Most of the fun centers around the Disc Trucker. On a ride a couple weeks back I blew a tube. But beyond the tube I completely shredded the bead on my Schwable Big Apples. No complaints from me, though. I bought those things used and put a couple thousand miles on them. They've certainly paid their dues. So what to do? Go gumwall, of course.
I went with the Schwalbe Road Cruisers this time around. I learned that gumwalls are more of 700c and 650b thang. It wasn't easy finding one for the 26" wheeled Disc Trucker. But I'm very pleased. These are 1.75" wide and are pretty gull durn close to the tread pattern and puncture resistance of the Big Apples. Pretty fair trade, I think.
And I love the look. What do you think?
And just last week I swung by the bike shop to pick up my Surly Front Rack. After a TON of shopping and reading, I realized I couldn't run panniers and have a platform for my basket without dropping some serious cashola. And much of the pricey options offered less functionality than Surly's rack. So there it is in the photo above. Every bit of my birthday moneys went to this thing. But I can already tell it's worth it. There's some slight adjustments to make and fender tweaking to be done. But outside of that, this bike is finished.
This was the way I intended it to be from Day One. So it's nice to have it the way I've always wanted it for sure. I'll try to keep the blog a priority. But, let's be honest, in the grand scheme of life, this blog is no priority at all.
Get out there.
