Odin's Revenge Report: Gear Review And Comments

The "Fat Fargo" was the perfect tool for the job for me.

Following are a few thoughts on some gear I used for Odin's Revenge. I won't do a total breakdown here, but I will touch on some highlights and hopefully these things will help you out in some way when you choose your gear.

Fat Fargo: My bike, dubbed the "Fat Fargo" due to my use of 27.5" wheels on Velocity Blunt 35's, was so good on the Odin's course. The Fargo is a very versatile bike, but I feel that it is even better with the fatter, more voluminous rubber which gives this bike better stability and comfort levels. During Odin's this showed up as an ability to surf the silty dirt without the bike getting upset, or slowed down. There also was a bit better ride over the ruts and bumps, which were plentiful, especially regarding the fact that well over a third of the 90 miles I rode were minimum maintenance road. The tires, set up tubeless, of course, have done nearly 250 miles of Dirty Kanza and Odin's without a single tire issue. I ran high 19psi pressures (19.8 and 19.6) in each tire for Odin's which worked quite nicely. The Velocity Blunt 35's which give the Trailblazer 2.8's a nicely crowned profile, were perfect, and did not make the tires have a totally flat profile, like a wider rim would. Plus, Blunt 35's are lighter than the 45-50mm rims many are using for B+ tires.

Could I have used regular 29"er tires? Yes. I could have, and perhaps these were overkill, but the volume and tire profile are impossible with 29"er wheels and tires in the Fargo. I feel those two things were key to how well they rode and performed for me.

Cowchipper Bars and the ever present Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags.

The new Cowchipper Bar from Salsa Cycles gets a huge thumbs up from me. I have decided that the best way to describe it is that it is a lot like the Cowbell, but with "more Cowbell". (There ya go Salsa. A new marketing slogan for the Cowchipper! You can thank me later.)

The Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags are indispensable items on any longer gravel travel adventure for me. I cannot imagine what I would do without these handy carrying bags. Good for water bottles and food, I have used these now for a few years with great success. Just wait till you see the updated version of this bag coming here soon. Stay tuned for that.

The pedals as they looked post DK200

The Pedal iSSi Triple model pedals have been through the wringer and still are working fantastically well. Smooth engagement, free spinning with no slop, and these are light too. I have been duly impressed with these pedals and they are Shimano cleat compatible. At about $80.00 bucks, give or take, they are a complete bargain, being as good as XT pedals with a lighter weight and a lot lighter impact on your wallet.

You can check out my initial review of these pedals HERE.

My hybrid 9 speed rear/10 speed Gevenalle GX shifter set up has been totally flawless through both the DK200 attempt and through Odin's. No missed shifts and no hiccups. I know it isn't supposed to work, but it does. Maybe now that I don't have any events coming up where I want to use the Fat Fargo I'll have some time to switch out that left side bar end shifter to the other Gevenalle shifter! If anything was a negative, it was having that left side bar end shifter on there, which is far less convenient than the Gevenalle shifters are. Finally, on the drive train front, I was super pleased with the DuMonde Tech lube again. I'll post more about that in my next "Lube-Off" update coming up here next week, most likely.

Wally Kilburg captured me on the Odin's course in this image

One thing I was super stoked on were these Sol Skin arm protectors I used in the Pirate Cycling league colors. Yes, they are black, but amazingly they worked very well. Any air movement over them caused a noticeable cooling effect, and they wicked sweat famously, as the black fabric turned a frosty white due to my sweat over the course of the day. Obviously, with a rating of 50+ on the UPF scale, I didn't need to use any sunscreen, and usually that is something I would have had to have done on a bright, sunny day, such as we had at Odin's this year. It is my belief that sunscreen plugs up my pores and doesn't allow the efficient sweating to help me stay cool, like the Sol Skin arm protectors do.  I'm convinced these are the real deal and will be wearing them more often. And yes- they do work to help keep you warmer in cooler weather. I tried that this past March with great success.

I also used a base layer tank top from Bontrager, which I also credit for keeping me much cooler and definitely more comfortable during the ride. Again, this is something I will continue to use going forward in hot weather, or any weather, most likely. I had really great results with this base/jersey combo and wouldn't ride otherwise if I have a choice. There will be more base layer purchases in the future for me.

As far as things that didn't work, there isn't much to say. Nutrition on hot days maybe? That's probably one thing. Otherwise everything functioned as it should and I had no gear issues whatsoever on the Odin's course. Should I have used a lighter bike? Well, lighter would have been better, but at the expense of the wide tires, umm.........I don't think so. Ideally, the new Salsa Cycles Cutthroat would be the bike I would say was perfect for the Odin's course. Carbon, light, wide tire compatible, and designed for frame bags. It would be the best weapon for the job, plus the Class 5 VRS would play well with Odin's ruts, bumps, and occasional rocks. I'm keenly interested in this bike anyway, so don't be surprised if you read here that I am going to Odin's next year on that bike! 

That's about it from the gear perspective. I think Odin's is a very unique course that demands a bit of a different approach in set up. I think a 40mm tire would be minimum width I'd ever consider there, and tubeless is the only way to go at that event. With the amount of MMR and its silty, loose soils, I think a fatter, floating type tire is advisable. Going skinny/light might work if you have tremendous bike handling skills and are fast, so you get the course over with in a hurry. Otherwise I don't see any advantages going skinny/light on bike/bike set up.

