Feeling Blue?

Self Portrait With Bike

I've had these Richey Speedmax Pro Alpha and Omega WCS tires with the blue sidewalls for probably a decade. Every once in a while I toss them on the Stumpjumper wheelset but usually they sit in a box waiting to be mounted on a set of the Long Haul Trucker wheels for occasional snow duty.  But their real home is in the dirt, albeit part time.

On fairly hardpacked trails, they are way too much fun. Very fast with a shallow diamond tread and good side lugs. With their slightly smaller diameter, compared to modern 2.3 inch balloon tires, they make for very quick steering. I wonder if that is because they change the steering geometry slightly, resulting in less trail. But on sandy or muddy terrane, they tend to wallow due to the lack of deep lugs. Its nice to have options.

So last weekend at the Santa Fe Bike Swap, I picked up a set of used wheels in primo condition for almost a song: a Mavic 317 Disk (front) and 717 (rear). Yesterday I found a couple used brake rotors for another song. So the Richeys now have a home, and they went for a very fast and engaging test ride back on the North Mesa trails. Blue tires to shake the blues away.

Aside from that, some recent surgery has resulted in me not feeling quite comfortable on the road bikes in a typical racing tuck. Finally, I capitulated and put on a seventeen degree rise stem on the road bike. Better to ride upright than not ride at all.