Dirty weekend / Review

So, as the video from yesterday showed, we hit some dirt yesterday. JustinB was always down for the scouting loop, and Doug showed at the house for the fun too. We ended up doing a meandering loop through Lower Richland, and hit 4 sections of dirt. 2 were REALLY good, and 2 were okay...the county saw fit to spread some gravel since the last time I was out there. No matter. We still knocked down 55 miles in 3 hours, and had a damn fun ride. Too bad for those who missed it... We'll do it again in a few weeks.

Talking to you Neil, Timberlake, Klatte, Porter, Hackathorne, and whoever else...well, those who will come out and not whinge like 9th grade cheerleaders...you know who you are...

Sunday called for a bit of sleeping in. And it was Mother's Day. I woke up and fixed The Boss a nice breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, and took down the tent in the backyard. Upon completion of these activities, a window opened to go do a quick 2 hours. I grabbed the CX bike and headed out. About 10 feet out of the driveway, I noticed that I had a little brake rub. Not wanting, nor caring enough to fix it on the spot, I went back to Service Course and switched over to the road unit. Same loop...different bike. Coming back through WeCola, I had a wild hair and decided to hit Old State.



As the video clearly shows, it was damn nice. 32h/3x wheels with 24c Vitts aired to 95psi delivered a sublime ride. Banging down through the woods @ 35kmh made everything okay in the World. And that reminds me...after two days of dirt roads, the Ridley needs to be cleaned and lubed...

Now, on to some business...

First, a caveat... While I did purchase the Kenda Happy Mediums, they were provided at a SUBSTANTIAL discount by Kenda.

OK, that's out of the way... As seen in the photos, they look a like a file tread tire. They are...and they aren't...lemme 'splain...

The center part of the tread is, indeed a file pattern, but the file tread nubs themselves are much larger than those on a true file tread like a Clement LAS or Vittoria XN. And the knobs that deliver traction in the turns start much closer to the center of the tire, and get borderline large where it counts. The knob pattern here is borrowed for Kenda's very own Slant Six tire. I picked up 35mm wide rubber, and they measured out to 36mm when aired up to 60psi. These were mounted on a 19.5mm wide Kinlin rim, so it's more than likely a pretty true measurement. On one of the new-style 22-23mm hoops, I'd estimate a 38-ish measurement.

On the first ride, the tires were run up to similar pressures as I would normally run in the aforementioned Clements. 50psi F/ 55psi R. Well, between the relatively high TPI (120) and what I can only perceive as a softer rubber durometer, those pressures weren't enough for the tarmac. The tires were spongy and washy. In the dirt and on the singletrack however, the Happy Mediums were damn nice. The gripped through turns, didn't bottom out, and delivered traction superior to that of the Clements.

The volume of the tire itself was plenty for the smooth-ish singletrack on which they were tested. The stated pressure range is 50-85psi, and I'd say that this is pretty close. In a race situation, someone with less...um...let's say mass than I could likely run them lower than 50psi, but I make no promises.

The few rides brought some experimentation with pressures. Much like Goldilocks, some were too hard, some were too soft. 60 in the front and 65 in the back was JUST RIGHT!

The character of the tires changed. They rolled well, turned better and more progressively, but weren't at all harsh. They felt remarkably like the benchmark Clements.

Nutshell? They are excellent 'do-it-all' CX tires. As most folks who ride/race CX bikes know, there are horses for courses. On a dry to damp/dry course, these would be the choice. Personally, I'd pick them out of the quiver before Small Block 8s. I don't know if I would trust them on WET grass, even with the larger shoulder knobs. We'll check this out soon back on the Double Secret CX test loop.
Leave them in the car if it's muddy...

The HMs are available pretty much everywhere. They come in 32mm (UCI/USAC legal), 35mm (tested), and 40mm (if you want to get your MonsterCross on). Retail is $40-45 each.

Namaste! Have a good Monday...