The beauty of West Central Nebraska as captured by Wally Kilburg

Odin's Revenge, as I stated in my opening of my race report, is a throwback event. Or maybe it just never cared what others thought. Either way, it is run by the DSG as a grassroots event and as far as I can tell, they don't plan on making it a "bigger/better/whatever". The "flavor" of this event is very intimate, "down home", and welcoming. The touches that Merrie Quigley puts on the event, the way that her husband, Chad runs the show, and the laid back, soft spoken nature of Matt Bergen all make the Odin's experience one I look forward to eagerly every year. Nate brings the craft beer, which is top notch, and helps with the show as well. Then you have Bob, Garrett, and the others that pitch in and it just makes for a great experience for all who show up. It's like you are going to visit family, and they take care of you well.

Now none of that would be of import unless there was a good reason to ride your bicycle there, and it goes without saying that there are several good reasons to do that. The terrain out there is spectacular, challenging, and so very different than anywhere else that I ride, that I would suggest to you that it should be a bucket list ride, even if Odin's didn't exist as an event. In fact, Matt Bergen mentioned that he was thinking of splitting the Odin's course into two days worth of bike packing, which I think is a really awesome idea. Add in the fact that Potter's Pasture is perhaps the most unique mtb trail system anywhere and right on the Odin's course, and you could bicycle there for a week and never get sick of it.

So, yeah.......I like Odin's Revenge a lot, and I like the people behind it a lot as well. I'll go back again, and maybe I should just go back out just to ride during a different time of the year, just for fun. It's that good, really, and I cannot say enough about the area.

Okay, that's a wrap. Have a safe, fun, bicycling time on this 4th of July weekend!

Odin's Revenge Report: Gear Review And Comments

The "Fat Fargo" was the perfect tool for the job for me.

Following are a few thoughts on some gear I used for Odin's Revenge. I won't do a total breakdown here, but I will touch on some highlights and hopefully these things will help you out in some way when you choose your gear.

Fat Fargo: My bike, dubbed the "Fat Fargo" due to my use of 27.5" wheels on Velocity Blunt 35's, was so good on the Odin's course. The Fargo is a very versatile bike, but I feel that it is even better with the fatter, more voluminous rubber which gives this bike better stability and comfort levels. During Odin's this showed up as an ability to surf the silty dirt without the bike getting upset, or slowed down. There also was a bit better ride over the ruts and bumps, which were plentiful, especially regarding the fact that well over a third of the 90 miles I rode were minimum maintenance road. The tires, set up tubeless, of course, have done nearly 250 miles of Dirty Kanza and Odin's without a single tire issue. I ran high 19psi pressures (19.8 and 19.6) in each tire for Odin's which worked quite nicely. The Velocity Blunt 35's which give the Trailblazer 2.8's a nicely crowned profile, were perfect, and did not make the tires have a totally flat profile, like a wider rim would. Plus, Blunt 35's are lighter than the 45-50mm rims many are using for B+ tires.

Could I have used regular 29"er tires? Yes. I could have, and perhaps these were overkill, but the volume and tire profile are impossible with 29"er wheels and tires in the Fargo. I feel those two things were key to how well they rode and performed for me.

Cowchipper Bars and the ever present Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags.

The new Cowchipper Bar from Salsa Cycles gets a huge thumbs up from me. I have decided that the best way to describe it is that it is a lot like the Cowbell, but with "more Cowbell". (There ya go Salsa. A new marketing slogan for the Cowchipper! You can thank me later.)

The Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags are indispensable items on any longer gravel travel adventure for me. I cannot imagine what I would do without these handy carrying bags. Good for water bottles and food, I have used these now for a few years with great success. Just wait till you see the updated version of this bag coming here soon. Stay tuned for that.

The pedals as they looked post DK200

The Pedal iSSi Triple model pedals have been through the wringer and still are working fantastically well. Smooth engagement, free spinning with no slop, and these are light too. I have been duly impressed with these pedals and they are Shimano cleat compatible. At about $80.00 bucks, give or take, they are a complete bargain, being as good as XT pedals with a lighter weight and a lot lighter impact on your wallet.

You can check out my initial review of these pedals HERE.

My hybrid 9 speed rear/10 speed Gevenalle GX shifter set up has been totally flawless through both the DK200 attempt and through Odin's. No missed shifts and no hiccups. I know it isn't supposed to work, but it does. Maybe now that I don't have any events coming up where I want to use the Fat Fargo I'll have some time to switch out that left side bar end shifter to the other Gevenalle shifter! If anything was a negative, it was having that left side bar end shifter on there, which is far less convenient than the Gevenalle shifters are. Finally, on the drive train front, I was super pleased with the DuMonde Tech lube again. I'll post more about that in my next "Lube-Off" update coming up here next week, most likely.

Wally Kilburg captured me on the Odin's course in this image

One thing I was super stoked on were these Sol Skin arm protectors I used in the Pirate Cycling league colors. Yes, they are black, but amazingly they worked very well. Any air movement over them caused a noticeable cooling effect, and they wicked sweat famously, as the black fabric turned a frosty white due to my sweat over the course of the day. Obviously, with a rating of 50+ on the UPF scale, I didn't need to use any sunscreen, and usually that is something I would have had to have done on a bright, sunny day, such as we had at Odin's this year. It is my belief that sunscreen plugs up my pores and doesn't allow the efficient sweating to help me stay cool, like the Sol Skin arm protectors do.  I'm convinced these are the real deal and will be wearing them more often. And yes- they do work to help keep you warmer in cooler weather. I tried that this past March with great success.

