I’ve put just less than 500km on Dionysus since switching to the big fat Billy Bonkers tires. They’ve been great the whole time (after I adjusted to how much more effort they take to accelerate than the narrow, light Contis they replaced), and they make the bumpier sections of my commute much more comfortable than previously.

During yesterday’s commute I felt I was fighting the bike more than usual. I didn’t know whether this was my fat old poorly rested body holding me back or something else. I also noticed, though, that the tires were feeling more spongy than usual. Maybe it was time to check the pressure.

Before setting out this morning, I checked the tires with a digital gauge, and they’d both fallen to about 25psi. I used the hand pump to bring them up to 30, something that only took about a minute per tire.

The difference was immediately noticeable. The sponginess was gone, and the bike felt quite a bit more responsive. I’m not sure if the commute numbers will reflect that, as they tend to be more the result of traffic and lights than my output. But in any case I know now how often I need to check the pressure (not nearly as often as when I was running tubeless on Kuroko, but once every couple of weeks would be a good idea).

Looking at those rides on the same page like that reminds me: I was really haulin’ ashes on my way home last night — all the while fighting those soft tires. Tonight I was taking it easier and being more judicious about certain traffic situations.

I had a rainy commute back in March that left the rear tire covered in black streaks of grime, and I haven’t given the bike a bath since then (although I’ve cleaned and lubed the chain). I’ll have to find the charging cable for the Kärcher and get to it.