Smokin’ Deal

Today I received my latest eBay purchase: two brand new, never mounted Maxxis Raze tires. They retail for $44 apiece and I got both for a grand total of $40 including shipping. That’s just nuts.

Now, I am all for supporting the local bike shops. In the last seven years I have bought two bikes and two wheelsets from Mountain Outfitters, one bike and a CycleOps trainer from Pedal Moraine, plus accessories, plus mechanical services, plus clothing, etc. But sometimes you get a chance at an Internet deal that’s just too good to ignore.

I’ve had Maxxis Raze tires before and I love ’em: they’re light and grippy on gravel or dirt, but they still roll fast on pavement. The tires are intended for cyclocross but they’re great rail-trail tires too and will handle almost anything short of technical singletrack. On the downside, the treadlife is pretty short. These are going to be special event tires. I’m thinking about a trial run on the Eisenbahn State Trail this Sunday, just to make sure that the tires perform as desired at the DeKalb gravel grinder on May 30. (After the gravel grinder, I’ll go back to my cheap and heavy but durable Kendas for training on my flat-bar bike.) Anyone want to join me on Sunday, roughly 50 miles roundtrip from West Bend to Eden and back?