Decisions, decisions

At the moment Chippy and I have a different set of booties per rig and I thought it'd be fun to make our suited and booted into a lickle quiz.

It shouldn't be too difficult, especially for those with a rubber fetish :p

So what'd'ya see ?

Ectoplasm

Whilst replacing my rear boot and squeezing the tyre off the rim I noticed a lump (not the bulges seen earlier). After wrestlin' the Bonty off the wheel some congealed slime slid out :O

I've changed a few tubeless boots now and never seen this before. Perhaps I need a new UST strip ?

Seating the new boot proved tricky this evening but a little gloop managed to assist my frantic track pump action and get the tyre to hold air.

Ah well, at least the sweat and achin' pinkies are worth the effort of tubeless booties :p

Tubeless ACX's

A few wks ago I decided to try converting my hoops to tubeless (clicky here) not least because I was curious to see what all the hype was about. Reportedly tubeless boots offer;

Pro's

• Lower pressure = better grip
• Zero pinch punctures - not that I've ever had one mounted on a fully
• Lighter = easier pedalling
• Puncture resistance - not that I get as many as the Westoning posse

But I also;

• Wanted more robust tyres for Afan
• Had a couple of rim conversion kits lying - DT's own (Eclipse system)
  
• Already have tubeless compatible tyres

Being the cautious type I initially set about converting just the front wheel, which in hind sight was a good choice given the number of problems I initially experienced...

Installation
The first step required the removal of the current boot (Racing Ralph), the tube and rim tape followed by a quick wipe to clean up the rim.

Now carefully and evenly apply a length of double sided sticky tape (supplied) onto the rim and firm into position. Slice out a hole for the valve and securing the natty tubeless valve betwix the new tubeless rim strip and the rim - starting off bout#1 of the wrestling match. It's quite a challenge to get the slightly elasticated rim strip installed inside the rim, not least because it's tight, the double sided tape conspires to irritate and the blasted strip always wants to twist :x Holding a section off the rim and inserting a small bar/shank of a screwdriver allowed me to correctly align the strip, un-twist and acquire an even pressure all around.

There's no need for a tube ;) so it was straight on with the tubeless tyre, a Bontrager ACX. I already knew that these boots were a tight fit on my DT4.1d rims and my fingers were soon aching with the strain. A few more minutes with the tyre levers...and it snaps! into position, phew.

A couple squirts with the trackpump had the tyre pop into a decent position on the rim but air seemed to be gushing out somewhere. It appeared that my old tyre had taken a number of punctures...but I figured that the tubeless sealant would take care of them, right? So I popped out the valve innerd's, added 40ml of the Bontrager specific Super Juice sealant, replaced the valve and whack'd 50psi back in. Before franctically spinning the wheel and hearing the leaks stop, a little...

Over the next few days I gradually managed to get the tyre to hold at least some air overnight by shaking violently and leaving the wheel on it each side(s) to help the juice find all the tiny holes in the semi porous sidewalls (perculiar to Bonty's tyres and part of the reason why they're so light). A couple of short test rides seemed to be ok but for the relatively low pressures (approx 15psi = dodgy steering!) and having the tyre sealant ocassionally pi$$ all over you before it seals up again, was an...interesting experience.

At this point it became obvious that the old tyre needed patching (yes, just like typically tube) but the number of damp patches on the very thin sidewalls prompted me to acquire a new set of boots. At certain points you could almost see the tyre carcass which was surely a bad thing.

When a new pair of boots arrived I was intreagued to find that the same supplier of the same initial order had this time sent boots that were quite different.

They didn't have the Gumbi dual compound logo (but seem as soft), were heavier by approx 150g ea (around the same as a lightweight tube) but more importantly they had much thicker sidewalls. Not only that but I was relieved to find that these are sooo much easier to install and can be easily "fingered" into place :p

I was so impressed with the replacement and how effortlessly it kept air that I decided to convert the rear wheel at the same time. This was slightly risky as I'd tried installing this second tubeless rim stip on the front, when it had snapped!!! However, my trusty two part, glue absolutely anything adhesive seemed to be holding up well after thoroughly curing for a while. I managed to wrestle the strip into position, un-twist and even out the pressure without the repaired join parting company. The rear installation was so speedy and trouble free compared to the first, but then isn't that always the case once you've learned a few tricks.

Riding
Before a visit to the Peaks I figured I'd best test the new installation and iron out any wrinkles. Not wanting to upset the seal rim I decided to leave both hoops at 50psi - which is waaay more than my usual 30/40psi fr/re. At first it felt odd to be back on treaded boots again (the RRalphs are very nearly slicks) and even though they were hard, they rode ok - on hard pack. However, once I got off road I bounced off every root around Woburn :x "I hate hard tyres". I resisted the temptation and completed the ride, checked 'em the next morning and they were still rock solid :thumbu

In the Peaks, I was glad that I'd eased the pressure down to more manageable levels when we started riding the incredibly gnarly, rocky terrain. If I'd have left them hard then they'd certainly have ping'd me off every rock and I'd probably have a bunch of bruises to show for it.

