Dan will you be using duremes on your tour and will you carry any spares .
Yes...and yes. The two tires on the Nomad are wired-on (rigid). The trailer will be running the same 26x2.0 Dureme as the bike. I will take either one or two folding versions as spares -- same size, same tire, but with a flexible kevlar bead to facilitate folding.
I am thinking strongly of taking some Mr Tuffy liners I have on hand in lieu of the second folding spare. I would install them only for use in goathead thorn country after getting the first thorn-caused flat.
Still thinking on this. The Mr Tuffys have worked well for me in the past with goatheads, but if one uses them too long, they can wear a hole in the tube and then you get a flat anyway (or at least I have, when using them). We'll see.
i use the Surpreams great tire but not on rough stuff side wall a bit suspect.
<nods> Yes! The Supremes are *great* tires,
especially for pavement. The Dureme is essentially a Supreme with a light tread on it for a little better mechanical lock between tire and dirt and the added "wobbledy" component (all the Supremes I've seen run much truer).
The sidewalls on each are virtually identical, so -- yes -- the Dureme sidewall may give me problems when falling between sharp rocks, as is sometimes the case when I am grinding my way uphill on goat tracks. When the sidewall gets pinched, it makes a sort of "poink-poink" sound as if you tapped an inflated balloon sharply with a finger. The coating on the sidewalls is unbelievably thin and yes, subject to possible damage if caught on something sharp. Maybe I'd better throw in that second folding spare after all....
Best,
Dan.
