Dirt bikes

al i reading into the mousse stuff correctly? 20mph max on pavement, 80mph max on dirt and a 6 month use life?

 

Never worried about the max speeds too much. Ran nitromousse in the 650R in Baja which included several transfer stages at 60mph for dozens of miles at a time. We changed mousses out about every other day rear (once we changed after one day) and fronts twice in 5 days over 1500 miles. That was mostly precautionary and included speeds up to 100mph. 80 on the dirt is way faster than most will ever go anyhow.

They don't last forever, but you can cut them and stuff old mousse sections in and keep going until they are well and truly fucked out. Keep them lubed and they last just fine. It's a bit of a pain, but if you are serious about not getting flats, they are they ticket.

 

My company has a corporate discount with garmin so I got the unit for $225. I use their cheapest plan which is $12/mo but have to keep it active year round. They have a flexible plan where you only pay the months you want to use it, but there’s an activation fee each time. Didn’t make sense to me.

The competitor to Garmin inreach is Spot. I read a few stories of Spot devices not working when needed which turned me off.

Other options are satellite phones which looked really expensive and still have monthly plans or Personal Locating Beacons. PLBs are nice in that they don’t have a plan, but they are really only an oh shit device. I’ve done dual sport rides where I don’t have cell signal at the end of the day. With my garmin I can at least text my wife that I’m done for the day and safe.

 

I use my inReach a lot. It's great to have in a group when way back in the mountains, as well as when I am riding solo. My brother has one as well, and we keep an eye on each other when one person is riding solo.

 

Ok you asked and here's the short answer to your question

Mousse tubes are made by injecting a liquid rubber mix into a mold and it becomes the desired shape. This “tube” becomes a closed cell foam (mousse) insert which is designed to be a specific density/hardness which gives the bump absorption and tear resistance to prevent a flat. A Pirelli mousse Mousse and Gel | Pirelli is designed to simulate tire pressure of .7 bar (+, -.1) or about 10 psi. All mousse tubes are installed coated with gel to help fight friction during use and to aid the installation process. And don’t you think riding on pavement or off road with any tire or tire & tube combination with 10 psi is going to cause stability and over-heating issues as the speed goes up?

The downside of any current mousse product is that they shrink as they age whether in use or in storage. With the miles increasing a mousse will start to break up and or turn to powder inside the tire. The other issue is you MAY have to adjust the suspension to adapt the bike to the “feel” the mousse product gives.

When the manufacturer states it has a 6-month shelf life it means it will be it’s very best during this time, but many people use them for much longer. I’ve seen a Pirelli mousse used for casual trail riding last well over a year. The downside is as time goes on the mousse shrinks and it causes more friction in the tire, and this causes the tire to wear faster. So, it comes down to this, if you must absolutely not stop riding a mousse insert is the only answer.

The difference between street tubes and off-road only tubes are as follows. Street tubes are made from synthetic rubber and are thinner than an off-road tube. The street tube holds air better and doesn’t build as much heat, and most are rated up to 120mph if I remember correctly. An off-road tube is thicker (2-3mm in most cases) and is made from a blend of synthetic/natural rubber and is NOT DOT approved. This rubber compound gives more puncture and pinching resistance and the down side is you have to watch the air pressure carefully.

There also a product called tire balls www.tireballs.com that GNCC champion Scott Summers helped developed. The idea is you install about 30 of these mini air chambers in the tire and if you get a puncture only one or maybe 2 lose air but the other 28 allow you to keep riding. Much like a mousse they take practice to install them quickly but they are an option.

Finally, most if not all brands of off-road/enduro tires are made as a tube type tire. This MEANS that the tire does not have a layer of special rubber in its construction to allow it to hold air, and this tire requires a tube to hold air.

Most of the serious guys that I know get a tube bag and mount it to the front fender and carry a 21” HD tube in it. Why a 21? Because you can stuff it in an 18” or 19” tire and keep riding but an 18” won’t stretch to fit a 21” wheel. And it’s real easy to zip-tie a couple of alum Motion Pro tire irons to the fork tubes and put your MP bead buddy and CO2 inflator in the air box, or wear a tool bag. Hope this helps.

