Exiwolf 29er 2.3 Review and a late Pinehurst lap

11-14-2010
For the last week or two, I've noticed my back tire just skidding all over the trail. On Wednesday, I had a lot of issues getting the rear tire to stay planted on ascents where I stood up and whenever I was braking hard around turns. It's not that I was necessarily braking hard, it seems that it would just lock up at the slightest braking.  After looking at the tires on Saturday morning, they almost looked like they were dry rotted.  I've beat these tires up a lot and I've been very pleased with them over the last few months, but I really felt like new tires would be helpful.  I had seen some WTB Exiwolfs at Wheels of Wellington for $26 each, so I decided to shop around and see who else had tires as well as any deals they might have. 


Awesome. At first I was a bit hesitant about the Exiwolfs at Amelia Earhart Park, but I'm more confident after putting 22 miles on them today. 22 miles? How did I get that number? Oh yeah, since I was a little concerned about their handling in the turns, I hurried back to the apt and went to Pinehurst as the sun was setting.  My idea was that maybe I hadn't given them as fair of a shake since I was at a place I had never been to before.


At the familiar Pinehurst trail, I had much more grip over logs and roots than with the Nevegals. The grip in the sand was better than the Nevegals, but I had to be careful not to turn too quickly or I'd wash out. Straight line grip is pretty good. I pushed myself pretty hard at Pinehurst and finished in 29 minutes. I probably could have been quicker, but I made some mistakes as I couldn't see the trail as well as I normally do and I was a little tired and cramped from the 14 miles earlier at Amelia Earhart Park. 

Exiwolf on the left, Nevegal on the right

Looking side by side, the Exiwolf 2.3s look thinner than the Nevegal 2.2s

Nothing screams class and sophistication like this.

I'm pretty sure I didn't hit 46.8 mph today, but if the computer says I did, then I'll take it.

New lowest weight.  I was 185+ a few months ago.

The tires definitely roll much better than the Nevegals, especially on pavement. I was able to hit 20 mph and sustain it without bouncing. I couldn't go above 15 mph without bouncing on the Nevegals. I don't want to dismiss the nevegals because when they were new, they bit into everything. I loved them. After 610 miles though, they showed a lot of wear and almost looked dry rotted in places. I'm keeping them in case I rip the Exiwolfs, but I'm betting the Exiwolfs won't come off the bike for some time.  I finished with 632 miles on my bike today.  Here are some pics of the new tires: 

Tire Search and Amelia Earhart Park

11-13-2010 

As boring as this sounds, I shopped the West Palm area bike shops that I haven't visited recently. I went to Wheels of Wellington first and found they still had the Exiwolfs and they were still $26 each. They didn't look nearly as beefy as the Nevegals did, but I was just looking at this point.  

Next, I headed to Bike America in Boynton.  This store has a lot of room.  It's nice, clean and neat. At the time I went in it had one customer other than myself and 2 people working.  I found a set of Specialized Captain 2.0s in 29", but nothing else.  I kind of expected a shop like this to have more of a selection.  I also expect at least a hi, hello, or something when you're walking around a store for 10 minutes.  After not seeing anything that I wanted/needed, I left and probably won't come back.

Next store up was Boynton Bicycle Rider.  I had been here a few years ago and they were nice, but it was a really small store. The employees were nice and helpful, but they didn't have any 29" tires for me.  I did get to overhear a...well, he sounded like a douchebag customer going on and on.  Seriously, he's the kind of asshole that sounds like he never left the Jersey shore and at 45 still tries to be a badass.  You see, he was there to buy a bike, not because he wanted to enjoy riding or exercise. No, it's because he got a DUI and wanted everyone in the store know how awesome he was.  Except he wasn't.  

Next store I was going to try was called Boynton Bicycle Shop.  It was supposedly at 312 E Boynton.  I looked all over and couldn't find it.  I got hungry, so I went to grab some food and talked with Jamie to see if I could grab the tires from Wheels of Wellington.  She ok'd it and I grabbed them late in the afternoon and put them on Saturday night.  

