Tips, Tidbits, and Lipshitz

I used to do "Share the Wisdom Wednesdays (but on Thursdays)" sometime ago.  I would also blather about sponsor and non-sponsor product from time to time.

I also used to do a lot of things tho, like write every morning.

Two things I recently picked up have been kinda game changers, so I figured I'd share that with the class (and then a little Horny Cat 69 update at the end for those that care).

I probably own a couple dozen or so tire levers.  Orange Maxxis logo'ed ones that I carry in my Awesome Strap on every bike.  A pink Pedro's one that I use to spread brake pistons.  A billionty of the much older version of the blue Park tool variety that work especially well with stubborn Gatorskins.  I thought I'd never buy another tire lever the rest of my life...

Until I borrowed Kenny's Birzman Tubeless Tire Levers at the Pisgah Stage Race to do a tire swap that included remounting a tire insert.  What do they do that no other (that I know of) tire lever does?

That Chip Clip feature (what Kenny called it anyways) keeps one side of the last bit of tire mounted so you can focus all your efforts on working it from the other side.  It doesn't look like it should work, but it does.  They come in packs of three, but I don't know what you'd need the third one for.  The last crazy bit is that they're not all that expensive. 

So whilst I'm breaking out old chestnuts, I'll go ahead and give these...

My Seal of Semi-Approval

Only Semi, as I was disappoint to buy yet another set of tire levers, AND I'm assuming I'm gonna get grief from the "I never need tire levers, your hands are weak, little man" crowd.

Another thing I didn't think I needed until I got one.
 

I don't know what to do with my hands.

The Park Tool TSI-1 Tubeless Sealant Injector.  I already own scads of injectors that come with every liter of TruckerCo Cream II.  I use them, but mostly to pull fluid out of tires when doing a swap.  I prefer to use the milKit injector when adding fluid because it doesn't coat the inside of the valve stem, and it can be used to check fluid levels as well.

That said, the milKit is a pretty simple syringe.  The rubber on the plunger is becoming old and cantankerous.  I felt like it was on its last legs, so I did some googling, and lo and behold, I stumbled on this item.  Of course, there are rip-off copy cats available on Amazon, but the price difference didn't seem worth it.  That and Park actually has parts available for it, so long term, it will be worth it to stick with the Park brand.

I don't see the o-ring for the plunger available, but since it can be entirely disassembled, it's easy to keep clean... and you can always source an o-ring from somewhere.

Still, it only gets my Seal of Semi-Approval.

Semi?  This item will eventually leave me disappoint... in myself.  Just because I will have the handy ability to check fluid levels just as a I keep a chain checker (also Park) close by so I don't destroy drivetrains, I will forget to use it for this purpose... kinda like this past weekend when Colin pointed out my worn-ass looking chain ring on my Vassago, and of course, my chain was worn waaaaaaaaaaaay past the replacement point.

Dammit.

So either you read all that and now will click away from here being that you have no interest in the Horny Cat or you skipped down here specifically to read about it or you have a most admirable attention span.

Regardless.

I went out twice during the past week to nab some of the segment KOMs out on the golf course that seemed very attainable.

I screwed up the "muck to mountain" segment like the STRAVidiot that I be, forcing me to go out a second time.

What was the point of this exercise?

Other than actual exercise, I'm hoping to boost interest in the abandoned golf area to get people out there before the Horny Cat.  Obviously not a lot of people ride down there, thus my ability to get even one KOM.  Everyone will get the route to load on to a data acquisition device AND the email will break down this area SPECIFICALLY, but it would really help to be a little familiar with this location.  That and I feel like the average mountain biker in Charlotte hits the greenways when the trails are closed, and this area sucks less than the average greenway.  I'm not one to make my STRAVA rides public, so take advantage of this while you can.

Here's a few more updates:

* The party is 35% full.

* I'm still shutting down party money donations on September 3rd at midnight.

* I've started taking PayPal as well as Venmo because people have asked.  Cash and checks are still a no.  Don't ask if you can give me a chore.

* The original post has all the details.  I created a FaceBook event page.  It won't really have any more details, but whatever.

* Everyone will get the entire route file, but obviously not all will make the entire distance.  Anyone with a bike computer and a brain could figure out how much of the route they wanna do tho, so if you're only up for a Slightly Horny Cat distance, you could still throw in for pizza and beer, ride some new stuff, and also get to make party. 

* People have asked if they can volunteer or spectate.  To be honest, once I set the riders off, some of us might "sweep" the first ten or so miles and then head back to my house.  Then it's time to ice down the beer and go get the pizza.  Then wait.  If you donated $10 to the party, you'll get the route same as anyone else, and you can ride wherever you want to watch whatever you want.  If there's only 40-50 riders, I can't say the action will be too hot and heavy a couple of hours into the day.  You do you.

* Shoot me an email at SMELLYCAT100K at hotmail dot com, and I'll shoot you my VENMO deets for the $10 payment towards the post-ride party.