|   Im not doing any good to the 29er cause! | Edil
Jan 5, 2004 12:04 PM | | NOTE: The pictures that you are going to see here don't make honor to the wonderful big hills 100 miles trail where I ride with my bike. I think it is one of the few trails where you get mountains and coast at the same time and believe me the view of the sea and the shore from the top of the hills is spectacular!
People, is not the bike, is the person who rides it.
I use to ride with a group between 25 to 50 cyclists. So far I haven't saw any other riders on 29er so it seems that I'm the only one, lot of them doesn't even know that 29ers exist. Everyone that sees my bike looks it as it is something that came from out of space; they said that it is even weirder because I put the thudbuster seatpost. After getting so much attention everybody wants to know how this bike compares against a 26er. The problem is that I don't know the answer to that question because I have no previous experience with a 26er or with any mountain bike at all (believe it or not the last time I ride on a bike I was 16 and I has been riding this bike for just 2 months) so when I answer their questions with what I get from this forum, everybody is very attentive on how I perform with the bike. The thing is that I'm overweight and totally out of shape so when I get in trouble keeping the pace with the group and causing delays, there they go with the perfect excuse to blame the big tires.
That's not all, for some reason I have a tendency to flat that goes out of comprehension. I'm not talking about pinch flats, I'm talking about getting flat by punctures with needle size thorns, and that's the best way to describe them because they look exactly like needles attracted to a magnet (tires). Last time I count 8 holes in rear tire and 5 in the front one, and there I go causing more delays. Weird thing is that they don't flat out, most of them are using liners, slime and tuffo, but some of them are going without that. Is very frustrating when everybody tries to help offering me a slime ready tube but I can not use it because. well I'm on a 29er.
Now they have two nicknames on me "The 29er guy" (in cynic way) and "Nube Negra" that means "black cloud" in english. Trust me it is not funny when people call you the "29er black cloud"!
Couple of questions:
A 29er bike requires a better in shape rider to handle it?
Do you think that by using bigger tires size you are more exposed to thorn flats? More surface area more exposure to thorns puncturing your tubes.
Where the hell are the 700x52 slime ready tubes? or please can you explain to me, as if you are explaining to a kindergarten boy, how to build a thorn resistant 29er tire?
P.S.: I don't want to cause the wrong impression the group of people that I ride with is the best, period! They always try to help me and they are very polite and patient people.
Here I am on my bike:
![](http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Enero4200405622.jpg")
Here I am creating an "uphill traffic jam":
![](http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Enero420040566.jpg")
A view of one of the small hills:
![](http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Enero4200405624.jpg") |
| More pics | Edil
Jan 5, 2004 12:18 PM | | A view of the trail:
 "http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Enero4200405623.jpg">
Here is the pack:
One of the medium size hills:
Picture this:
Easy flat you said.. you are wrong!!! On this part the sand is so loose that you are forced to keep spining draining all your energy:
 |
| More pics | Edil
Jan 5, 2004 12:21 PM | | Again a view of the trail:
 |
| gorgeous! | offroadie
Jan 5, 2004 2:41 PM | | where are these b-e-a-u-tiful trails? |
| Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico and here is the web site... | Edil
Jan 6, 2004 7:06 AM | | The site is on spanish but the important thing is that you can get a picture of the map of the trails. I think that Tinker Juarez appears in one of them:
http://www.eteamz.com/boqueronbike/ |
| at least you're out there riding.... | mtnbykr
Jan 5, 2004 12:31 PM | | try using a 26" slime tube. put it in before your next ride. it'll fit, just takes some stretching.
some day soon, you'll be in really good shape and then the other rides will bitch about that "29er guy" being waaay too fast....
k |
| There is no fun if you are not in good shape... | Edil
Jan 6, 2004 7:26 AM | | You are riding a relatively good bike on a beautiful trail but you can not really enjoy it if you are all tired, gasping for air and hyperventilating. I also have to get more confident going over big obstacles and drops. The good part is that I'm committed to loose weight but with a purpose, to get in better shape to have a better biking experience. I think that that will give me better chances of success than before.
