Fresh Goodies - Schwalbe G-ONE R RaceGuard 700 x 40c, Restrap Canister Bag Black & Man Cave tyre fitting

 

When I bought my new Specialized S-Works Creo I swapped the factory tyres for a pair of these Schwalbe ones for £45 inc p&p from CDNE bike sales on Facebook. The third ride in I got a cut to the rear tyre, I tired to patch it with a tyre boot but that failed so ordered another one from Merlin Cycles. RRP 49.99 and I paid £32.52 inc 48hr p&p. 32% discount. 

Next up for my S-Works Creo was new bar bag. I had removed the one from my original Creo 1 bike and swapped it over but this was the original version with no loop on the rear to stop it from swinging around on rough tracks. Merlin Cycles had them in the sale so I decided to order a new one so it matches the bar bag on my original Creo 2. 

RRP is now £52.99 and I paid £39.22 inc 48 hr p&p. 26% discount. 

Then it was time for mancave time, fit the new Specialized Renegade 29x2.1" S-Works tyre to my rear wheel on my original Creo2 as that was spitting tubeless sealant out on my last ride. 

Then it was time to swap over the rear tyre on my S-Works Creo 2 and bin the tyre that had done less than 50 miles, ggrr. 

Swapped over the Restrap bar bags from version 1 to a new version 2 model. Now both bikes are ready for a few more miles. 

No rear tyre blow out today in Durham's second heatwave of the year.

 

After three rear tyre blow outs in the last three rides I was hoping my luck was going to change on todays ride. I fitted a new tyre and more fresh Silca tubeless sealant earlier on in the week, well it did hold out. On the down side I forgot my water bottle which was in the fridge at home! I had a small bottle of juice in my van so I strapped that inside the downtube cage. Another plus was its bone dry and dusty with very little wind during our second heatwave of the year in County Durham. I did a loop from Brandon as the bridge is still closed at Broompark picnic way. Along the old railway line to Bishop Auckland, then a short road section through the market place and up Durham road to join onto the track leading to the old railway line to Spenny. Then the usual around Tudhoe village, Croxdale, Sunderland Bridge and up the climb back to Brandon. There was a few others out but not too many in the heat. All in just under 24 miles in 1hr 48 mins with 850ft of climbing. Below are a few sunny snaps. enjoy and hopefully more soon - 

Fresh Goodies - Compass Metal Core Tyre Levers x 3no

 

After trying to fit and remove the Schwable G-One tyres onto the Roval wheel set on my S-Works Creo I have snapped three plastic tyre lever tips as they are that tight. I have some big all metal tyre levers from Park Tool but there is no protection for carbon rims. I called in past Go Outdoors as they had these small plastic coated metal tyre levers. I am not sure the metal runs all the way through the tip so might just be as weak, time will tell when I fit the replacement rear tyre this week! 

RRP £8.00 and I paid £6.50 from Go Outdoors. 

As ever a Fresh Goods Sunday blog will follow after some use.  

Fresh Goods Sunday - Assos Trail Jersey T3 (Schwarwald Green TIR)

 

I bought this short sleeved jersey last year in the Westbrook Cycles sale but did not start wearing it until this year. I have looked at these type of looser trail / mountain type tops for a few years but could never justify buying one at the full rrp. I cannot see how they can charge so much as there is nothing to the jersey, no pockets, no zips, nothing. You pull it over your head and that's it. What I do like is the looser / casual fit rather than a lycra type race jersey and it has longer sleeves. Yes the quality is spot on and cannot fault anything. The material is fast wicking, it washes well and dries very quickly. It is comfortable to wear and does not flap around too much on fast downhills etc. 

RRP £85.00 and I paid £33.61 from Westbrook Cycles inc 24hr p&p. 60% off. 

Manufacturers Blurb - 

An evolved version of our all-mountain jersey that applies ASSOS engineering to trail riding, combining the breathability of road-race jerseys and the durability of dedicated off-road equipment.

Incorporating feedback from our World Cup athletes—and from our own experience—we updated the TRAIL fit profile. The T3 evolution features a slightly roomier chest to better accommodate pads and allow movement in the saddle. We also shifted the sleeves from a raglan cut to a set-in design to better map the body.