I have been riding the Resist Nomad 700x42 for almost 6 weeks and almost 1000 miles, and feel comfortable sharing my initial impressions of the tires. Over the years I have come to appreciate the ride quality of fat light weight tires on the road. Experience has proved for me at least that you can get the comfort and speed, rolling over all of the little stuff and most of the big stuff too without having to give up speed and acceleration. The catch in the 700c size is a limited selection of true light weight performance tires wider than 32mm.
While the selection for tires like this is improving, most have a more pronounced knobby tread. I was excited to see the Resist Nomad hit the market a little over a year ago. These tires are primarily designed for the freestyle urban scene. The fact that they meet the demands of the mixed terrain / fat tired road bike crowd was a bit of a surprise for Resist. The catch for me at the time was not having a bike that would fit tires this wide. Rambler No.1 then entered stage left. My Rambler is purpose-built around tires this wide. While my production samples were under way I was in contact with Resist to get some samples in my hands. Currently these are the lightest 700x42mm tire on the market that I know of.
Out of the box I was pretty impressed. I have samples in both the skin wall and black wall. The skin walled tires average 530g while the black walls average 560g. Both currently are only available with a wire bead. While not a svelte race tire, the weight is quite reasonable when you consider that the popular 650bx42mm Grand Bois Hetre' is roughly 430g with a folding bead. The width is a rue 42mm. The tread is a semi slick with micro pyramids broken up with a larger square grid. The street price on these tires is around $30.
Enough with the stats, the ride is what really matters, and it has been great. Initially they were a little bit loud, a sort of hum from the tread against the road, but that quickly faded as the tire wore in a bit. I have kept the pressure between 40-50 psi for my combined rider/load/bike weight in the 240lb ball park. Handling has been superb. They get a little bit of roll or dive at the rim if I let the pressures drop below 35psi. The road buzz from our currently terrible roads is gone. It really is like riding on pillows. Average times and speeds, about 18mph cruising, are on par with my previous data I collected riding Jack Brown greens or a variety of 28mm tires on other bikes. Cornering and grip in dry weather is fantastic. I am able to carry more speed through turns, ride through rough patches and hold more consistent lines than previously possible on narrower tires. Unfortunately (or Fortunately) we are a bit spoiled with a lack of rain in the SoCal basin and I have not had a chance to push these in the wet. On fire roads and the trails they have held their own well. While obviously not as grippy as a true MTB tire, the added volume and contact patch has been welcome in easing the attention I need to pay to my line with the "skinny" 35mm tires I have been on in the last couple of years. The Nomads help to bridge the gap between true underbiking and a knobby tire.
The build quality is what you would likely expect for a tire at this price point. For $30 retail you can not expect the level of detail and finish that has been coming out of the Panaracer Japan group for some of the other popular boutique tires. As you can see in the picture the two sides of the mold were not well aligned. The casing and rubber around the bead on the skin walls is a little thin. One of my samples has a short tear from being a bit heavy-handed with a tire lever, and that tire is now out of service. I have only had one flat to date. It was in the rear and caused by a thin truck tire wire. Considering the amount of glass and debris on out roads this is pretty good. I tend to pick up flats or slow leaks like this every couple of months. Thus a single flat early on is just that, a flat, and marginally an indicator of long-term performance.
Bottom line, these look to be a great tire for the price. I will likely run them for a long time, and look forward to a long-term follow-up review. If your bike has the room to fit these tires I would not hesitate to pick up a pair. I am happy enough with them that I may be adding them to the storefront in the next few weeks. There are a bunch of variables in that equation, but I know I will stock them eventually.
Yesterday was incredible! I was able to pull together a group of seven guys, most who had never met each other to head out and ride 50 miles and 4000 feet of climbing on one of my favorite mixed terrain routes. Four guys on 650b, one sporting 26" and only two of us on 700c, all "road" bikes and not what you usually see out on the dirt in this area.
The weather was perfect, warm not hot, light breezes and not a cloud in the sky. The hills had some green thanks to the recent late season rains. And the dirt conditions were perfect. There is an 8 mile warm up on the Ventura river trail before we set into the work of the 10 miles or so of dirt road climbing through the cattle ranches and countryside. While only about 1/5 of the mileage, this is where we spent the largest percentage of the time.
Here is a shot of the whole group;
Here is Mike F rocking the Trek I had converted to 650b a few months back with some downhill pedals and sanuk sandal shoes. With a low gear ratio of 40/32 he was still leading the pack throughout the whole day.
The fog was well offshore, obscuring the islands, but there were still full panoramic views of the entire Santa Clara and Ventura river valleys.
