Fresh Goods Sunday - Schwalble G One 650b x 40c

The standard Cannondale Folding TRS 650x42c by Panaracer tubeless ready tyres that come on the Slate are slick to say the least. I have read that anything damp / wet and they are no good what so ever near anything off road / gravel / grass / mud etc. They are wider - 42c than the G ones - 40c which also allows some more clearance on the back end - chain stay / bb area. There is loads of clearance on the Cannondale Solo Rigid OPI One-Piece Alloy 1.5 streerer fork, you can even get a 2" tyre on with still loads of clearance.
As for the weight well it is bang on book 420g, the Panaracer slicks come in at 305g so a fair weight gain on the bike for a pair -260g but a totally different tyre.
They were a very, very tight fit on the Mavic XM419 Disc 650b 28H tubeless compatible rims but once inflated the beads seated first time. They are tubless compatible but I am using standard inner tubes at the mo. I have got the valves and liquid, just need the rim tape to convert them into tubless.
After several rides on different surfaces and different types of weather conditions I can report that they have not lost traction yet (apart for once on a very muddy section on track). I have used them on gravel railway lines, rocky single track sections, road, loose gravel. They clean well if they become clogged up and roll well on smoother surfaces.

The rrp is a earth shattering £59 each, and here is the manufacturers BLURB -
The Schwalbe One family provides the right tire for the latest gravel bike trend. The smooth rolling G-One profile and Tubeless Easy technology make it a pleasure to ride over forest paths and rolling fields.

40-584 (27.5 x 1.50, 650B)

MicroSkin, TL Easy

Size:

ETRTO 40-584 (27.5 x 1.50 Inch)

Typ:

Folding

Compound:

OneStar

Execution:

MicroSkin, TL Easy

Color:

Black

Skin:

Micro

Weight:

420 g (15 oz)

Pressure:

3.00 - 5.00 Bar (45 - 70 psi)

Maximum load:

70 kg

EPI:

127

Profil:

HS473

Article number:

11600792.01

EAN:

4026495806541

Tube:

12, 21, 21A

 

 

 

 

 

Ride through to Auckland Castle

Jane fancied a ride through to Auckland Castle for a cuppa and cake in the tea rooms so off we set along the old railway lines. The lines were quite quiet for a Sunday morning, there was a few dog walkers, runners and other cyclists. We passed a lovely bloke in Brandon who refused to move to one side with his two dogs and gave us a mouthful of abuse, apart from that everyone has as happy as Larry out in the fresh air on a Sunday morning.
When we reached the castle a security guard stopped us as soon we opened the door and said the tea rooms were closed as it was breakfast with Santa morning! Off we set again and ended up at Greggs for two £2 butty/drink deals. Not what Jane was expecting at the half way point but its better than nowt! We shall return again for tiffen at the Castle. The lines were nearly dry apart from a couple of puddles and as for the weather well it was cloudy, overcast, windy but dry. It felt cold when we left but soon warmed up and had a lovely tail wind nearly all the way back in.
Below are a few pics from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon -

Dark, cold early morning Saturday ride on the Cannondale Slate Apex

I was up and out early this morning but I was feeling rough. I was champion for 2-3 days after I stopped taking all my pills, now I have yet another man flue! After a busy week and no miles I strapped on the Lupine Betty and I headed off into the darkness. The forecast said it was 7 degrees but when I reached Waterhouses it was just above freezing. The tracks are just starting to dry out after the flooding on Thursday morning here in Co Durham.
As of the Cannondale Slate it has been away on its holiday this week around to Richys for a few rides. He wanted to give a rigid slate a go and has covered a few miles on it on all types of terrain and has come to the same conclusion I have, with a 2" tyre up front you don't need the Lefty suspension. He also agreed that is fast rolling on the down hills and rocky sections but he did find it slower on the up hills compared to his cx bikes.
Back to todays ride and the Lupine and bike was going well, shame I was not. I was really struggling on any type of hill and my legs felt empty. Once I reached Willington there was some daylight so knocked the front light down to minimum for the last leg home. All in I covered 26 miles so was happy with that. Below are a few dark and not so dark pics, enjoy and hopefully more soon.

Now time to wash the bike, charge the lights back up. Then onto washing the fleet of vehicles.

Fresh Goods Sunday - Prologo One Touch 2 bar tape

This is a new bar tape that I have not used before. Calvin from Westbrook Cycles recommended I try it out and see how I get on. The colour of the blue and yellow on the ends is a very near match to my new Cannondale Slate Apex. The feel of the material is super tacky and not too thin. The only other bar tape I have felt like this is Lizard skins. The fitting takes some time as you have to be careful when overlapping the wraps to get the spacing right for the coloured strips. Once at the top you cannot cut any spare off so you have to judge it so it works out just right. Tbh I would never fit this model of tape again due to the hassle, best just stick to plain one colour, makes life a lot more easier when fitting. In the packet to get two rolls, two bar end plugs and two finishing off strips which are lovely and wide & sticky, what you don't get is two shorter pieces for around the clamp area of the shifter/brake levers.
In use I have yet to loose grip with full winter gloves on and is comfortable to use on road and on gravel tracks. I have not had the chance to try it on a long ride yet over 2 1/2 hours so cannot comment of long time comfort. If you are doing alot of big gravel / small rock trails then its a little on the this side. The best tape i have found for that is from Cannondale, its thicker in the middle section and has a lovely grip / feel to it.
The rrp is a eye watering £26 and here is the manufacturers blurb -

The new Prologo technology applied to the tapes Onetouch 2 and Onetouchgel 2 gel that use a similar  structure of CPC technology to provide maximum grip.

Gel version gives the same grip and more comfort as well. Wide range colors with an unique innovative design in the market.

COLORS: Pink-White | Yellow-Blue | Green-White | Red-White | Light Blue | Fluo Orange | Fluo Yellow | Fluo Green | Red | Grey | Black-White | White-Black | Full Black | Full White

Prologo's OneTouch 2 handlebar tape uses similar grip technology which is used on their CPC range of saddles. This material provides excellent grip and with the two distinctive colours options available, are more highly visible