Friday News And Views

The Great Plains Gravel Route Released:

The gravel version of The Great Divide Route, (well, this new route was inspired by the GDR, which itself is basically a gravel route), is finally out now. You can check it out HERE.

Comments: I know a lot of people are excited about this route. I am not one of them. I just don't see this project as being a cohesive route. It's essentially a highlights driven exercise with connectors to make it work as a route from end-to-end across the nation. The serpentine nature of the route is pretty much a tell-tale that this is the case here.

Not that this route is a bad idea, it just lacks an overarching theme for me. The Great Divide Route is a ride along the spine of the Great Divide. This makes sense. The Great Plains Gravel Route is a series of highlights which are not all parts of the Great Plains. (Black Hills, Big Bend area of Texas). The "need" to connect the highlights makes for a weird route, in my opinion. Again - in my opinion. This is "Friday News And Views", after all. So, you may not agree, and I understand this.

I would ride parts of this route. But I probably would research my own version of parts of it. So, this isn't something I'd jump at the chance to do as it is written. Maybe you are excited about it? Let me know in the comments.

Where We Came From Featuring Mike Marchand:

In case you missed this, The Guitar Ted Podcast released a new episode last weekend featuring early gravel pioneer and racer Mike Marchand.

Mike shared some incredible stories of events on gravel which pre-date the Modern Gravel Era by a few years, both examples being in Kansas. 

It was fun talking to Mike as I ended up learning a lot about him. It is funny, in a way, how preconceived perceptions of a person can be shattered  once you hear their story, and in Mike's case, I found I had him pegged wrong.

Mike won the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200 and the 2010 Gravel Worlds. Because of this I was under the impression Mike was some kind of racing honch, and had been for years. In fact, the DK200 in 2009 was Mike's first gravel race! Had I known this, I probably would have had a completely different idea of who he was in terms of gravel riding and racing. It was not that Mike wasn't good at gravel racing, because, obviously, he was. I was just under the impression he'd been at it for a long time, when in fact, it was all new to him, for the most part.

Anyway, give the episode a listen and if you like hearing about old, grassroots gravel events, you'll enjoy it, I think.  

A Borealis fat bike in 29"er mode I tested/reviewed in 2014

Borealis Pauses Business:

According to a Colorado news report seen on Facebook, Borealis Bicycles has decided to pause doing business effective at the end of July. 

Citing issues induced by the Trump tariffs, Borealis will sell through remaining stock and the owner said he'd wait to see what will happen after that.  Unfortunately the building Borealis uses and their employees will all be gone at the end of July.

Comments: Honestly, I thought Borealis was gone several years ago. But apparently they were still selling bikes assembled in Colorado. At any rate, this company joins Revel Bikes as recent casualties of tariff policies.

With still soft sales nationwide, I suspect this will not be the last we hear about a bicycle business shutting down.  

Nitto Introduces New Gravel Flared Drop Bar:

As seen on Soma Fabrications Facebook feed, it appears Nitto will have a new gravel oriented flared drop bar coming available soon. It will have "about 15° of flare, minimal reach, and drop. As you can see from the image, it will come in two colors. Soma says the bar will be available in only two widths in 31.8 mm clamp diameter and soon it will come in a 26.0 mm clamp diameter.

No price was listed and as of the time I wrote this, neither was it on Soma's site yet. 

Comments: The name? Uggh.... Whatever. There has always been a certain element of the cycling community which seems to think things having to do with gravel cycling need "cutesy" names. If you like this, fine. I think it is unnecessary. "M138" works for me.

As far as this offering is concerned, I think it is notable only because it is a Nitto product and that it is available in their silver anodized finish, which is really nice. If you are at all familiar with Nitto, you know what I mean.

Beyond this, it is a fine drop bar, but nothing unusual. there was a time when a bar like this would have caused quite the stir. This was when a flared drop bar was rare, and a Nitto offering then would have been a big deal. (I believe they had something early on in a flared drop, but I cannot recall now.)   

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Announces Their First Platform Pedal:

The Ritchey Bigfoot pedal just dropped on Wednesday and it is a nice choice in a flat pedal.

Boasting replaceable steel traction pins, a reinforced nylon body with an inner bushing and outer cartridge bearing, the Bigfoot should work across four season use. (Metal bodied pedals suck heat from your feet in Winter!)

The pedals will be available now in black with a Desert Sand color coming later in the  year. Price for these is a modest $44.95USD.  

Comments: This is great news. I love my Fyxation Mesa MP's and these pedals are very similar to my favorites. I have no doubt that these will be a great pedal for anyone looking into a flat pedal option and who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on them. My Fyxations hold up really well. In fact, I've yet to have a pair wear out or fail on me, but I do use them sparingly across several bicycles, so my usage case might be skewed a bit!

However; I stand by my recommendation, and especially if you want a nice pedal for cold weather riding. These will not act like a heat sink, sucking warmth from you feet through your boots/shoes like metal pedals can in colder weather.  

UnPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley Announces Cash Purses, More Rider Options For 2025:

A press release sent out late on Wednesday  announced new tweaks to the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley Event. While all riders will receive a Whoopie Pie if they finish, now the full, 130 mile course riders will have a shot at a cash prize as well. Racers will vie for this prize over 13 hills, 11,500’ of climbing, and the infamous Longwell Draft “road” that was part of “The Difference” in the first few years of unPAved.

But if this is not for you, don't worry. unPAved routes are made up of interconnecting loops, so many options will be available to any rider. Here's a quote from the presser:

“It’s amazing to see the wide variety of gravel cyclists that come to unPAved,” said Cimarron Chacon, Race Director. “So, we’ve built the event to be with a lot of options. For those that want a big day, the Big Lick-200 is for the experienced backcountry adventurer. My favorite, the SlumberPArty, is a ride focused on camaraderie with a group camp-out and catered breakfast provided by Backyard Beans Coffee Company. And for those not quite ready to explore off road, we even have our FUNpaved rides on Saturday. There really is something for everyone at unPAved.”

Registration is open now HERE. unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley will be October 10 - 12 in Lewisburg PA.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out and ride those bicycles! Special shout out to anyone going to The Heywood Ride tomorrow, Have a good time!

Friday News And Views

The people of Cedar Valley Trails.org

Playing Teacher: When I was a younginz way back when, I thought I might become a teacher someday. Nothing ever became of that thought, well.......until now a days. Ever since coming to work at the shop where I am now, I have taught mechanics classes from time to time. It seems that lately I've had a small run going on them.

