Yesterday I did a little, teensy-weensy snow ride on the frozen streets of Waterloo. At the balmy temp of 7 degrees, I didn't stay out too long. I'm still coming off a sinus cold/flu thing too, so the decision to keep it short and sweet was probably a good one.
I will say this- the Salsa Fargo is a super snow rig! The way the geometry lays out, it just makes the bike feel a lot more stable in snow and ice than any other 29"er I have ridden. Yeah....the lower bottom bracket can get your pedals in the snow more quickly, but I'll take that annoyance for the way the bike is riding for me. I'm growing more fond of this rig everyday. It really is pretty good at everything I've thrown at it so far.
The Geax Saguaro TNT tires have also been surprisingly great in the snow. I rode a set of the folding bead tires with tubes on snow awhile back now, and if the tires had something to bite into I was okay. However; if the folding bead Saguaro got on anything hard, like packed snow or ice, you were hurtin' for certain! Those hard rubber knobs would slip away. Not so the TNT version! They are grippy. I am quite certain the rubber compound on these is something softer and of course, running them tubeless at insanely low pressure helps as well.
I also got to try out my new kicks for the first time. I got a pair of Bontrager "Race" mtb shoes. They are the entry level shoe, but they have features that much more expensive shoes offer. Things like a removable insole that is very supportive, high quality synthetic leather uppers, and a great, grippy sole for off the bike scrambles. In fact, I think it blows the two upper level Bontrager mtb shoes out of the water in that regard. The RL and RXL model shoe soles are hard, slippery plastic. No thanks! At any rate, I find the Race shoe to be a great deal so far. Very comfortable, it fits well, and again....nice to hike-a-bike in if you have to. And those regular readers here know that walking is an essential part of my mountain biking style!
Just be aware though that the Bontrager shoes are sized way small. I got size 47 shoes, which Bontrager claims are equivalent to U.S. size 13 shoes. Not! How about U.S. size 11 shoes guys? Yeah.....make sure you can try some on before buying, but I'm betting you'll end up with something that sounds too big, but fits just right! For more keep an eye on The Bike Lab. I'll be rollin' out a report there soon.
Okay, so we're supposedly getting more snow......or ice......or something. Maybe next time I get out it will be on skis! Stay tuned............
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