I also used a base layer tank top from Bontrager, which I also credit for keeping me much cooler and definitely more comfortable during the ride. Again, this is something I will continue to use going forward in hot weather, or any weather, most likely. I had really great results with this base/jersey combo and wouldn't ride otherwise if I have a choice. There will be more base layer purchases in the future for me.

As far as things that didn't work, there isn't much to say. Nutrition on hot days maybe? That's probably one thing. Otherwise everything functioned as it should and I had no gear issues whatsoever on the Odin's course. Should I have used a lighter bike? Well, lighter would have been better, but at the expense of the wide tires, umm.........I don't think so. Ideally, the new Salsa Cycles Cutthroat would be the bike I would say was perfect for the Odin's course. Carbon, light, wide tire compatible, and designed for frame bags. It would be the best weapon for the job, plus the Class 5 VRS would play well with Odin's ruts, bumps, and occasional rocks. I'm keenly interested in this bike anyway, so don't be surprised if you read here that I am going to Odin's next year on that bike! 

That's about it from the gear perspective. I think Odin's is a very unique course that demands a bit of a different approach in set up. I think a 40mm tire would be minimum width I'd ever consider there, and tubeless is the only way to go at that event. With the amount of MMR and its silty, loose soils, I think a fatter, floating type tire is advisable. Going skinny/light might work if you have tremendous bike handling skills and are fast, so you get the course over with in a hurry. Otherwise I don't see any advantages going skinny/light on bike/bike set up.

The beauty of West Central Nebraska as captured by Wally Kilburg

Odin's Revenge, as I stated in my opening of my race report, is a throwback event. Or maybe it just never cared what others thought. Either way, it is run by the DSG as a grassroots event and as far as I can tell, they don't plan on making it a "bigger/better/whatever". The "flavor" of this event is very intimate, "down home", and welcoming. The touches that Merrie Quigley puts on the event, the way that her husband, Chad runs the show, and the laid back, soft spoken nature of Matt Bergen all make the Odin's experience one I look forward to eagerly every year. Nate brings the craft beer, which is top notch, and helps with the show as well. Then you have Bob, Garrett, and the others that pitch in and it just makes for a great experience for all who show up. It's like you are going to visit family, and they take care of you well.

Now none of that would be of import unless there was a good reason to ride your bicycle there, and it goes without saying that there are several good reasons to do that. The terrain out there is spectacular, challenging, and so very different than anywhere else that I ride, that I would suggest to you that it should be a bucket list ride, even if Odin's didn't exist as an event. In fact, Matt Bergen mentioned that he was thinking of splitting the Odin's course into two days worth of bike packing, which I think is a really awesome idea. Add in the fact that Potter's Pasture is perhaps the most unique mtb trail system anywhere and right on the Odin's course, and you could bicycle there for a week and never get sick of it.

So, yeah.......I like Odin's Revenge a lot, and I like the people behind it a lot as well. I'll go back again, and maybe I should just go back out just to ride during a different time of the year, just for fun. It's that good, really, and I cannot say enough about the area.

Okay, that's a wrap. Have a safe, fun, bicycling time on this 4th of July weekend!

Fat Fargo: Thoughts On B+ Wheels

A Gen II Fargo with fatter wheels

As stated yesterday, I wanted to lay down some thoughts on the B+, 27.5+, 650B+ or whatever these are going to be called.....wheels. Let's say "mid-fat" and leave it at that, shall we?

For those of you that are not familiar, and to give those folks interested in specifications their dosage, here are the pertinent features of the mid-fat platforms and also my specs on this wheel set.

• Mid-fat or "plus" sized wheels are really just larger than average tires with high volume on rims you already know and love. There are a few wider rims out now as well. 
• Mid-fat tires can be fitted to the 650B/27.5 or 29"er based platforms. Rim specs in terms of diameter are the same- 622ISO for 29+ and 584ISO for B+/27.5+. Typically, the wider rims are better, so anything with a 30mm wide width or wider works best. Some are 50mm wide, like Surly's Rabbit Hole and Sun Ringle's Mulefut.
• Tires are typically going to be either side of 3 inches wide with a lot of height/volume to the casings. 2.8" to 3.25" seems to be the working range so far. This is for both diameters out there that are being pushed- 27.5+/B+ and 29+.
• Wide rims and fatter, higher volume tires make for big overall diameters. For instance, a 50mm wide rim with a 3.25" "B+" tire is the same diameter, more or less, as a 29" X 2.25" tire. A 29+ tire at 3 inches wide on a 50mm wide rim is approximately the same overall diameter as a 4.8" wide fat bike tire on a 100mm wide rim- 31 inches or so. 

Now for my Fargo wheels, I used 35mm wide Velocity Blunt 35 rims and put some 2.8" WTB Trailblazer tires on them tubeless. This brings the diameter of these wheels to just slightly less than a 29 X 2.2" wheel. That means my bottom bracket is ever so slightly lower. Otherwise, there was plenty of room in the frame to fit this wheel in my Fargo. Now.....why would you do this? That's the big question, and what I wanted to seek out was an answer that satisfied my curiosity. This may not be your answer, but I feel it makes a lot of sense.

The whole "plus" size/mid-fat thing is an attempt to take advantage of fat bike volume, flotation, and grip in a package that isn't so cumbersome, heavy, and that doesn't require weird frames with wide bottom brackets which hurt some folk's knees and whatnot. Are they "fat bikes"? That's a question folks debate. I own both fat bikes and this B+/mid-fat bike. My Fat Fargo is not a fat bike. Nope. Not even close.

