So far this season lady FBF has taken a huge dump on my enjoyment of racing at FBF (which is very un-lady like of her). I’ve had three flats in three weeks, and the notion of going out to outer Brooklyn every week to end my races with a walk back to my car in my socks is wearing on me. It’s frustrating and makes me want to never return. But what am I going to do? This is my hobby. I don’t golf. I don’t bowl. There’s nothing else for me to do. So I’ll just keep buying tires and hoping that I get lucky. Because, screw golf.
I should probably mention the race itself, of course. It seemed really fast and difficult, mostly because I rode a hundred and one miles on Sunday, and I was still not feeling so fresh. The first third of the race was torture, I did one baby pull to try and bring back the break; and then I neglected to keep the air in my rear tire.
That’s all I can really say about last night’s race without cursing and carrying on, so let’s move on.
Dan’s deflated tire support group
This week, my rear tire set up was a new tubeless tire with an inner tube (I was too lazy to have the tubeless tire mounted correctly) with a Mr Tufffy tire liner. I race on Zipp 404 firecrest carbon clinchers with a tubeless conversion. (Yes, these wheels may be too nice for FBF, but FBF is a big percentage of the racing I do, and if I own something, I race it. Otherwise it just sits at home, waiting for "big" events.) This set up was good for 54 minutes of a 60 minute race (a new record for this year). The new rubber killing course at FBF finally took its toll on my rear tire despite my efforts to do about 4,000 bunny hops and my best attempts at riding with a "light ass". This is the third consecutive FBF flat.
I still want to be a believer in tubeless, which served me incredibly well last season on at FBF, and even helped me win the overall title when I kept air in my tires while my opponent went down with a double puncture event. I am giving tubeless another chance and I’m ordering the Hutchinson Secteur tires (contrary to what anyone may think, even though I am one tenth as internet famous as the "Ermagerd" girl, I do not get anything for free from companies looking to cash in on the tens of followers I have. I buy everything I use.), which are a beefy 28mm profile. I hope that this extra air beneath my keyster will be beneficial, because I cannot face having another flat, I really can’t.
If you feel like sharing your FBF tire strategy, feel free to do so in the comments below. I’m open to suggestions.
Solid rubber tires for FBF….you’ll lose all your teeth but finish every race.
http://www.airfreetires.com/shopping/p-89-700-x-20-legacy-daytona-high-performance-622.aspx
Go Airfree
Doesn’t work so well. The tiny wall thickness of a tube combined with the low viscosity of the fluid means many holes in the tube won’t be sealed. It’s better than nothing, but not by much. You’re better off with good ol’ “slime” in your tubes than liquid latex.
(Anxiously awaiting the contrarian response to my contrary response.)
Try Rockleigh for a midweek race. You can ride from Ridgewood, maybe even have a flat during the race and ride home. No tolls.
Short answer, no.
put a pair of filp-flops in your jersey pocket in case you have to walk back.
Or just carry those cleat covers in your pockets.
i would highly recommend lawn bowling. the only flat one might get in that scenario would be your nike air lawn bolwing shoe soles puncturing from the intense compression of jumping up & down, assuming you’re large & in charge, that is.
I just ride the flat back to the start. 1 mile at 8mph is not going to kill the rim. May damage the tire, but I hate walking.
in your jersey pocket will definitely insure that you flat. bad mojo
If you use Speedplays, I’m a big fan of Keep on Kovers (google it) that never need to be taken off and protect the (expensive) cleats from damage while walking.
Seems kind of a rip-off at $23.95 per pair. What I love about their Website is that it says made in China and Patent Pending. Since when do those folks care about intelectual property
I do that also, but on my training wheels
One must admire your dedication. a ponderously long drive from NJ, to an hour long weeknight race with a 1 in 4 chance of finishing. Your wife must really love something about you, but it sure ain’t your smarts.
How do you mount air free tires exactly?
they are stretched on like tubulars without the glue and snap in between the clincher rim walls.
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So you don’t have to walk in your socks.
DO NOT WALK ON CLEATS
Man, this is making me really sad for you. Sincerely. That sucks. Please don’t flat next week.
Both tubeless flats at FBF have been split sidewalls, the first I mistakenly thought was an explosion, but it was really a horizontal sidewall cut that was actually behind the braking surface. A very unusual spot. Flat #2 was a good old fashioned sidewall split. The fondo flat was a nail driven straight through the top and sidewall of the tire. This week’s flat was with a tube in a tubeless tire, I just out a tub win a new tire because I was too lazy to do the tubeless mount.
The rims have a double wrap of the yellow Stan’s wrap.
Just make a tubeless carbon aero wheel set and call it the FBF, the marketing materials write themselves. “Able to survive encounters with hypodermic needles, crater sized pot holes and emergency re-routes through the grass—the FBF has it all.”
Suck it Don Draper…
i’ve seen them on my intensives and fusions, but after many many miles and never full thickness. hope the secteurs work out better.
how about getting tubes with removable cores and pumping some sealant in those? Not gonna burp air, and if you do pinch, they’ll seal up fine.
MTB sidewalls used to tear a lot when first introduced. The majority now have reinforced side walls. Hopefully, when/if road tubeless is more widely adopted, the industry will catch up with greater and better selection.
I have some Nemesis tubulars with FMB Roubaix tubs that I will be racing at FBF.
Tubulars? Really?
Worth a shot, don’t you think.
I think you need a tubeless specific rim. The converted ones probably aren’t ideal, given the different design of a tubeless rim.
You might be right, but there’s no tubeless rims that are as speedy as the 404s.
Now we all know about the shottyness of FBF’s race course. Yet, for many it is a convinient race to get to. This provokes the question. Why would a man living in Ridgewood, NJ working from home race at FBF when he could just race in Augusta 1 hour away with significantly less traffic.
Having done both multiple of times, the level of competition is far superior at FBF vs Augusta. Not even close.
FBF is the hardest weeknight race I’ve ever done, plus Brooklyn…
that’s probably right that a tubeless specific rim is better, or good strong “training/racing” clinchers. a fast setup is meaningless if you can’t finish.
It’s a tough balance, someone should just make a deep section tubeless rim.
Really expensive but there is at least one deep section tubeless wheelset on the market:
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/new-bike-gear-previews/corima-aero-tubeless-s
No experience with these wheels – too spendy for me.
It’s got to be the rim bead hooks/tire bead interface that’s causing the issue for you. How many layers of the Stan’s tape did you apply and have you considered applying an additional. Maybe it’s just something with that rim? It’s healthy otherwise? How about the tire bead? Any chance you damaged it during the install?
I raced/trained (including Battenkill/FBF/lotsa rainy weather) all last year with tubeless, both on a tubeless ready rim set and on a converted rim set and never once had the issue you are having here. I’ve hit holes that were enough to put the wheel out of true, but I never had a catastrophic flat occur from impacting something.