With the time spent on the dirt, the road sections went pretty fast by comparison.
For me the ride had a few highlights. First and foremost was sharing the loop with friends. I have done this ride a bunch alone over the years, and hands down it is better with a few buddies. Everybody had a good time, not too much suffering on the steep sections and the closest thing we had to a mechanical was a couple of slow tire leaks that needed topping up along the way, and Errin hit some gum. A giant Thank You to all who were able to come out for the ride. I am looking forward to doing this again soon.
Mike's trek was flawless, not a squeak or rattle on a bike that has seen months of use since I restored it for him. My Rambler No1 met and exceeded all of my performance expectations, both climbing and descending. My friend Aaron was on Rambler No3. He had never ridden it before that morning, never ridden a bike with drop bars, never ridden more than 30 miles or so and surely not with 4K feet of total climbing and two wicked fast twisty descents. He was able to hold strong with all of us, the whole time, excepting a slight bonk, but that was right before our planned lunch stop. While riding a bike of my own design and having it go well was rewarding, having it go that well for your friend is far greater.
Yesterday morning I made it out for dome trail fun with my Father-in-law. He had a friend that had been encouraging him to try this section of the backbone out above Kanan of am Encinal. While most sections of this trial have a reputation for being a little, um strenuous for lack of a better word, this section is a fantastically fun few miles of easy single track. We made it there early and the place was empty. We climbed for about an hour and a half on relentless, but only 2% or so grade, on the hard pack all the way up to the main fire road.
The weather was perfect, cool in the 50's and just enough overcast to keep things from getting warm. From the top we had clear views from Redondo to the Chanel Islands. The way down was fun, never too fast and a great low stress way to get out on some dirt.
The grand finale was rolling into the parking lot, full club of 30 or so people, on a basket bike with fenders. You would have thought I just rolled off of a space ship, not the trail head they we getting ready for. No disparaging comments, just shock and a little wonderment. Ironic thing is that the Trek with low trail 650b conversion handled better going up and coming down with 10 lbs of junk in the basket, than any "Mountain" bike I have ever owned. It was a fun way to spend the morning, not my usual ride at all, but I be looking at ways to work this stretch into a longer ride in the future.
Another beautiful morning to get out early and go for a spin before getting on with the day.
You may have noticed the state fixed my favorite bridge to kep us safe this summer, kind of a bummer.
Friday Ramble August 26 2011, 0 Comments
Posting has been a bit sporadic lately due to some fantastic visits from out-of-town family and some other stuff like birthdays etc. that are, well, um, just higher on the list than posting. Things should be getting a bit closer to normal in the coming weeks as I get back into my morning groove. Today I was lucky to have the time to head up the coast and on a whim, extend the ride.
Everything started as a normal cruise up the coast. Then I pushed a little further to La Conchita to grab a couple fresh coconuts, more on at a later date. That required going a mile or two further to Rincon to make the turn around. As I approached the turn around point I decided to make a right instead of a left.
Heading up and back into the hills a bit to make a few more turns up and around, exploring some routes new to me. Time was starting to close in and I made my way back down to the coast. I hit the non-paved route from Carp back down to Rincon.
The rest was the regular ride back down the coast. It was good to be back on the bike. I know we are supposed to be having a heat wave, but it was incredibly nice out. Fall is just around the corner and closing in quick.
Happy friday, and do not forget to play outside this weekend!
We spent the first part of the 4th of July weekend with family up in Atascadero, Ca and it was beautiful but HOT. The highs were over 100 deg F most days, so most riding was done as early as possible. Saturday morning I was up well before the sun,
to head out on a 108 km loop that had been recommended by Big Blue Toe from bikeforums.net. The route would take me through the ranches and coastal range south of Paso Robles, down to the coast from Cayucos to Morrow Bay, through San Luis Obispo and back up the Cuesta grade to Atascadero. Here is the map and stats:
The first third of this ride through the hills along mostly dirt roads was hands down the most beautiful ride I have ever done along the central coast. I look forward to incorporating it into other loops in the area.
On the stretch between Atascadero and the coast I think I saw no more than ten cars. The time of day may have had somethng to do with it, but I will take it where I can get it. The hills have transitionioned from spring green to summer gold, while the trees are green and thick providing welcome shade in many areas.
Twenty miles of country back roads with fourteen miles of well mainteined gravel made for a wonderful morning of riding. For most of the gravel section there was a creek runnng alongside the road with the occasional mini waterfall
After a few hours I had my first glimpse of the coast and ocean:
It looked like there may be a bit of welcome fog hanging on which would help keep the day's temperatures in check. The drop down to the coast was incredible, with ony a short climb along Old Creek Road,
and then down hill the rest of the way.
