Friday News And Views

The new Surly Moonlander (Image found on various Internet sites)

A 'Fat' Friday News And Views

Surly's New Fat Bike:

Last week I found an image of an information card featuring a 24" X 6.2" wheel and tire combo called the Clown Royal and Molenda respectively. I posted the image I found on "X" (Twitter) and then was contacted via Facebook messenger about the wheel/tire combo and I was told the wheel and tire combo was real. It was coming on a new Surly fat bike to be introduced in about a month. Guess a 'month' was a few 'days' in reality!

Tuesday I found a Bike Radar story featuring the same and this bike is the new Moonlander which has a Pinion gearbox. The bike features the 9 speed Pinion gearbox located where the bottom bracket on a typical frame would be. This 9 speed gearbox allows for a single speed external, 1 to 1 ratio drive train set up. (Other sizes for the drive ring could be utilized as well) The bike does not have wider axle or bottom bracket standards (with a twist, you'll learn in a bit) and can also accept 26" X 5.1" tires, 27.5" X 4.8", or 29" X 3.0" tires. 

Image first posted by fatbike.com

Surly went with a compact triangle on this bike eschewing the huge frame bag idea in favor of a bike that can be mounted and dismounted more easily.  The bottom bracket is high to allow for more clearance over uneven or deep terrain. The rear end is extended to better center the rider's weight over both tires. This is a flotation bike, of course, so that all makes 100% sense. Perhaps more surprising than the wheels is that the front axle is also spaced at 197mm like the rear end.

There is a bunch of accessory mounts, as one might expect, and the bike comes in four sizes, Small, Medium, Large, and XL. The bike is priced at $4,199.99 and there is only one spec level. Steel frame, natch! There is a rack sold separately that fits this bike.

(L-R) Molenda and Bud.  Image courtesy of Surly

Comments: Wow! This is likely the most unexpected fat bike innovation yet. People have been dreaming of super-fat tires for years. Is this the way to go? While I have not seen all the dimensions given for this wheel, the overall diameter is  31" (according to this detailed and fair review by Neil Beltchenko on Bikepacking.com) Surly couldn't have used 26" or larger diameter compatible wheels because the weight and the height of those wheels would have limited the bike's appeal and fit for smaller folks. Besides, when it comes to flotation, contact patch is what it all is about. 

And that really is what this bike is all about - Flotation. Unless you are trying to ride deep sand, loose snow, or mud, (or other unrideable loose, deep grounds), this bike is not going to be all that fun to ride. (See linked review above for confirmation of this) I suppose you could build up a wheel set with 29 X 3's, but why? That kind of defeats the whole idea behind this bike, which is to go where no other bike can go. That Pinion box and single speed drive train set up add to the off limits versatility. That said, you have a rear derailleur hangar there as well.

Cool rig. Expensive, but probably not out of line seeing that these tires and wheels have to be pretty expensive on their own due to low production numbers. That and the gearbox drive the price on this. I don't need it as I have my flotation covered with the Blackborow DS and it's 4.8" tires (although I could put 5.1"ers on it). Also, did Neil say the bike he reviewed had TPU tubes in it? What?!!

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Salsa Shows New Colors/Spec For 2024/25 Fat Bikes:

Salsa Cycles showed a pared down offering of fat bikes for 2024/2025 in their Beargrease and Heyday ranges. (Heyday used to be Mukluk)

Both the Beargrease and Heyday are now only available in two specs and colors. There are frame/fork only options as well. Heyday is a 26" wheeled bike and the Beargrease is optimized for 27.5" fat bike wheels. 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Comments: The interesting thing here is the usage of Shimano CUES on one spec level each for Beargrease and Heyday. CUES, as you might recall, is Shimano's new system for drive trains from 9 speed to 11 speed with all components swappable. CUES does have its own pull ratio in the shifters and cassette spacing is different so it cannot be mixed and matched with other current Shimano groups. 

While Salsa did not provide pricing at the release of this information it is assumed that CUES is a more budget friendly drive train, so the interest is high in it. However; there are some claims by mechanics that the quality level is somewhat concerning. So, it will be interesting to see how this goes over on a fat bike with a carbon fiber frame and fork. 

