Tires

big-betty
I remember my road biking days, when I thought a 25mm tire was wide

For tires, I’m running a 2.6″ tire in front, and a 2.35″ in the back. I normally run a 2.5″ in front, but bike supplies have dried up due to covid-19. I was lucky to find anything. On the other hand, I would go wider in the back, but that’s the fattest tire I can fit.

These tires are far more than you need east of Casper, WY. You could probably move across the farmland in Kansas and though the Great Plains along the Platte River a lot quicker on skinnier tires. But believe me, by the time you start riding the hills in Nevada, you’ll want the meatiest tires your bike can handle.

I run tubeless, which I think is necessary for this ride, at least in the sections I’ve ridden. Under the tires I added CushCores. For those who don’t know, a CushCore is a padding insert you place on the inside of your rim, which protects the rim from sharp objects. Also, they allow you to ride the bike even if the tire is flat.

On one of my more tiring scouting trips, I hit something sharp and flatted the back tire. The hole was large enough that the sealant couldn’t quite plug it, and I didn’t have tire plugs with me.  I was able to ride by  inflating the tire and rolling for a half-mile or so before having to reinflate it, and I was just bonked enough to where that seemed like a better option than pulling the tire, booting it, and inserting a tube. If I had had the CushCore then, I wouldn’t even have bothered to stop and pump it up.

I would call this a non-essential upgrade, but I sure would have liked to have it in place the day I got that flat.

Category: Bike Setup