11-14-2010

Amelia Earhart park in Hialeah, FL. Fun trail. This is not a technical trail like oleta or Markham. The trail has enough for everyone though. I rode the trail twice back to back. It was 7 miles to the car and back. Actual trail length is probably 6.75 miles or so. On the first lap, I went pretty leisurely through the trail and it was a bit boring until I started on the hills at about the end of the first mile of trail.

The hills here are bigger than most places I've ridden here in South Florida and overall the trail seems to be more fun than Markham or Oleta. I say more fun because the trail is really laid out well and keeps riders on the same trail throughout. There are plenty of bypasses for novice riders, but they all reconnect to the main trail. 

The flow is what is so great here. There are plenty of fast and flat portions that weave in and out of the trees. The ground in many places is actual hard packed dirt, not the sandy dirt or limestone trail I've seen other places. I finished the first lap in about 45 min. Second lap was almost the same time. 

I began right behind a group that was taking a leisurely ride through and I was able to pass after the first mile. I also ran into a family that was hiking backwards through the trail and I think I spooked them all a little. I don't know if it's a multi use trail or only for bikes. I would definitely keep your eyes open because the park was extremely busy when I got there at about 2 pm. 

I also ran into a couple of kids who werent wearing helmets and were probably 7-11 years old. I never wore a helmet as a kid, but that's because my parents didn't like me. Just kidding Mom.  Parents should care enough about their kids enough to make sure they at least strap something to their heads to keep from getting seriously hurt.  If they don't care, they should put a helmet on them because going to the hospital is expensive. There are signs all over saying helmets are required.  Ok, rant over.

The hills should be approached with some caution, especially in the razorback section because of their height above ground level and the angles of the hills. On one hill I made it to the top with some effort and was able to put a foot down only to almost fall backwards down the hill. Many of the hills are covered with carpet that makes the ascents much easier than if they were simply the limestone thats underneath. 

This is a really fun trail.  I will definitely go back with Jordan and Jimmy to ride this trail again.  This trail has the best flow of any trail in South Florida and was a joy to ride.  Like I said before, it's not technical, but it's a satisfying ride and definitely fun.  Here's a map of today's ride:

Halpatiokee Regional Park Review

11-12-2010
Today, I left the apt at about 3:15PM for Halpiotokee Regional Park in Stuart, FL. Here is the location of the trailhead. It was a relatively short drive up to the park and no traffic. The park was nice and a mix of Fort Pierce and Pinehurst. There were plenty of roots and sand, but also a lot of smooth, relatively fast, good flowing parts of this trail. 


The photos I have below are low quality.  I didn't realize how poor the quality was until I looked at them later.  I was using the app Motion X GPS.  It's a good app, but I'd really like to have the option to change the quality in the app instead of going into the regular camera app.  


The trail seemed well marked the first few miles even to the point of being obnoxious in the middle where there was nowhere else to go. The trail moved from the wooded area to the open, and finally towards the highway. Unfortunately, the signs quit being helpful after awhile and the trail would end in a T and I no real idea of which way to go. I kept moving towards the highway (or at least where I thought the highway was) because I knew I could find my way to the highway, I could get back to the car. If you blow up the map below, you can see where I did a big loop towards the east side of the trail.  I later found that this is actually the route.  It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to go from being marked well to nothing and dump the rider hundreds of yards from a usable trail. I ended up making some wrong turns and did a fire road loop while the sun was setting and clouds were beginning to form overhead.  I did a total of 9 miles for the day and 610 miles on the bike overall.  Here are some pics from the day's ride:

Aerial image of my ride

About to get the Cog dirty again!

Towards the trailhead

Trail markers

This is what most of the trail looks like

Part of the wetter portion of the trail

Balance beam

One of several bridges

Clouds gathering at the end of the ride.

As soon as I took this shot, it began to rain.

Grazing birds eating asphalt

Mounted up and ready to go back to West Palm.