Once on the coast the temp had dropped almost 10 degrees thanks to the sea breeze. Traffic was still light on the Hwy 1 into Morro Bay, you can just see Morro Rock through the fog.
Once in town it was time for a coffee break. I had been on the saddle for a little over four hours at this point. Morro has no shortage of coffe shopes these days. My Aunt nad Uncle have some friends that own the best IMO, Top Dog, and is well worth a stop if you ar pssing along on this stretch of coast.
Keeping a comfortable pace, fat tires and having you bike well set up makes it much easier to smile like this after 4 hours of non stop riding. The 20 minute break was welcome, but I knew I would regret it as the day was heating up. Back on the road I headed out through the state park and estuary to Los Osos..
From there it was hot and uphill for the long ride home through SLO and back up the grade.
Things were heating up incredibly fast and I knew it was going to be a tough hot ride up the Cuesta grade. Once out of SLO the next 5 miles has a gain of almost 1000 feet. The planned route kept me off of the highway shoulder and on the old Stage Coach Rd, with more gravel. At the start of the way out of town spirits were high, and things were looking good.
An hour and 1000 feet later I was still moving, but thiking this was a much better idea on paper.
In 20/20 hind-sight, and post ride review of the map I realised that many of the bike walking sectoins were pushing 20%. This is still very ridable if you have appropriate gearing and the legs for it. I had both, but had not fully planned for the temps creeping closer to 100 deg. Once over the crest the ride was all downhill.
What an incredible day. Things were going very well untill the climb out of SLO. I slipped on my water intake thinking I was "almost there" and paid the price with some serious cramps setting in 5 miles from home. I have been using a watch to remind me to drink a bottle an hour, but should have been drinking a bit more in anticipation of the rising temps. My usual blend of Hammer Nutrition HEED and Perpetuem was not enough this day. Luckily I was able to lounge in the pool and rest through the rehydration phase.
I look forward to rdiding every leg of this loop in different combinations in the future.
I was able to take the whole morning for myself yesteray and ride a long mixed terrain loop. I headed out along the Ventura River trail to Sulphur Mountain Road. The whole loop is about 50 miles long, about 1/4 of that is dirt. Lots of climbing and lots of incredible descents. Here is a quick map of the ride:
Almost 50 miles and 4000 feet of climbing.
The weather was incredible, temperature in the 60's the whole time, clear and sunny with just a little coastal haze. The first 8 miles along the paved river trail is a nice way to get the legs warmed up for the climbing to come. Crossing the Hwy 33 onto Sulphur Mtn Rd, it is another 10 miles or so of perfect dirt ranch road.
The grass is already starting to turn brown for the summer, but there is plenty of color left in the trees and wild flowers.
There is no traffic on the road save for the occasional rancher and some cows. THis day was no exception. I saw plenty of birds, cows, squirels, rabbits and a couple of snakes, but only 3 other people. With a couple of level sections and a short drop here and there it is primarily straight up for the whole 8 miles. The road twists and turns affording views of the coast.
On days without our coastal haze, and seasonal fog you can get clear views of the ocean and Chanel Islands. Looking out the other direction is the Ojai valley and the coastal ranges beyond.
After mile 10 things get a little steeper and hotter, usually by this point I am wishing I had left the house a bit earlier to beat the heat. This time I was caught by Jim on his bike and we were able to chat as we spun our way up. It really helped pass the time and the last bit of dirt a gravel passed in no time. Jim turned back to ride down the dirt, I pressed on to the east for a different ride. The road turns to single lane paved fo ra couple of more miles with some welcome tree cover in the afternoon heat.
Then, after 12 miles of climbing I reached my real goal for the day. Five minutes of perfect twisty back road descending. This is my favorite gravity ride in the entire region.
The tires were covered in dust by the time I had reached the top. After the ride down they were cleaned back to black more than half way out to the edges. With the best fun past, I continued east on the Hwy 150 towards Santa Paula. There was a bit of climbing to the summit. Then Downhill all the way in to Santa Paula. This was a refreshing leg of the ride after all of the climbing. Also, I had only ridden this leg westbound in the past. Going down these 6 or so miles was a little more pleasant than the usual slog up.
