Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Ryan Kramer


Digital Marketer. Bike Geek.

Avoid Redtrailers.com

I highly encourage you to avoid ordering from Redtrailers.com. They are by far one of the most disorganized online companies I’ve ever ordered from. Took them more than a week to ship the hitch I ordered, and that was only after calling them twice. Seems they forgot to order it from their supplier. When I received the hitch, it had broken through the box, and the box was clearly reused. No tracking info was ever made available, and neither was an online system where I could track the order status.

Then, when I had to return the hitch b/c it wasn’t the best fit on the car (long story, but never installed it), it took EIGHT phone calls over a two week period to get a refund. This was on top of a 25% restocking fee that was nowhere to be found in their terms of service. Seemed to be made up by the admin staff.

Avoid these clowns.

Review: Thule 917XT T2

Rack2

Just installed the 2010 Thule 917XT T2 two-bike, 1 ¼” receiver rack and couldn’t be happier. Admittedly, I do yearn for the original SportWorks version I had about 10yrs ago. But this definitely does the job.

Assembly took about 20 minutes. All tools were included, and these were not the chinsy ones you get from Ikea. If you have a Redline Flight tool from your old BMX days (like I did), this will give you more leverage on the bolts for the trays. Otherwise, the included tools do their job well.

The one gripe I have is the rear tire mount. One side of the strap refuses to stay in place without a bike present. I may use some zipties to hold it in place, but this shouldn’t be an issue on a rack this pricey.

Big thanks to Rackattack.com for the great service.

Thinking how poorly Hutchinson Python performs

Python-end

I’ve run the gamut of MTB tires from burly 24” x 3.0 Nokians to semi-slick Specialized S-Works. Choosing the right tire for the situation, soil type, etc is essential to a great ride.

The Hutchinson Pythons came standard on my RM Element and were dubbed XC marathon tires. After giving them a few fair tries at local ATL trails…they quickly got the boot.

While the Pythons were decently fast at high speed, cornering grip was severely lacking. Even in loamy soil (day after rain), the tires just would not take faster corners without wanting to wash out. While climbing, they didn’t have the adhesion needed to propel me up the steepest climbs without slipping. Combined with two flats due to their thin sidewalls…and you’re outta here.

​