I got a new tire for the Long Haul Trucker, which until now still had the stock tires on it (Continental Contact 700×37). The rear tire was getting worn, and while it still has some life left in it, the tread was mostly worn off, the tire had a few deep cuts, and I was starting to have some traction problems, especially in wet conditions. The tire had over 2900 miles on it, which seems like a reasonably good life, especially for a rear tire. Since the tire is still usable, I’ll save it for an emergency.

The Continental Contact tires have been fantastic. Over the course of those 2900 miles, I’ve only had ONE flat tire in the rear tire, and none in the front. I ride in all conditions, and on surfaces … ranging from smooth pavement to rough, debris-strewn city roads, gravel roads, fire roads, grass roads, rail-trails, and singletrack. The one flat tire happened in Luzerne, Pennsylvania, after I rode through a bunch of broken glass on the road. A large piece of glass punctured the rubber and managed to get through the protective belt.

While I like these tires a lot, I wanted to try something different. Something more supple and perhaps a little lighter. I ordered a Panaracer Pasela TourGuard 700×35. I’ve read mostly good things about the Paselas, so I’ll see how they work for me. They aren’t too expensive, but I think they’ll be a step up from the Contacts. Some people seem to prefer the non-tourguard versions, but I really wanted the puncture protection.

I moved the front Contact tire to the rear, and put the new Pasela on the front. This way I can have the best traction in the front, where it matters most. I’ll post some thoughts on the Pasela once I get to ride it a bit.

I have a “new” bike. My old commuter, which was a GT Timberline from 1994 or so, finally reached the point where it could no longer be repaired. I had been watching various possible bicycle acquisition channels for some time, and finally found something suitable, a Miyata Street Runner, sort of early hybrid, apparently from 1984 or so. I picked it up for just $40 from someone on Craiglist. Sorry about the sub-par photos, but I really wanted to snap a few shots of the bike in the living room, after I finished working on it. I’ll take some better photos soon. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but it has a nice, lugged CrMo frame.

After I bought it, and rode it a few miles, I confirmed that the frame was solid, but the components were really showing their age. I intended to try to see if I could swap some parts over from my old commuter, but I quickly realized I would be in over my head, if I tried that. So I took both bikes to a local shop and had them do it. After hearing how much trouble they had with it, I was glad I hadn’t attempted it myself. I felt they didn’t do a great job with the rack and fenders, so I tweaked them a bit myself. They’re still not perfect, but they are much improved.

I intend to take the knobby tires off soon and replace them with some slick tires, at least until we get some snow or ice.

So far, I’ve only taken the bike for one shakedown ride, but my first impression is that it’s a lot of fun to ride. It’s a bit more upright than I’m used to, and it feels a like driving a truck. A truck that likes to go surprisingly fast, given its age and weight.

It also looks like a bike that could survive the apocalypse. I’m hoping I won’t have to find out about that, but if that should happen, now I’m prepared!

I think I’ll call this bicycle The Beast.

I’m still sick. No more rides to report.

But I wanted to revisit my fender problems. My front fender developed a crack on my ride to Tunkhannock, during a bumpy chipseal descent. These are Velo Orange 48mm fluted aluminum fenders that I bought in mid-August of last year and have about 2000 miles on them. The crack is where the fender attaches to the L bracket that joins it to the fork crown. Here are some photos of the damage.

Whenever a piece of gear fails, it makes me think: was this a defective sample? Did I install it wrong or otherwise abuse it? Or is it an inferior product?

In this case, I honestly don’t know. I installed the fenders with leather washers, although I realized when I removed the fender that I did not put leather washers on the underside of the two bolts above — only on the top of the fender, by the bracket. I do a lot of riding on gravel roads and a bit of trail riding on this bike, so maybe the fenders have sustained more vibration than normal. But I don’t think I used them in ways they weren’t intended to be used. I sent an e-mail to VO to see if they have any thoughts, and to find out if they are under warranty.

My experience with these fenders has been mixed. They look fantastic, but I found them very difficult and time-consuming to install. I justified it by telling myself that they would last for many years. Now, even if VO replaces the front fender (which I doubt), I have lost a lot of confidence in them. I think aluminum may just be too brittle for this application.

I’ve also noticed that my fenders show a lot of wear. I’m not someone who babies his bicycle. I ride on all kinds of surfaces, I lean my bike on the ground, or up against things, without thinking about it too much. And I sometimes carry my bicycle on a trunk rack on my car. All these things can cause some wear on a bicycle, and that includes the fenders.

Fortunately, I don’t care if my bicycle looks pristine. However, this fender looks beat up enough for me to think that maybe they’re not rugged enough for my needs. Looking at the photo below, man, that left stay is bent.

I’ll see what the folks at VO say, but I assume this damange won’t be covered under a warranty. I plan on getting some Planet Bike Cascadia or SKS P* fenders instead. I have SKSes on my old mountain bike-turned-commuter, and I’ve had a great experience with them. And I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Cascadias as well. I’m leaning toward them, mostly since they have built-in mud flaps.