Image courtesy of CUBE Bikes

Shimano CUES To Come To Drop Bar Bikes In 2025:

Speaking of CUES, it was revealed on Wednesday that CUBE, a European brand, has a bike for 2025 showing CUES drop bar levers. The bike, called the Nuroad Pro, comes in at $1,325.00 in US dollars at current exchange rates. 

Comments: This is a big deal for budget bikes and people who are looking for super-wide range gearing on drop bar bikes outside of SRAM and the lesser component makers. That is because CUES drop bar levers (Shimano part #ST-U6030) will be using the same cable pull ratio as CUES flat bar levers making all Shimano CUES rear derailleurs and cassettes fair game to use with these drop bar levers. Looking at CUBE's renderings, it appears that the CUES left lever can operate a front derailleur as well. 

Furthermore; CUES drop bar levers are hydraulic, meaning that savvy mechanics could graft in any Shimano brake caliper so these brake levers could operate post mount calipers on a MTB, for instance. CUBE's spec on the Nuroad shows flat mount calipers.

I suspect CUES will gain a lot of spec on OE bikes coming out in 2025 due to CUES being available in 11 speed. However; 10spd and 9spd set ups will surely be on more budget priced bikes as well. This represents some pretty exciting possibilities here for gearing coming our way. Look for the CUES drop bar levers to appear for sale here in early 2025.

You Know What They Say About "Assume"?

 Recently a discussion found on Facebook between some local (to me) cyclists raised concerns over group ride etiquette and communication in particular. It seems to me that an air of arrogance mixed in with lack of communication skills is combining to be a gate-keep for newer folks to the groups. 

Now, I don't mean to speak for everyone, but I have seen similar issues arise in other places. N.Y. Roll and I thought the issue was important enough that we did a podcast episode on this subject HERE. We got so much feedback on this subject we followed it up with another episode HERE.

It is hard to be welcoming, and you have to work at it to get good at doing the things which, hopefully, become natural after a while. Too many times riders get caught up in being comfortable with their group and lose the ability to see how others that may want to join a group ride need detailed communication and even some training. It may seem tedious and so simple that "anyone should know this", but remember - there was a time you did not know what you now take for granted. 

It is easy to fall into the trap of pushing off the need for a welcoming, kind, and patient attitude when all those communicative and knowledge based things you take for granted are assumed to be "easy" for others to pick up on. News flash: It isn't easy or natural for new riders to understand these things. 

Yes, it may seem ignorant to you if someone leaves for a ride without an air pump or a tube, or that they do not understand what a "drop ride" is. It doesn't matter what you may assume to be "common knowledge" if a rider gets left behind, gets discouraged, and ends up leaving cycling because the group neglected to be welcoming, communicative, and a leader in passing on knowledge. I know. I was "that guy" that was left behind once, and I recall how that made me feel, and I will never forget the person that came back, encouraged me, and rode me back on the group again.

We can all do better....

That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

20mph, Bluetooth Speaker, $1250.00- Free Shipping-NO pedals

Because Easy:

Recently a "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article covered the lack of any enthusiasm for HPC (Hybrid Powered Cycles) or "pedelecs", as the industry calls them now, in the Taiwanese market. The reason given by those who are there is that the "e-scooter", which has connectivity for devices, storage compartments, and no physical input from the rider besides steering, is easier and more appealing to Taiwanese people. It doesn't help that these motorbikes cost the same, or less, than HPC's do in that country.

This is what I have been saying about these HPC's all along. That someday a vehicle that doesn't require pedaling and that has more amenities than any bicycle based hybrid powered rig has, would usurp any place a HPC might have in America. Not to mention our longer traveling distances and a climate, which in most areas, means people don't want to be exposed to the elements during large chunks of the year. Pedaling in any extreme weather, at least here in the U.S., automatically qualifies you as having "freak of nature" status amongst those who lock themselves indoors, either in cars, homes, or apartments. I won't even mention "safe places to ride".

I hopped on-line and typed in "e-scooter" into the search engine and the first thing that pops up are several vehicles like the example shown here. Cheaper than "pedelecs", has more amenities, (Bluetooth Speaker!), and doesn't require you to put any sweat equity into your mobility. All with free shipping. Besides- it can haul two people up to 350lbs total weight. The bike industry offers what? Really bad looking bicycles that happen to have an electric motor and cost 2K or more in most cases. No speakers, no nuthin'. Haul two people with a high weight limit? Ha!

