Leaky tire issue solved

So I have been running tubeless tires on my mountain bike for the past few years. It is nice just to inflate before a ride and get out on the trail. I make a few adjustments to the PSI depending on the trail type I’ll be riding. 

A few weeks ago, I was losing pressure on my ride, about half way through. There was no obvious punctures in the tires and they held air fine to begin with. 

After investigating a little deeper,  the valve was what was giving me problems. Sure enough I took the valve core out and the tubeless sealant inside was causing issues not letting it seal all the way. A quick and easy solution was to remove and replace the valve core. 

BOOM, fix is done!  While I was at it, I added three fresh ounces of sealant and inflated the tire. 

I was able to get out on the trails again this past weekend and the tires I replaced both valve stem cores are holding air just fine again. 

You can see in the photo, the new valve core on the left and the older one on the right. 

Continental's Mountain King 29 inch tires by 2.2 inch width

Finally, I have a good set of mountain bike tires on my mountain bike, but it’s been a rough ride, PUN intended. After installing the Continental's Mountain King 29 inch tires by 2.2 inch, the tubeless tires were wobbly and didn’t feel right after only riding under ten miles on them. I contacted the company to complain about the issue. Through the process I found out there was a bad batch of tires out there.  Needless to say, the company sent me out replacement tires, as I ripped off and destroyed the wobbly tires.  

The tread pattern is great for the desert trails here in Arizona and like the tire now that I have a set of useable rubber. 

I was able to get a 12 mile ride in on Friday night before the sun went down.  This set of new Continental's Mountain King 29 inch tires seems to be holding air well and does not wobble.  I think they are keepers. Shout out to the customer service on making things right Continental. 

Arisun and CHAOYANG road tire test

I have loved the contact as well as the rolling resistance of Arisun’s lightweight Vitesse road tire, as well as Chaoyang Fly Fish road tire.  Both tires are 700 X 23c.  I tried and tested them both out in both front and back wheels as well as swapping them out and finding out the best combination to use them in.  

First off the Arisun Vitesse is a great smooth treaded tire. The tire is created with a hard compound in the center to help with the rolling resistance while the outer edges are a little softer for better cornering. The tire is rated with a 120 TPI. The tire has a Nylon Defense Plus puncture protection, the company says. I have ridden hundreds of miles on the same tire and have had no issues with punctures. 

Next up, the Chaoyang Fly Fish. These tires have a little bit of texture to the outside edges, for helping in cornering. These are also rated at 120 TPI and are a very smooth rolling tire. There is a Kevlar anti-puncture layer in these tires.  

Both of these tires have great rolling resistance and could be used or either racing or training with.