 

What size are you? I have some stuff hanging around that I only wore once or twice that you can have.

I thinks its size 38 pant and 2X jersey. I got pretty big after getting sick and quitting racing but still did a few trail rides.

 

dude. awesome info! thanks!

 

Flex Seal. It's like duct tape for balloons.

 

This right here is another reason I am all foam all the time. You get to ditch a ton of tools off your on bike set. You’re trading some upfront cost and hassle for streamlined off-road time.

By the way, once you learn to technique for changing foams, it goes really fast. They are as easy as tubes, IMO and easier than tubliss.

 

As someone that is recovering from ACL surgery, having severed it from running into a tree while on a dirt bike...never ride without knee braces. Yes, they're expensive. Deal with it. I'll recover from it, but fuck do I regret not having them at the time.

I'm not a safety gear nazi by any means, but several things I will never ride a dirt bike without ever again: Helmet, boots, chest protector, and knee braces.

 

Sorry to hear about your knee - best wishes.

Just Googled them, and holy fuck you're not kidding about knee braces being expensive............Jesus.

 

My advice for knee braces is- get something with a slimmer profile.

Needless to say, shit happens with the best gear on- rode at the mx track last Saturday and a buddy broke the big toe on his left foot in a pair of Tech 10 boots in a relatively minor crash.

 

I’m in the knee pad with armor vs knee brace camp. Looked at Don Joy braces for a long time but decided it’s a bit of picking your poison.

100% on the have to have something tip, though.

 

On the first weekend of September, Mobious knee braces and Tech 10s saved my leg from real damage. I clipped an oak tree in third gear accelerating out of a corner in the woods. That hit moved the bike over enough wherein the tree VIOLENTLY pulled my left foot off the peg. The front plowed hard enough to flip me off the bike wherein it landed on me.

The result, a maisonneve fracture four inches below the knee. Two ortho docs and pediatrist had never seen such a clean break from that kind of fracture. Usually, it’s not a transverse break, but rather, a diagonal splinter which requires Ti hardware.

Spend the money and wear the gear. Would’ve been way worse without it.

 

Look into the mobius knee braces. They have a dial tightens them around the back of the knee and support the ligaments. They are the best I’ve seen. I bought some carbon evs ones a year or so ago and while they are light, they are bulky. I got em on clearance but if I were buying again I’d get the mobius.

 

I have mobius braces and really like them. My only gripe with them is they have ZERO ventilation. Once you ride with braces its very hard to go back to just pads. I feel naked without them.

But as you know. Gear cant protect you from everything. I had a pretty small accident in the woods and broke three and dislocated one metatarsal wearing gaerne SG12s. I felt really stupid.

 

I've worn Mobius and they are great for sure but like mentioned they have no venting. I am back using the Astars braces which I like a lot as well, plus they vent really well. They are also super slim. I had a big branch that was jutting out from the side of the trail try to impale my knee and these deflected it to the side before it blew apart one of the hinges of the brace. I thought I broke my leg from how hard the impact was and I had a ton of bruising but in the end I was completely fine. I was happy to get another set after that experience.

 

I guess I have a few more things to add to my shopping list for next year. I hadn't really given any thought to knee braces until the discussion here, but it definitely makes sense. I have been wearing elbow armor, but that is because I have surgically repaired elbow that I am still a little protective of. There isn't much natural padding there so any impact could be damaging and even with insurance, that is not an expense I want to incur again.

I just added a pair of Gaerne boots but have only done a small break-in ride with them so far. The protection seems great but it will take some getting used to not having as much feel for shifting and breaking.

 

What kind of armor vests or shirts are you all wearing? I have a fox that is nice but getting a bit worn. My brother got a really nice leatt one but I’ve been eying some of the Astars ones too.

 

I wear the astars sequence jacket in the short sleeve and love it. Super comfortable and vents really well. Takes a good hit too!