While there may be a few examples that are nice for the price in the bicycle-like realm, the point I've been making, and continue to be convinced of, is that most people here in America are like the Taiwanese are. Not only that, but we are not set up for bicycles to be the main focus of transportation. If we ever get there, which would be decades in the making, I'm guessing, the electric vehicle market will be so well entrenched that "pedaling" will be seen as some arcane form of transportation that only a "freak of nature" would ever entertain using.

In other words, pretty much like it is today.

Hittin' the dirt tomorrow.

The 14th Annual Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational:

Four-teen freakin' years! I just thought about that. Holy Cow! That's a long line of these crazy rides in the country. Talk about "freak of nature". Most folks think I am insane for doing this stuff. Guess some things never change.

Anyway, it looks as though I have about a dozen confirmed crazy people to ride with. Maybe more will just show up? Probably. You never know with this ride. But whatever happens, it should be a good time. I just hope I can make the 92 miles!

Also- I never did a final calculation on how many miles of Level B Road there is on this route. Maybe if I am not too forgetful I can keep a running tab. I probably should fire up my Lezyne GPS device just to make sure it is charged. (These gizmos just do not capture my fancy, so I tend to forget about them) So, yeah.....a computer might come in handy! Makes following cues a bit easier.

So, the ride starts at 6:00am. I am driving to the start, so I have to get out of bed at 4:00am Saturday morning to make it on time. That means I have to be packed up today. No time to grab any last minute stuff in the dark of morning time. Then the hour and twenty minute commute to the start, and hopefully I won't have any issues getting there. Should be a scene at any rate. (Don't forget your clipless shoes, right? HA!)

Weather looks like it will cooperate. Not the coolest, but not the hottest I've had for this ride by far. 25% chance of rain of some sort. We'll see! Expect a full account come Monday.

Salsa Cycles 2020 Blackborow

Salsa Cycles Releases 2020 Fat Bike Info:

Short version: New colors, minor spec changes.

Annnnnnd.........that's about it. 

Reaction: Surprised by two things here. One- That Salsa Cycles did not jump on the chance to stick an electric motor on the Blackborow. Surly has that, and you'd figure that Salsa couldn't be far behind. The Blackborow platform would be- maybe- a great idea for hunters, and electrifying a Blackborow might appeal to those who drag all kinds of gear into the back country and need a rig to drag out carcasses of dead animals. I don't know- I don't hunt - but it makes sense to me that doing that to a Blackborow and targeting hunters would be a good idea.

The second thing that surprises me is that the Mukluk line has been cut down to two models. Hmm..... The Mukluk was the "expedition"/exploration fat bike for Salsa. This was their focus when they hit the scene back nine years ago. Now it seems racing (Beargrease) and long tailed "cargo" fat bikes (Blackborow) are the focus. Exploration and expedition stuff must not be too "Adventure by Bike" anymore, or something. Anyway, the feeling I get is that either Mukluk is on the way out, or being replaced by something new in a year or so.

Besides that, the "battleship camo" graphics have been retained again for another year. Not a fan, myself, but apparently some folks dig it. I like the straightforward look of beautiful hues of paint, like the Blackborow's deep green. I can get behind that. Besides that.....yawn. Make a titanium fat bike again, and then we'll talk.

And with that, I am done for the week. See ya on the other side when I come back with the GTDRI report Monday. Until then, enjoy the "Minus Ten Review" tomorrow and another edition of "Trans Iowa Stories" on Sunday.

Get out and ride folks! Summer is fading away...........

Friday News And Views

20mph, Bluetooth Speaker, $1250.00- Free Shipping-NO pedals

Because Easy:

Recently a "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article covered the lack of any enthusiasm for HPC (Hybrid Powered Cycles) or "pedelecs", as the industry calls them now, in the Taiwanese market. The reason given by those who are there is that the "e-scooter", which has connectivity for devices, storage compartments, and no physical input from the rider besides steering, is easier and more appealing to Taiwanese people. It doesn't help that these motorbikes cost the same, or less, than HPC's do in that country.

This is what I have been saying about these HPC's all along. That someday a vehicle that doesn't require pedaling and that has more amenities than any bicycle based hybrid powered rig has, would usurp any place a HPC might have in America. Not to mention our longer traveling distances and a climate, which in most areas, means people don't want to be exposed to the elements during large chunks of the year. Pedaling in any extreme weather, at least here in the U.S., automatically qualifies you as having "freak of nature" status amongst those who lock themselves indoors, either in cars, homes, or apartments. I won't even mention "safe places to ride".

