The Austin Triathlon

Friday, September 4, 2009 0 comments
Imagine a world class triathlon held in the front yard of one of the most active and outgoing cities in the US. Imagine a large event with the atmosphere and intimacy of a small hometown race. Imagine biking down the most historic street in Texas. Imagine the fun. That is The AVIA Austin Triathlon!

Grease Monkey Wipes is proud to be a sponsor of the Austin Tri and are glad that we can be involved in the fun and festivities. Come visit us at the Tri Expo on Sunday for not only the Grease Monkey Wipes you have come to know and love, but we will also have a brand new shipment of merchandise.

We will have 100% organic cotton tees, some stylish and functional tech tees, and some great new hats. All items will also have special Austin Tri discounted pricing. Some come on out and say hi and save a few bucks during our Austin Tri sale.

Hope everyone has a fantastic and safe Labor Day weekend and we hope to see you at the Expo.

Enjoy the ride.

Update from Transparent Racing

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We are proud to sponsor some great racers across the country. Below is a report from our friend Macky with Transparent Racing...

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've been in touch. I just got back from a multi-week trip to the East Coast for my first ever World Cup and 2 Pro XC Tour races, Mt. Snow and Windham. I had a great time at all 3 of the races, but I admit that I didn't race or feel nearly as good as I would have liked...

At the Bromont World Cup, my first ever, I finished 80th of 120 or so starters. I was called up almost dead last, so I was pleased with my result because it means that I passed 30 or so people! The race was completely chaotic because it was raining and muddy, but I had a great time and enjoyed seeing some of my Chilean friends that I met during my time in South America last winter.

At Mt. Snow and Windham, I finished 30th and 33rd, respectively. Certainly not up to par with my earlier results, but still top half.

Unfortunately, I was not chosen for this year's U23 World Championships team. I am disappointed, but I worked my hardest to be chosen, and when I spoke to USA Cycling, I was told that I was next on the list. I was also disappointed because USA Cycling chose to only bring 3 U23 racers of the 7 they were allowed to bring, but unfortunately, I have no control over that...

I am now taking a bit of a break from cycling to spend time with my family and get ready for college. When I get back to school I will be preparing for the collegiate mountain bike season and then for cyclocross!

Thank you so much for your support this mountain bike season! The Grease Monkey Wipes have been great.

Austin Tri this Weekend

Wednesday, September 2, 2009 0 comments
Since the Grease Monkey Wipes sponsored Austin Tri is this weekend, we're posting an article from our friends over at Jack & Adams regarding air pressure in tires for overnight bike check-in.


To air or not to air?

For big events, bikes are sometimes required to be left overnight in the transition area. For some reason word spreads like wild fire to let the air out of tires so that they will not blow overnight. If you have been at an event like this and heard tires blowing right before the event, it has further increased your fear of this happening to you and made you a believer in this pre- race superstition. Below we will give the real reasons why tires blow in transition and a little info on why they will not.

Because people are nervous about getting flats, they tend to replace both tubes and tires for big events. This leads to tires and tubes not being seeded correctly and then blowing in transition overnight.

Because people are using bikes that are not very well maintained, they may have dry or weak spots on the tires. Mechanics / helpers / friends helping others getting ready in transition during bike check in will normally pump tires up to the max tire pressure. This exposes already weak, dry rotted or damaged areas of the tire. This is the main culprit of tires blowing.

A severe temperature change will only cause a very slight change in tire pressure overnight. A swing of 50 degrees will be a shift of less than 10 lbs. Most wheel manufactures' rims can withstand over twice the recommended tire pressure before the tire would pop off of the rim. So if your tire is to be aired up to 120 lbs, chances are your rim can hold twice that amount of force or more.

Rubber is also a porous material. Tubes and tires will lose pressure over a short amount of time. Some tires will lose as much as 25 to 40 % of their air in a week. If you air your tires up the day before you will probably have a little less air in your tires by race start. This would be a bigger reason why to air them up race day.

In short, letting the air out of your tires before an event will not prevent flats overnight, but if you like to do it because it makes you feel better, that is fine. Sports are surrounded by all kinds of pre-event habits and superstitions. Letting your air out can be chalked up to that.