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2014 Around the Bend - a "Super" Ride in Big Bend

Bob
One of your students, Ivan, helped change the front tire on a riders XL650 on River Road. It went really fast with Ivan and myself helping the rider.

Great job! The tire skills of you two guys got the guy going again in minimal time :clap:

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Here is Ivan at the Mad Scientist Tire Academy just before Uncle's event. He basically had a very good skill set, but wanted to "brush up" before going out to Big Bend. Looks like it paid off! :sun:

Great job in Big Bend on Uncle's Ride you guys :thumb:
 
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At Rio Grande Village, more tire drama. I believe there was a problem here with a Tubliss system, which you can kind of make out in photo #2.

I'm not exactly sure what the problem was here, perhaps someone involved can explain it better. That looks like Tyler's bike to me!

Sometimes it might "take a village" to deal with a tire problem. Your own practice (and tools on hand) and talented friends can take a day ending problem and turn it into a relatively minor inconvenience.

One thing is for sure, every time you deal with a tire issue, you gain experience.

To my knowledge, several riders were stranded due to mechanicals or a crash, but nobody's day ended due to tire problems.
 
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Guess i didn't ride hard enough. No flats, nothing broken or lost. Will ride harder next year.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 
This is great advice, not just for tires but tools in general.

I deliberately prepped my bike for this year's challenge (including new tires) using only the tools in my on-bike tool roll. During the process I discovered some things I needed and a couple I didn't.

Point being; when I was stranded on Black Gap I was able to completely strip the bike and perform some good testing and repair trailside. Not that in this case it helped but I was certainly better off than if I'd used my nice Craftsman set at the house.

I did discover I needed an 8mm socket for the sprocket cover and I plan to add a test light!

Excellent testimonial, Philip :thumb:
 
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Tyler and his KTM 500 at the start of Black Gap. This was the bike I eyeballed in the back of his pickup in Ozona on the way to last year's Uncle's Ride.

That is indeed the bike with the Tubliss issue in the photos above at Rio Grande Village.
 
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That thumbs up right there represents a consensus that is unanimous: A huge "well done" and thank you to Richard, Connie, Uncle et al for doing all the hard work it takes to organize this event.

And a huge thanks to all sweep riders, present year and past, who volunteer to stay out all day and help others who need it. Long days for those guys.

You can make a lot of choices with what to do with the days assigned to you, but to choose to ride in and around Big Bend is one of the best choices.
 
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What's the view out of your living room window?

This is the view from Ed29's ramada on his place outside Terlingua.

Those of you who completed the Desert Challenge rode right by his place.

He hand built the ramada himself. Jealous!
 
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That thumbs up right there represents a consensus that is unanimous: A huge "well done" and thank you to Richard, Connie, Uncle et al for doing all the hard work it takes to organize this event.

And a huge thanks to all sweep riders, present year and past, who volunteer to stay out all day and help others who need it. Long days for those guys.

You can make a lot of choices with what to do with the days assigned to you, but to choose to ride in and around Big Bend is one of the best choices.




One hundred percent concur!! The very best things in life are usually right in front of us.


Eldorado

By Edgar Allan Poe


Gaily bedight,

A gallant knight,

In sunshine and in shadow,

Had journeyed long,

Singing a song,

In search of Eldorado.


But he grew old—

This knight so bold—

And o’er his heart a shadow—

Fell as he found

No spot of ground

That looked like Eldorado.


And, as his strength

Failed him at length,

He met a pilgrim shadow—

‘Shadow,’ said he,

‘Where can it be—

This land of Eldorado?’


‘Over the Mountains

Of the Moon,

Down the Valley of the Shadow,

Ride, boldly ride,’

The shade replied,—

‘If you seek for Eldorado!’
 
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Uncle, like Ed29, also has quite the set up at his "Rancho Neglecto"

Fire pits, views, and a place to relax in the desert after a day of hard riding, or, a day of doing nothing.

Just the perfect places to watch the stars and the comets.
 

Uncle, like Ed29, also has quite the set up at his "Rancho Neglecto"

Fire pits, views, and a place to relax in the desert after a day of hard riding, or, a day of doing nothing.

Just the perfect places to watch the stars and the comets.[/quote]

Missed you there, Saturday night.
 