I hopped on-line and typed in "e-scooter" into the search engine and the first thing that pops up are several vehicles like the example shown here. Cheaper than "pedelecs", has more amenities, (Bluetooth Speaker!), and doesn't require you to put any sweat equity into your mobility. All with free shipping. Besides- it can haul two people up to 350lbs total weight. The bike industry offers what? Really bad looking bicycles that happen to have an electric motor and cost 2K or more in most cases. No speakers, no nuthin'. Haul two people with a high weight limit? Ha!

While there may be a few examples that are nice for the price in the bicycle-like realm, the point I've been making, and continue to be convinced of, is that most people here in America are like the Taiwanese are. Not only that, but we are not set up for bicycles to be the main focus of transportation. If we ever get there, which would be decades in the making, I'm guessing, the electric vehicle market will be so well entrenched that "pedaling" will be seen as some arcane form of transportation that only a "freak of nature" would ever entertain using.

In other words, pretty much like it is today.

Hittin' the dirt tomorrow.

The 14th Annual Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational:

Four-teen freakin' years! I just thought about that. Holy Cow! That's a long line of these crazy rides in the country. Talk about "freak of nature". Most folks think I am insane for doing this stuff. Guess some things never change.

Anyway, it looks as though I have about a dozen confirmed crazy people to ride with. Maybe more will just show up? Probably. You never know with this ride. But whatever happens, it should be a good time. I just hope I can make the 92 miles!

Also- I never did a final calculation on how many miles of Level B Road there is on this route. Maybe if I am not too forgetful I can keep a running tab. I probably should fire up my Lezyne GPS device just to make sure it is charged. (These gizmos just do not capture my fancy, so I tend to forget about them) So, yeah.....a computer might come in handy! Makes following cues a bit easier.

So, the ride starts at 6:00am. I am driving to the start, so I have to get out of bed at 4:00am Saturday morning to make it on time. That means I have to be packed up today. No time to grab any last minute stuff in the dark of morning time. Then the hour and twenty minute commute to the start, and hopefully I won't have any issues getting there. Should be a scene at any rate. (Don't forget your clipless shoes, right? HA!)

Weather looks like it will cooperate. Not the coolest, but not the hottest I've had for this ride by far. 25% chance of rain of some sort. We'll see! Expect a full account come Monday.

Salsa Cycles 2020 Blackborow

Salsa Cycles Releases 2020 Fat Bike Info:

Short version: New colors, minor spec changes.

Annnnnnd.........that's about it. 

Reaction: Surprised by two things here. One- That Salsa Cycles did not jump on the chance to stick an electric motor on the Blackborow. Surly has that, and you'd figure that Salsa couldn't be far behind. The Blackborow platform would be- maybe- a great idea for hunters, and electrifying a Blackborow might appeal to those who drag all kinds of gear into the back country and need a rig to drag out carcasses of dead animals. I don't know- I don't hunt - but it makes sense to me that doing that to a Blackborow and targeting hunters would be a good idea.

The second thing that surprises me is that the Mukluk line has been cut down to two models. Hmm..... The Mukluk was the "expedition"/exploration fat bike for Salsa. This was their focus when they hit the scene back nine years ago. Now it seems racing (Beargrease) and long tailed "cargo" fat bikes (Blackborow) are the focus. Exploration and expedition stuff must not be too "Adventure by Bike" anymore, or something. Anyway, the feeling I get is that either Mukluk is on the way out, or being replaced by something new in a year or so.

Besides that, the "battleship camo" graphics have been retained again for another year. Not a fan, myself, but apparently some folks dig it. I like the straightforward look of beautiful hues of paint, like the Blackborow's deep green. I can get behind that. Besides that.....yawn. Make a titanium fat bike again, and then we'll talk.

And with that, I am done for the week. See ya on the other side when I come back with the GTDRI report Monday. Until then, enjoy the "Minus Ten Review" tomorrow and another edition of "Trans Iowa Stories" on Sunday.

Get out and ride folks! Summer is fading away...........

Friday News And Views

Salsa's Beargrease goes to 27.5"ers on the current style frame.

Saddledrive 17:

The annual Saddledrive show is going on now. It is the show where QBP shows select dealers the newest rigs that will be, maybe, on dealers showroom floors this Fall and in to 2018.

