Sometimes patience, laziness and luck all comes together at the same time... and in honor of that I give you the Fatty Slick Bombadil!
Since you've seen her last we have a new set of LX/Synergy wheels to replace the set I cracked, front and rear racks, upcycled planet bike fenders and the piece de resistance... Compass Switchback Hill 650B/48mm Extralight tires. First reaction; a circumspect and somewhat reluctant - 'eh...nice'. Second reaction (bit longer neighborhood ride and some drivetrain maintenance later; 'pretty sweet, but not life changing'.
Bottom line is I'm spoiled by 3+ years of riding Jack Browns, Hetre's, Parimoto's and Stampede Pass. So for me, the first time I road Jack Brown 33.333's was an a ha moment, then the first time I rode Hetre 42 EL's was an Oh My God moment. Since those tires really only the Stampede Pass have lived up to that cushy elation I felt on Hetres. The Parimoto's are very nice but whether it's the slight size reduction from the 42's or something in the tread/construction they don't capture the magic.
So does the Switchback Hill super-fat capture the magic? Not on the first night anyway. I need to get them on some rougher pavement and then offroad to get a good feel, that after all is what they are made for. I'm optomistic though, especially as I figure w/ that much volume I really need to play around with the inflation. Tonight I was running roughly 40 psi front, 50 psi rear. I usually run my Parimoto's 40/60.
Pictures are all smartphone w/ no decent lighting so I'll have to do a nice outdoor session soon. The big question is whether or not I'll take the Bomba out in the snow/slush tomorrow or if the XO-3/Studded will get the call.