Last night it was the Cedar Valley Trails.org. They were having their monthly meeting and wanted a refresher course on trail side maintenance and repair. Last weekend was a full on mechanics class at the shop, and tomorrow I have another. I may get tapped to do a basic maintenance class with a couple other guys as well. Then the teaching will have to take a back seat to work, since we're supposed to swing into Spring around here next week. I tell ya what- I am ready. This Winter has been weird and the ultra-cold right at the very end really hurt.

Speaking of "hurt", I did just that to some of my digits riding to work Thursday in the sub-zero wind chill. Some of my fingers were really on the verge of frostbite by the time I got to work. I should have used the pogies........

RidingGravel.com Stickers:

My partner Ben at RidingGravel.com shot over this image of a sticker we are thinking we'll have soon.  They'll be high quality vinyl 4.25in x 1.38in and will be $1 plus postage. Not sure if I'll have any locally for pick up, but I bet I will, or could. Interested? Let me know. Just something fun to show your love for riding gravel.

Transformer mode: Soon.

 Okay, Let's Try This Again:

Last year I built up a set of 29+ wheels and slapped some Surly 29 X 3.0" Knards on there which all ended up on my titanium Mukluk. Dubbed the "Muktruk" by Mke Johnson, who did the same thing with his titanium Mukluk, I tried the concept out for several months before deciding that it wasn't right for me. The wheels jacked up the bottom bracket and I thought the feel of those wheels wasn't very fun on that frame/fork.

I decided to sell the wheels, and I did just that. This doesn't mean I don't like the idea though, because I do. The Borealis Echo I tested last Summer showed me that much. That bike was lower to the ground, lighter, and slacker. It all added up to a ton of fun.

So now I have the Blackborow. It was designed around the largest tires on the widest rims that are available now. That puts the overall wheel diameter really close to 29+. Close enough that I won't be changing the geometry on the Blackborow at all if I decide to put on 29+ wheels. The Blackborow has a slacker front end, shorter rear end, and lower stand over height than my Mukluk does. It should, theoretically, rip with 29+ wheels. And I will be finding out if it works in truth.

Stay tuned for a mighty transformation to the Blackborow, coming soon. Summertime looks like it may be a fun one around here.

Friday News And Views

The people of Cedar Valley Trails.org

Playing Teacher: When I was a younginz way back when, I thought I might become a teacher someday. Nothing ever became of that thought, well.......until now a days. Ever since coming to work at the shop where I am now, I have taught mechanics classes from time to time. It seems that lately I've had a small run going on them.

Last night it was the Cedar Valley Trails.org. They were having their monthly meeting and wanted a refresher course on trail side maintenance and repair. Last weekend was a full on mechanics class at the shop, and tomorrow I have another. I may get tapped to do a basic maintenance class with a couple other guys as well. Then the teaching will have to take a back seat to work, since we're supposed to swing into Spring around here next week. I tell ya what- I am ready. This Winter has been weird and the ultra-cold right at the very end really hurt.

Speaking of "hurt", I did just that to some of my digits riding to work Thursday in the sub-zero wind chill. Some of my fingers were really on the verge of frostbite by the time I got to work. I should have used the pogies........

RidingGravel.com Stickers:

My partner Ben at RidingGravel.com shot over this image of a sticker we are thinking we'll have soon.  They'll be high quality vinyl 4.25in x 1.38in and will be $1 plus postage. Not sure if I'll have any locally for pick up, but I bet I will, or could. Interested? Let me know. Just something fun to show your love for riding gravel.

Transformer mode: Soon.

 Okay, Let's Try This Again:

Last year I built up a set of 29+ wheels and slapped some Surly 29 X 3.0" Knards on there which all ended up on my titanium Mukluk. Dubbed the "Muktruk" by Mke Johnson, who did the same thing with his titanium Mukluk, I tried the concept out for several months before deciding that it wasn't right for me. The wheels jacked up the bottom bracket and I thought the feel of those wheels wasn't very fun on that frame/fork.

I decided to sell the wheels, and I did just that. This doesn't mean I don't like the idea though, because I do. The Borealis Echo I tested last Summer showed me that much. That bike was lower to the ground, lighter, and slacker. It all added up to a ton of fun.

So now I have the Blackborow. It was designed around the largest tires on the widest rims that are available now. That puts the overall wheel diameter really close to 29+. Close enough that I won't be changing the geometry on the Blackborow at all if I decide to put on 29+ wheels. The Blackborow has a slacker front end, shorter rear end, and lower stand over height than my Mukluk does. It should, theoretically, rip with 29+ wheels. And I will be finding out if it works in truth.

Stay tuned for a mighty transformation to the Blackborow, coming soon. Summertime looks like it may be a fun one around here.

Pivot LES Fat: One Bike To Rule Them All?

The new Pivot Cycles "LES Fat" hard tail Image courtesy of Pivot

Last year I rode a bicycle that really opened up my eyes. It was a Borealis Echo set up not as a fat bike, but as a 29+ bike and it had a Rock Shox Bluto fork with that same company's excellent dropper post.

Their weren't too many bikes I wanted to keep as a test rider for Twenty Nine Inches, but the Echo, so equipped, was one. I had it up at the Volga Recreation Area, a place where there are big hills, challenging climbs, lots of sand, and chunky rocks here and there. In short, it has every tough feature a Mid-Western trail might have.

The Echo slayed the place, and with the 1X11 drive train and 3 inch wide rubber, it was a hoot to ride. It made me want to ride there all day, and then go find harder places to ride, because it was so capable, like a fat bike, but it was light and nimble, like a carbon hard tail. So... Well, here we have the next evolution of such an idea. Perhaps a "one bike solution" for many people.

The Pivot Cycles LES Fat is a fat bike, of course, but there are several details, and one big important one, that set this apart from many in the crowd. First of all, Pivot designed this to be different from most fat bikes because they wanted it to work with 26" X 4", 26" X 5", 27.5" X 3+", and 29+ wheel sizes. To do this, Pivot realized that 26 X 4 and "Mid-Fat" wheels have about the same wheel diameter, but 26" X 5" and 29+, which are very similar in wheel diameter to each other, are bigger wheels than the first two mentioned. Yes- by a significant amount. Regular fat bike sized wheels and "Mid-Fat" based on 27.5" has a slightly smaller than 29" diameter, while the other two measure out at slightly more than 31" in diameter. Big difference, and this causes handling and ergonomic issues.

Image courtesy of Pivot. (Red arrows are my addition!)

