WV! It’s hard to find any better place than WV to enjoy fall colors and festivities. Get out there and ride your bike and enjoy this wonderful time of the year. This issue: Take A Kid Mt. Biking Day Fall Cycling Breast Cancer Awareness Advice from the staff

This Sat October 6th is National Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day. With help from Specialized and IMBA, EP/BC will be hosting kids of all skill levels at Poor House Farm Park in Martinsburg, WV this Sat for some riding and mountain biking instuction. Date: Saturday, October 6th, 2012 Time: 12:00pm to 2:00pm Location: Poor House Farm Park At The Pavilion RSVP: epbicycles@gmail.com We Are Limited to 50 Participants      Please Bring: Parent Bike Helmet Good Riding Shoes Local experts will be on hand to discuss essentials for mountain biking. Give some helpful hints and help with skills. We will also discuss trail building opportunities for Poor House Farm Park

Fall Cycling Opportunities Fall is one of the best times of the year to ride (My Favorite!) and here are a few places that are wonderful to check out: The C&O Canal Towpath (No Brainer) one of the best bike paths in the country and it’s in our back yard. Mountain Biking Canaan Valley The Western Maryland Rail Trail The Great Allegheny Passage Sleepy Creek. Mainly hiking trails but the red multi use trails are good for mountain biking Gambrills State Park Greenbrier River Trail Just remember to pack the essentials and dress properly. Come in and we will happily show you the many ways to properly pack for the adventure.

 

Bike Camping Adventures!

 

Well, as everyone knows… having a big fire is priority #1 after getting camp set up, and riding until tired. Last night, Tiffin, The Girl™, and I went out to the flats for a jaunt of night riding and camping. The night riding was fantastic! Being a little disoriented as to where you are is an interesting feeling. Without daylight, the same locations we always ride around look and feel a little bit different, but not scary different. Without being able to see as well, we ended up taking stray trails, which have not been ridden by bikes (ATV trails, dirt bike trails, etc) for months, if not years.

After riding around for about an hour and a half, we started to set up camp Just like past cyclocamping posts ere on WV Cycling, we used the same gear, same tents, so not a lot to report there. I did end up packing an abundance of leaves under my Tyvek ground cloth. This was free padding, and significantly made an improvement in comfort and happiness! I suggest everyone to do this when weight-weenie camping!

We started setting up a fire in a nice little firepit that we dug up the night before. Fire was a-blazing for a good two hours. We roasted hot dogs, and Tiffin tried to make popcorn by breaking open a package of microwave popcorn and placing them in a espresso milk frothing mug.

The oils got so hot in the stainless steel mug that they ignited, he had to blow out the fire before he could eat the popcorn…  Such a bad idea…

Our campfire was so warm that I had to move my stump bench away from the firepit. When I was scooting it away, I saw a Red Salamander. He was a very shy little reptile and attempted to hide back under something immediately. I was lucky to nab a photo:

Sleeping was very much more comfortable, just as I said earlier. Having the leaves, a foam pad, and a light sleeping bag really made a difference. Maybe being a weightweenie camper is as fun as being a weightweenie cyclist.

 

 

Product Reviews – Part II – All City Star BMX Grips

This review is long overdue. I received these grips from All-City in January 2010.

I often review something once it has served its purpose and has been completely used up/annihilated. With these grips, this wasn’t the case. I ended up cutting them off when I decided to strip down my MTB and clean every bolt/bearing/etc. This was in May 2012.

The grips are a dual durometer, with the white stars being a tougher rubber than the black. The black rubber is pretty gummy and kept its grip their entire lifetime. Roughly 18 months into using them, the soft durometer (black) rubber started edging away from the tougher inner rubber (white). This was a visible issue, but not a functional issue at all.

The grips were also very easy to clean up. I often would get them filthy looking after four or five rides, but a touch of water and soap on a rag would clean them off in less than 30 seconds. The little stars were still very white the day I cut them off.

Since these were a set of “BMX” grips, the donut flanges at the end were pretty big, but not enough to be in the way of my brakes.