But, it isn't like any of my 29"ers either. I have a 29 X 2.4" tired rig that runs 45mm wide Velocity Duallys. While the footprint of those wheels are as big as my mid-fat/B+ tires, they don't have the volume of those B+ tires, and there's where your differences are and why it may make sense to run a mid-fat/B+ rig for you.

The Singular Buzzard with 29 X 2.4" tires on Velocity Duallys

That volume allows for lower pressures without fear of rim strikes. Lower pressures mean the tires conform to terrain features better, which equals more grip and control. The differences are minute, to be sure, but palpable, and in the right rig, a B+/mid-fat set up may make a lot of sense. I thought it worked great on a single speed, for instance, where grip and the lack of suspension might be your set up. I also wanted to try this as a set up for a bikepacking rig or bagged hauler/tourer/versatile mtb set up. That's where the "Fat Fargo" comes in.

My thoughts were that my original Fargo Gen I was the perfect candidate for these wheels, since it wasn't suspension corrected, and a little comfort would be welcomed there. However; the tire clearances in the chain stays were too tight to allow for mud clearances, and I felt the bottom bracket on that bike with the B+ wheels was too low. Bummer that, but I wasn't going to quit just there.

I had the Gen II Fargo, so why not slap those meats into that frame and see what's up. Well, the clearances were really good, and the bottom bracket, while slightly lower for sure, isn't too low, for me. Maybe for you it would be, but so far, I've been just fine with things this way. Of course, the Gen II has a Rock Shox Reba on it and that combo is pluuuuuusssssh. The fork has 80mm of travel, but with the tires, it almost feels like my 140mm of travel on my Buzzard.

I wish this would've worked better.

I do have the rigid fork for the Gen II bike, and that will be the next thing I try, but for now, I have a brief list of "Good" and "Bad" things that I have found running these mid-fat wheels on my Fargo. This certainly isn't a list that is comprehensive or finished yet, but here you go....

Good: The ride is super smooth. The smaller bumps disappear, bigger jolts are mere annoyances, and curbs are swallowed with little to no lifting of the front end. Grip is amazing when the conditions are ripe. Stability at slow speed is enhanced. The smaller sized wheels are easier to spin up by a long shot over 29+, but they do not give you near the momentum carrying capacity of either 29+ or a straight up 29"er wheel. There is more float, and so these carry you into looser terrain a bit further than does the "normal" 29"er wheel and tire.

Bad: Weight. First and foremost, you have a heavier tire and wheel overall than you would a good quality trail wheel in a 29"er format fitted with a good 29"er tire. That means that a 29"er wheel is easier to get going and keep going than these mid-fat wheels, which is most apparent when speeds are higher on harder packed terrain. Rolling resistance- The way the tread hits the trail with these mid-fat wheels versus a 29"er tire is quite different. The WTB Trailblazer is a squared off, "all tread hits the trail" tire where a 29"er tire typically will not do that. Yes- the Trailblazer has a continuous center strip to help against this, and it works, but you will feel the "all the tread-all the time" rolling resistance and especially at lower pressures. Finally, that squared off profile and close tread block pattern makes the Trailblazer a drier conditions tire. Mud will send this tire skittering sideways. It also doesn't have a ton of side bite, but in drier conditions this is okay, in my opinion.

This single speed mid-fat set up is a blast to ride.

Conclusions So Far......

I will likely try the Fargo Gen II with the rigid fork, but in the end, I think I am pretty sure where this whole experiment is going to go. I've tried these wheels on four bikes now, and two of them were instantly inducing smiles, while the other two were head scratching conundrums and have not produced the "fun factor" the other two have. Interestingly, the two fun set ups have both been single speeds.

The lighter weight of a single speed bike overall can allow for heavier wheels and momentum, while not at the levels of a 29"er, are still pretty good with the mid-fat wheels. And we all know momentum is king with regard to single speeding. Add in the extra traction, a bit easier spin up than a 29+, and extra cush, and it all adds up when one gear is used. Why that hasn't translated to a geared hard tail set up has been baffling, but the differences in feel are like night and day to me.

The Industry is going to go "ga-ga" for these mid-fat wheels and I suppose with some quality rubber, it may be an okay deal for some. However; I am not seeing a super-wide ranging appeal here from my point of view. Ride a 29"er most of the time, and where conditions get sketchy, looser, and you want to push out your boundaries, go all in and ride a fat bike. There is one wheel that maybe will yet change my mind and that's the 29+ deal. I tried it on two different rigs. One was an amazing experience, and one was so-so, which leaves me at an inconclusive state where 29+ is concerned. I will be researching that more as time goes forward as well.

Stay tuned.......

Fat Fargo: Thoughts On B+ Wheels

A Gen II Fargo with fatter wheels

As stated yesterday, I wanted to lay down some thoughts on the B+, 27.5+, 650B+ or whatever these are going to be called.....wheels. Let's say "mid-fat" and leave it at that, shall we?

For those of you that are not familiar, and to give those folks interested in specifications their dosage, here are the pertinent features of the mid-fat platforms and also my specs on this wheel set.

