As you can see, I slapped a suspension fork on the Sawyer. It does happen to be a G2 100mm travel fork, so it is perfect for replacing the rigid fork that was on it.
I took it out to the Camp and rolled it around out there to see how it would handle. It is pretty interesting in that the Sawyer has a slightly slacker head angle than say, a Superfly hard tail, so you can feel that in the handling. I think it makes the bike pretty fun, but there are some around here that wouldn't like the slightly more stable handling. It is true that it doesn't have sports car quickness, but it does beg to be slammed over in corners and ridden a bit more aggressively than your garden variety XC grade hard tail. I like it.
Next stop for the Sawyer is to strip off all the dangly bits and turn it into a single speed. I think fatter tires will be also making an appearance.
They actually work really well too. Six different levels of heat, and the hotter settings are, well.........hot! I can totally see using these in really cold weather for commutes and snow biking. Actually, they are pretty soothing on lower settings, so if you have sore hands, or issues with dexterity, maybe these would help with that as well.
The grips are tacky, even un-heated, and of course, they are lock ons. Pretty unusual stuff for cycling, but I see on the website that they also make these for ATVs, motorcycles, and more. A drop bar version is also in the works.
Run time on the Lithium-Polymer battery is about 3 hours. Made in the U.S.A. by A'ME. Expenderiforous! $300.00 plus $10.00 for the mounting kit. Worth it? If you want to ride in the cold, but yer hands won't let you, I'd say, quite possibly. Definitely better than riding indoors!
I'll be putting up a much more detailed review on The Cyclistsite.com soon.
Heated grips??? Ahhhh! luxury.
ReplyDeleteBar mitts and a half dozen thermal packs work in even extreme cold.
ReplyDeleteFirst,I REALLY enjoyed all the Trans recaps,I vicariously live through them (since I'm both to far awat,and too far gone to ride something like that,LOL!),thanks for all of it from start to finish :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see this one singled out :D
Heated grips? Do tell :D
What bar is that on the Sawyer? Thanks for the Blog - I read it daily! I also like your writings about the Black Mountain Monster Cross. I have a brown 56 that I like so much, I sent it to Walt Works to have disks added and some other mods. Makes for a great all-rounder.
ReplyDelete@zoovegroover: That's a Bontrager "Crivitz" Bar, and it is very similar to a Ragley "Carnegie's Bar". Either would be so similar as to be functionally identical. Ragley makes one in carbon too. I have both brands and love them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, as well!
I just rode my BMC today. Lovely riding bike. Hope yours turns out well with the disc retro-fit.
I'm wondering how much heat from those grips would make it through the exterior of gloves in the winter. I'm thinking the $20 bar mits are still my choice.
ReplyDelete@Courtney, @Steve Fuller: Interestingly, I will say that I used some ATV pogies once on my Mukluk, and then decided they were too much trouble. Never used them again afterward, and I rode in sub-zero temps with windchill after that with no real regrets.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, these things get HOT! I do not think the idea is to wear thick gloves, but that you could wear thinner, more dexterous gloves instead and still stay warm. At least I would be able to.
Everyone has different needs when it comes to this, but I don't really need pogies or bar-mitts. At least not with the way I was riding the Muk last winter, (when the hub was working, or when I was using Ben's hub!)
I will say the unit is pretty dang pricey. So for the value per dollar, the bar-mitts, pogies thing makes more sense. (I just really hate having to use them, personally. And I am glad I don't really need them)