The 10 Day

You watchin'?
Keeping an eye on ole' mama nature.

It's bound to snow again. Probably quite a bit.
But this week's going to be "spring like" and although you might not ride (even though the foothills will be awesome), I'll bet that your bike will cross your mind a time or two this week.
This being the case, just remember - Mighty Mobile Bike Repair is geared up all winter long.
Geared up to take care of that leaky fork seal you promised you'd get fixed last fall.
Geared up to fix that skipping chain.
Geared up to fix that rear shock that doesn't quite "feel" like it did two years ago. Call for quotes.
Call for scheduling.
Get it handled now so you can ride when you're ready!!

Take The Survey....

If you're a backcountry skier in the Tahoe area, or ski/have skied/will ski in the Tahoe backcountry; take a minute to fill out the survey about local trail access.

Survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Tahoe-BC-Survey

The survey will help the Tahoe Backcountry Alliance work w/ the numerous agencies required to help keep trailheads accessible.

If you're a Facebooker, you can check them out here.

Thanx for listening.

Yesterday....

   Escaped Tahoe's white landscape yesterday to touch tires to dirt in the foothills.

Scotts Flat Dam

   Felt good.

   Felt good to turn the pedals.

   Explore some new terrain. 

   Revisit some stuff I have't been to in a while.

   That oughta hold me over for a little while. Especially now that, as I write this, it's snowing pretty steady outside the office windows of Mighty Mobile world headquarters.

Friendly Reminder

   Although the snow has everybody (myself included) laden w/ a heavy case of "ski fever", this is the ultimate time to get your bike in for some service. Mighty Mobile is up and running all winter long with quick turn around times and parts inventory is at an all time high.
    I don't like being backed up 5 days out on the schedule any more than you do and if you wait until the trails start to melt out, that's exactly what I'll be telling you for a timeframe for scheduling.
    So get your bike wrenched on now so when the opportunity to go for a ride comes along your bike will be ready.... even if your legs are not.

Epic Thanks

It's usually around this time of year that I take the opportunity to thank all my customers who keep Mighty Mobile Bike Repair up & running and out & about providing me with my big dream of running a small business.

 To all.... a thousand Thank You's!!!!

This year, however, I'm also going to send out some thanks to all the people I get to ride with during the summer. Thanks for all the memories, good rides and good times. Past experiences bring a smile to my face and the thought of future rides keeps me motivated for the days to come. 

I should also throw out a little thanks to some of you for understanding in the simple fact that sometimes you have to break a few epic ride eggs to have an epic ride omelet. For all of you that keep coming out to ride knowing that today will likely take longer than expected, we'll get home later than anticipated and we'll probably run into at least a few things we didn't account for.... Thanx.

But.... isn't that what it's all about. 

Jesse 

Upper Pioneer Trail

The unexpected.

Aaron Breitbard

Spaulding Lake Trail

The unique experiences.

Dave Pasewark

Fordyce Dam

The memory that sticks because it trumps all others....

Aaron Breitbard

Doolittle Trail

To me, these pics remind me that sometimes it's not all flowy singletrack through fresh blooming wildflowers.

Mark Chavez, Geoff Rocky, Matty Larsen

Burlington Ridge

FTR 2009

But it can be.

Justin Scharp

Warren Lake Trail

Epic rides materialize most times by accident. A rides mileage alone doesn't necessarily qualify it for an epic (although it usually helps). I've done some 60 mile mountain bike rides that were simply just long rides. I've also been at the far end of a 23 mile out and back in an unexpectedly blinding snow storm while riding huge sections of catwalk on the NID water supply. For a relatively short ride w/ almost no climbing, it certainly gets catalogued in the "epics file" of my mind.

Nikki Wagner

NID Water Supply, on a nicer day

Throw in a wrong turn, inclement weather, or some major mechanicals and you only have the ingredients for an epic experience. For an epic to take its true form, it also needs to have the right people with the mindset to process the current adversity into a positive direction. Sometimes you have to push the envelope of comfort and normalcy beyond the usual experience to make the event stand above the others for years to come.

Aaron Breitbard & Mike Nunes

Pioneer Trail

  

Riders who understand that just because there's a trail on the map, doesn't exactly mean there will be a trail.

Sako Kapano & Nate Arnold

West Shore, Tahoe

Think you're immune to dealing with underestimated or unexpected trail conditions just because you're my girlfriend. Ha... think again.

Megan Reeves

Bullards Bar Trail.