Sorry for the out of the topic post. |
| You're the smartest guy on here! | Cloxxki
Jan 5, 2004 1:41 PM | | - Your first bike in yor adult life is the right wheelsize first try
- Or you sat out MTB'ing's youth to have it overcome initial problems with trial and error.
Search this forum and the Save Some Weight one, on DIY tubeless mixtures. I've found that these also work very well on tubes. I actually don't use patches anymore, I mend tubes with sealent liquid, that even works on puctures where patches don't go. The one season I used self-latex'd tubes, I didn't flat once, unique to me.
When I rode the French Alps past summer, I failed to bring latex'd tubes, and flatted a LOT the way you did. Even thick road slicks flatted. I blame it more on bad karma for the day than to 29" and it's differences to 26". Physics logc even tells me 29" should be more puncture-proof.
I put 30-40g of latex mix in an innertube, it holds for quite a few weeks, depending on the weather.
Good thing about latex, it's relatively cheap to Slime tubes, and a bit lighter, too.
Good luck!
J |
| tubes suggestion | bigwheelboy_490
Jan 5, 2004 4:12 PM | | Slime can be purchased as a stand alone product. Try finding some Vredestein tubes as you can remove the presta valve core (like on a high end tubular) and add the slime. |
| tubes suggestion | Edil
Jan 6, 2004 7:48 AM | | It was really hard to find normal 700x52 tubes but I will check those.
Thanks! |
| Thanks Cloxxi | Edil
Jan 6, 2004 8:27 AM | | Very informative answers as usual. I did a search but all what I can find is Stan's tubeless system. Where should I go to buy latex? Can it be found online? How you put the latex inside your tubes? Bigwheelboy suggest tubes where you can remove the core of the presta valves but I don't think that I'm going to find those over here. Is ironic that I have to make a hole in the tube to put the sealant and then patch it! |
| Thanks Cloxxi | Cloxxki
Jan 6, 2004 1:31 PM | | No problem, always glad to help a rider where I can!
Latex : art supplies store, latex moldbuilder (somtimes called liquid rubber) is what they call it. You get a bottle of yohgurt-thick white goo. Sexshops sell the same, but in red and black, and at a much higher price.
I once opened a Schrader valve with good luck, any bottle with thin needle-style opening works then. I often use TUFO plastic bottles, which have exactly the right size opening to be able to screw onto the threads of a Presta valve. I don't bother opening it anymore, I try to flush the valve after filling with air and water. So what if the air after that flows through it less easily, I get the tire in- and deflate eventually anyway.
Some people actually use a syringe to puncture a tubeless tire, press the latex in, and then pull out the syringe. Latex being a puncture healer, it probably will spill very little latex before healing the hole completely.
Tubes filled with latex or slime (actally, all tubes IMO) are probably best soucht in a size exactly matching diameter to the tire it's going to be used in. A thin tube used in a much wider tire that's punctured will lose air quite easily. Compare a barely filled balloon and one that's at maximum size.
In the case of a tube/tube sealent being used, the tube and tire together might form a sort of tunnel through which the air must escape. A tunnel gets blocked more easily then a window the same size, so the better matched tube should improve puncture sealing properties. Far fetched yes, but those who don't befieve it can use 70x23c tubes in their 29"ers, and save 100g per wheel :-) Rubber by stretches by 200% easily, right? |
| I have no answers, but your pictures and post were great! (nm) | belfrey
Jan 5, 2004 7:36 PM | | |
| You have to be there to really appreciate it! | Edil
Jan 6, 2004 7:45 AM | | and I think that it is perfect for 29er bikes. There are parts where you can go really fast. |
| puerto rico mountain biking rocks! | john voss
Jan 8, 2004 3:40 PM | | My bilenky 29er may have been the first one in the commonwealth. Vieques es muy bueno tambien!
john voss
miami fl |
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