With brand new Maxxis Assegai tires on the Ripmo I was stoked to get out and try my luck on the dusty, rocky trails that define mountain biking in Utah this time of year. I made it all the way to the trailhead, reached down to take a drink and realized I had left my water home. I debated testing my body to see how long I could go without water but with the temperature rising I took a minor detour, convinced myself that I would drive to the trailhead and headed home. With water in hand I and my truck full of junk I gave up on driving and made the climb to the trailhead again. This time I was stopped at the entrance to the canyon by a city worker who warned me that they were working on the road. I started to wonder if the universe hated me for my new tires, if I was just unlucky or if I was just not living right. With the trailhead just a hundred yards from my location I rerouted and climbed to the Bonneville Shoreline trail so I could drop into the canyon from the south.
I was mainly interested in determining how new Assegai tires would perform against year old, worn out Assegai tires. The trail is all moon dust and marbles right now and slick as ice in the corners. I already discovered the consequences of miscalculating the corner conditions recently. Would the new rubber make a difference? Turns out the answer is yes. Having that extra traction was great. The Assegais bite into the loose rock and dust. Did they solve every risk in every corner? No, I still slid around when I pushed hard. However, the beauty this time is that even when I lost traction the tires would bite in pretty quickly and save me from sliding.
The ride – Providence Canyon
The bike – Ibis Ripmo