These two guys. Always up for an adventure. I usually don't even have to ask these guys if their into some "bonus" trails.

Aaron Breitbard & Nate Arnold

Nevada City, Ca

"This is my spare tube." 

Mechanicals can often turn a standard ride into a trailside group discussion with resources getting pulled from all sides. This is when it's good to have people in the group with a combination of  ideas, ingenuity and some spare parts.  

Trouble on Fordyce Creek Trail
Sierra Nevadas

No Shawn. It'd suck if there wasn't a ladder.

Shawn Whitney

Foothills, Sierra Nevadas

So. Thanx again.

Will we get lost again in 2016? Probably.

Will we come out of trails in the dark? Likely.

Will we have fun? Most definitely.

Fat 55 Mountain Bike Race, Oakridge Oregon

Dust.

Good. 

Figured that would happen. 

I'm 24 miles into a 45 mile race and the dust that hangs in the air is surely from one (or both) of the guys that had "put the hurt on" on the previous 3 miles of rolling pavement. Currently, I'm in 5th place.

Rewinding an hour and a half to the start of the race is typical of most other races with lots of suffering as riders jockey for position on a fireroad climb before hitting the first section of singletrack. I've done this enough times to know that I'm pushing way too hard way too early. My view of the seven riders up the road ahead of me is akin to watching the Tour De France race on TV. Tall, skinny riders in matching team "kits" turning the pedals in perfect circles with astonishing authority. As I look to my left, I see Karl Decker (pro Giant Factory rider) and realize that if I'm going to have any chance at a decent result, let alone finish this damn thing, I'd better back off my rapidly diminishing power supply. 

Back at the 24 mile mark, with dust hanging in the air.... I'm psyched to be off the pavement and back on trail. Although I haven't ridden his trail in a number of years, I do know that my last trip down the Middle Fork Willamette trail was nothing but fun with its tight, twisty, rolling tread. With 20 miles of racing left on the day, I've got myself into a nice solid tempo that I figured I could hold for the remainder of the race. 

Moments later, I'd learn that the dust hanging in the air was from not one, but two riders. SCORE!! As I topped out on one of the many rollers on the trail, I was stopped by the two guys, one of whom was perched precariously off the side of the trail on a VERY steep hill side sandwiched between his bike and the thick manzanita bushes that were keeping him from a 30ft fall down to the river. After helping out the guy who's name turned out to be Jeff (from Reno) we were off again. The guys let me go ahead of them (tanx guys!) and I got back to the business of getting back to business. 

I'd chase hard for the next hour and a half, but to no avail.... I wasn't going to catch the two guys in front of me without one of them having some sort of problem. 

So, at 3 hours and 26 minutes I crossed the finish line. About 4 minutes off the winner and a minute and a half from second place. 

Good times man.....good times. 

The "I can't help you" calendar

Wow. Been lagging on the bloggity thing. No time to write. Only time to fix bikes. And if I'm lucky, I can actually get out and ride the damn things every once in a while.

One sure fire way of guaranteeing that I get to ride my bike is leaving town w/ my favorite steed loaded up and ready to ride.

And that's exactly what I'm going to do in the upcoming month/months. With that being the case, I'll get on w/ my "I can't help you" calendar. 

Sept 10-15. You can call me, but I won't be around. I'll be in Oakridge Oregon racing the Fat55. This race will definitely push the envelope of strength, bike handling and just how good chamois butter protects my nether regions. 

Sept 23-Oct 6th. I'll be heading back to the great state of Pennsylvania to visit friends and family. Also while I'm there, I'll be doing a "bonus" race in the way of the Terror of Teaberry. My friend Buck recommended this race to me. And Buck's never wrong. Ain't that right Buck.....

Ok. So maybe Buck occasionally makes some poor choices in terms of garment selection, but the dude is usually spot on when it comes to fun places to ride the bike. 

Closings and such

News you can use:

Although I'm typically only closed Sundays, the next two weekends will see Mighty Mobile NOT answering the phones or spinning the wrenches on Saturdays as well.

First off, May 9th is the Battle Born Enduro in Reno where I'll be zip tying a plate containing numbers and timing chip to my bike for race #1 of 2 of my race "season". I did this race last year and the event is awesome. The promoters are on top of their game and the entire day ran without a hitch.... until I drank too much water which depleted my body of all nutrients and I spent the entire evening puking my guts out. Guess I'll stick to beer this time.