To allow for a swap of wheels and to keep the geometry mostly the same in all configurations, Pivot designed a special "lower cup" which can be removed to accommodate longer axle to crown measurements and not "jack up" your geometry. (Pun intended- See the image at the right for a visual)

This means that when you use a Bluto fork, and account for sag, you have removed the lower cup and you can retain the same front end angles, bottom  bracket height, and seat tube angle as you had while running rigid. 29+, 5" width tires, and Bluto forks would all be used without the lower cup. Mid-fat and "normal" sized 3.8"-4.0" fat bike rubber in rigid mode would stay with the lower cup in the head tube. Bottom bracket height can be further controlled by the swinger drop outs which go back and up to accommodate a taller back wheel.

 Those same swinging rear drop outs will allow for single speed set ups, or for tweaking the wheel base. Pivot's ported internal routing is cool, and a "stealth route" for a dropper post is also designed into this frame. Finally, an axle standard I thought might prove to become the new "standard" is seen here- 197mm X 12mm through axle rear and 150mm X 15mm through axle front is on this bike. The front wheel will swap straight into a Bluto fork. Nice.

An intriguing detail on the new LES Fat is the e-13 co-designed with Pivot fat bike crank which is said to work with 5" wide tires but still have a "tread width" or "Q Factor" which is  closer to a rear 170mmOLD hub. Pivot says it works for better ergonomic feeling especially in regard to knees and hips. However; they also claim a good chain line with a 5" tire and an ability to run a double front chain ring set up. That I'd have to see.

So, could something like this be your Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall rig? Could the addition of a Bluto fork extend the range of this bike such that you'd never want a full suspension device? Could it be a fat bike, a "Mid-fat" bike, and a 29+ rig so you'd never want another weirdo hard tail? Maybe. The wider bottom bracket is still going to freak out many folks. (Physically and mentally) So there is that big hurdle. Oh yeah.........and the Pivot LESS Fat is expensive! There is that too. But if you can swing the dough, there isn't a bike out there with cooler details that is this versatile. I bet I'd get on with it just fine.

Pivot LES Fat: One Bike To Rule Them All?

The new Pivot Cycles "LES Fat" hard tail Image courtesy of Pivot

Last year I rode a bicycle that really opened up my eyes. It was a Borealis Echo set up not as a fat bike, but as a 29+ bike and it had a Rock Shox Bluto fork with that same company's excellent dropper post.

Their weren't too many bikes I wanted to keep as a test rider for Twenty Nine Inches, but the Echo, so equipped, was one. I had it up at the Volga Recreation Area, a place where there are big hills, challenging climbs, lots of sand, and chunky rocks here and there. In short, it has every tough feature a Mid-Western trail might have.

The Echo slayed the place, and with the 1X11 drive train and 3 inch wide rubber, it was a hoot to ride. It made me want to ride there all day, and then go find harder places to ride, because it was so capable, like a fat bike, but it was light and nimble, like a carbon hard tail. So... Well, here we have the next evolution of such an idea. Perhaps a "one bike solution" for many people.

The Pivot Cycles LES Fat is a fat bike, of course, but there are several details, and one big important one, that set this apart from many in the crowd. First of all, Pivot designed this to be different from most fat bikes because they wanted it to work with 26" X 4", 26" X 5", 27.5" X 3+", and 29+ wheel sizes. To do this, Pivot realized that 26 X 4 and "Mid-Fat" wheels have about the same wheel diameter, but 26" X 5" and 29+, which are very similar in wheel diameter to each other, are bigger wheels than the first two mentioned. Yes- by a significant amount. Regular fat bike sized wheels and "Mid-Fat" based on 27.5" has a slightly smaller than 29" diameter, while the other two measure out at slightly more than 31" in diameter. Big difference, and this causes handling and ergonomic issues.

Image courtesy of Pivot. (Red arrows are my addition!)

To allow for a swap of wheels and to keep the geometry mostly the same in all configurations, Pivot designed a special "lower cup" which can be removed to accommodate longer axle to crown measurements and not "jack up" your geometry. (Pun intended- See the image at the right for a visual)

This means that when you use a Bluto fork, and account for sag, you have removed the lower cup and you can retain the same front end angles, bottom  bracket height, and seat tube angle as you had while running rigid. 29+, 5" width tires, and Bluto forks would all be used without the lower cup. Mid-fat and "normal" sized 3.8"-4.0" fat bike rubber in rigid mode would stay with the lower cup in the head tube. Bottom bracket height can be further controlled by the swinger drop outs which go back and up to accommodate a taller back wheel.

 Those same swinging rear drop outs will allow for single speed set ups, or for tweaking the wheel base. Pivot's ported internal routing is cool, and a "stealth route" for a dropper post is also designed into this frame. Finally, an axle standard I thought might prove to become the new "standard" is seen here- 197mm X 12mm through axle rear and 150mm X 15mm through axle front is on this bike. The front wheel will swap straight into a Bluto fork. Nice.

An intriguing detail on the new LES Fat is the e-13 co-designed with Pivot fat bike crank which is said to work with 5" wide tires but still have a "tread width" or "Q Factor" which is  closer to a rear 170mmOLD hub. Pivot says it works for better ergonomic feeling especially in regard to knees and hips. However; they also claim a good chain line with a 5" tire and an ability to run a double front chain ring set up. That I'd have to see.

So, could something like this be your Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall rig? Could the addition of a Bluto fork extend the range of this bike such that you'd never want a full suspension device? Could it be a fat bike, a "Mid-fat" bike, and a 29+ rig so you'd never want another weirdo hard tail? Maybe. The wider bottom bracket is still going to freak out many folks. (Physically and mentally) So there is that big hurdle. Oh yeah.........and the Pivot LESS Fat is expensive! There is that too. But if you can swing the dough, there isn't a bike out there with cooler details that is this versatile. I bet I'd get on with it just fine.

Friday News And Views

Image by Wally Kilburg

I was cruising through the archives here and checking out the scene as it was almost ten years ago. First of all......dang! Things have really changed! The whole reason for the nostalgia trip was instigated by a comment I saw posted on one of the social media sites by a fellow that used to go by the name of "Endurosnob". Ironically enough, he was posting about a race he did in 2007. It was a 24 hour race, and he made a comment about endurance 24 hour racing in the following way: "...back when it was a thing."

You know what? That struck me in an odd way. It was a thing, wasn't it? I mean, back in '05, Jeff Kerkove, who worked with me, was going to Japan to ride in a 24 hour event, was winning the 24hrs of Boone, and was banned from 24 hour worlds for saying the fees for solo riders was too high. The whole scene was percolating and was very fresh then. But now......

