Tony, Chris, and Dave Return to Sterling Justice

It has been almost one year since Tony and I went to Pocatello to ride the newish Sterling Justice Trail which was constructed with 2500 hours of volunteer labor.

http://rexburgcycling.blogspot.com/2019/11/dave-and-tony-ride-sterling-justice.html

It has proven surprisingly difficult to get together for a return trip but we were able to make it happen on Saturday.

Scenic, moderately technical, and difficult, Sterling Justice may be the best mountain bike trail in Southeastern Idaho. An optimally placed cedar tree allowed me to manage a potentially catastrophic accident. The only damage was to the beautiful purple paint.

Sticky Stuff Remover Reasonably Effective on Dried Sealant

Yesterday was the big test of the Sticky Stuff Remover recommended  by GCN for the removal of dried sealant. My Boone represented a worse case scenario with buckets of dried sealant on both the down tube and seat tube from several tire punctures .Here's how the test played out:

• I applied the Sticky Stuff Remover fairly heavily with a blue hospital towel and scrubbed vigorously with minimal discernable effect.
• I waited thirty minutes, repeated the process and was able to remove about half of the sealant.
• I waited another thirty minutes, repeated the process a third time and was able to remove almost all of the sealant. I am confident that one more cycle would have removed any residual.

The Sticky Stuff Remover did not appear to damage the paint. With three applications, I used about half an eight ounce bottle to clean one frame. I plan to continue using this product at least until I find another sealant remover of comparable effectiveness.

Restrictions pending for the Trail Forks app.

Good news/bad news on the Trail Forks app. The features of the free app will be severely restricted as of October 1st. After that it will be a subscription service. Trail Forks Pro. $3 a month until the end of time. I guess that is not terrible but I have lost track of how many things I am subscribed to until the end of time. It adds up. However, current users can subscribe through the app up until the 30th of September and lock in a half price special of a $1.50 per month. 

TNR Time Change to 5:30 for Remainder of Season

Final Tuesday night ride of 2020 will be October 27th.

Pogacar rode without power meter or computer for La Planche des Belles Filles | Cyclingnews

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pogacar-rode-without-power-meter-or-computer-for-la-planche-des-belles-filles/ 

Commentary: Tadej Pogačar vs. Primož Roglič becomes an instant classic in Tour de France history – VeloNews.com

https://www.velonews.com/events/tour-de-france/commentary-tadej-pogacar-vs-primoz-roglic-becomes-an-instant-classic-in-tour-de-france-history/ 

Local man overcomes several obstacles en route to finish well in popular bike race | East Idaho News

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/09/local-man-overcomes-several-obstacles-en-route-to-finish-well-in-popular-bike-race/ 

Sepp Kuss downplays potential Tour de France leadership: 'I'd rather win stages than finish in the top-5' – VeloNews.com

https://www.velonews.com/events/tour-de-france/sepp-kuss-downplays-potential-tour-de-france-leadership-id-rather-win-stages-than-finish-in-the-top-5/ 

Organizers gearing up for mountain bike race in Pocatello this weekend | East Idaho News

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/09/organizers-gearing-up-for-mountain-bike-race-in-pocatello-this-weekend/ 

My Pandemic Bike is an Ice Cream Truck

Sled Shed ordered the bike for me in May. Turnaround time from Surly/QBP was only a couple of days. I was unable to resist the pink color which Surly calls "Prickly Pear". Anxious for some snow.

How To Remove Dried Tubeless Tyre Sealant-GCN

    

 I have been a long time user and advocate of tubeless tire technology for a variety of cycling applications (road, mountain, gravel, cyclocross, fat bike). For the past two seasons, I have utilized Muc-Off Sealant almost exclusively with good results. 

     The Muc-Off Sealant has been pretty successful in closing punctures, but it is unusually tenacious when dry. The underside of my bikes looks like this now. 

     Muc-Off markets a sealant removing solvent in Europe which is not available in the US. I have resisted the temptation to attack the dried sealant with industrial solvents fearing potential damage to paint and carbon fiber. 

     The GCN video mentions several products including WD-40 which has zero effectiveness against dried Muc-Off sealant.  I ordered a bottle of Sticky Stuff Remover and will report on its effectiveness. 

Austin at Lotoja

Austin reports that it was freezing cold at the start and he had to borrow a jacket. We are hoping to publish some additional follow-up from Austin in the next few days.

     Other local cyclists participating included Austin's father Justin Lamb and Jack Clark who completed the relay along with other medical colleagues. 

Congratulations to Bruce, Boyd, and Austin on a Successful Lotoja

There is no such thing as an easy Lotoja. I believe this is seven for Bruce, three for Boyd, and one for Austin with a few Lotoja Relays mixed in as well.

     Bruce commented last night that it had been a really hard day and not one part was fun, but he did ride 202 miles.

     This is what Boyd had to say: It's an epic ride that really tests your will to finish.  When I texted (last night) I had just finished and was feeling really sick and "off".  As time goes by I'll remember it was mostly exciting riding with different groups and managing cramps and other challenges  

     

The 200-mile LoToJa race keeps cyclists coming back around for more — even when they’ve sworn it off - The Salt Lake Tribune

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2020/09/11/lotoja-race-keeps/