Next, Saturday May 16th is the Hangtown Motocross Classic. This is the first of 12 rounds of the AMA pro motocross series. If you're a moto fan, this is your best/easiest chance to see some of the best riders in the world battling it out. Going to this race is great. It's one part sports spectacular and another part classic people watching. Nothing brings out a "mixed bag" of spectators like a motocross.

Otherwise, average scheduling times for service are running between 3 and 5 days out.

No.... Hole in The Ground is NOT open yet.

obsolescence and other stuff you should know about

April 16th. Mark your calenders. It's Sea Otter Classic time again.
To some, Sea Otter means bike racing. To others, it's the time to see just what's new in the cycling industry as many companies use Sea Otter to unveil new product. So.... that shiny new 2015 cutting edge 27.5 enduro rig you just ponied up two pocket fulls of hard earned cash for last October..... yup.... after April 16th you'll learn that it's 17% less stiff, 13.5% less efficient, 10% heavier and the spring rate curve won't be near as effective as what's going to be available in 2016. That's what they'll tell you anyway.
I wonder at what point bikes will surpass the computer industry in regards to how fast something becomes "outdated" or "old" making it's value instantaneously drop like a bag of wet rocks? Re-dic-u-lous.

In other news that actually effects us, it's time to remind ya'll once again about broken rear derailleur cables. Without trying to sound too much like your mom harping on you to "clean your room", I will say that I've seen three cables broken this week and the five seconds it takes to have a quick look at your cable will save you from a potential "bummer situation" on your next ride. Instead of re-spewing pics and info again, you can just have a look at this post I did a while back to get an idea of what to look for.

Also of note: Mighty Mobile will be closed this Saturday and Sunday. We're always closed Sundays.

A Day In The Life

"What's a typical day of work like for you"? I often get the question. So.... here goes.

It's early season, so there's plenty on the schedule. Before any actual work on bikes takes place, there's the ritual of prepping "Steve" (the van). Prepping Steve entails emptying the trash, restocking supplies, plugging in the compressor and loading the dashboard storage area w/ cookies.

Work has me in Tahoe City. On the drive out, I catch up on some news while driving along the Truckee River and ponder things such as; at what temperature does something become "damn hot" and what is the hokey poky all about? A glance in the mirror reveals the driver of the Lexus is tailgating me (my pet peeve) while simultaneously digging deep into the left nasal cavity with her finger buried to the 3rd knuckle. Awesome.

9:30am. Arrival at first job. The 5 bike tunes turn out to be a little closer to 8. Hmm. The estimating begins. Pretty normal stuff. Air in the tires. Lots of lube. A couple of cables and housings. Some misc parts swapping between bikes. I save the most complex jobs for last. One of which involves overhauling a coasterbrake hub on an ancient tandem that pushes the weight limits of my workstand. It's now 1:30 in the afternoon and my stomach has been demanding a burrito for the past two hours. I pack up and head to town for lunch.

2:30pm. Next. I'm two hours late for this appointment. Two bikes on the schedule turns out to be just one. The wife's out riding the other bike....good for me. Fork and shock service. Front shift cable. Loctite some pivot bolts. Straighten brake rotors. Measure chain (bad). Top off tire sealant. Sag suspension for customer. Re-schedule the other bike. Pack up,. high five and I'm out.

4:30pm. Next. RockShox Reverb install. Sag suspension. Couple of minor adjustments to brakes to eliminate rubbing. Clean up the drivetrain. Lube chain. Customer adds kids bike that involves replacing shift cables and housing front and rear. It's 6:00. I've managed to get myself almost back on track for scheduling.

6:15pm. Next. I stop by a customers house that I'm shipping a bike for. The job's all done. Just need paid. I could've just had him mail a check, but the guy's super cool and I want to stop for a quick visit before he heads off to Hawaii for the summer. I'd say he's a lucky bastard... which he probably is. But we do have it pretty good here in Tahoe during the summer. At least I think so.

6:30pm. I need to stop by the first job again. Customers have decided to reward my efforts w/ beer and cookies. I like both and I'm close by so I stop. An assortment of IPA's and chocolate chip goodness await my arrival. This was a good move on my part.

7:15pm. Arrival back at Mighty Mobile headquarters. It's time to drag myself in the house and wash off the work w/ a nice long, hot shower. Then get some sleep.... 'cause we're gonna do the same thing all over again tomorrow.

Weekend Happenings

Unless you've had your head in a hole for the past week or so you probably know that it's Ironman weekend. It's not really my "thing", but from an athletes point of view it is definitely an epic day. The event will also make for an epic day of general navigation around the Truckee/Lake Tahoe area with road closures just about everywhere.