You just don't hear a whole lot about 24 hour solo racing anymore. Not here in the U.S., at any rate. Of course, it still happens, and there are 24 hour worlds, but the buzz, the popularity of it all. Well, it just isn't a thing anymore, to paraphrase the earlier quip. It makes me wonder about gravel/back road events. In ten years, will we even be thinking about those sorts of events? Will there be thousands of riders at Dirty Kanza anymore? Will Barry-Roubaix be a memory?

Things change, for sure, but I think the 24 hour racing scene changed, and ultimately faded here, due to the bloated, overproduced, expensive beast it became. The events were so convoluted and difficult to put on that they were run by production companies. The "show" became the event format's undoing, in my opinion. If gravel/backroad events go this same route, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that the same thing that happened to gravel rides.

2015 Salsa Titanium Mukluk

Carbon or Metal?

You know, another subject that is a thing now is carbon fiber fat bike frames. Well, let's be honest- anything that they can make in carbon fiber for bicycles is a thing now. Right?

I like carbon fiber bits, and I own and use a few components made from it. However; I am a bit torn as to whether this is a good idea for a fat bike. I did get to test a Borealis Echo, (with 29+ wheels), and it was really one of the best mountain bikes I have ridden. I don't doubt that as a fat bike it would also rule. However; I just am a bit leery of its durability. I mean, I could quite literally go much faster and traverse more rough terrain on that Echo, but what happens when gravity has its way with you? Hmm.......

Titanium and aluminum, well they can be dented and broken when they are made into bicycle frames. Definitely, but little crashes, or heck....even bigger crashes, well they seem to be a bit more resilient. And then there are times when you just wonder: When is that spindly, thin seat stay just going to snap? Maybe I am just paranoid, eh?

Geezer Ride:

Tomorrow the Geezer Ride happens. I hear that there are a few folks coming, and even a couple on fat bikes. The weather, while cool, looks to be completely dry and the roads should be perfect.

I do not know exactly how many folks will actually show up, but it should prove to be a fun ride and I hope all who do come will enjoy themselves going up, down, and over some (hopefully) beautiful Fall roads in Iowa.

Of course, you can expect a full report later, but until then, you should all get out there and find your own adventure on whatever bicycle you choose. Have some fun, stay safe, and look for the story of the Geezer Ride on Monday.......

Friday News And Views

Image by Wally Kilburg

I was cruising through the archives here and checking out the scene as it was almost ten years ago. First of all......dang! Things have really changed! The whole reason for the nostalgia trip was instigated by a comment I saw posted on one of the social media sites by a fellow that used to go by the name of "Endurosnob". Ironically enough, he was posting about a race he did in 2007. It was a 24 hour race, and he made a comment about endurance 24 hour racing in the following way: "...back when it was a thing."

You know what? That struck me in an odd way. It was a thing, wasn't it? I mean, back in '05, Jeff Kerkove, who worked with me, was going to Japan to ride in a 24 hour event, was winning the 24hrs of Boone, and was banned from 24 hour worlds for saying the fees for solo riders was too high. The whole scene was percolating and was very fresh then. But now......

You just don't hear a whole lot about 24 hour solo racing anymore. Not here in the U.S., at any rate. Of course, it still happens, and there are 24 hour worlds, but the buzz, the popularity of it all. Well, it just isn't a thing anymore, to paraphrase the earlier quip. It makes me wonder about gravel/back road events. In ten years, will we even be thinking about those sorts of events? Will there be thousands of riders at Dirty Kanza anymore? Will Barry-Roubaix be a memory?

Things change, for sure, but I think the 24 hour racing scene changed, and ultimately faded here, due to the bloated, overproduced, expensive beast it became. The events were so convoluted and difficult to put on that they were run by production companies. The "show" became the event format's undoing, in my opinion. If gravel/backroad events go this same route, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that the same thing that happened to gravel rides.

2015 Salsa Titanium Mukluk

Carbon or Metal?

You know, another subject that is a thing now is carbon fiber fat bike frames. Well, let's be honest- anything that they can make in carbon fiber for bicycles is a thing now. Right?

I like carbon fiber bits, and I own and use a few components made from it. However; I am a bit torn as to whether this is a good idea for a fat bike. I did get to test a Borealis Echo, (with 29+ wheels), and it was really one of the best mountain bikes I have ridden. I don't doubt that as a fat bike it would also rule. However; I just am a bit leery of its durability. I mean, I could quite literally go much faster and traverse more rough terrain on that Echo, but what happens when gravity has its way with you? Hmm.......

Titanium and aluminum, well they can be dented and broken when they are made into bicycle frames. Definitely, but little crashes, or heck....even bigger crashes, well they seem to be a bit more resilient. And then there are times when you just wonder: When is that spindly, thin seat stay just going to snap? Maybe I am just paranoid, eh?

Geezer Ride:

Tomorrow the Geezer Ride happens. I hear that there are a few folks coming, and even a couple on fat bikes. The weather, while cool, looks to be completely dry and the roads should be perfect.

I do not know exactly how many folks will actually show up, but it should prove to be a fun ride and I hope all who do come will enjoy themselves going up, down, and over some (hopefully) beautiful Fall roads in Iowa.

Of course, you can expect a full report later, but until then, you should all get out there and find your own adventure on whatever bicycle you choose. Have some fun, stay safe, and look for the story of the Geezer Ride on Monday.......

MukTruk

MukTruk V1

What is a "MukTruk"? That's the name Mike Johnson gave to his titanium Mukluk outfitted with 29+ wheels. The story started with Mike wanting to fit these tires and wheels to his Ti Muk, and then having past Trans Iowa winner Dennis Grelk machine him some modified Alternator drop outs to help gain better mud clearances.

So, as long as Dennis was going to go to the trouble of making one set, he figured he may as well make a couple more, (at least, I am not sure if another set exists or not), and so that is how I came into possession of a set of these drop outs. I'll show why those are necessary here in a moment. First though, I want to share the long and winding road that took me to the point where you see my Ti Muk today.

This all started when I rode a Krampus at Interbike a few years back. I figured the versatile Ti Muk might work with these wheels, but I didn't have the tires, nor the right wheel set to do that with. I do have a fat bike hubbed wheel set that spin Stan's Flow rims, but those were deemed too skinny by myself for this project.

Clearance is super tight with stock Alternators

So, a new wheel set, or at least a re-lacing of those hubs would need to be done. Then Salsa Cycles introduced the new, front disc spaced Conversion hub set, and in my favorite color- purple! I ordered up a set at the end of Winter and those sat until very recently when I had them laced to Velocity Dually rims in black ano with purple alloy nipples.

