Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Trainier Review

The Kurt Kinetic Road Machine trainer is by far the best trainer I have used. I have had it for several years now and have logged over 1,500 miles on it. It is performing just as good today as the day I bought it.

It is very consistent in its resistance and I have never had any trouble with the resistance unit. Kurt Kinetic claims the resistance unit is 100% leak-proof; I believe them. You can see in the picture below where the tire-wear is visible on the roller. It is a wider track because I randomly adjust the left/right position of the tire on the roller from time to time. Although the roller shows visible wear after 1,500 miles, there is no surface wear that I can detect. It still feels very smooth to the touch. I see no signs of any leakage from the resistance unit and it still rolls very smoothly.



As mentioned above, I am easily able to shift the position of the tire left/right on the roller. The same mechanism that allows me to adjust the tire position also allows for very quick removal of the bike while on the trainer. I regularly put my bike on and off the trainer and have had no trouble with any of the attachment mechanisms. Here are some photos of bike attachment points:



In the video I posted on YouTube (here), you can get a good idea of how the trainer sounds. What is interesting is that it doesn't sound that loud when I have it inside on the carpet. I am wondering if it only sounds as loud as it does in the video because of the concrete floors of the garage. In any case, I do not think it is as loud as other trainers such as the magnetic trainer I had before it.

Over all, the Road Machine trainer is of excellent quality. I am confident I will get many years of use out of it and wouldn't hesitant to purchase another one. This trainer has provided me with many miles of accurate resistance and I am still enjoying it today.

Bontrager XDX TLR Tire Review

Since switching to full rigid, I've come to realize the importance of a large volume tire. Initially I just wanted one for the "suspension" it would provide. After spending some time on a few different models now, I've come to really enjoy the added benefits of a big tire. Benefits such as smoother rolling, more traction, etc. With many of the modern tires available, they are coming in large sizes with little weight penality. For example, the Bontrager XDX TLT 2.4 Tubeless-ready tire weighs 732 grams on my scale. 732 grams for a 2.4 tubeless-ready tire... that isn't bad.

This is one of Bontrager's more recent tire designs. I was hunting for a tire to replace my 2.35 Kenda Nevegal that failed (we'll save that story for another time) and came across this one at my LBS. It uses mostly square knobs in a pretty open spaced pattern. Almost like a Kenda Small Block Eight but with less knobs and more spacing.


Given that I wanted the large volume for comfort, I have been running the tire around 23psi. I have it mounted to ZTR Flow rims and am running it tubeless with 1.5 scoops of Stan's sealant. It rolls noticeably faster than the Kenda Nevegal (not that that is saying much). It gets a little skittish on loose-over-hardpack in the corners, but hasn't washed-out yet. The nice thing is that it is predictable in its traction even when it starts getting skittish.

Overall, I think it is an excellent tire. It is a pretty good value and handles nicely.

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.

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.