Next weekend (Sept 27-28) is the Little Big Ridestyle event at the Truckee Bike Park. This is a weekend for the ladies. Info here.
Or, if video is more "your thing"....

Closed Sunday's.

  I'm closed Sundays.
  I don't answer the phone.
  I don't work on bikes.
  I try my best to not "talk bikes"... on Sundays.
  It's a "me time" sort of deal... the selfish bastard that I am..... on Sundays.
  It's days like this that I live for.
  Six days a week... I work.
  Sunday's.... I ride!

  We're 40 miles into this particular ride, on this particular Sunday. The Aaron's (Aaron and Erin) have gone their separate ways an hour ago. Smart folks... the Erin's. Already had enough. Places to be. People to see. Not me. It's Sunday. I'm closed. This is my day.... selfish bastard that I am. My remaining partner, Nate, is -of course- "up" for on more section of trail.
   The sky's have grown dark and for the past 1/2 hour we've been riding in the pitter patter of manageable and welcome rain drops. Just enough to keep things interesting. Eventually the rain starts to fall beyond the scope of "neat" and "nostalgic" as we drop into a random neighborhood.
   It's here that we find ourselves taking cover from the storm under the "available" deck of an uninhabited strangers house. We pass the time with talk of work, life and day to day "this and that". We also realize that this very well could be one of the best decisions that we've made all day as the pouring rain turns the street into a temporary river.
   Eventually, the storm clouds pass.
   Eventually the rain subsides.
   Conversation turns quiet.
   Packs back on.
   The journey continues.
   Yep.... Sundays.
    I love Sundays.
   
       

Things to watch out for

   Things at Mighty Mobile continue apace. There are some things worth mentioning that ya'll should now about.

    First off, we'll start w/ Sram 10 speed rear derailleurs (although Shimano can suffer from the same issues). If this is your chain management system of choice, it'd be a good idea to keep a keen eye on your inner cable where it is routed through the bend at the rear mech. You're generally looking here.

 Or, more closely and accurately... here.

See those broken strands of cable? Sure you do. Now, walk out to your garage and have a look at your own bike. Make sure yours doesn't look like this one. The worst part of this breakage is that the bike will continue to shift perfectly fine until there are literally just a couple of strands of cable remaining intact which will surely leave you stranded on your next ride. The cables break due to the tight bend of the cable in this area and the imminent flexing that happens to the cable while your bike bounces through rock gardens at 20mph. Don't put too much blame on the equipment here. Anyone that knows exactly how this stuff works is probably as amazed as I am that the stuff actually works in the environment that it lives in doing what we ask it to do.

Next, Sram 11speed rear derailleurs: The main mounting bolt that holds the rear derailleur to the frame comes loose. This bolt (#1/blue) should be checked daily.

The bolts are treated w/ a mild loctite from the factory. I've asked the guys at Sram about this and they advised NOT adding any other loctite to the bolt as the bolt can get too tight in your frame potentially breaking when the derailleur needs removed from the bike. For those not familiar with Srams tech docs, you need a T25 torx wrench to tighten the bolt to 70-88 in-lbs. Not familiar w/ in-lbs? Don't have a torque wrench? Don't worry. Just make sure the damn thing's not obviously loose and falling off your bike!

Rock Shox Reverb dropper seatposts. Yup.... we service those. Prices range from $60-$100 labor plus parts. Call for details.

Wheel builds. Yup. More than ever this year. I've built more wheels with carbon rims this year that those made of that ancient material folks call "metal". Sounds crazy, but I'll bet we're all riding carbon rims in a few more years.

Suspension service. Fox. Rock Shox. Marzocchi. All major parts and seal kits are in stock. Prices vary depending on the service required. On average, you can expect a fork service to run about $100. This includes service on the lowers and air spring with new seals and oil. Rear shocks. $50 average. This includes air sleeve service with new seals and oil. Closer/better estimates upon request.

Mighty Mobile is always stocked with the best equipment for road and mountain bikes. Tires, grips, handlebar tape, cables, housing, brake pads, chains, cassettes, chainrings, pedal cleats... this list goes on.

And as always, the best service... to your doorstep.