Only you don't get to see any of it until September 8th. Thus saith the Q.

Apparently QBP wants to control the message more so than in the past, where dealers were pumping out images on social media and talking up stuff that wasn't quite cooked up enough for the Q to have out there quite yet. In fact, dealers were sworn to secrecy by the Q with an embargo agreement. All the 2018 line was shown in a special room sequestered away from prying eyes. This isn't entirely new for QBP, by the way. They did something similar when they announced privately to dealers the DW Split Pivot bikes.

So, all you are going to get now is a peek at Mukluk colors for 2018 and the Beargrease with 27.5" fat bike wheels. Same frame, by the way, just different wheels. Surly has the ECR in 27.5+ wheels in size medium on down and 29+ in size medium on up. The Straggler gets a new, blue sparkly colorway. That's about it for now.

So,stay tuned until September 8th when the wraps are lifted off and Salsa (and I assume Surly as well) is free to disseminate the new 2018 stuff.

Cyclo cross is hard, so e-bike it!

 First They Said You Can't- Then They Say You Should:

Remember all that ballyhoo about the Belgian cyclo crosser that had an electric motor in her seat tube and got banned from CX for it? The UCI got real serious about all of this and they even went so far as to develop testing machines that officials could employ at future events to detect any "e-doping" that may be occurring. To date, I have not heard that anyone has been busted.

So, e-biking in UCI cyclo cross events is a no-no, yes?

Well, maybe not! 

Apparently there is going to be a cyclo cross event at the next UCI sanctioned Cross Vegas, dubbed a "fun event", where e-biking will not only be allowed, but encouraged. Check the following quote out from the press release for this event: "The event is open to men and women riding any style of e-bike. It is a "bring your own bike" event; however, 15 lucky entrants will ride a Focus e-whip for the race."

So, any e-bike? Like, even modified, no speed limited e-bikes?

Wow!

I know cyclo cross is hard, so ya know......let 'em use motors, I guess. I'm just waiting for the basketball hoops to be lowered so even I can dunk. "When everyone is special......no one will be."

Sheesh! Giving us a break, I see.

GTDRI Is Tomorrow:

At 6:00am tomorrow, the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational will head out from Reinbeck, Iowa to ride 102+ miles and 25 miles of that dirt. The ride will have four people on it, as far as I know, plus myself.

The weather is weird for this event this year. Usually it is in the 70's at the onset of riding and gets into the 90's with high humidity by the afternoon. This, combined with some of the stupid-difficult courses I have come up with, have conspired to make the ride a real "death ride", or as close to real death as you'd want to get.

This isn't a totally unprecedented situation though. I do recall the first attempt at the Egin-Elkader-Garber-Strawberry Point area course where the temperatures were mild with low humidity. That was nearly ten years ago. The second GTDRI was cut short by a thunderstorm, which we were caught out in. That one wasn't too bad either.

But typically it was almost always hot, humid, and really hard to ride. This year it seems we have caught another break as the heat and humidity have been tempered by a cold front with cooler, drier air, that blew through here yesterday. Hey, I ain't complainin', I just think it is odd.

So, I think many of you might be surprised to find out what rig I am taking on this adventure. You'll have to wait until Monday to find out what it was. I am pretty stoked to give this a whirl, that's for sure.

That's all I have. Look for a recap of the GTDRI to start on Monday. Have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down, y'all!

 

Friday News And Views

Salsa's Beargrease goes to 27.5"ers on the current style frame.

Saddledrive 17:

The annual Saddledrive show is going on now. It is the show where QBP shows select dealers the newest rigs that will be, maybe, on dealers showroom floors this Fall and in to 2018.

Only you don't get to see any of it until September 8th. Thus saith the Q.

Apparently QBP wants to control the message more so than in the past, where dealers were pumping out images on social media and talking up stuff that wasn't quite cooked up enough for the Q to have out there quite yet. In fact, dealers were sworn to secrecy by the Q with an embargo agreement. All the 2018 line was shown in a special room sequestered away from prying eyes. This isn't entirely new for QBP, by the way. They did something similar when they announced privately to dealers the DW Split Pivot bikes.

So, all you are going to get now is a peek at Mukluk colors for 2018 and the Beargrease with 27.5" fat bike wheels. Same frame, by the way, just different wheels. Surly has the ECR in 27.5+ wheels in size medium on down and 29+ in size medium on up. The Straggler gets a new, blue sparkly colorway. That's about it for now.