Getting up to speed with what would work with fat bikes going forward, the Conversion Hubs were a good move, but that made my Enabler fork, a rear disc mount/rear disc spaced hub compatible fork, obsolete. A new fork was in order then. Being somewhat limited to a few forks with this front disc standard and 1 1/8th steer tube standard, I chose the MRP alloy Fat Fork. It is a little heavier than its carbon counterpart, but it was significantly less expensive. I saved 234 grams from the switch of forks, which isn't huge, but it is something.

There are going to be a lot of 29+ tires soon, but as for right now, I like the Knards. I've seen what they can do, and I have also experienced what they can do. (The Borealis Echo test recently, for instance.) Of course, I got the 120TPI versions and set them up tubeless using my buddy MG's special sauce and a combination of Gorilla Tape, (one layer), and a round of Velocity USA blue tubeless tape to reinforce the spoke hole area.

Using the "DG Alternator Drops"  makes more room

The tubeless mixture was mixed a bit on the thicker side to aid in sealing up the Knard casings and bead interface on the Duallys. It was a laborious prep process and mounting session, but it all paid off in a successful set up of these tires tubeless. You have to really spend the time in set up to pull this off well. I'm confident, (after seeing Mike Johnson's performances and in the use of the Borealis Echo), that this tubeless set up will be bombproof.

The final key to the successful MukTruk transformation was the Dennis Grelk custom machined Alternator style drop outs. Dennis expertly figured out how to move the wheel rearward in relation to the seat stay bridge without raising the bottom bracket. This required a bit of a mod to the design of the original Alternator in that Dennis had to move the brake caliper upper mount to its own, dedicated threaded hole instead of ganging it with the upper swing pivot point, as Salsa Cycles' design utilizes. This required a little extra hardware, but I had everything I needed there to make the swap. With the new "DG-Alternator Drop" slammed all the way up, I have gobs of mud clearance, and no doubt I could probably also slot in a Surly Bud or Lou fat bike tire on a wide rim as well with this set up.

MukTruk V2: With the "DG-Alternator Drop" set up, new fork, and 29+ wheels and tires I am set for adventure!

No questions on clearances here!

Mike Johnson told me recently that his MukTruk set up is his "go-to" bike now, and I can already say that I am pretty darn sure that this bike will also be one of my very favorite rigs as well. Capable of mountain biking, gravel riding, light Winter duty, and more, I will likely be using this bicycle more and more also, just like Mike does.

Mike has his rig set up with a Luxy Bar, and I may do something like that at some point, but honestly, I may just get some Ergon BioKork grips with integral bar ends first, as I really like their feel and performance. The bar may get swapped for something wider though, as I've become accustomed to the short stem/wide bar feel of some other rigs I have ridden. Then there is the upcoming release of Jeff Jones' carbon Loop Bar.

The only bummer about this Ti Muk is the pigeon hole you find yourself in with the head tube size. 1 1/8th is something of an antiquated standard. No fork manufacturers are really supporting it with new releases anymore, so as long as I can live with the rigid fork, I suppose I'll be okay.  Otherwise I like almost everything else just fine. I may have to swap to a more modern crank and bottom bracket soon. I don't suppose 100mm ISIS bottom brackets will be around much longer! That's something that may force my hand, and honestly, it would make the bike better. Maybe one of those fancy Race Face Next fat bike cranks is on the horizon.....

I did get a short ride on this Saturday evening and it feels.......normal. At least to me it does. The thing is, it steers better with the Knard 29 X 3" tires than with fat bike tires and I already know what this tire and wheel combination is capable of having ridden three different bicycles fitted with wide rims and 29+ Knards previously. It should prove out to be a ton of fun!

MukTruk

MukTruk V1

What is a "MukTruk"? That's the name Mike Johnson gave to his titanium Mukluk outfitted with 29+ wheels. The story started with Mike wanting to fit these tires and wheels to his Ti Muk, and then having past Trans Iowa winner Dennis Grelk machine him some modified Alternator drop outs to help gain better mud clearances.

So, as long as Dennis was going to go to the trouble of making one set, he figured he may as well make a couple more, (at least, I am not sure if another set exists or not), and so that is how I came into possession of a set of these drop outs. I'll show why those are necessary here in a moment. First though, I want to share the long and winding road that took me to the point where you see my Ti Muk today.

This all started when I rode a Krampus at Interbike a few years back. I figured the versatile Ti Muk might work with these wheels, but I didn't have the tires, nor the right wheel set to do that with. I do have a fat bike hubbed wheel set that spin Stan's Flow rims, but those were deemed too skinny by myself for this project.

Clearance is super tight with stock Alternators

So, a new wheel set, or at least a re-lacing of those hubs would need to be done. Then Salsa Cycles introduced the new, front disc spaced Conversion hub set, and in my favorite color- purple! I ordered up a set at the end of Winter and those sat until very recently when I had them laced to Velocity Dually rims in black ano with purple alloy nipples.

Getting up to speed with what would work with fat bikes going forward, the Conversion Hubs were a good move, but that made my Enabler fork, a rear disc mount/rear disc spaced hub compatible fork, obsolete. A new fork was in order then. Being somewhat limited to a few forks with this front disc standard and 1 1/8th steer tube standard, I chose the MRP alloy Fat Fork. It is a little heavier than its carbon counterpart, but it was significantly less expensive. I saved 234 grams from the switch of forks, which isn't huge, but it is something.

There are going to be a lot of 29+ tires soon, but as for right now, I like the Knards. I've seen what they can do, and I have also experienced what they can do. (The Borealis Echo test recently, for instance.) Of course, I got the 120TPI versions and set them up tubeless using my buddy MG's special sauce and a combination of Gorilla Tape, (one layer), and a round of Velocity USA blue tubeless tape to reinforce the spoke hole area.

Using the "DG Alternator Drops"  makes more room

The tubeless mixture was mixed a bit on the thicker side to aid in sealing up the Knard casings and bead interface on the Duallys. It was a laborious prep process and mounting session, but it all paid off in a successful set up of these tires tubeless. You have to really spend the time in set up to pull this off well. I'm confident, (after seeing Mike Johnson's performances and in the use of the Borealis Echo), that this tubeless set up will be bombproof.

The final key to the successful MukTruk transformation was the Dennis Grelk custom machined Alternator style drop outs. Dennis expertly figured out how to move the wheel rearward in relation to the seat stay bridge without raising the bottom bracket. This required a bit of a mod to the design of the original Alternator in that Dennis had to move the brake caliper upper mount to its own, dedicated threaded hole instead of ganging it with the upper swing pivot point, as Salsa Cycles' design utilizes. This required a little extra hardware, but I had everything I needed there to make the swap. With the new "DG-Alternator Drop" slammed all the way up, I have gobs of mud clearance, and no doubt I could probably also slot in a Surly Bud or Lou fat bike tire on a wide rim as well with this set up.