Today

   Interesting day. Typical.
   Started with a quick trip to work out some spacing issues on a crankset. New bike. Scared customer. Don't blame him really. I'd be scared too after realizing that I forgot the spacers and seals on a $300 crankset and wasn't exactly quite sure just how things come back apart after tightening the shit out of the crank arm fixing bolt with the biggest allen wrench in my toolbox. Better safe than sorry.
   Then off to Donner Lake to tension up some wheels that were built a couple of months ago. Interesting customer. Likes touring (different bike). Dude's been everywhere. Seems as thought the Sierras aren't quite big enough. Stories of the Andes, Alps broken chains and epic days fill my two hours at this stop. Good guy. He also needs a rear shift cable and housing. He asks me about converting his bike to 11 speed. I suggest he buy a new bike. I'm hungry.
    Stix Market. Good spot. Got me a turkey sando w/ a bunch of fixin's. I didn't partake (this time), but the beer selection at this place is killer!!
    Then off to Paco's to loan them some tools. Rock Shox Reverb rebuild tools. Those boys are in for some cussing and oily hands.
    Off to Prosser. Next up on the repair stand, we have a Specialized Stumpy EVO. Cables for this guy. Dropper post and rear derailleur cables. Also fixed (hopefully) a creaky upper shock mount pivot.
     2:30. Meet a customer in town. Lots of work. Lots of parts need to be ordered. Ibis in the van to be worked on at a later date.
     3:00. Tahoe Donner. Nobody's home. Key's under the door mat. I love Truckee. I let myself into the garage and grab the Pivot that doesn't like to shift in the front anymore. Some tweaking here and there. Let's center up that front brake caliper while we're at it. Rubbing brakes suck.
     Back at "world headquarters", I'm waiting on a delivery when a call comes in from a desperate and stranded road rider on the west end of Donner Lake. Though I empathize with his tales of tire piercing staples and expelled Co2 cartridges I can't help him. I'm hearing the desperation in road riders voice, but it's almost falling of deaf ears as I spin a new mango colored Chris King rear hub between my fingers and wonder to myself as to just what sort of epic journeys this little beauty will experience.
     Delivery delivered. Papers signed. After a few estimates and phone calls, Mighty Mobile's day is complete. Beer thirty... as they say. Beer thirty.

A Day In The Life

A day at Mighty Mobile is always interesting. Regardless of the amount of questions I ask on the phone with a customer, the actuality of the task at hand can be different when I show up. 

Sometimes it's easy. Leaking oil. That needs fixed. Seals.... in stock. 

Sometimes it takes a little longer than originally anticipated. No... I can't just "true it out". But I can build you a wheel.... while you wait.  

Other times the doors to the van don't even make it open. 

Yup. Bikes. Interesting little machines. Sometimes simple and straightforward. 

Other times.... not so much. 

The beauty of being a mobile bike mechanic is that I'm usually never in one spot too long. This makes for an interesting work day. I arrive. Set up. Fix. Chat. Pack up. And I'm on my way again. 

Well, ok. This stop might be a little different. I'll be here all day. No time for chatting. Just time spent with wrenches in hand. Fixing. Testing. Tweaking. Still... life is good. 

I do this because, generally, fixing bikes is very satisfying for me in a weird sort of way. Aside from odd jobs like the "mystery squeak" that can drive a mechanic (and rider) crazy, most things can be worked out with a little time and patience. When the bike is tuned and running like the well oil machine it should be it can make for a damn fine day. Just ask that guy!

Don't throw your bike!

   I'm as much a bike freak as I am a bike mechanic. This being the case, I've never understood why anyone would want to throw a bike. Especially one that you most likely bought with your own money and will have to inevitably fix on your own time after (insert expensive component here) breaks because of your unwillingness to count to ten before shoving your bike into a pile of rocks in a moment of frustration and rage.

   Then there's this way:



    Sure to appreciate. Hard to replicate.

It's 2015

    Though your calender may beg to differ, it's 2015 as far as the bike industry is concerned. 

    Most people think of the Sea Otter Classic as a bike race, but with 450 exhibitors on hand at Leguna Seca it's just as much a bike show as it is a bike race. For years, companies have been using the Sea Otter as an unveiling period to show us that even though you just took out a second mortgage to put that dream bike together two weeks ago, it's already starting to get outdated.  

    As an industry dude, I'm always trying to educate myself on what's happening in "bike world" so I can be as informed as possible when y'all come asking about doo-dad to nic-nak compatibility and when the latest something or other will be available. 

    Wanna waste time in the morning like I do? Then grab a cup of coffee, get your clicker warmed up and surf around on some of the links below. 

    

    Bike Rumor: This is a daily stop for me. Updated frequently, contains descent photos and some classic comments. (note: i actually hate the comments section, but some can be quite entertaining)

    Pink Bike: Pretty similar to Bike Rumor. Some minor differences here and there. 