So,stay tuned until September 8th when the wraps are lifted off and Salsa (and I assume Surly as well) is free to disseminate the new 2018 stuff.

Cyclo cross is hard, so e-bike it!

 First They Said You Can't- Then They Say You Should:

Remember all that ballyhoo about the Belgian cyclo crosser that had an electric motor in her seat tube and got banned from CX for it? The UCI got real serious about all of this and they even went so far as to develop testing machines that officials could employ at future events to detect any "e-doping" that may be occurring. To date, I have not heard that anyone has been busted.

So, e-biking in UCI cyclo cross events is a no-no, yes?

Well, maybe not! 

Apparently there is going to be a cyclo cross event at the next UCI sanctioned Cross Vegas, dubbed a "fun event", where e-biking will not only be allowed, but encouraged. Check the following quote out from the press release for this event: "The event is open to men and women riding any style of e-bike. It is a "bring your own bike" event; however, 15 lucky entrants will ride a Focus e-whip for the race."

So, any e-bike? Like, even modified, no speed limited e-bikes?

Wow!

I know cyclo cross is hard, so ya know......let 'em use motors, I guess. I'm just waiting for the basketball hoops to be lowered so even I can dunk. "When everyone is special......no one will be."

Sheesh! Giving us a break, I see.

GTDRI Is Tomorrow:

At 6:00am tomorrow, the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational will head out from Reinbeck, Iowa to ride 102+ miles and 25 miles of that dirt. The ride will have four people on it, as far as I know, plus myself.

The weather is weird for this event this year. Usually it is in the 70's at the onset of riding and gets into the 90's with high humidity by the afternoon. This, combined with some of the stupid-difficult courses I have come up with, have conspired to make the ride a real "death ride", or as close to real death as you'd want to get.

This isn't a totally unprecedented situation though. I do recall the first attempt at the Egin-Elkader-Garber-Strawberry Point area course where the temperatures were mild with low humidity. That was nearly ten years ago. The second GTDRI was cut short by a thunderstorm, which we were caught out in. That one wasn't too bad either.

But typically it was almost always hot, humid, and really hard to ride. This year it seems we have caught another break as the heat and humidity have been tempered by a cold front with cooler, drier air, that blew through here yesterday. Hey, I ain't complainin', I just think it is odd.

So, I think many of you might be surprised to find out what rig I am taking on this adventure. You'll have to wait until Monday to find out what it was. I am pretty stoked to give this a whirl, that's for sure.

That's all I have. Look for a recap of the GTDRI to start on Monday. Have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down, y'all!

 

Salsa Demo Day

Model 2017 rigs ready to ride.

Yesterday the shop where I work got the honor of having a salsa cycles demo truck visit. We set things up at George Wyth State Park and the demo ran from 4:00pm to 7:00pm officially. Although we didn't get the last rider back until well after 8:00pm.

The really cool thing about this demo was that it was the very first time in Iowa that any of the 2017Salsa Cycles product line had been shown or ridden by anyone. There were Woodsmokes, Timberjacks, new Mukluk carbon bikes, Pony Rustlers, and Carbon Warbirds. There was even a Carbon Beargrease and a few Redpoints. One lonely Cutthroat was also there, but it just so happened that it was my size! 

Judging from rider reactions, the Pony Rustler was the overwhelming winner in best bike ridden. However; it doesn't mean that was an easy choice by the folks in attendance. There was no Timberjack available in my size, but I did ride the Woodsmoke, Cutthroat, Carbon Warbird, Carbon Mukluk, and the Pony Rustler. I'll have my impressions of each coming up in the next post. Stay tuned for that.

It was a VERY humid evening, and I helped pack things up so I didn't get the Fat Fargo and myself ridden home until 9:30pm. A long day, but a fun one. Thank you Salsa Cycles!!

Salsa Demo Day

Model 2017 rigs ready to ride.

Yesterday the shop where I work got the honor of having a salsa cycles demo truck visit. We set things up at George Wyth State Park and the demo ran from 4:00pm to 7:00pm officially. Although we didn't get the last rider back until well after 8:00pm.

