Thursday, June 28, 2012

Tubeless experiment, part 1

I've had a keen eye on the Michelin Mud 2 ever since seeing this photo of Adam Craig's rig a couple years ago, with Mud 2 tread glued to Dugast tubular casings:
cyclingnews.com
The Mud 2 is widely touted as good for tubeless conversions.  Time for a little summer project....
NoTubes "29er" rim strip
The Mud 2 measures 34mm wide,
even though it is listed at 30mm
Setting up a tubeless conversion isn't most people's idea of a good time, but this one went smoothly and mostly hassle-free.  My first ride, which included some rocky/rooty trail at Allsopp, and a Pfeiffer Loop, went fine at 40 psi.  I'll post a follow-up after trying some lower pressures and riding this set-up a lot more.

Here are some numbers for you gram counters, weighed on our digital kitchen scale:
Velocity A23 rim 450g
Cloth rim tape 17g
NoTubes "29er" rim strip 61g
Michelin Mud 2 tire 332g

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

2012 Arkansas Super-Prestige dates

Pencil the dates in your calendar. Save the ink for another month or so.  Details are still being ironed out, but it'll be good.


View >2012 Arkansas Super-Prestige in a larger map

Saturday, June 16, 2012

June update

Opening weekend
There's been a slight juggling of dates for this fall's cyclocross season.  The opening weekend of the Arkansas Super-Prestige will be October 13 & 14 with the Night Race followed by Reservoir Cross.  If you were there last year, you know it will be pretty flippin' cool whether you're racing or watching.  There will be prizes, merchandise, and $800 up for grabs.  Watch this space for more details.

Showdown at Sundown/Ruts n Guts
The opening weekend was moved up a week to allow Arkansans to race in Tulsa the following weekend.  They offer quite a bit of cash, so it attracts really good racers from a wide area, which in turn attracts large fields across all categories.  Highly recommended.

Tubeless experiment
A lot of people coming to CX from mountain biking are interested in going tubeless.  In the next month or so, I'll be trying out a set-up with:
1) Velocity A23 rims
2) Stan's No-tubes rim strips
3) Michelin Mud 2 tires
and I'll be reporting on my experiences.

My oh my how time has flown.  The AMBCS season is in full swing, the temps are hitting the 90s, and le Tour starts in a couple weeks, which means that fall is coming!