Dolores’ shoes have arrived in the mail. I had a good laugh from the office receptionist too. I don’t think they’ve ever been mailed tires before.
If you’re gonna upgrade just one part of your mountain bike, the first choice should be your choice of tires. It may sound a little mundane but, it will deliver the most changes per dollar spent. It will affect how fast your bike rolls, how comfortable your ride will be and how much grip it will have to planet Earth. It’s the only think between the power you deliver to your legs and to the ground you’re trying to cover. The bigger your tires, the more abuse and grip your bike will take off the trails (also dependent on surface design) but it’ll increase your rolling resistance meaning, you’ll need a lot more energy to pedal forwards. Inversely, the smaller your tires, the less rolling resistance you’ll have which improves your road speed and commute however, you’ll have difficulty on terrain other than tarmac and asphalt. There are some tires that are a compromise of both so, depending on what sort of riding you’ll be doing will determine the type of tires you should buy. Don’t buy a downhill 2.5 tire just because it looks badass. You’ll regret it.
I’ve ordered Michelin’s Country Rock 26″ tires because of their great rolling resistance on asphalt and some capability for cross-country. I anticipate Dolores will be doing a lot more runs around the urban landscapes. I won’t be putting these on yet until I find a track where I can do circuits and be able to measure improvements. I’ll probably be doing the same after every major upgrade. Here’s a closeup of them shoes:
Still more stuff on the way. Adios
Have Bike, Will Travel 