I was thinking about pack size on Sunday, as I railed the living shit out of the shaley part of the Silver Creek descent. I used to carry a LOT of tools, and spares, and spokes, as well as about three tubes for a ride like this. And we would pump our little 26x2.1 tires up to about 40psi and be real careful about line selection in the hopes that we wouldn't hammer through those tubes in nothing flat. If someone had told me I would one day be riding this trail on 900 gram tires, I would have laughed out loud. I think my average tire weight back then was about 500 grams.
And now I am running around 23psi on 900 gram tires with maybe 100 grams of sealant in there and taking far more risks with line choice than I would have 20 years ago. My entire flat fixing retinue also weighs about as much as a single tube.
2 liters of water, a big bottle of electrolyte/carb mix, some tasty baked goods, one frugal can of beer for the regroup at the top of Silver, rain jacket and pants (those mighta been overkill), sunscreen, fixit-sticks, mini knipex, Dynaplugs, pump. It was cool enough weather that I had just enough water, the rest was a matter of crossing fingers and trying not to crash.
July 1, 2025, 7:16 a.m. - Mike Ferrentino
I was thinking about pack size on Sunday, as I railed the living shit out of the shaley part of the Silver Creek descent. I used to carry a LOT of tools, and spares, and spokes, as well as about three tubes for a ride like this. And we would pump our little 26x2.1 tires up to about 40psi and be real careful about line selection in the hopes that we wouldn't hammer through those tubes in nothing flat. If someone had told me I would one day be riding this trail on 900 gram tires, I would have laughed out loud. I think my average tire weight back then was about 500 grams. And now I am running around 23psi on 900 gram tires with maybe 100 grams of sealant in there and taking far more risks with line choice than I would have 20 years ago. My entire flat fixing retinue also weighs about as much as a single tube. 2 liters of water, a big bottle of electrolyte/carb mix, some tasty baked goods, one frugal can of beer for the regroup at the top of Silver, rain jacket and pants (those mighta been overkill), sunscreen, fixit-sticks, mini knipex, Dynaplugs, pump. It was cool enough weather that I had just enough water, the rest was a matter of crossing fingers and trying not to crash.