As I was previously riding with mighty rapid Racing Ralphs, I can't say that they're lighter or spin up to speed any quicker. However had I already been using these ACX's with tubes and then converted them I'm sure that I'd be able to feel then accelerate quicker.

Conclusion
The conversion is relatively painless provided you ensure that your tyres are in good shape. Sealing time can be greatly improved by not just spinning the wheel but shaking it side to side, all the way around and leaving them on their sides seems to help too.

In use, I've found that these tubeless boots feel kinda odd and quite different to using tubes, - almost although you're running too little pressure. But a quick look at a weighted tyre doesn't show them to be soggy. I wonder if this "floated" feeling is due to the lack of support and additional rubber that using an inner tube offers? Don't get me wrong, they're not bad and steering is still ok. They just feel different. Perhaps I can run these tubeless boots a bit harder than I'm used to with tubes?

They handle rocky terrain extremely well, you can almost feel the tyre deform and mould to those odd shaped rocks that are resolutely trying to dump you on your butt :p

Schwalbe Racing Ralphs

Now that the trails are drying out (yeah right!) I've decided to fit a pair of German boots (courtesy of Larry at MtnHighCyclery) that have been taunting me from a shelf for the past 6 months. The winter months have been spent on my Bonty ACX 2.2, tubeless ready (but w.tubes!) Gumbi's and I've found them to be highly dependable all rounders, even in the gloop. The soft Gumbi compund means that you can really lean on them :)

The Racing Ralphs weigh in at approx 470g each whereas the ACX's are approx 590g (which is mighty impressive for tubeless) so I'm saving approx .5lb of all important rotating weight :D The 2.1 Ralph tread pattern is no more open than the ACX but the knobs aren't as high and it almost has a continuous centre span which should make for a fast summer tyre. Rob has better watch out :p

Fitting the Ralphs was easy, unlike the Bonty's which each need a substantial wrestle to get on/off my DT 4.1 rims. After ten days of seemingly continous rain since fitting them (sorry guys!) I finally found a dry spell to give 'em a try, albeit on a tame local trail. Although it's difficult to fully understand a tyre after just a single ride, I can tell you that these boots are fast. Just one half turn of the cranks has you leaping forward whereas it seemed that the Bonty's and XC Fire's need a good couple of turns. I haven't explored their limits yet but they didn't let go whilst gingerly pushing fast sweeping bends, tight turns or under braking on small loose gravel or hardpack. Nor did they squirm or wriggle their way through the odd water logged section, which was a surprise.

I'll report back once I've ridden the sand and roots of Woburn and covered a few more miles...

Bontrager ACX's

With the weather turning, mud starting to accumulate on the local trails and my 2.1 Panaracer XC Pro's rapidly running out of grip I turned my attention to some alternatives for the winter. As the Panaracer's had been much better than my earlier experience with WTB Motoraptors, I initially thought that a pair of the winter orientated Trailrakers would fit the bill. However, users reported a tendancy for them to be "sketchy" on asphalt which is no good on my local trails.

Whilst Chipmunk was enjoying a ride around Woburn on her new steed and I noticed that she was much more stable thru the pools of mud than I and that the Bontrager ACX's cleared the gloop from their treads muck quicker than my XC's. After taking a closer look at the tread, it's clear that there are fewer knobs which are also deeper that provide the extra traction. Better still, Chipmunk didn't report any adverse affects on hardpack or asphalt.

Looking at the specification, the ACX's were also available in a "tubeless ready" format (with a slightly heavier carcass) which'd be a good option for trying out the DT UST rim kits I'd just purchased. The 2.2 UST versions are light too and came in on a par with 2.1 XC's at 590 grams a piece. Better still they were typically cheaper than other manufacturer's non-UST tyres.

Fitting the blighters required a good wrestle around the garage and my fingers were sore for days afterwards ! However, once they were on they weren't going anywhere. It was just a shame that I'd chickened out and fitted tubes ! They're likely to be coming of again for the UST tests later, grrr.

In use, the 2.2 ACX's seem to roll well and are certainly no worse than 2.1 XC Pro's. On the loose stuff they're stable under drive, cornering or braking. I immediately noticed that they grip cross camber transverses with ease, which have always left the XC's hunting for grip and slipping to the low side. When the going gets really gloopy, they bite very well and don't clog the tyre or frame with cack either.

One area where they are "lively" is when you're coasting across muddy sections as they seem to like to wander around a little. However, as soon as you stomp on the pedals they dig in an fire you forward.

Reviews

As many a Blog has been created that review all thangs MTB, I thought it'd be handy to have a central area where they can all be found, incl'g a handy link on the sidebar. So Blog away Posse and review kit to your hearts content...

