Begin Again. Day 171. Accra, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 170. Abrekum, Apam, Winneba, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 169. Elmina, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 168. Esiama, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 166. Assinie-Mafia, Côte d'Ivoire.

It's clear now, at least about as conclusive as these things can get, that shit valves that came with a new Specialized Rival wheel set led to the annihilation of a tire, a lot of limited cash for my self-funded racing endeavors, and a great race finish. I'd noticed the front valve leaking on my recent molas to town pre-ride but after tightening both once home with needle nose pliers (not so much that removing them was going to be an issue if necessary with only gloves / on the trail) I assumed the problem was resolved. At about mile 30 in Dolores when I initially tried to recover pressure in the rear with a co2 cartridge, all of the co2 blasted out between the lock nut and the rim. I subsequently struggled to tighten the valve enough so I could inflate with my hand pump. Eventually only the tube saved me. I usually roll with 26-28 ish pis rear, 22-24 ish front, ideally 26-22. So if the valve leaked even a few pounds the rim would be in serious jeopardy and I think it was. Consistent with this observation, I never saw or felt the rock that did the damage and that's likely due to it's insignificance if my tire hadn't have been slowly deflating since the race started. What a bummer, a tough lesson to learn, use valves that you trust and if there is any doubt replace them for a few dollars!!!!

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André Breton Cycling

Escalante Days | Endurance 50 | Catastrophic flat + broken carbon hoop caused by a leaking (shit) valve stem.

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Begin Again. Day 171. Accra, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 170. Abrekum, Apam, Winneba, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 169. Elmina, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 168. Esiama, Ghana.

Begin Again. Day 166. Assinie-Mafia, Côte d'Ivoire.

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