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You can extrapolate that somewhere on Old Ore you are about "halfway" on the Desert Challenge when you start in Terlingua, no matter which direction the ride happens.

Richard's advice, as always, is to "pace yourself".

Hit the route too hard or too fast and you may find yourself "out of gas"

There is a reason it is called the Desert "Challenge"

A great test for man and machine :sun:
 
My frustration was compounded by having just cleared the worst of Black Gap right before I broke down!
 
My frustration was compounded by having just cleared the worst of Black Gap right before I broke down!

That was a bummer.

Last year and this year, you rode Big Bend like a Baja 1000 champ.

You earned big karma points though for sticking with and helping the rider on that massive bike on River Road.

Next year we'll ride it and you'll get it done.
 
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Note: In the above photo, the Desert Challenge Track is selected and displayed. The direction of the track, which can be changed, is in the direction this year's ride occurred, counter clockwise.

I'm usually behind the times, so most are probably way ahead of my epiphany

Richard sent out .gpx files for both the Desert Challenge and the Adventure Challenge.

I sent them to my Garmin 62 via Basecamp.

What I wasn't keen on is that Basecamp sent them as routes, not tracks.

Routes are dependent on the mapset in your unit, tracks are not, and can also operate off a topo.

What I didn't also realize is that Basecamp can convert routes to tracks and I think, vice-versa. I could have, and should have, made sure what I sent to the GPS was a track. As it stood, I was using straightline plotting, and trying to figure out how to fix it on the fly. Perhaps others have no problems with routes instead of tracks, but I sure did.

Note: Basecamp can also reverse the route/track (as can most GPS units).

Ergo, you can see my renamed "Desert Challenge" .gpx files and their corresponding symbols in the above photo at the red arrow.

Like with tires, there are smarter people reading this than I, but suffice to say I'm inching nearer to "Basecamp Savvy"

Reading a ton after returning from this year's Desert Challenge, the cognoscenti, at least from what I can find, seem to agree - tracks are better off-road.

I still need to get better in this department.
 
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I had that same revelation about 6 months ago! If in doubt, make it a track. Tracks will also never attempt to re-route you, this is very important if you use Google Maps to plan your journeys.
 
When Richard and Milton and I worked on the tire in Marfa, Richard jumped in with some techniques of his own, many of which are as good or better than mine (the stiff sidewall Geomax was a pain no matter what).

Every time I change a flat for myself or someone else I learn something new. This particular incident I learned about a very useful tool - the bead buddy.

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Bob had a bead buddy with him. I knew about the bead buddy but had not previously used one. After using it during Bob's tire repair I knew I had to get one - it is that good of a tool. It makes remounting the tire to the wheel much easier. It's like an extra set of hands if you happen to be doing a tire change by yourself (which I wasn't doing this time but have done in the past). I ordered one this week so it can become a permanent part of my tire repair kit.

Thanks for the lesson, Bob.
 
Every time I change a flat for myself or someone else I learn something new. This particular incident I learned about a very useful tool - the bead buddy.

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Bob had a bead buddy with him. I knew about the bead buddy but had not previously used one. After using it during Bob's tire repair I knew I had to get one - it is that good of a tool. It makes remounting the tire to the wheel much easier. It's like an extra set of hands if you happen to be doing a tire change by yourself (which I wasn't doing this time but have done in the past). I ordered one this week so it can become a permanent part of my tire repair kit.

Thanks for the lesson, Bob.

This one does the same job, but doesn't weigh nearly as much or take up as much space in your tool bag.
 

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Note: I am ditching the Dunlop Geomax 51 rear tire as well as the rim locks front and rear. Between Richard, Milton, and myself, the stiff sidewall on that tire turned fixing the tube into an hour and a half ordeal, which included Richard's fingers getting slammed, and the rim lock causing another flat that had to be patched. I am returning to tire spoon friendly Dunlop 606s

I know you probably know, but if your tire spins because you are not running rim locks, you will rip out the valve stem. On a 500, your tire WILL move on the rim when running dirt bike air pressures. All of us have had tires that give us trouble, but I promise the 606 Dunlops have stiffer sidewalls that a Geomax 51. I would definitely run rim locks. For dual sport bikes, check out the Motion Pro ultra light rim locks if you have not already.
 
^

I find Motion Pro's new Tire Spoon/Rim Lock combo interesting.

I still have to get the placement right. :lol2:
 
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