• Mid-fat or "plus" sized wheels are really just larger than average tires with high volume on rims you already know and love. There are a few wider rims out now as well. 
• Mid-fat tires can be fitted to the 650B/27.5 or 29"er based platforms. Rim specs in terms of diameter are the same- 622ISO for 29+ and 584ISO for B+/27.5+. Typically, the wider rims are better, so anything with a 30mm wide width or wider works best. Some are 50mm wide, like Surly's Rabbit Hole and Sun Ringle's Mulefut.
• Tires are typically going to be either side of 3 inches wide with a lot of height/volume to the casings. 2.8" to 3.25" seems to be the working range so far. This is for both diameters out there that are being pushed- 27.5+/B+ and 29+.
• Wide rims and fatter, higher volume tires make for big overall diameters. For instance, a 50mm wide rim with a 3.25" "B+" tire is the same diameter, more or less, as a 29" X 2.25" tire. A 29+ tire at 3 inches wide on a 50mm wide rim is approximately the same overall diameter as a 4.8" wide fat bike tire on a 100mm wide rim- 31 inches or so. 

Now for my Fargo wheels, I used 35mm wide Velocity Blunt 35 rims and put some 2.8" WTB Trailblazer tires on them tubeless. This brings the diameter of these wheels to just slightly less than a 29 X 2.2" wheel. That means my bottom bracket is ever so slightly lower. Otherwise, there was plenty of room in the frame to fit this wheel in my Fargo. Now.....why would you do this? That's the big question, and what I wanted to seek out was an answer that satisfied my curiosity. This may not be your answer, but I feel it makes a lot of sense.

The whole "plus" size/mid-fat thing is an attempt to take advantage of fat bike volume, flotation, and grip in a package that isn't so cumbersome, heavy, and that doesn't require weird frames with wide bottom brackets which hurt some folk's knees and whatnot. Are they "fat bikes"? That's a question folks debate. I own both fat bikes and this B+/mid-fat bike. My Fat Fargo is not a fat bike. Nope. Not even close.

But, it isn't like any of my 29"ers either. I have a 29 X 2.4" tired rig that runs 45mm wide Velocity Duallys. While the footprint of those wheels are as big as my mid-fat/B+ tires, they don't have the volume of those B+ tires, and there's where your differences are and why it may make sense to run a mid-fat/B+ rig for you.

The Singular Buzzard with 29 X 2.4" tires on Velocity Duallys

That volume allows for lower pressures without fear of rim strikes. Lower pressures mean the tires conform to terrain features better, which equals more grip and control. The differences are minute, to be sure, but palpable, and in the right rig, a B+/mid-fat set up may make a lot of sense. I thought it worked great on a single speed, for instance, where grip and the lack of suspension might be your set up. I also wanted to try this as a set up for a bikepacking rig or bagged hauler/tourer/versatile mtb set up. That's where the "Fat Fargo" comes in.

My thoughts were that my original Fargo Gen I was the perfect candidate for these wheels, since it wasn't suspension corrected, and a little comfort would be welcomed there. However; the tire clearances in the chain stays were too tight to allow for mud clearances, and I felt the bottom bracket on that bike with the B+ wheels was too low. Bummer that, but I wasn't going to quit just there.

I had the Gen II Fargo, so why not slap those meats into that frame and see what's up. Well, the clearances were really good, and the bottom bracket, while slightly lower for sure, isn't too low, for me. Maybe for you it would be, but so far, I've been just fine with things this way. Of course, the Gen II has a Rock Shox Reba on it and that combo is pluuuuuusssssh. The fork has 80mm of travel, but with the tires, it almost feels like my 140mm of travel on my Buzzard.

I wish this would've worked better.

I do have the rigid fork for the Gen II bike, and that will be the next thing I try, but for now, I have a brief list of "Good" and "Bad" things that I have found running these mid-fat wheels on my Fargo. This certainly isn't a list that is comprehensive or finished yet, but here you go....

Good: The ride is super smooth. The smaller bumps disappear, bigger jolts are mere annoyances, and curbs are swallowed with little to no lifting of the front end. Grip is amazing when the conditions are ripe. Stability at slow speed is enhanced. The smaller sized wheels are easier to spin up by a long shot over 29+, but they do not give you near the momentum carrying capacity of either 29+ or a straight up 29"er wheel. There is more float, and so these carry you into looser terrain a bit further than does the "normal" 29"er wheel and tire.

Bad: Weight. First and foremost, you have a heavier tire and wheel overall than you would a good quality trail wheel in a 29"er format fitted with a good 29"er tire. That means that a 29"er wheel is easier to get going and keep going than these mid-fat wheels, which is most apparent when speeds are higher on harder packed terrain. Rolling resistance- The way the tread hits the trail with these mid-fat wheels versus a 29"er tire is quite different. The WTB Trailblazer is a squared off, "all tread hits the trail" tire where a 29"er tire typically will not do that. Yes- the Trailblazer has a continuous center strip to help against this, and it works, but you will feel the "all the tread-all the time" rolling resistance and especially at lower pressures. Finally, that squared off profile and close tread block pattern makes the Trailblazer a drier conditions tire. Mud will send this tire skittering sideways. It also doesn't have a ton of side bite, but in drier conditions this is okay, in my opinion.

This single speed mid-fat set up is a blast to ride.

Conclusions So Far......

I will likely try the Fargo Gen II with the rigid fork, but in the end, I think I am pretty sure where this whole experiment is going to go. I've tried these wheels on four bikes now, and two of them were instantly inducing smiles, while the other two were head scratching conundrums and have not produced the "fun factor" the other two have. Interestingly, the two fun set ups have both been single speeds.