The only thing I could complain about is the colors of the grips. I really wish the black had been reversed with the white, but this is just so it would better match my bike ~_~

These grips are pretty flashy and a cheap piece of bling to put on your bike. Even the bar-end side of them were in great condition when I removed them. You know how often during crashes or overall neglect for the bar ends result in a smushed or crappy looking edge? Not these guys. They last forever, and are as comfy as grips get.

They MSRP for around $10, so you should go out and pick up a pair for your bike! They come in several colors: http://allcitycycles.com/products/star_bmx_grips

Numeric Review: 4/5.

These would have gotten a perfect score if they would have come in a colorway that fit my bike better. YMMV.

***FCC Mandatory Warning – I did receive these for a discounted price, please be aware that I am showing no bias for them, regardless of the costs or benefits.

Product Review – Part 1 – RaceWareDirect Garmin Mount

Okay, now that academics are done for the summer, let’s get down to business. First product is a new accessory meant for the Garmin Edge series bike GPS units.

The mount is made by RaceWareDirect in the UK. A lot of people were getting finicky with how long garmin/quark were taking to create their mount, and a couple of companies have popped up to create an unofficial version.

I really liked the look of the PRO mount, so I looked around. K-Edge makes one for like $754,365, there’s a company named Barfly, and a few others on the market.

Raceware Direct is 3d printing their mounts, and it weighs less than 13 grams. If you are interested in a unique style to mount your garmin to your handlebars, Martyn at Raceware Direct is capable of making your ideas a reality.

The mount is very stable, places the garmin in a very nice place off of the handlebar and stem, and the clamp only takes about 10mm of space next to the stem.

I’ve had it for about three weeks now, and despise going back to the stem mount that was originally provided with the garmin when I ride my mountain bike. I can’t afford another one. :\

I also got a TT mount from Raceware Direct, and it is also of very high quality. It fits very snug and secure. This allows you to place the garmin wherever you want on your TT Bars.

I can’t exactly say this piece of equipment has made me ride faster or climb better, but it has made it easier to look at my garmin, and adjust angles and whatnot. If you want something like this, I would go with racewaredirect, because you are working with a small group of people, and they care whether or not you are enjoying your product! Will garmin ever email you and ask if you enjoy your products? I thought not.

Review Summary: 5/5 Stars.

Don’t Forget: June 2nd – WV RAVE

As iPlayOutside says:

“Please join the Habitat for Humanity of Nicholas and Webster Counties for their annual scenic bike tour along the Scenic Williams River, through the Monongahela National Forest‘s breathtaking views, and astounding climbs”

This ride is one of the best supported charity rides in the state. The scenery and climbs are out of this world, and everyone I encountered last year were all courteous, and were interested in riding, but also being able to take the time to say hi and get to know one another.

One of the best parts is the post-ride dinner:

Cookout-style dinner upon returning to Camp Caesar after ride. The cost of the Saturday dinner is included in the registration fee.

Be sure to finish the ride in good time to be getting the goodies first

I’ve posted a lot about the ride already, so here are some links:

http://wvcycling.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/wv-rave-2012-update/

http://wvcycling.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/wv-rave-2012-must-ride/

http://wvcycling.wordpress.com/2011/06/06/wv-rave-post-ride-report/

http://wvcycling.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/upcoming-event-wv-rave-bike-tour/

More info:

http://www.helpbuilditwv.org/rave—annual-bike-tour.html

If you would like to donate, without attending, please contact: Betsy Morris, Camp Caesar Director, at 304-226-3888 or email at campcaesar@frontiernet.net and send checks to: Humanity of Nicholas and Webster Counties PO Box 544 Summersville, WV 26651

A stop along the Highland Scenic Highway. This photo is of the parkway section between SR 39 and US 219 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

http://www.iplayoutside.com/Events/2012/06/13898.html

http://raceit.com/search/event.aspx?event=8abf2546-83fd-415e-aa5e-77b9a0d6e9af.aspx

http://www.visitwebsterwv.com/

http://www.active.com/cycling/cowen-wv/wv-rave-bike-tour-2012