The really cool thing about this demo was that it was the very first time in Iowa that any of the 2017Salsa Cycles product line had been shown or ridden by anyone. There were Woodsmokes, Timberjacks, new Mukluk carbon bikes, Pony Rustlers, and Carbon Warbirds. There was even a Carbon Beargrease and a few Redpoints. One lonely Cutthroat was also there, but it just so happened that it was my size! 

Judging from rider reactions, the Pony Rustler was the overwhelming winner in best bike ridden. However; it doesn't mean that was an easy choice by the folks in attendance. There was no Timberjack available in my size, but I did ride the Woodsmoke, Cutthroat, Carbon Warbird, Carbon Mukluk, and the Pony Rustler. I'll have my impressions of each coming up in the next post. Stay tuned for that.

It was a VERY humid evening, and I helped pack things up so I didn't get the Fat Fargo and myself ridden home until 9:30pm. A long day, but a fun one. Thank you Salsa Cycles!!

Friday News And Views

Meet The Maker

Most fat biking freaks know all about Surly fat bike rims, or do you? They are not manufactured by Surly at all, but by a company called Alex Rims. They make stuff under their own name as well. In fact, I used to use their workmanlike TD-17 Disc as a 29"er hoop back when. Anyway......

I found a link to a Polish site that had information saying that Alex Rims are going to release a version of the Rolling Darryl and another, slightly less wide fat bike rim. See the post here and use Google Translate to read it if you want.

You'll also see there that Alex Rims is releasing a 29+ hoop. This is all relevant to those of you looking for bargain hoops that are of decent quality, as I have found Alex rims to be quite serviceable if not very spectacular. They just work. Typically they are pretty reasonably priced as well.

Curiously, there is also news on the bottom of that post revealing the fact that Alex Rims is also doing a 36"er rim that will be tubeless ready. Hmmm......... Could someone actually be considering releasing a mass produced 36"er mtb? Alex Rims do a lot of OE work, so that could be, but I'd be willing to bet that a unicycle wheel would be a safer bet here. But.......you never know.

Registration: 

Hey, remember when I wrote this big, long post about registering for T.I.V11?  It had the following line in it:

"30 spots for Finishers will also be up for grabs by post card entry starting October 27th. Again- DON"T SEND ENTRIES SOONER!! They will not be accepted"

Notice that I stated very clearly that post cards sent early would not be accepted? Yeah? Well, someone didn't listen.  Someone actually tried to send my boss a letter containing a post card and with it a note that instructed my boss to wait until the 27th of October and then hand me the card. There was also some money with instructions to buy the shop some beer.

Bzzzzzt! You've been red flagged! 

First off, this is an unfair tactic to those who will actually play by the rules. On that basis alone I have to disallow this entry. This person just left me no choice in the matter. Secondly, my boss is quite possibly the worst person ever to have asked to buy the shop beers. Well.......unless you like Miller Lite. Because that is what he would buy. I told him to not bother. But the offending potential entrant wouldn't have known that. That's just collateral damage there!

 So, besides that oddity, Trans Iowa registration kicks off next week, and I am sure more crazy stuff will happen. I can just feel it. I also can about guarantee some more folks will do some things that will be outside the parameters of the instructions I gave or their cards will be unreadable. Some folks will miss T.I.V11 on technicalities. It happens every year.........

2015 Beargrease XX1

Beargreased Lightning:

At the shop the other day I had the honor of building up this 2015 Salsa Cycles Beargrease XX1. They should just rename this the "Beargreased Lightning" and shorten it to "BL-XX1". Why?

Because it weighs 24.38lbs in a size Large. 24.38 freakin pounds!!! That's just nuts right there.

This is with tubes, mind you, and if you went tubeless on this beast, it would easily drop a couple of "el-bees". Okay? So we're looking at a potential weight with pedals of a bit over 22 pounds. Blame this on a liberal sprinkling of carbon fiber. There isn't a whole lot of metal bits on this rig. Even the rims are carbon fiber here.

Sure.....it costs a lot of money. Over 5G to buy this one, but you have to pay to play when it comes to light weight bicycles. In the case of the "BL-XX1" model, it is well worth it if you race one of these fat bikes in Winter events. It is worth it if you want a premium, all year around mountain bike. It is worth it if you like to have fun and go fast and have the cash to spend. I don't know many folks who would turn down one of these rigs if money wasn't a barrier. It's that nice.

