Saturday, 12 May 2012 [70,333 miles]
I’ve not liked the Heidenau K60 Sport front since the day I mounted it on the front of my bike. To spite me the tire has lasted, and lasted, and lasted. At just under 13,000 miles of wear it still has lots of tread left, but the wear is uneven and I am ready for a change.
New tire time
TKC80 for the front
Tire changing stand w/bead breaker
I’m going back to a TKC80 in the front. It’s OK on the road and gives me a bit more confidence in the dirt. This is also the first chance to try the bead breaker attachment for my tire changing stand on a tubeless tire. It works quite well.
Front Axle
Bye-bye
The rear tire pressure monitor destroyed itself quite a while ago. The sensor console was removed when I last changed rear tires. It’s now time for the front sensor to go. All it is doing is adding a lump of weight where it is not needed.
Ready for new valve stem
New valve stem
Balanced
After removing old tire I also removed the valve stem – it was time for a change – and gave the wheel a good cleaning. It’s easier to clean when on the stand. Then I installed a new valve stem and the new rubber. I didn’t notice any balancing marks on the tire. In any case it only took 14 grams to balance. Removing the tire pressure sensor made a big difference. I pulled about 60 grams of weight off the rim as part of the clean up.
The wheel is back on the bike and the bike is ready to ride.