MukTruk V2: With the "DG-Alternator Drop" set up, new fork, and 29+ wheels and tires I am set for adventure!

No questions on clearances here!

Mike Johnson told me recently that his MukTruk set up is his "go-to" bike now, and I can already say that I am pretty darn sure that this bike will also be one of my very favorite rigs as well. Capable of mountain biking, gravel riding, light Winter duty, and more, I will likely be using this bicycle more and more also, just like Mike does.

Mike has his rig set up with a Luxy Bar, and I may do something like that at some point, but honestly, I may just get some Ergon BioKork grips with integral bar ends first, as I really like their feel and performance. The bar may get swapped for something wider though, as I've become accustomed to the short stem/wide bar feel of some other rigs I have ridden. Then there is the upcoming release of Jeff Jones' carbon Loop Bar.

The only bummer about this Ti Muk is the pigeon hole you find yourself in with the head tube size. 1 1/8th is something of an antiquated standard. No fork manufacturers are really supporting it with new releases anymore, so as long as I can live with the rigid fork, I suppose I'll be okay.  Otherwise I like almost everything else just fine. I may have to swap to a more modern crank and bottom bracket soon. I don't suppose 100mm ISIS bottom brackets will be around much longer! That's something that may force my hand, and honestly, it would make the bike better. Maybe one of those fancy Race Face Next fat bike cranks is on the horizon.....

I did get a short ride on this Saturday evening and it feels.......normal. At least to me it does. The thing is, it steers better with the Knard 29 X 3" tires than with fat bike tires and I already know what this tire and wheel combination is capable of having ridden three different bicycles fitted with wide rims and 29+ Knards previously. It should prove out to be a ton of fun!

Skeeters And Flowers

Just about succumbed to a Skeeter attack here!

Last chance for gas with the Borealis before it has to go back to Colorado, so off to Ingawanis Woods I went. It was a gloriously cool, drier day compared to Tuesday which was a typically beastly, humid, hot Summer day. I was really happy that Wednesday was much better.

When I reached the last road to the woods, I spied a 40 acre field of wild flowers and prairie grasses that I thought might make for a good image or two. Filed away in the back of my mind for later, I drove the last stretch to park and get ready for a quick lap on the carbon fiber 29+ rocket.

Surprisingly, I found that there were few mosquitoes in the air in the grassy lot where I traditionally park there. Not like the last time, when brown whizzing clouds of the blood sucking insects wouldn't leave me alone. This was a good sign, and I planned to take many images and enjoy myself on the loop. I rolled off on the bone dry, rock hard dirt and scooted around the first few corners.

I decided to stop and take an image of the rooty, broken rock infested climb near the counter-clockwise start, and I found out that this was a very bad idea. If anything, this was the worst the skeeters had been in years. Just awful! Okay then, pack it up quickly, remount, spin off, and forget about stopping.

Nothing but flowers and bees out here!

This made for a single stop running of the loop, which is pretty unusual for me, only because I usually feel the need to document a bike, component, or a beautiful scene with the camera when the mood hits me. I am not all about the "fastest time" or "training", for that matter, so I typically don't care about speeding through Ingawanis without enjoying the sights and sounds.

However; the beastly skeeters put a different spin on this ride and I found myself grooving on cutting corners as fast as I could, or in not using my brakes as much. It made for the fastest times in many sections that I have ever had. The mood and techniques were one thing, but the bike played right into that as well. Big, 29+ meats, set up tubeless, were the meal ticket to eating up single track at an alarming rate. Whomever said 29"ers could not zap around tight corners never rode such a rig as this, that much I do know. I was flying through the tight twisties faster than ever, and conditions were not primo for traction either.

29+, (really, they are 31"ers), are so good at gaining traction, that speed in areas you typically have to scrub off speed in, or be careful with pushing too hard for fear of breaking away, are non issues. I was even cruising right past the sandy patches in the apexes of corners like they were pure, tacky dirt. Braking traction was insane, when you needed to brake, and whoa-ing up the Echo was no problem at all. I'll be adding a 29+ or a B+ bike to the stable for sure based upon this experience with the Borealis.

And that flowery prairie? I decided to stroll on over on the Echo and visit for a while. It was a great, relaxing way to cap off a frenetic ride through Ingawanis Woods escaping the dreaded skeeter attacks.

Skeeters And Flowers

Just about succumbed to a Skeeter attack here!

Last chance for gas with the Borealis before it has to go back to Colorado, so off to Ingawanis Woods I went. It was a gloriously cool, drier day compared to Tuesday which was a typically beastly, humid, hot Summer day. I was really happy that Wednesday was much better.

When I reached the last road to the woods, I spied a 40 acre field of wild flowers and prairie grasses that I thought might make for a good image or two. Filed away in the back of my mind for later, I drove the last stretch to park and get ready for a quick lap on the carbon fiber 29+ rocket.

Surprisingly, I found that there were few mosquitoes in the air in the grassy lot where I traditionally park there. Not like the last time, when brown whizzing clouds of the blood sucking insects wouldn't leave me alone. This was a good sign, and I planned to take many images and enjoy myself on the loop. I rolled off on the bone dry, rock hard dirt and scooted around the first few corners.

I decided to stop and take an image of the rooty, broken rock infested climb near the counter-clockwise start, and I found out that this was a very bad idea. If anything, this was the worst the skeeters had been in years. Just awful! Okay then, pack it up quickly, remount, spin off, and forget about stopping.

Nothing but flowers and bees out here!

This made for a single stop running of the loop, which is pretty unusual for me, only because I usually feel the need to document a bike, component, or a beautiful scene with the camera when the mood hits me. I am not all about the "fastest time" or "training", for that matter, so I typically don't care about speeding through Ingawanis without enjoying the sights and sounds.

However; the beastly skeeters put a different spin on this ride and I found myself grooving on cutting corners as fast as I could, or in not using my brakes as much. It made for the fastest times in many sections that I have ever had. The mood and techniques were one thing, but the bike played right into that as well. Big, 29+ meats, set up tubeless, were the meal ticket to eating up single track at an alarming rate. Whomever said 29"ers could not zap around tight corners never rode such a rig as this, that much I do know. I was flying through the tight twisties faster than ever, and conditions were not primo for traction either.

29+, (really, they are 31"ers), are so good at gaining traction, that speed in areas you typically have to scrub off speed in, or be careful with pushing too hard for fear of breaking away, are non issues. I was even cruising right past the sandy patches in the apexes of corners like they were pure, tacky dirt. Braking traction was insane, when you needed to brake, and whoa-ing up the Echo was no problem at all. I'll be adding a 29+ or a B+ bike to the stable for sure based upon this experience with the Borealis.

