S-Works TT bike and sticky tires
I made it outside on the TT bike even though the air is marginal today. I’ve put the TT on the CompuTrainer here and there in the past few weeks. The position is drastically different than previous years so I have been anxious to get it on the pavement and see how it feels. I am surprised at how fast it feels. The true test will be in 9 days at the VotS TT. I’m pumped to get it rolling.
Team Rico has been on the TT bike kick lately as well. Watch out for him. Rico pulled off a super-sweet sprint leadout on the TT bike for me yesterday. It wasn’t too tough to get in the draft with the 40 ounce can of Blue Demon in his jersey pocket. He has to lug around so much of that stuff to stay awake anymore. It takes more than a few water bottles.
I’ve had a major conflict brewing these past few days. It is time to glue tires and the low level conflict is whether or not to use the tape. The heavier conflict is tire selection. InAHurry at Canyon Bicycles of SLC got me hooked on the Continental Competition 22 tires a few years ago. That’s like giving a junkie the best stuff on the street. When the budget had to tighten a bit, Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX rolled almost as nice. To my surprise, Tufo tires last a long time and ride nice.
None of them are Comp 22’s. One time InAHurry tried to glue up a set of Clement’s but the valve stem broke. I bet that would have been a hard habit to get over. Not only does a rear tire need to be replaced in under 450 miles if you avoid a puncture, the tread cuts fairly easy. However, while they are fresh, they have to be the best tires out there.
Post out your favorite tire to glue/tape. Let’s see who likes what and how much their habit costs.