After spending a good chunk of the day Saturday fiddling around with tires and wheels, and online shopping for replacements, I was able to get out for a 55 mile ride on Sunday. I was hoping to get a longer ride in, but my wife asked me not to go out if there was lightening, so I waited for that to clear before I went out, which only left time for 55 miles before I had to be home for some other family commitments.
While I took the wobble out of the front wheel on Saturday, I made the flat spot more noticeable so that was annoying. After work today took the flat spot out, but now the wobble is back. I can't seem to eliminate both. The front rim is toast, so I'll be happy when I get my new 559 tires and even happier when I get my new wheels built. Other than that, the ride was great. I wore a running t-shirt and some lightweight mountain bike shorts with a mesh liner that has a thin chamois and liked that setup a lot better than when I wore my usual cycling kit. I like the idea of the jammer trunks, so I'll try that sometime too.
I put the Iris cages on before my ride. They are much more secure than the blackburn cages I used for the first ride. Great recommendation. I ordered some Lezyne Flow side loaders so I'll see how they work when they arrive. My guess is that they'll be a little easier to access, but a little less secure. Always trade-offs. I'll keep the king cage for the third bottle out front.
I have a bunch of 9-speed cassettes so I ran a 12-23, which is great for the flat terrain around my house. Normally I gear for the steepest/biggest hill of the ride not the total elevation.
This ride I'm doing in a couple weeks has 5,918 feet of climbing in 247 miles. At only 24'/mile it's not a very hilly ride, but there a few bigish hills at around 4%, which I have done many times with a 32" low gear on a DF, so I'm thinking I'll run an 11-32 cassette which will give me a low of 23" just in case I need it. Better to run a little wide and not need the low gears than too narrow and have to get off and walk. Based on what you guys are saying, it doesn't sound like I'll need a 36 on the back, and I could probably get by with a 28. I have noticed that if I push my shoulders into the seat-back I can put a lot of power into the pedals. Not quite like getting out of the saddle on a DF, but different than just spinning.
Planning to get another laid-back ride in before work tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. Super helpful in getting this bike dialed in.