The lighter weight of a single speed bike overall can allow for heavier wheels and momentum, while not at the levels of a 29"er, are still pretty good with the mid-fat wheels. And we all know momentum is king with regard to single speeding. Add in the extra traction, a bit easier spin up than a 29+, and extra cush, and it all adds up when one gear is used. Why that hasn't translated to a geared hard tail set up has been baffling, but the differences in feel are like night and day to me.

The Industry is going to go "ga-ga" for these mid-fat wheels and I suppose with some quality rubber, it may be an okay deal for some. However; I am not seeing a super-wide ranging appeal here from my point of view. Ride a 29"er most of the time, and where conditions get sketchy, looser, and you want to push out your boundaries, go all in and ride a fat bike. There is one wheel that maybe will yet change my mind and that's the 29+ deal. I tried it on two different rigs. One was an amazing experience, and one was so-so, which leaves me at an inconclusive state where 29+ is concerned. I will be researching that more as time goes forward as well.

Stay tuned.......

#psyck

1988 Strat Plus- That isn't yellow, by the way!

This hasn't been the start to the year that I was hoping for. It's been off and on again sickness across the entire family. There was one day last week when three of us were bed ridden. Saturday and Sunday were barely tolerable, and the bike riding that everyone else was doing was sure hard to take in as I was feeling awful and needing to rest.

Well, me being me- I don't like resting during the day, or much at all, and I did go out and about a little bit. I needed to drop off my daughter at a friend's house so I took the opportunity to drag my 1988 Stratocaster Plus to Bob's Guitars to see if they had a locking tuner knob for it. One had fallen off and before I could notice it, had gotten lost.

I've known "Bob" of Bob's Guitars since he worked for another music store years ago where I had purchased this particular Strat from him. He's been through another partnership in a music store from where I purchased my main amplifier, and now he owns this store himself. I've had a "relationship", of sorts with Bob, and he treats me right. For instance, even his employees have paid attention, and they know that I am paying on a new Taylor for my wife's Master's Degree "reward". They found the locking tuner knob, a perfect match, and did not charge me.

So, why do I bring all that up? Well, I was thinking that in this day and age of Internet retail, what online can't do for you is "have a relationship with benefits" like the one I enjoy with Bob's Guitars. Think about that when you look for a local bike shop. And local bike shops- you need to really think about this! 

A "Mid-Fatted" Fargo

 So, anyway, I got to play on the Strat Saturday loudly for a while when Mrs. Guitar Ted and Jacob went out on errands. It was great to have that guitar all back in one piece. Then I hoped for a better Sunday, and perhaps a bicycle ride.

However; it wasn't to be. Still feeling rotten, I had to take it easy again. After a long morning and early afternoon, I decided to fiddle with an idea I had on the back burner for Springtime. I was going to try to fit the WTB Trailblazer/Velocity Blunt 35 wheels on my Gen 2 Fargo. So, I decided to push up the time table on that project and get it done. I had done this on my Gen 1 Fargo as well, but the mud clearances were not the greatest. So, in the interim I have had these wheels on my OS Bikes Blackbuck and on my Sawyer with the belt drive.

Good clearances here.

On the Fargo Gen 2, the wheels went in with no problem, and as a bonus there was better mud clearances! This looked like a much better fit than in the Gen 1 Fargo. I was excited so I got a "permission slip" to get out of the house free for a bit to test out how this combination felt and handled. Nothing big, just a couple miles at most. I popped on some plastic flats so I didn't have to waste a bunch of time with fussy Winter cycling footwear and headed outdoors.

The Blunt 35's with the Trailblazers makes for a decent set up. The tire isn't flattened out too much, and the rim supports the tires tubeless really well. I ran about 20-ish psi, but with the air temperatures in the low 20's Fahrenheit, that was effectively something in the teens. Into some looser, deep snow, and the bike squirreled around a bit, but it didn't want to swap ends like a skinnier tire might. Okay, that fast spin up is there yet for sure, and the resulting lack of momentum as well. Still, you can barrel over some things and the stability and comfort are there also.

You don't get that heavy, slow to accelerate 29+ feeling, but the rest of it seems to be close. When the trails open up in Springtime, I'll know more about the true, off road feel and performance with this bike. I think I will live with these on the Fargo Gen 2 awhile though. The wide range triple drive train is well suited to these wheels, and in my estimation, single speed usage, while fun, wasn't where this wheel type shines best. They just scrub off too much momentum, and while single speeding, momentum is king. So back to 29"er wheels there, and these Mid-Fats on a geared bike. Then I'll decide what I think. These still seem like a good choice for really rough, looser, back road events like Odin's Revenge to me, but if I cannot live with how they feel on gravel then I think my experimenting will be done. If they make it through that, then they stay on. Time will tell.

#psyck

1988 Strat Plus- That isn't yellow, by the way!

This hasn't been the start to the year that I was hoping for. It's been off and on again sickness across the entire family. There was one day last week when three of us were bed ridden. Saturday and Sunday were barely tolerable, and the bike riding that everyone else was doing was sure hard to take in as I was feeling awful and needing to rest.

Well, me being me- I don't like resting during the day, or much at all, and I did go out and about a little bit. I needed to drop off my daughter at a friend's house so I took the opportunity to drag my 1988 Stratocaster Plus to Bob's Guitars to see if they had a locking tuner knob for it. One had fallen off and before I could notice it, had gotten lost.

I've known "Bob" of Bob's Guitars since he worked for another music store years ago where I had purchased this particular Strat from him. He's been through another partnership in a music store from where I purchased my main amplifier, and now he owns this store himself. I've had a "relationship", of sorts with Bob, and he treats me right. For instance, even his employees have paid attention, and they know that I am paying on a new Taylor for my wife's Master's Degree "reward". They found the locking tuner knob, a perfect match, and did not charge me.

