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TD 2011 Training Entry #3: Stan’s The Man
Posted on April 15th, 2011 3 comments
I know what you’re thinking. It’s written all over your face. Don’t ask me how I can see your face right now…you DON’T want to know. Also, why you would let someone write all over your face, I can’t begin to imagine. Were you the first one to fall asleep at a party? And if so, why was I not invited?So anyway…what was I saying? Oh yeah. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “Hey Ton, when are you going to talk about your wheelset, and who do you like to win American idol? I can’t believe they voted Pia off! When I saw that, I nearly took a Pia in my pants!”
I hear you. On the wheeleset, I mean. I don’t watch American Idol, so I can’t really comment on how I think James Durbin is going to win. And sorry to tell you, friend, but that Pia joke was only slightly funny for about half a second.
Now, down to business! I received my new Stans Arch 29er wheelset this week and performed the tubeless installation a couple nights ago. This being my first tubeless experience, I had spent a lot of time reading up on all the problems I might encounter during installation. I read about how it may be tough to inflate the tire and that an air compressor was needed, and about how I may need additional rim tape, and about pourous sidewalls and how some tires just won’t seal no matter what. Loads of stuff. So I went into the installation expecting problems.
It was all for nothing. I followed the instructions on notubes.com and the whole procedure was as easy as pie. The bead popped into place using only my hand pump, I didn’t have to pump furiously at all, and what miniscule leaks there were sealed up very quickly. I took ‘em out for a 20 mile maiden ride last night, and they were as smooth as silk.
If you’re wondering why I went with the Arch rims over the lighter 355’s, it’s mainly for peace of mind. For me, the extra support of the Arch is worth a few more grams.
My tires are the “new” WTB Nanos with the aramid bead. Nano(raptors) have been the de facto tire choice for the Tour Divide for years …I saw no reason be an outlaw. The toughest thing about installing these tires on to the Arch wheels was popping one side of the tire off the wheel so I could pour in the sealant. That sucker did NOT want to lever off. I can’t imagine what it would take to blow the seal on these babies. I’m not mega-happy about going with the Stans 330 hubs. I would have preferred DT Swiss or even Hope hubs, but at some point you have to draw the line on all the crazy spending.
So anyway, I wrote this little mini-review to help anyone else who is considering undergoing the tubeless experience for the first time. Methinks you could do much worse than to go with Stans and Nanos. Also, ”The Tubeless Experience” would be a pretty cool name for a rock band. (thanks Dave Barry!)
This weekend, Pat and I are heading to Huntsville where I’m going to test out the new get-up on 30 miles of singletrack + 90 miles of paved/dirt road ridin’. For the first time in months, I’ll be riding with no TD kit! Partly because I deserve a “reward” ride on the new wheels after months of lugging my entire gear kit around, and partly because next weekend is the Red River Riot, a 130 mile race near the Texas/Oklahoma border. I need to get used to my kitless weight this weekend so I don’t freak myself out during the Riot with my newfound speeds of blinding fury. After that race, I’ll true the wheels and hang ‘em up until the TD, as I don’t want to wear the tread on the Nanos anymore than I have to. Besides, the extra rolling resistance on my old wheelset makes for good trainin’!For the month, I’m shooting for 800 miles of riding, which would easily be my best monthly total ever, and 550 miles of that will be with full kit. If you don’t know why I keep mentioning that on this blog, it’s because going full TD kit makes a huge difference. The miles are tougher with the extra weight, and your knees take more of a pounding. Like I mentioned in my Lessons Learned page, if you’re a TD hopeful, you should be training with extra weight to become accustomed to the added grind. Ignore at your own peril!
That’s all I got for now…look for my Red River Riot report after next weekend!
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3 responses to “TD 2011 Training Entry #3: Stan’s The Man”
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Keep the posts coming! It’s great to read about what you’re doing, especially for those of us thinking about a future TD.
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Joseph April 15th, 2011 at 13:13
Been riding my crest rims with the “ztr” hubs for a year without a single problem. I swap them between my fargo and MTB, so they’ve seen both mega miles and some killer downhills. Still smooth as silk and no engagement problems.
Whoever their OEM is, they chose well.
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I’ve struggled getting tubeless to work with various tyres recently, but I agree the Nano was one of the easier ones to inflate. Shame I put a slice in the sidewall after a couple of weeks use. The new WTB TCS Nanos & rims are looking interesting.
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Ryan M. Williams April 15th, 2011 at 06:27