As I neared Santa Paula I could feel the Spring winds starting to come up and realised the folly of my route planning. All year-long our predominant winds are out of the west off of the ocean. In the spring and fall though it can come up into the 20 mph or greater rang and really change the ride. The next 18 miles were straight into the wind. My legs were fried 5 miles in. The wind was a steady 15 mph with gusts well above 30 mph as I worked my way along the foothills back towards home.
The only consolation was the miles of fresh, silky smooth, black top. This stretch of road is primarily agricultural and has been beat to a pulp over the years. The new pavement was a pleasant surprise, but could not make up for the wind. My legs were starting to cramp and I new I should have packed a backup electrolyte powder. I pushed on knowing I was almost home. The ride back into town was perfect. The wind was still there, but coming straight off the ocean it was 10 degrees cooler.
A little sun burned and a lot tired it was a great way to take a break, get outside and get ready for the next big push. I need to make the time to do this more often.
This afternoon I had some time to take the Roadeo fork over to the big brown trucks and ship it back to its creator for repair.
Then I rambled all through town, followed the signs for the "Bike Route" for the first time, Up through the hill-side neighborhoods finding many dead ends, and then up through the park to home.
Perfect way to cap off the week. Now to get dinner ready.
Enjoy your weekend, Play outside!!
I was on my way to get the vegetables when I decided to pull into McGrath State Park and explore some of the trails along the south side of the Santa Clara
The winter rains have kept things flowing, the estuary is drained out a bit and everything nearby is green and blooming.
Explored some of the trails through the canopy
Then back to the mission at hand, well stocked for the week and heading home.
While the selection for tires like this is improving, most have a more pronounced knobby tread. I was excited to see the Resist Nomad hit the market a little over a year ago. These tires are primarily designed for the freestyle urban scene. The fact that they meet the demands of the mixed terrain / fat tired road bike crowd was a bit of a surprise for Resist. The catch for me at the time was not having a bike that would fit tires this wide. Rambler No.1 then entered stage left. My Rambler is purpose-built around tires this wide. While my production samples were under way I was in contact with Resist to get some samples in my hands. Currently these are the lightest 700x42mm tire on the market that I know of.
Out of the box I was pretty impressed. I have samples in both the skin wall and black wall. The skin walled tires average 530g while the black walls average 560g. Both currently are only available with a wire bead. While not a svelte race tire, the weight is quite reasonable when you consider that the popular 650bx42mm Grand Bois Hetre' is roughly 430g with a folding bead. The width is a rue 42mm. The tread is a semi slick with micro pyramids broken up with a larger square grid. The street price on these tires is around $30.
Enough with the stats, the ride is what really matters, and it has been great. Initially they were a little bit loud, a sort of hum from the tread against the road, but that quickly faded as the tire wore in a bit. I have kept the pressure between 40-50 psi for my combined rider/load/bike weight in the 240lb ball park. Handling has been superb. They get a little bit of roll or dive at the rim if I let the pressures drop below 35psi. The road buzz from our currently terrible roads is gone. It really is like riding on pillows. Average times and speeds, about 18mph cruising, are on par with my previous data I collected riding Jack Brown greens or a variety of 28mm tires on other bikes. Cornering and grip in dry weather is fantastic. I am able to carry more speed through turns, ride through rough patches and hold more consistent lines than previously possible on narrower tires. Unfortunately (or Fortunately) we are a bit spoiled with a lack of rain in the SoCal basin and I have not had a chance to push these in the wet. On fire roads and the trails they have held their own well. While obviously not as grippy as a true MTB tire, the added volume and contact patch has been welcome in easing the attention I need to pay to my line with the "skinny" 35mm tires I have been on in the last couple of years. The Nomads help to bridge the gap between true underbiking and a knobby tire.
The build quality is what you would likely expect for a tire at this price point. For $30 retail you can not expect the level of detail and finish that has been coming out of the Panaracer Japan group for some of the other popular boutique tires. As you can see in the picture the two sides of the mold were not well aligned. The casing and rubber around the bead on the skin walls is a little thin. One of my samples has a short tear from being a bit heavy-handed with a tire lever, and that tire is now out of service. I have only had one flat to date. It was in the rear and caused by a thin truck tire wire. Considering the amount of glass and debris on out roads this is pretty good. I tend to pick up flats or slow leaks like this every couple of months. Thus a single flat early on is just that, a flat, and marginally an indicator of long-term performance.
Bottom line, these look to be a great tire for the price. I will likely run them for a long time, and look forward to a long-term follow-up review. If your bike has the room to fit these tires I would not hesitate to pick up a pair. I am happy enough with them that I may be adding them to the storefront in the next few weeks. There are a bunch of variables in that equation, but I know I will stock them eventually.