Tread worn down on the Nevegals

A parting shot leaving the park.

600 miles!

11-10-2010
I started out pretty early today and did a lap at Pinehurst in 28:50. That's been my fastest lap going through all the obstacles. I was pretty happy about that. After I finished, I didn't feel too well and I figured it might have something to do with my camelbak water tasting awful and me drinking a bit. You see, if you leave water or gatorade in a camelbak and don't keep it cool or clean it out after every ride, you get nastiness inside it.  I drank a bit of that nastiness, so for future reference, don't drink nasty smelling water/gatorade. 


I was disappointed and knew I'd have to ride a lot tomorrow to get my 600 miles in 3 months. I decided to do some riding at Okeeheelee and felt better soon after. I rode 28 miles today and now have 601 miles on the Monocog. I'm hoping to go to Amelia Earhart park either tomorrow (Veterans Day) or Friday in the late morning/ early afternoon. 

11-11-2010

I cleaned up, lubed, and got the bike set up again for smooth riding.  I had the day off, but I worked and kind of relaxed later in the afternoon by cleaning up my bike.

November coolness rolls into South Florida

11-1-2010

The new month has gotten off to a slow start. I planned on going riding in the morning. Not trusting the interwebs for information, I concluded that the sun should be up 30 minutes before it would be. Lo and behold this morning, guess what happened at 6:45? Yep, that's right, it was still dark. Apparently, my willpower is no match for gravity and planetary orbits and such. So, what to do so early? Go back to sleep of course. By the time I awoke, it was too late to begin a ride in time for work. 

At about 5, I headed out with Jordan to Pinehurst. I did one lap all reds in a little more than 30 minutes. I saw it was nearly 6, getting dark, and about to rain. I begrudgingly headed back to the apartment, but decided to ride a bit at Okeeheelee. A bit in this context is defined as me not being able to see much anymore due to the decreasing light. I got back at about 7:20 with 21 miles for the day and 506 miles on the bike.

11-2-2010

I decided to try to use a cage and water bottle today. I also ordered my avid speed dial 7 levers, which should be in on Friday. I also decided at lunch to clean my bike and relube my chain. The bike hadn’t been cleaned since Texas, so it certainly didn’t hurt to be clean again. The cage and bottle combo worked well today, although I should have probably drank a bit more water before I went for my ride seeing that the bottle is only 24 oz. I rode a fast first lap at Pinehurst at 29:10. My second lap started about 6, as it was getting dark out. I took it easy and was going to focus on the harder, red, rooty portions. I finished in a respectable 33:15. Not fast, but that's not what I was going for. I tried out Jordan's saddle bag, but it was simply too big for what I want. Stuff was flying all around inside it and made a ton of noise. I am really happy with how simple my bike is.  It’s awesome how it makes virtually no noise and I like to keep it that way.

Then rode to Okeeheelee for another 10 miles as the sun was setting and darkness took over. I finished with 21 miles for the day and 527 on the bike.

I am beginning to look at new tires as my Kenda Nevegals are starting to wear. I've used them everywhere and I like them, but I may try something with a little less rolling resistance around Christmas. I priced a headset at about $60 from Jim’s Bicycles in Deerfield. That price is about what others charge, but they will install it for free for me. I called all around the West Palm Area for the Avid Speed Dial 7 brake levers and no one had them in stock. This wasn't surprising, but the salespeople here could learn a little about how to talk to customers. Some shops just told me that they didn't have it. Some offered me something I didn't ask for and only 2 said they could order them and get them to me by Friday. Jim’s was the natural choice as they were the same price and they know who I am. I really like that place even though it's a 45 min drive. I need to find a good shop like that in Texas.

11-3-2010

No ride today. Relaxed a bit and had dinner with Jordan, Jimmy and Everette instead. I'm looking forward to my new levers Friday! By the way fried squash is awesome.

11-4-2010

Rain, so no riding today.

