[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TQA54V913k?rel=0&w=640&h=360]
The container with Compass tires has arrived, and all sizes are now available again. We thank you for your patience as we continue to work hard to keep all our products in stock. Enjoy the little video of our Elk Pass 26″ x 1.25″ Extralight tires in action!
Click here for more information about our tires.
I couldn’t resist the urge to tell you about this: the guys of GCN (the Global Cycling Network, whose YouTube channel has 1 million subscribers) recently had a custom racing bike made to their specifications, and they opted for a steel frame with wide tires, citing Bicycle Quarterly research on the subject:
GCN’s Handbuilt Bike – GCN’s First Ride: http://youtu.be/A4wAeTk4wAU
Since the GCN presenters are experienced road racers, they did a test over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix a while ago, using a cyclocross bike, a road bike and a mountain one with suspension. As a follower of this blog, I smiled when they admitted to be startled after finding out the fastest one happened to be the mountain bike, even tough it was the heaviest! As we know, a more comfortable ride allowes riders to go faster. Here’s the video:
http://youtu.be/QvO74sZxVs4
Wisdom, as they say, comes with time
When will the pre-orders of the Barlow Pass be shipping?
They are shipping right now. You’ll get an e-mail to show that your order has been shipped.
It shows the Barlow Pass extralight tires as out of stock in both the tan and black side walls. Do you know when they will be available? I can’t wait to try them!
The first production run was small, since this was a new mold. Unfortuantely, the Extralight Barlow Pass 700C x 38 mm are sold out. More are on the way. They should arrive in early June.
Last week I switched from Bon Jon Pass to Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires. The Bon Jon Pass tires simply could not hold pressure in a tubeless configuration. I’m very pleased with the Schwalbes.
Your experience points to one of the issues with tubeless tires: If you want them to hold air without sealant, you need to cover the sidewalls with lots of rubber. That makes the tires stiff and harsh-riding. Supple tires can be set up tubeless (if they are designed for this), but it requires a little skill and patience. We find that with Orange Seal for the initial setup, the tires usually seal very well.
Extralight tan bon jon’s are out of stock as well. Any ETA on when they will be available?
Yes, we are sorry about that. Some models have been very popular. We should be getting more in early June.
I commented on another tire-related post about a month or two ago about switching to Compass Rat Trap Pass tires from my Marathon Supremes. Well, not a week after that comment, I noticed a rather severe tear in the sidewall of the front Marathon Supreme. I have no idea who it happened. It was not a puncture, as the tear did not go all the way through the sidewall, but needless to say, I bought the RTPs much sooner than I had anticipated. They came a short time ago. I’ve been riding on them for about two weeks now and they are a noticeable improvement over my previous, already wide, tires. At approximately 23 psi, minor bumps and cracks in the road are almost undetectable, whereas even the 50-559 Supremes sent those bumps right up my spine. I’m also happy to see that they measure up to 52 mm wide (on a 24 mm rim, with tubes), as per the product page, rather than the 2.3 in on the sidewall. They’re wider than the 48.5 mm tires that they replaced, but still narrow enough to fit under the fenders. Thanks a lot for a great product!