So, why do I bring all that up? Well, I was thinking that in this day and age of Internet retail, what online can't do for you is "have a relationship with benefits" like the one I enjoy with Bob's Guitars. Think about that when you look for a local bike shop. And local bike shops- you need to really think about this! 

A "Mid-Fatted" Fargo

 So, anyway, I got to play on the Strat Saturday loudly for a while when Mrs. Guitar Ted and Jacob went out on errands. It was great to have that guitar all back in one piece. Then I hoped for a better Sunday, and perhaps a bicycle ride.

However; it wasn't to be. Still feeling rotten, I had to take it easy again. After a long morning and early afternoon, I decided to fiddle with an idea I had on the back burner for Springtime. I was going to try to fit the WTB Trailblazer/Velocity Blunt 35 wheels on my Gen 2 Fargo. So, I decided to push up the time table on that project and get it done. I had done this on my Gen 1 Fargo as well, but the mud clearances were not the greatest. So, in the interim I have had these wheels on my OS Bikes Blackbuck and on my Sawyer with the belt drive.

Good clearances here.

On the Fargo Gen 2, the wheels went in with no problem, and as a bonus there was better mud clearances! This looked like a much better fit than in the Gen 1 Fargo. I was excited so I got a "permission slip" to get out of the house free for a bit to test out how this combination felt and handled. Nothing big, just a couple miles at most. I popped on some plastic flats so I didn't have to waste a bunch of time with fussy Winter cycling footwear and headed outdoors.

The Blunt 35's with the Trailblazers makes for a decent set up. The tire isn't flattened out too much, and the rim supports the tires tubeless really well. I ran about 20-ish psi, but with the air temperatures in the low 20's Fahrenheit, that was effectively something in the teens. Into some looser, deep snow, and the bike squirreled around a bit, but it didn't want to swap ends like a skinnier tire might. Okay, that fast spin up is there yet for sure, and the resulting lack of momentum as well. Still, you can barrel over some things and the stability and comfort are there also.

You don't get that heavy, slow to accelerate 29+ feeling, but the rest of it seems to be close. When the trails open up in Springtime, I'll know more about the true, off road feel and performance with this bike. I think I will live with these on the Fargo Gen 2 awhile though. The wide range triple drive train is well suited to these wheels, and in my estimation, single speed usage, while fun, wasn't where this wheel type shines best. They just scrub off too much momentum, and while single speeding, momentum is king. So back to 29"er wheels there, and these Mid-Fats on a geared bike. Then I'll decide what I think. These still seem like a good choice for really rough, looser, back road events like Odin's Revenge to me, but if I cannot live with how they feel on gravel then I think my experimenting will be done. If they make it through that, then they stay on. Time will tell.

Sawyer B+ Update #2

Last week I gave you all a glimpse of the clearances on my Sawyer mounted with the new WTB Trailblazer 27.5"er X 2.8er", which you can go back to see here.

I also had a request to try out one of the biggest, most voluminous 27.5"er tires on the same Velocity Blunt 35 rims and do a head to head comparo of sizing. The questioner felt that the Geax Goma 27.5 X 2.4" may be as big as the Trailblazer anyway, thus making this whole B+ thing kind of a moot point. So I grabbed one of these GEAX Goma 2.4" TNT models and slapped it onto the Velocity rim tubeless and the following figures that I will share are what resulted.

First though, I wanted to also add that I did a bead to bead measurement, as this is a popular way that fat bikers have used to determine a tire's volume. I also will discuss casing shape, as that plays into what I found to a profound degree. Okay, so first the bead to bead comparison:

• Geax Goma 2.4"- 160mm
• WTB Trailblazer- 173mm

So far we can see that the WTB Trailblazer should have a more voluptuous casing than the Goma 27.5"er does.

Goma on the left- Trailblazer on the right.

Now for some other pertinent measurements. I'll be making some comments on details where necessary:

• Weight: Goma 1030 gm- WTB Trailblazer (of four samples I am aware of) 890 gm to 990 gm. 
• Width of Casing At Widest Point: (NOTE- I have several measurements of the Trailblazer but am going to stick with the Blunt 35 for this comparison) After airing up to 20psi tubeless- GEAX Goma- 60.4mm Trailblazer- 65.4mm. 
• After airing up the Goma to 30 psi, the measurement was the same. I have a set of GEAX Gato 2.35's in the 29"er format with the same TNT sidewalls and they typically stretch very, very little. The Trailblazer measures 66.3mm and 67mm respectively at 20psi today. 
• Diameter: Trailblazer is 28 9/16ths after mounted tubeless for 24 hours. The Goma is 28 1/8th".
  
  

 So that sounds close, right? But that doesn't tell the whole story. The Goma has huge knobs which affect the diameter to a great degree. That isn't how big the casing is. In fact, the Goma has a rather pronounced, tallish "C" shaped casing. No surprise there, the Gato has that as well, so being built by GEAX, it makes sense that the basic foundation for the Gato and the Goma would be similar. The Trailblazer, on the other hand, has a shallower, "C" shape to its casing which is almost flat in profile. That means the casing has more volume and that is where the big difference comes in regard to this tire and anything else with a 584ISO bead diameter.

Conclusions: 

There are some really big 29"er tires out there, but the Knard is bigger. Same deal here. The Trailblazer is bigger. It's taller, wider, and has more volume than one of, (if not the) biggest available 27.5"er tires you can buy now.

