Red Shift stem and big ol' tires

Gravel. Bumpy roads. They're a real transition for an old roadie. In an effort to prepare for our planned Cycle the Divide ride in Montana this summer I  put big ol' tires (bigger than 23!) on a set of 650B wheels. I have a Specialized Pathfinder 47 in front, but it wouldn't quite fit in the rear, so I tossed a Soma Casadaro 42 back there.

But in case that wouldn't be enough I added a RedShift suspension stem. I've done one ride on it and so far it seems like a winner. It doesn't bounce as I feared it would. Between the tires running at (for a roadie) insanely low pressure and this stem the ride is plush, or as my Path Less Pedaled folk say, Supple. It's remarkably stable as well. On the road the disappearance of road buzz (even with the big tread tires) is almost disconcerting. On the gravel the bike is a lot more fun as I'm not being bashed about.

I also installed Soma Casadaro tires on Tricia's Salsa. Her fame fits 50s, which are huge. It sure looks cool, and she seems happy with them.

We managed to get in a short social distancing test ride in Black Diamond Mines Regional Park. I may never be a gravel lover, but it sure is nice to be out in the green and away from cars.

This weekend the weather is a mess, and I just can't make myself ride in cold rain for fun, so further testing will have to wait.

Riding in the time of Covid 19

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In anticipation of our planned Montana gravel ride along the divide that now may not happen, I bought set of 650B wheels and some really fat tires. I realized today that I wouldn’t be using my bike as a commuter in the foreseeable future so I took off the fenders and rack and popped the new wheels on. I sure enjoyed the beauty of Black Diamond Mines. I can see why this gravel thing is becoming a thing, even though I’m still a roadie in my heart.

A post shared by curtis corlew (@cccorlew) on Mar 21, 2020 at 5:43pm PDT

Tricia almost wins wheel contest

Our favorite Youtube content creators, The Path Less Pedaled, held a contest/giveaway for a set of amazing wheels, pair of Chris King R45D hubs laced to the super light and strong ENVE G27 rims! To win you needed to write up what you'd do with them and send along a photo. We watched the live announcement.

Here's Tricia's minute of fame (linked directly to where they talk about her)


Tricia was one of the top 10. They read her story and showed her photo. It was fun to see the live comments "Let the teacher win!" From there they drew numbers from a helmet. All the finalists were interesting, and though Tricia would have liked to win, she felt like the winner really deserved it. Fun was had. You can check out all the Path Less Pedaled internet presence in various places, and you'll be happy you did.
PLP Web site
The Path Less Pedaled Youtube