Well I finally did it. No, I don't mean "it" as in finally putting on a CT. Heck I did that last winter. I mean "IT", as in I finally took my CT equiped bike out on the track. We have a really fun little track up here just south of the Twin Cities, 16 turns, 1 mile ride of fun! Now I am not that terribly experienced as a track rider, matter of fact, this was only my fourth time on a track. But I think, or I'd like to think anyways, that if you're scaping pegs and flicking the bike from side to side without thinking about it too much, then a CT on the feejer ain't such a bad thing. Something else to consider, this tire has 20K on it so far this season.
When I was presented with an opportunity to do a little track time, I jumped all over it. Timing was perfect. It came the week before the Hooterville ride, and I wanted to be able to push the limits of this tire a bit and improve my confidence in it before I rode it on those Mo and AR back roads. Besides, if the tire was going to fail me on a tight turn and get balled up, at least I was going to be close to home.
Also, I have to admit it was kind of amusing interpretting the looks I was getting from some of the other riders as I rode by to get back on the track, "that foocking idiot has a CT on, he'll crash n burn".
So, tell us about your time at the track and your impressions of the tire. Where's Paul Harvey when ya need him? We're anxious to hear, "The rest of the story."
Gary
darksider #44
"The rest of the story..."
The afternoon on the track was a lot of fun. But as we know, the road conditions are usually pretty good, or at the very least far better than the pavement we commute on on a daily basis. No potholes, minimal tar snakes, or riders on the course who you have some confidence in that they know what they're doing, and no sign posts at the side of the road in the event that that becomes a concern. Another thing you don't come across too much of on a track is gravel.
I had a blast on the track. I didn't think I pushed it too hard, but yet hard enough that I felt confident that the rear tire wouldn't slide out from me under "good" conditions. Still worked up the heart rate though. Would I run the CT if I wanted to do a lot more track days? Most likely not.
In my use of the CT this season I really enjoyed it, it was well worth having on the bike.
However, there were a few times (2 close calls with the third one being possibly "fatal" for the bike) where I felt the front tire slide out from me. All three times it was hitting just a small amount of gravel. Someone had posted earlier about their concern about how they thought their front tire was wearing in an unusual manner. Maybe it was because the two tires just weren't tracking quite right, not in unison let's say. Now we have all slid just a bit when hitting unseen gravel, or tar snakes on a hot summer day, or as I did once an oil leak from a car that got worse as it got into a pair of twisties near my house. I came into that curve a bit hot and drifted out of the apex as I usually do. I had on BT's that day and was shocked and amazed at how the bike just slipped through that oil and hooked up right away. Thing is though, BOTH tires slipped and hooked up at the same time.
I do think from my 20K experience with this CT, that there is some truth to the idea that the front and back are not in sync with each other. Down in Hooterville recently, I rode over a little patch of gravel. Never have I felt like the CT was ever inferior grip wise. That tire just flat out sticks. But I think it puts unusual stress on the front tire. This time when I hit that gravel, the front was gone from underneath me before I knew what happened. It wasn't such a large patch of gravel, and I don't think that if I had had a BT on the back that I would have lost the bike like that. As I said earlier, I think most of us have had "pucker" moments when we ride over something we'd rather not. Can I say for certain I wouldn't have lost it? No
My conclusion about the CT. I won't hesitate to mount it on again. I say "again", because tonight I put the Avon back on it for the adjuster to see tomorrow. I figure there's no sense in confusing him with a CT on a bike. However I will try to find a second rear wheel that I can keep a BT on. CT for the majority of my riding, and the BT for those more spirited rides. Besides, I haven't been asigned a darksider number <tongue-n-cheek> so I'll take the liberty to switch back n forth.
Obviously these are just my observations from my summer on the CT. It is a great substitution for a BT in many ways, but it isn't perfect. I think it's the little things that make it inferior to the bike tire, and sometimes it's those little things that bite you in the a$$.
Mike
Bust is famous for that.