And that flowery prairie? I decided to stroll on over on the Echo and visit for a while. It was a great, relaxing way to cap off a frenetic ride through Ingawanis Woods escaping the dreaded skeeter attacks.

Bushwhacking

Post flood flotsam and jetsam along the Black Hawk Creek.

Sunday I awoke late......very late! I had slept in since I arrived back home with my son so late at night from our adventure to Iowa Speedway. The family wanted to go do different things, so I was left to my own devices later in the afternoon. I needed a bicycle ride stat!

I grabbed the test Borealis rig and decided to plunk along the Green Belt to see how things had fared post flooding. The flood was a bad one, by all accounts, and the Black Hawk Creek in particular had risen very high before receding back into its banks late last week. I wasn't even sure I'd get back in there at all, but initially I was rather surprised to find it nearly dry and only a few odd logs and branches to show for the deep water's passage.

That changed though as I turned in on the creek itself. I found large log piles not navigable on a bike and I was dismounting about every 50 yards on average to crawl over, walk around, or circumnavigate a section to avoid the wreckage left behind. In between I found damp, wet spots, but really- there was little mud. Usually the mud is heinous back here after higher water events. There was sand bars a plenty! Those were easily dispatched by the 29+ wheels on the Borealis.

Not going any further here!

I had one tight spot where trees had been uprooted and branches were tangled in such a mess that I had to pass the bike over as I found another way to get over to the other side to retrieve it. That was compounded in difficulty by the swarms of hungry mosquitoes that were hounding my every move. As long as I kept moving, I was okay.

I decided to ditch cruising the creek and head over towards the lake to see if I could find some open trail stretches longer than I had been. I mean, cyclo cross is okay, but I wasn't in the mood, nor did I have the right bike! I finally reached the turn off, and I was looking good as I rode toward the lake and then......

Dead end! The West side of the lake had overtaken the trail and beyond. I ended up having to bushwhack my way through some tall grass only to find myself forced to make my way through someone's back yard to avoid the waters. I didn't like having to do that, but there seemed to be no harm, so no foul.......this time. Hopefully there isn't a "next time"!

I gave up! The water wins this time.

I tried then to see how far around the other way I could get and was stopped about a third of the way around. Dang! I do not remember this being so bad since 2008, and that was a really bad flood year. Seeing as how it is mid-July now, I don't see this getting any better for awhile, and of course, that depends on how much it decides to rain.

The one thing I did have fun with was the 29+ tires on the Borealis. They seemed to roll better than a full on fat bike set up but had that bushwhacking, roll over garbage effect that 3.8"ers do without the weight and inertia in steering. This set up feels like a 29"er on steroids, for lack of a better analogy, and as I am pursuing a similar set up for the titanium Mukluk, I feel it is going to be a really fun set up once I get that completed. In fact, it may become my favorite rig to date.

Whenever this B+ thing hits, I feel it will also be a similar deal as it is with 29+. Things are going to get real interesting come Fall, I bet, and I feel once something non-Surly becomes available in bikes, tires, and rims, a lot of folks will step up and find out this is the way to go for fun, adventurous mountain biking, bikepacking, and just general goofing around on bicycles. Don't get me wrong- fat bikes are really fun and capable, but I'm really digging the 29+ feel and I see a ton of potential here.

Bushwhacking

Post flood flotsam and jetsam along the Black Hawk Creek.

Sunday I awoke late......very late! I had slept in since I arrived back home with my son so late at night from our adventure to Iowa Speedway. The family wanted to go do different things, so I was left to my own devices later in the afternoon. I needed a bicycle ride stat!

I grabbed the test Borealis rig and decided to plunk along the Green Belt to see how things had fared post flooding. The flood was a bad one, by all accounts, and the Black Hawk Creek in particular had risen very high before receding back into its banks late last week. I wasn't even sure I'd get back in there at all, but initially I was rather surprised to find it nearly dry and only a few odd logs and branches to show for the deep water's passage.

That changed though as I turned in on the creek itself. I found large log piles not navigable on a bike and I was dismounting about every 50 yards on average to crawl over, walk around, or circumnavigate a section to avoid the wreckage left behind. In between I found damp, wet spots, but really- there was little mud. Usually the mud is heinous back here after higher water events. There was sand bars a plenty! Those were easily dispatched by the 29+ wheels on the Borealis.

Not going any further here!

I had one tight spot where trees had been uprooted and branches were tangled in such a mess that I had to pass the bike over as I found another way to get over to the other side to retrieve it. That was compounded in difficulty by the swarms of hungry mosquitoes that were hounding my every move. As long as I kept moving, I was okay.

I decided to ditch cruising the creek and head over towards the lake to see if I could find some open trail stretches longer than I had been. I mean, cyclo cross is okay, but I wasn't in the mood, nor did I have the right bike! I finally reached the turn off, and I was looking good as I rode toward the lake and then......

Dead end! The West side of the lake had overtaken the trail and beyond. I ended up having to bushwhack my way through some tall grass only to find myself forced to make my way through someone's back yard to avoid the waters. I didn't like having to do that, but there seemed to be no harm, so no foul.......this time. Hopefully there isn't a "next time"!

I gave up! The water wins this time.

I tried then to see how far around the other way I could get and was stopped about a third of the way around. Dang! I do not remember this being so bad since 2008, and that was a really bad flood year. Seeing as how it is mid-July now, I don't see this getting any better for awhile, and of course, that depends on how much it decides to rain.

The one thing I did have fun with was the 29+ tires on the Borealis. They seemed to roll better than a full on fat bike set up but had that bushwhacking, roll over garbage effect that 3.8"ers do without the weight and inertia in steering. This set up feels like a 29"er on steroids, for lack of a better analogy, and as I am pursuing a similar set up for the titanium Mukluk, I feel it is going to be a really fun set up once I get that completed. In fact, it may become my favorite rig to date.

Whenever this B+ thing hits, I feel it will also be a similar deal as it is with 29+. Things are going to get real interesting come Fall, I bet, and I feel once something non-Surly becomes available in bikes, tires, and rims, a lot of folks will step up and find out this is the way to go for fun, adventurous mountain biking, bikepacking, and just general goofing around on bicycles. Don't get me wrong- fat bikes are really fun and capable, but I'm really digging the 29+ feel and I see a ton of potential here.

