Fresh Goods Sunday - WTB Exposure TCS 32mm

Following on from yesterdays blog I have held off doing a Fresh Goods Sunday on this tyre until after a few weeks to see if it performed any better than the original WTB fitted to my Cannondale Synapse Neo 1. I cannot fault the fit of the tyre. The tyres air up first time with no leakage. I also cannot fault the tread pattern, it is perfect for tarmac and smoother sections of paved/gravel railway lines around Co Durham. BUT and there is a massive but. They don't hold air and the tread and sidewalls leak a massive amount of sealant. The original rear tyre went out with a massive bang as the outer tread skin come away from the inner skin, just as well I was not riding the bike when it happened! As you may have read I am now trying Maxxis and two out of three WTB have been returned. If the Maxxis performs better I will order another one and put it on the front. I have a pair of WTB mountain bike tyres and never had any problems with them, not sure it is just me or if other riders are having problems with the 32mm version, any they are crap and I had coughed up £100 for the pair plus sealant I would have been bouncing to say the least.
RRP £49.99 and I paid £39.99

Manufacturers Blurb -
Elite-level road meets renowned tubeless simplicity in sizes that accommodate exploration while digging deep on lonesome roads. Exposure tires mean big days and few boundaries.
FEATURES:

• Supple tubeless casing allows for lower pressure and improved traction.
• High volume road casing enables comfortable ride.
• Dual Compound Rubber means a fast rolling tire with great corning traction.
• Smooth centerline with relieved outside tread for off-road performance.
  USAGE:  Adventure Road
  CONDITIONS:  Pavement / Hardpack

Wheel Size	Level	Weight	Compound	Casing
700c x 32	Road TCS	315g	Distance Compound	Supple

 

 

Another tyre change on the Cannondale Synapse Neo

Well enough is enough. After the two original WTB Exposure TCS 700c x 32mm tyres failed I purchased another WTB to see if it was just a dodgy batch but the third tyre was worse than the first two. I have put up with them for long enough and today I took the back one off and fitted the third tyre now. This time it is a change of manufacturer to Maxxis (Re-Fuse 700c x 32mm) so time will tell if this one starts to leak sealant.
When I stripped off the rear tyre I fitted the replacement tyre with just under 100ml of Stans, when I poured out what was left into the measuring cup there was only around 25ml left! that is some leakage in few weeks! There will have been nothing left in the tyre by mid July if I had left it on the bike.
The Maxxis was a perfect fit, not too tight and not too slack. It inflated straight away with the compressor, I always use some washing up liquid on the beads to get them to seat first time and there was no problems. Again I poured in just under 100ml of Stans. So far the tyre has held pressure and there are no signs of any leakages.
The original tyre has been posted back to Westbrook Cycles and the replacement I bought has been sent back to Wiggle. See what they both say and hopefully the Maxxis will behave itself. The tread pattern is not so "gravel" compared to the WTB. On the Vision  rims it is 32mm on the nose and the WTB was 33mm. I still have the original WTB on the front but that is still leaking. I have never had so much trouble with tyrs in all my 40+ years of cycling.

 

 

 

Local sunny, hot & windy road ride on the Neo E Bike

More sun today but also more wind and more heat. Again my legs felt empty and I was struggling, not sure why but I will keep plugging away. The Garmin topped out at around 25 degrees! Some of the roads were way more busier than the other day, everyone was dashing home in the heat. I think the heat must have gone to their heads as well as some of the passing was very close to say the least. Once I was onto the  back country lanes it was back to normal for me! Below are a few snaps for the ride and hopefully more soon. Oh and I also got a three hour hike is yesterday as well. Tomorrow is going to be our heat wave in Co Durham then back to normal cloud etc on Sunday.

 

More leakage from the WTB tyres! they are going to have to go back.

 

 

Short break away in the Lakes

As Arran has finished school now we booked up an overnight stay in the Lakes. The first day we travelled over to Keswick and had a walk around the town after breakfast in spoons. The sun soon came out and turned out to be a lovely day pottering around.
The following day after the early morning storm / rain it dried up so headed down to Penrith for breakfast and some shopping in Morrisons before having a walk around the town.
On the way home we called in past Alston and Stanhope. Once we hit Weardale it was getting darker and darker and the heavens opened yet again.
It was a very enjoyable couple of days away, below are some snaps, enjoy and hopefully more soon -