Wednesday News And Views

<===WTB Dissent 2.5" 29"er tires making the Big Mama even bigger!

So here we have the absolute gnarliest, heaviest, highest tech cased 29"er tire ever. Say hello to the WTB Dissent 2.5" tire. (Note I didn't say it was the biggest tire, more on that in a sec...)

This thing was made for aggressive riding in severe terrain. Big casing, and huge knobs! They look like motorcycle tires more than bicycle tires.

And WTB didn't scrimp on this one either. You see, normally tires made for 29"ers are standard casings, not the high tech, best available casings found on 26"er models. WTB threw their latest tech at this one. Super Duty casing, which is a ......oh heck! I'll just let WTB explain this!

SUPER DUTY CASING
This thick-ply casing resists cuts from rocks and debris
while damping impacts. Our Inner Peace sidewall reinforcement further protects
the tire from damage, reduces sidewall flex and dramatically reduces pinch
flats.

Besides this, the tire tread is siped to provide more working edges and the tread compound is a 50A which means it is sticky and grippy. And that it is! And it rolls great too. Amazingly so.

But anyway, this is the first 29"er tire that was designed to go toe to toe with your rock infested trail and come out in one piece.....oh yeah, and with air in it!

<===Big knobs, little clearance.

Now a lot of folks are going to wonder, "How big is this beast?" Well, the casing isn't as big as say, a WTB WeirWolf LT, or a Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4 incher, but it isn't a slouch in that department. The casing on a Gordo at 30psi measured 57.7mm, but it is the knob width that is crazy, measured at 62.2mm at the widest point. Now add in the height of the casing, which is pretty dang tall, ( 29.5" overall diameter!)and you're talking a whisker of clearance on my Reba Team. I can get knob rub in certain side loaded situations, which is a bit unnerving. Oh well! I hear other forks clear this combination of tire and rim better, so I will either have to shop for a new fork, or put this tire on a Bontrager Rhythm wheel, which has a 28mm wide rim, which might get me just enough clearance to do the trick.





<===Drop bar freaks rejoice! The Woodchipper is coming!

The Woodchipper is coming! Salsa Cycles has released info on the ETA on this new off roadable drop bar, which is going to be awesome. I can't wait to bolt this on the Fargo and give it a whirl.

Salsa says that these should be in late November/early December. Check out the Amigos Blog for more.

Now for a bit of a side track. I get web stats and once in awhile, I get a bunch of hits from folks on some forum over in Europe wondering about us nutjobs over here that like off road drop bars. Well, I was surprised to see a bunch of hits from a forum in Greece, of all places. Crazy! Anyway, yeah. Drop bars work off road, but they need to be like the Woodchipper, which isn't anything like a road bar. Really!

<===Cold weather is upon us. Got Glove?

I just checked out these Giro "Proof" gloves which are really two gloves in one. The liner is a lycra type deal with nice rubber grippers on the palm and a nice cuff to keep the wind out. The outer is Thinsulate lined and has a great shock cord that tightens everything down that can be operated with a gloved hand. Pretty cool......well, actually- warm!

The gloves are available for about $54.00 MSRP.

<===On One does up Midge in colors!

Now the "grand daddy" of the nouveau off road drop bars has always been On One's Midge bar. You have to get these from the U.K. and they have always been black. Now, seeing a bunch of interest in colors, the On One crazies have announced the Midge in white, silver, red, gold, and probably some other colors I can't think of. So if you are into that sort of thing, hit this in a few weeks and see if they are in. (Black ones are in stock)




There is one other drop bar for off roading coming, and that is Ragley Bikes "D-62" bar. That should be coming sometime in the spring, I think. We'll see!

Okay, that's it for now. Have a great Wednesday!