Planet Bike Snack Shack, Borealis Glove Review

Okay, I've been rocking the Planet Bike Snack Shack and Borealis Gloves for all of the late fall and now into "winter", (if we can call what we've had a winter so far!). I would have chimed in sooner, but for the strangeness of the weather, which was preventing a full on test, especially for the gloves, but be that as it may, I will continue onwards.

Planet Bike's Snack Shack: It's a top tube bag!

Snack Shack: First up I have my thoughts on the Snack Shack. This is a typically shaped top tube bag for endurance pursuits. It resembles a small motorcycle gas tank in overall shape. I suppose in some ways it is a gas tank!

Well, you can actually use it for a lot of things, which I'll get to in a moment, but first, here are the particulars on this bag.

• Holds a claimed 43 cubic inches of volume. 
• Has a white lined interior, which is supposed to make finding your things easier. 
• The bag is padded and holds its shape when empty. The outside features reflective piping and a small Planet Bike logo.
• Dual Pull zippers and Velcro fastener make the bag secure and easy to close and open. 
• Two Velcro attachment points: One in the front, and one in the middle of the bag, underneath. 

Impressions: The Snack Shack could be a .......shack for your snacks, but I used it for what I typically use a top tube bag for: A place to hold my small point and shoot camera, cell phone, or maybe a small multi tool. Sometimes I even used it to hold a small head lamp battery for a light I mounted on my handle bars.

The Snack Shack on my Mukluk

My brain is filled with little sayings I've heard throughout my life. One of which is, "No matter how big your garage is, you'll fill it up." What's that got to do with a top tube bag? Well, sometimes the bigger the bag is, the more stuff you "stuff", and maybe that isn't a good thing. To that end, the 43 cubic inches of the Snack Shack was a lesson in what I really needed versus what I wanted to carry.

I don't mean this to sound negative. Actually, I thought it was a good thing. I could bring my all important point and shoot, a small multi tool, and the aforementioned small battery pack for my back up trail light, and that was it. Sometimes I put a cell phone and the camera in there. Once I stuffed my much larger Panasonic LX-3 camera in there, which barely would be swallowed by the Snack Shack. Point is, you may want more room, but if you don't, the Snack Shack works for a few smaller items. Need more? Planet Bike does a bigger top tube bag called the Lunch Box.

I could get in a ton of gels, energy bars, and candy in the Snack Shack. Enough for a six hour ride, so if that is what you want to use this for, it will pack a fair slug of calories. Even abusive loading, as with my LX-3 camera, showed no ill effects on the Snack Shack, but I wouldn't recommend it on a regular basis.

In use, the bag opens and closes really easily with the dual pull zips. I had to slam the lid down on the bag a few times when I needed both hands on the bars suddenly, but with the Velcro fastener, the lid, although not zipped, didn't allow things to bounce out of the Snack Shack. That's a nice touch. The white lining does help in dim lighting or at night when you are looking for that last morsel of food.

Conclusions: For the asking price of MSRP $16.99, the Snack Shack seems like a pretty great value, and I think it is. My only concern was that the reflective piping showed some flaking of the reflective material, but overall the construction and performance of the Snack Shack is impressive. If the size works for you, I can highly recommend it. One caveat: It may not be compatible with frame bags, or even the same frame bag on different bikes may cause an issue with compatibility. Check your bags before buying to make sure this will work with your set up.

Planet Bike Borealis Gloves

Planet Bike Borealis Gloves: Next up we have the winter glove system from Planet Bike called the Borealis. This is an all new re-design of this model for 2012. The Borealis is a system of an inner fleece glove and an outer "mitten" that can be worn as separate components or together for the ultimate warm hand protection against the elements.

Features are as follows:

• Two pieces for wider temperature ranges. The inner and outer layers can be combined for coldest weather, or worn separately into warmer temperatures. 
• The outer glove/mitten has a windproof back panel and forchettes. The glove/mitten outer is water resistant, and features a Neoprene cuff/pull tab with a hook and loop closure. Reflective piping on the outer.
• The inner is a simple fleece glove.

Impressions: The fall weather first called out for the inner liner only. In crisp, cool weather, these inner fleece gloves worked well to ward off chill, but they definitely are not wind resistant, and of course, wetter weather isn't their friend either. So, actual versatility is somewhat limited to dry days with regard to the inner liner.

I thought the fit was a bit short in the fingers, but otherwise was okay. My only other concern was with the fingers, which were slippery without any tacky or textured areas to use for smoother aluminum controls like STI levers. Off the bike this manifested itself as slipperiness on car steering wheels, as an example.

The outer glove didn't really get the ultimate, below zero cold test, but we got close enough on a few days to get an idea here. The unique grouping of the last two digits on the hand and independent index and middle fingers was nice for drop bar riding and didn't seem to bother me in regard to keeping warm. In fact, I thought the outer of the Borealis was enough for me to keep warm in most any reasonable situation for cycling. The fit was loose-ish, which I tend to prefer with regard to a winter hand covering.

With the inner combined with the outer, I found the "toast level" was a bit too extreme for my tastes, but more importantly, I thought the fit of the size XL was a bit restrictive. The too tight feeling was unpleasant, in my opinion, and I would recommend going a size up, if you can, if you think you will really need both layers together. I don't see myself ever using the two together, as my hands were warm enough with just the outers here, but everyone has different needs when it comes to cold weather.

The Borealis inner fleece liner glove

Conclusions: Essentially, with the Borealis, you are buying two pairs of hand wear items. One is basically a cool weather ride, fleece glove, and the other is for more serious cold protection. Adding both together could be the ultimate in cold weather hand wear for a cyclists, if the fit is okay for you. Because of this, I strongly recommend you try on the Borealis first with both layers to see if the fit is to your liking.

The inner liner is best suited for dry, cool days only, and it isn't a great casual wear item due to the slick, slippery texture of the fleece. The outer is a definite winner in my mind, and if you already have a thin, wool liner glove, it may be the ultimate weapon against cold that you are looking for. I found the outer only to be just fine for me, but I have a bit higher tolerance to cold than your average bear. I will say that the outer is comfy by itself, and works really well for drop bar riding.

The bottom line here is that the Borealis isn't a bad system, but an improvement or two in the inner liner would be welcomed, in my opinion. Fit with both pieces together might be an issue for folks with larger hands. Still, for the MSRP $41.99 asking price, this is a lot of glove. Competing models seem to be significantly more. Check out the Borealis at your local bike shop and see if it might work for you.

Planet Bike sent out these gloves and the top tube bag at no charge for test/review. I was not paid, nor bribed for my review, and I strive to give my honest opinion and thoughts throughout any review here. Thanks to Planet Bike for letting me check these items out!