Re-tired
Back in action, with new tires.
The Evelo Aurora e-bike is back on its feet after I pulled a senior moment and blew out a tire and flatted a tube a week ago. I know, whoop-dee-doo. But that downtime underscored just how reliant I’ve become on the e-bike to handle the nine-mile trips toward town for everything from haircuts to idle exploration. Yesterday was the repair and first trash run to discard the old tires and the carton that the new ones came in. The new Michelin Country Dry [2] (yep tricky name) tires have a series of small lugs all ’round, which puts them right in paved and fire trail territory for intended usage. They recommend 29 PSI for general use, with a maximum of 58 PSI. I put them at about 30, and the ride is predictably cushy over rough stuff. Battery range will probably benefit from higher pressures, but I thought I’d run them low for awhile.
Compared to the tall, aggressive lugs on the ancient Maxxis tires the bike had been wearing, they do appear and act different at first blush. They have a slight hum on pavement, but not annoyingly so. Hard dirt and especially sand feel more secure than the Maxxis tires did, which may prove a godsend on certain trails near Yuma later this year. But, they are more prone to side-slip on a sloped mix of loose dirt topped with gravel, or when rolling over loose stones. Once the gravel gets above a certain stone size, there’s no difference. It’s a trade-off I can deal with.
I goofed when ordering the self-sealing Michelin tubes, and what arrived were
Strolling Amok 