Schwalbe Ultremo R

I've had a chance to put about 500 miles on my Schwalbe Ultremo R tire. It has been a really good tire so far. A part from one pinch-flat, I haven't had any problems with it. It has excellent grip in both wet and dry conditions. I put it though a good test a few weeks ago when I raced 40 miles (with some fast descents) in the rain on it. Not once did it ever feel loose.


One interesting thing about this tire is that... get this... it actually weighs what the claimed weight says. I know there is always variation in tire weights, but mine weighed exactly what was printed on the box (180 grams). I'll post an update in the future after I put more miles it so see how long of a life I get out of it, but so far it looks to be wearing at an average rate.

Are the trails dry yet?

Why is it that every time I build a new bike it rains?! I'm not talking about a few sprinkles, but real rain. Keep in mind that this is Boise, Idaho. For those of you who don't know much about Boise, it is dry. Really dry. So I find it humorous that whenever I build a new bike, it rains for several weeks. Hopefully it will hold out long enough for me to take the Ala Carte out for the maiden voyage tomorrow...

Salsa Ala Carte

Here is my new Salsa Ala Carte. Alan down at Velomech helped be put together a really nice build for it. I'm not sure how I am going to adjust to the full-rigid setup after coming from a cushy full-suspension, so we'll see how long it lasts this way. Salsa makes some really nice frames and this one is no exception. Using temper platinum tubing, this steel ride should feel nice. I went with the ZTR Flow wheels because they are nice and wide and will work well with the big tires I like.

LP200

Well, my legs are pretty much recovered from the Lyle Pearson 200 already. It was a blast and I'm already looking forward to next years event. I had the privilege of riding with a great group of fellow FCA Endurance members.


The weather forecast was looking pretty bad the night before. Rain, and lots of it. I was the first to head out for our team and started at 6:26am in the rain. Fortunately, the rain really wasn't that bad. It rained the first 50 miles or so into the race but then cleared up some and turned out to be a nice day.

We had the legs pretty well split between the team and our support car driver was awesome. She did a great job. It was fun not only riding but just socializing with all the other teams out there. I ended up with 90 miles during the race and felt pretty good at the end. The LP200 will definitely be on my calendar again next year.