Does that make it a B+ tire? That is a fair question. I will say this- the Trailblazer cannot really be compared to the Goma. Two totally different styles of construction and intentions from a design standpoint. Put it another way- Is the Knard 29 X 3.0 a Trail/AM tire? Heck, the Knard isn't even a tubeless rated tire! The Trailblazer is, and yet it does act much more like a Knard than it would the Goma, and it should be obvious that the intentions for these tires is as obvious as black and white.

So, is the GEAX tire a potential B+ tire if it were made like the Trailblazer? No. It isn't because it is not big enough! The intention for the Trailblazer was to fit 29"ers with as little change to the geometry as possible. While the Trailblazer falls a bit short in height, (which was also intentional, by the way), the Goma is more so. There aren't too many 29"er bikes that would accommodate a 28 1/8th inch diameter tire without some pedal strikes. Does the Trailblazer really work the way it was intended too? Yes! I have three bikes sitting around that I have tried these on that it works perfect with, and one other that is "okay" in that regard. The Goma on the 27.5" Blunt 35 would severely compromise all of them.

Call the Trailblazer whatever you want. It results in the biggest diameter tire for a 584ISO rim currently, it works best on something at least 35mm wide for a rim width, was designed to be used on a 45mm width rim, and has the most volume of any 584ISO tire currently available. I'd say that sounds "plus" to me.

Sawyer B+ Update #2

Last week I gave you all a glimpse of the clearances on my Sawyer mounted with the new WTB Trailblazer 27.5"er X 2.8er", which you can go back to see here.

I also had a request to try out one of the biggest, most voluminous 27.5"er tires on the same Velocity Blunt 35 rims and do a head to head comparo of sizing. The questioner felt that the Geax Goma 27.5 X 2.4" may be as big as the Trailblazer anyway, thus making this whole B+ thing kind of a moot point. So I grabbed one of these GEAX Goma 2.4" TNT models and slapped it onto the Velocity rim tubeless and the following figures that I will share are what resulted.

First though, I wanted to also add that I did a bead to bead measurement, as this is a popular way that fat bikers have used to determine a tire's volume. I also will discuss casing shape, as that plays into what I found to a profound degree. Okay, so first the bead to bead comparison:

• Geax Goma 2.4"- 160mm
• WTB Trailblazer- 173mm

So far we can see that the WTB Trailblazer should have a more voluptuous casing than the Goma 27.5"er does.

Goma on the left- Trailblazer on the right.

Now for some other pertinent measurements. I'll be making some comments on details where necessary:

• Weight: Goma 1030 gm- WTB Trailblazer (of four samples I am aware of) 890 gm to 990 gm. 
• Width of Casing At Widest Point: (NOTE- I have several measurements of the Trailblazer but am going to stick with the Blunt 35 for this comparison) After airing up to 20psi tubeless- GEAX Goma- 60.4mm Trailblazer- 65.4mm. 
• After airing up the Goma to 30 psi, the measurement was the same. I have a set of GEAX Gato 2.35's in the 29"er format with the same TNT sidewalls and they typically stretch very, very little. The Trailblazer measures 66.3mm and 67mm respectively at 20psi today. 
• Diameter: Trailblazer is 28 9/16ths after mounted tubeless for 24 hours. The Goma is 28 1/8th".
  
  

 So that sounds close, right? But that doesn't tell the whole story. The Goma has huge knobs which affect the diameter to a great degree. That isn't how big the casing is. In fact, the Goma has a rather pronounced, tallish "C" shaped casing. No surprise there, the Gato has that as well, so being built by GEAX, it makes sense that the basic foundation for the Gato and the Goma would be similar. The Trailblazer, on the other hand, has a shallower, "C" shape to its casing which is almost flat in profile. That means the casing has more volume and that is where the big difference comes in regard to this tire and anything else with a 584ISO bead diameter.

Conclusions: 

There are some really big 29"er tires out there, but the Knard is bigger. Same deal here. The Trailblazer is bigger. It's taller, wider, and has more volume than one of, (if not the) biggest available 27.5"er tires you can buy now.

Does that make it a B+ tire? That is a fair question. I will say this- the Trailblazer cannot really be compared to the Goma. Two totally different styles of construction and intentions from a design standpoint. Put it another way- Is the Knard 29 X 3.0 a Trail/AM tire? Heck, the Knard isn't even a tubeless rated tire! The Trailblazer is, and yet it does act much more like a Knard than it would the Goma, and it should be obvious that the intentions for these tires is as obvious as black and white.

So, is the GEAX tire a potential B+ tire if it were made like the Trailblazer? No. It isn't because it is not big enough! The intention for the Trailblazer was to fit 29"ers with as little change to the geometry as possible. While the Trailblazer falls a bit short in height, (which was also intentional, by the way), the Goma is more so. There aren't too many 29"er bikes that would accommodate a 28 1/8th inch diameter tire without some pedal strikes. Does the Trailblazer really work the way it was intended too? Yes! I have three bikes sitting around that I have tried these on that it works perfect with, and one other that is "okay" in that regard. The Goma on the 27.5" Blunt 35 would severely compromise all of them.

Call the Trailblazer whatever you want. It results in the biggest diameter tire for a 584ISO rim currently, it works best on something at least 35mm wide for a rim width, was designed to be used on a 45mm width rim, and has the most volume of any 584ISO tire currently available. I'd say that sounds "plus" to me.