Status Report

I and my dog are recovering from a disagreement we had with a swarm of yellow jackets.

Greenway has flooding in the sidewalk valley but it's easily passable. Ford has fast rushing overflow that is passable by experienced adult riders but would be dangerous for children. Watch out for slick mud under overpasses.

Trail has some rutting. Western side of the big dirt hill has new deep ruts and lots of loose sand at the bottom. There are 4 mud puddles between the hill and the small bridge.

Watch out for small pieces of wood on the greenway and trail. Rolling over one could be dangerous, especially in curves.

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Tire Report

I ride about 1,500 miles a year, half on paved trails and half on packed cinder trails. For 4 years, I rode on Kenda Slant 6 tires with small knob tread since that was the recommended tire for my Diamondback Trace XT, but this year I decided to try the Serfas CTR City Drifter tires with inverted tread.

I had to rotate the Slant 6 tires at 700 miles since the rear tire was half worn by then and, by the end of the year, both tires needed replacement. At 700 miles, the Drifters look new, so I don’t’ need to rotate them. I think the tires will not only last out the year but will still be good for next year.

On paved trails, the Slant 6’s were loud and felt like I was pedaling against a headwind and, on packed cinder trails, they tended to slide out in curves. On paved trails, the Drifters are quiet, smooth, and fast due to the smooth, hard rubber on the center line of the tires. At first, I was leery of entering packed cinder curves with only the large inverted lugs on the sides of the tires for traction, but I have had no slide outs, even with high tire pressures. If I get too wide in turns and get in the loose rough, the tires still grip. In sand and when the cinder is wet and soggy, the tires don’t get bogged down and they still grip.

For my kind of riding, I’m loving the Drifters. Since they are long wearing, the ride characteristics don’t change over the riding year and I feel safe and secure on any riding surface.

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Trail Status

I've somewhat recovered from my nasty chest cold and I'm back riding again, but the rides are shorter and slower than before the cold. As my strength increases, I should be back to normal in a few more rides.

Since there has been little rain for the last few weeks, the greenway and trail are still in good condition. The newly groomed big dirt hill on the south side of the lake is starting to get ruts again.

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