    Bike Magazine: In case you don't like the other two.

   MTBR.com: Again.... lots of the same, but you can't waste an entire morning unless you visit multiple sites.

   After a thorough perusing of the interwebs you'll surely be late for work because you just had to know what an "automatic adjusting negative air chamber" did, how many parts will you need to convert your Chris King hubs to 11 speed and your brain will probably hurt from reading about such technological wizardry such as Shimano's new "four-piece chainring, bonded from aluminum, carbon fiber and capped with titanium teeth"....those sound cheap? 

   Wondering what I've seen at Sea Otter that I like best? Well, it's probably not something I'll buy anytime soon, but ya never know. 

 

nice

     The bike industry. What a place. Talk to any shop owner/employee and you're sure to hear frustrating stories of parts that weren't shipped, companies that don't call you back, orders that got "held up" and the ever popular "blame it on the other guy" scenario.
      I used to do the parts ordering and warranties at a shop years ago and had an item in need of warranty service. Every morning for three mornings in a row I'd start my day by calling our rep (lets call him Tom) and leave him a message about said warranty product. All day the shop phone would ring, but it was never Tom. On the fourth day, I made my daily call to Tom but instead of leaving a message about needing help with a warranty item I said that we were doing a sale to a "huge group of people" and I needed to place and order that would be "very large", possibly even requiring freight service. Of course, none of this was true. There was no "huge group of people" or "very large order". I hung up the phone and walked to the bakery behind the shop. That trip for a cup of house blend coffee and a glazed doughnut of epic proportions took all of 6 minutes. Upon my return to the shop I was told that Tom was on hold on line 1. Hmm. I picked up the phone with an anxious Tom on the other end of the line inquiring about our "very large order". Five minutes later, I had a return authorization number for my warranty item and a heartfelt talk with Tom on his lack of customer service skills as our rep. Bastard.
     Fortunately it's not always like this. If it were, I'd go postal! This week I was in contact with Woolf Tooth components about setting up an account. Within an hour I had a response from sales (Brendan) and after going through the normal process of credential verification and whatnot I placed an order. The parts arrived in a timely fashion, the order was complete and my customer had his bike back for the weekend... just like it's supposed to work. That being said, Mighty Mobile Bicycle Repair proudly is a dealer of and highly recommends Wolf Tooth components.

    So, this morning... I raise my coffee mug to Brendan at Wolf Tooth for doing something as simple as filling an order, putting it in a box and shipping it out. Amazing. Thank you.

Not doing that anymore

My ears are still ringing from yesterdays tire explosion.
I swore off messing with Stans tubeless kits a couple of years ago after the hissing of air and the pissing of white sealant had me "in the red" while attempting a conversion to an old clapped out Cannondale ruining an otherwise nice typical summer day in Tahoe. I haven't thrown a tool for a long time, but I was close that day.
Now, don't confuse a tubeless "conversion kit" with some other misc industry nomenclature for products that actually work such as TCS, TR, 2BLISS... the list goes almost as deep as the marketing people that dream these names up. The heart of a tubeless conversion kit consists of a rubber rim strip with a valve stem attached that is supposed to allow an older non-tubeless rim to be set up tubeless. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the kits can't work. I will, however, say that they are hard (sometimes impossible) to get to seal and most tire and rim affiliated people (other than Stans) that I've talked to cringe at the subject when it's brought up.
So yeah, back to yesterday. When my old neighbor asked me to get some tires mounted up for him on his one speed, I almost turned him down after noticing that his rims had the dreaded tubeless conversion strips in them. But, with his other bike requiring some parts that needed to be ordered I wanted to get him back out on the trails.
One of the curious things with the tubeless conversion kits is that the tires can be difficult to seal while simultaneously being really hard to get the bead of the tire to "seat" properly on the rim. It was a the "bead seating" stage of this nightmare job I never should've taken on in the first place where the 50psi I had in the tire proved too much for the bead of the tire to handle as it exploded off the rim. Aside from ringing ears, the other nasty side of something like this happening is that the white tire sealant mixes with the exploding air and anything within 10' of your workstand is subject to a good splattering of tire sealant.
That being said, I'll leave you now so I can go spend 20 minutes cleaning up what took less that a second to explode over my bench, tools, workstand, other bikes, floor mat and probably some other places that I'm not thinking could possible be effected by the incident.... but surely will be.

On the skis today.



It was kinda like that.
Damn good fun.