11-5-2010

It rained pretty good last night, but skies were clear all day. I was able to pick up my levers from Jim’s at about 5 pm. Since Jim’s is across from Quiet Waters, I really wanted to ride with the new levers. Jimmy was nice enough to let me borrow his truck so I could ride the park.

The levers are awesome. I felt like they were quite responsive and I know I haven’t adjusted them very well yet, so I'm excited to play around with them a bit. I will say I like my hand position, especially the reach. Quiet Waters was fun even though I got passed by 3 guys. I was puttering along for the most part since I don't know my way around here very well. I did 6 miles and have 533 miles on the bike. I did the trail in about 40 minutes. Not very fast today at all. There's a bit more hills at this park than at Pinehurst. I enjoyed the hills, but I was slipping and sliding around a ton! I didn't like that. I had the biggest problem when I was standing up. I was standing because it's a pretty rocky trail. It's only so much I can enjoy being seated on a trail like this. Once I did sit down, I did get better traction, but I didn't have as much power or comfort. 

 The trail was nice, but very windy and started to get cold.  The low temp was down in the 50's today. Looks like I'll begin looking for some warmer clothes.  I did wear a long sleeve under armor shirt along with my short sleeve.  

11-6-2010

Another Pinehurst ride today. 4 laps. 1st lap 29:15, 2nd lap 30:00, 3rd lap 28:56, 4th lap 30:30.  All reds today again. I have 22 miles on my bike today and 555 overall. I had to make a quick ride back to the apt after Jimmy tore his tire and tube open between laps 2 and 3. There’s a spot at Pinehurst on the west side where there are 2x4s across the trail nailed down.  I’ve seen the nails come up before and since then I’ve been able to avoid the spot.  It looks like Jimmy will need to get a new tube and tire before he can ride again.

I don't think I've ever put so much time and effort into enjoying a sport like this. I absolutely love riding. Even when I'm huffing and puffing down the trail, riding down the street, or doing somewhat boring road rides, it's a great feeling to be hugging the turns and making your bike do exactly what you want it to do.  I know I must be annoying to my wife by talking about riding so often and probably to my friends as well.  I am glad they put up with me though.  I really wish I had started riding again sooner than I did. I have set the 200 mile goal per month for myself, but I am hoping to do much longer rides than what I have so far starting in the spring and summer of 2011.  I am contemplating even doing the Hotter Than Hell 100 on the Monocog in Mineral Wells next year. 

11-7-2010

No ride today. I cleaned up the apartment and my room today. It was quite the mess. Were making chili at Heather and Trevors tonight. We’ll see how everyone likes spicy chili. 

It seems like everyone enjoyed both the spicy and the not so spicy chili. There was none left at the end of the evening, which may be a first at their house. I'm looking forward to some long rides this week at Pinehurst and then Miami /Ft Lauderdale next weekend. I had a good time watching the Walking Dead at 10 on AMC.  This show rocks!

11-8-2010

11 more miles today. I hit Pinehurst a little after 5. I was only able to do one lap because it was getting dark. I had one of my best laps today and I was really happy with the trail conditions except for the sand. I really don't like sand. There's just not a lot of fun in going through it. I changed my music from just Mumford & Sons to a mix from my collection based upon Cage the Elephant's "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". I was hauling through the trail today and ended my lap at 29:28. I rode around a bit to make it 11 miles and 566 miles total. I also got my new bottle opener in today. 

11-9-2010

I met Jordan at Pinehurst today after getting a late start. He had already done one lap by the time I got there. I rode one lap off and on with Jordan and he had a few problems with his bike.

The first time we stopped his headset was loose. The second time we stopped I noticed he was having a lot of noise coming from his rear derailleur. It just didn't look right. He was able to finish the trail, but we headed back before it got worse. It was a leisurely 7 mile ride in 31:30 minutes. 

We took his bike to the shop he purchased it at to see what was wrong. Apparently, he was able to bend his derailleur so badly the shop said it had “exploded”. He decided to wait to get it repaired till he got back since he's leaving in 2 days. 573 miles total on the bike now.