Bikes :

• Cannondale Gemini
• Cannondale Jekyll
  
• Canyon Nerve XC 6.0 '07, Nerve XC 3.0 '07
  
• On One Inbred 456 '06
  
• Marin Rock Springs '02
• Merlin Dual - hardtail
• Santa Cruz Chameleon '03
  
• Specialized Enduro Expert '05
• Specialized S-Works FSRxc '02
  
• Specialized M5 S-Works - hardtail
• Titus MotoLite '06
  
• Trek Fuel 80
  
• Trek FuelEX9 WSD '05
  
• Trek Liquid 55 '05
  
• Turner 5Spot '05
  
• Turner Flux '05
  

Components :

Bars :

• FSA XC190 - riser, alloy
  
• Maxm MX-1 - flat, carbon
  
• Maxm MX-5 - riser, carbon
  

Brakes :

• Formula Oro
  
• Hope C2 - 2 pot, closed
  
• Hope Mini
  
• Hope Mono M4 - 4 pot, open
  
• Magura Louise BAT's, VentiRotors '07
  
• Shimano Dual Control '05
  
• Shimano Saint
  

Cables :

• Avid Flak Jackets - sealed
• Dry Cables
• Shimano XT
• Sun Ringle - sealed
  

Cassettes :

• Shimano XT
• SRAM PG-990
• SunRace MZ
  

Cranksets :

• Shimano Hollowtech II '05
  
• EnduroForkSeals Replacement Bearings
  

Derailleurs :

• Shimano XTR (fd)
• SRAM X-Gen (fd)
  
• Shimano XTR (rd)
  
• SRAM X0 (rd)
  
• SRAM X9 (rd)
  
• SRAM x9 Jockey Wheels '05

Forks :

• Fox 32 140RLC Talas '07
  
• Fox 36 '05
  
• Manitou Nixon Super '05
• Marzocchi Z1 Freeride SL RC2 '06
• Pace RC41 '05
• Rockshox Pike '07
  
• Rockshox Reba '05
  
• Rockshox Revelation 426 U-Turn '05
  

Grips :

• Enduro Fork Seals Silicone
  
• Yeti Hardcore
  

Groupsets :

• SRAM vs Shimano

Pedals :

• Crank Bros Candy SL
  
• Shimano DX - flats
  
• Time ATAC Aliums '02
• Time Z '05 - flats
  

Saddles :

• Fizik Gobi '05
  
• Koobi
• Specialized BG2
• Specialized Jett - women's
  
• WTB Shadow
  

Seatclamps :

• Hope
• Salsa
  

Seatposts :

• Thomson Elite '05
  

Shifters :

• Shimano XT
• SRAM x0
• SRAM X9
  

Shoxs :

• 5th Element '05
  
• Fox DHX 5.0 (coil) '06
• Fox DHX-Air
• Fox RP23 '06
  
• Fox RP3 '05, PUSH'd
  
• Fox Float R '02, TFT & PUSH
• Rockshox MC3 '05
  

Skewers :

• Bontrager
• Hope

Stems :

• On-One Inbred '04
  
• Thomson 4x
  
• Thomson Elite '05
  

Tyres :

• Bontrager ACX '05 "Tubeless"
• Hutchinson Bulldog
• Hutchinson Spider UST
  
• Panaracer Cinder
• Panaracer XC Fire
• Schwalbe Nobby Nic's
  
• Schwalbe Racing Ralph '05

Wheelsets :

• Bontrager RaceLite UST
• Chris King & DT XR 4.1d '05
• Industry9 & DT 5.1 '07
  

Accessories :

Armour :

• Thor Quadrant

Helmets :

• Giro Animas
  
• Met 5th Element '05
  

Hydration Packs :

• Deuter Cross Air
  

Jackets :

• Endura eVENT
  

Lights :

• AyUp LED '07
  
• Cateye Stadium - HID
  
• Light & Motion ARC '05 / ARC '06 - HID, Li-Ion
• Light & Motion Solo Cub - Li-Ion '06
  
• Light & Motion Solo Logiv mv '06
  
• Lumicycle
  
• Topeak Whitelight DX '06 - LED

Locks :

• Kryptonite New York Chain '06
  

GPS :

• devices - Garmin Edge 305, eTrex
• software - MemoryMap, Tracklogs v3 '05

Mudguards :

• SKS Shockguard & X-Dry '05
  
• Topeak Defender '05

Pumps :

• Shock Pumps
  
• Topeak JoBlow Sport '02 - trackpump
  

Shoes :

• 5ten Low Impact - platforms
• Cannondale Roam '06 - women's
  
• Shimano W101 '04
• Specialized Sport Mountain '02 vs '07
  

Miscellaneous :

• Aldi Cycling Kit
• Bike Rack - Thule Ride On '05 - tow bar mount
• Books - Master MTB Skills (again), Zinn and the Art of MTB Maintenance
• "Helicopter" Protective Tape
  
• Importing from the USA
  
• Camcorder set-up & early tests
• High5 Protein Recovery drink
• Homemade Super Fruit Bars
  

Review Websites :

• BikeMagic - under the "Gear" tab
  
• Gear Review.com
• MTBR

I find that the Blogger Archive drop-down is useless unless you know "when" stuff was Blog'd. So with a little help, I'm sure that the links to any new reviews will mysteriously find there way into this handy reference blog. Eventually...