Hey, Butter, Butter, Butter, Butter, Butter...

Suh-wing, Butter.

Gawdammit.

Dr Mike on a portion of old/new Butter Gap that warms my heart.

This is an almost review of the Vittoria Air-Liner Light that someone (one someone) asked for a week or two ago.

Sorta.

I'd had zero unfortunate flats with any tire liner I've ever ridden to include CushCore, Tubolight, and the Vittoria one up until a few weeks ago when I experienced a puncture on a sharp, pointy,  fuck-faced rock that woulda healed thyself had I checked my sealant before the race.  That would be zero rear flats since December 2020... until this past October.

Now make that two flats.

That's four pieces of bacon it still wasn't enough to seal the giant gash.  How giant?  I had to use my fingers to keep the bacon in place while I pulled the tool back out (multiple times) because they were never going to work anyways.

I'm so delighted that when they rerouted Butter, it meanders all over the place before finding the old trail for a hot moment at this spot.  

Türd negotiating the canted slabby-do rock armored creek crossing that to me "is" what Butter is and should be.

Anyhoo, before we got that far, I'd slammed into a HOOGE pointy rock in a most awful manner, the kind where the rim makes the "you fucked up" noise.  Just how pointy?

Finger pointy.

I was just gonna roll back to the car down Searcy Creek Road on my flat tire, but Türd offered to manhandle the tire off and lash the insert to his pack.  Yeth, I coulda done it myself, but I was not only physically deflated but morally as well.

Good Bryan doing good things on good new/old Butter.

I hate riding on a hard tail with a tube in the back, but it was better than a sad garvel ride back to the car, albeit slower and more deliberate than normal.

The flat tire did serve as a motivator to solve two problems.

I had mounted a 2.4 Rekon Race on the back of the Radimus when I thought Pisgah would be closed for, like, ever.  Then Pisgah opened up, and it didn't take long for me to realize that it is not the perfect choice for fall/winter Pisgah leaf/loam riding.  Now I have an excellent excuse to replace it with something more appropriate for the conditions.

Then there's this:

I think it's dead.  It has so many dings, tears, and holes that were evidence of a job well done.  That said, the Vittoria Air-Liner installation and removal is much easier.  It feels a little more stable in run-flat mode (now that I've had the chance to squeeze both after losing 90% of the air inside the tire).  It just seems... better.

Granted, the Birzman Tubeless Tire Levers are the best thing ever since the invention of tire inserts.  If you don't have them, you should obtain them immediately.  I get absolutely nothing for endorsing them, other than a smug Ohio Kenny saying "I told you so." 

So now, with a four day weekend coming up and a probable Pisgah day on the menu, there is not enough time for me to get a new Vittoria Air-Liner Light (from Watts *because he keeps them in stock and is the reason I currently own one) and a 2.4 Maxxis Minion DHR 3CG/EXO/TR on my bike for such an adventure.  This makes me sad, but not as sad as I was after the ride on Saturday.

Anyhoo...

After the ride, we stopped at Ecusta Brewing for a beer and a bite.  I didn't select our table, but I did decide where to sit... with my eyes staring directly into the setting sun.  After I picked up my loaded bowl, I ambled over to the sauce counter, my eyes still seeing spots and flares.  I couldn't read the labels, so I picked mine based on color. With no time to waste with taste-testing since someone was waiting for the little old man to make his selection, I proceeded to squirt the hot sauce all over my bowl with the exuberance of a six year old putting ketchup on French fries.  

I chose poorly.

I paid a certain price for my haste and ignorance.

So, with time to reflect on the whole day, it was not a total disaster.  I learned not one, not two, not three, but four lessons on the day that are actionable and very memorable.  I will change my tire and tire liner.  I will select a better line on Searcy Creek Connector through that one spring crossing.  I will take my time when selecting hot sauces to drown my food in to save myself some future agony.

So anyways, the Vittoria Air-Liner Light gets my Seal of Semi-Approval.

I still don't like that I can't easily check sealant levels with my Park Tool TB1 (Turkey Baster 1).  I'm not thrilled about the idea of carrying out a sealant drizzled liner if I need to put in a tube.  All that said, I can't imagine getting rowdy on a hard tail without a liner.  So many group ride disappoint flats and race day sadnesses that I'm willing to wear a liner outta the woods bandolier-style or at least hide it away in the woods for retrieval on another day (if that could actually work out).  I'll never go without one installed, despite cost, hassle, and weight.**  I've definitely heard my rear tire bottom out with the Vittoria Air-Liner Light installed too many times to count, but it doesn't show as much wear and tear as the Tubolito.  Dare I say it's a more durable pool noodle?

I dare.

Buy one.  Or if you're an idiot like me who owns two hard tails that are so similar that if you squint from twenty yards away, you can't tell which one is which... mebbe buy two.

There you have it.  A "product review" of something without even one image of the product... because it's a tire liner, and you're never supposed to see them anyways.

* Yeth, Watts has an online store now.  He's basically the next Speedgoat.

** except on my fully turgid single speed that keeps the rowdiness more in check (most of the time) and has a flat incident ratio of front to rear that's close to 1:3