The deal here though is that it kind of casts a pall over anything heavier. That's too bad, because you can have a blast on a fat bike that weighs 5, 8, or even 10 pounds heavier. You don't have to spend an enormous amount of cash to get into this sort of bike and have a blast on any sort of terrain. Take the Mukluk 3, as an example, which goes for a very reasonable $1899.00 and weighs about 34 pounds. Point is, I hope my posting about this crazy bike doesn't put you off from getting jazzed about fat bikes, because they are a ton of fun. Try one and see.......

Friday News And Views

Meet The Maker

Most fat biking freaks know all about Surly fat bike rims, or do you? They are not manufactured by Surly at all, but by a company called Alex Rims. They make stuff under their own name as well. In fact, I used to use their workmanlike TD-17 Disc as a 29"er hoop back when. Anyway......

I found a link to a Polish site that had information saying that Alex Rims are going to release a version of the Rolling Darryl and another, slightly less wide fat bike rim. See the post here and use Google Translate to read it if you want.

You'll also see there that Alex Rims is releasing a 29+ hoop. This is all relevant to those of you looking for bargain hoops that are of decent quality, as I have found Alex rims to be quite serviceable if not very spectacular. They just work. Typically they are pretty reasonably priced as well.

Curiously, there is also news on the bottom of that post revealing the fact that Alex Rims is also doing a 36"er rim that will be tubeless ready. Hmmm......... Could someone actually be considering releasing a mass produced 36"er mtb? Alex Rims do a lot of OE work, so that could be, but I'd be willing to bet that a unicycle wheel would be a safer bet here. But.......you never know.

Registration: 

Hey, remember when I wrote this big, long post about registering for T.I.V11?  It had the following line in it:

"30 spots for Finishers will also be up for grabs by post card entry starting October 27th. Again- DON"T SEND ENTRIES SOONER!! They will not be accepted"

Notice that I stated very clearly that post cards sent early would not be accepted? Yeah? Well, someone didn't listen.  Someone actually tried to send my boss a letter containing a post card and with it a note that instructed my boss to wait until the 27th of October and then hand me the card. There was also some money with instructions to buy the shop some beer.

Bzzzzzt! You've been red flagged! 

First off, this is an unfair tactic to those who will actually play by the rules. On that basis alone I have to disallow this entry. This person just left me no choice in the matter. Secondly, my boss is quite possibly the worst person ever to have asked to buy the shop beers. Well.......unless you like Miller Lite. Because that is what he would buy. I told him to not bother. But the offending potential entrant wouldn't have known that. That's just collateral damage there!

 So, besides that oddity, Trans Iowa registration kicks off next week, and I am sure more crazy stuff will happen. I can just feel it. I also can about guarantee some more folks will do some things that will be outside the parameters of the instructions I gave or their cards will be unreadable. Some folks will miss T.I.V11 on technicalities. It happens every year.........

2015 Beargrease XX1

Beargreased Lightning:

At the shop the other day I had the honor of building up this 2015 Salsa Cycles Beargrease XX1. They should just rename this the "Beargreased Lightning" and shorten it to "BL-XX1". Why?

Because it weighs 24.38lbs in a size Large. 24.38 freakin pounds!!! That's just nuts right there.

This is with tubes, mind you, and if you went tubeless on this beast, it would easily drop a couple of "el-bees". Okay? So we're looking at a potential weight with pedals of a bit over 22 pounds. Blame this on a liberal sprinkling of carbon fiber. There isn't a whole lot of metal bits on this rig. Even the rims are carbon fiber here.

Sure.....it costs a lot of money. Over 5G to buy this one, but you have to pay to play when it comes to light weight bicycles. In the case of the "BL-XX1" model, it is well worth it if you race one of these fat bikes in Winter events. It is worth it if you want a premium, all year around mountain bike. It is worth it if you like to have fun and go fast and have the cash to spend. I don't know many folks who would turn down one of these rigs if money wasn't a barrier. It's that nice.

The deal here though is that it kind of casts a pall over anything heavier. That's too bad, because you can have a blast on a fat bike that weighs 5, 8, or even 10 pounds heavier. You don't have to spend an enormous amount of cash to get into this sort of bike and have a blast on any sort of terrain. Take the Mukluk 3, as an example, which goes for a very reasonable $1899.00 and weighs about 34 pounds. Point is, I hope my posting about this crazy bike doesn't put you off from getting jazzed about fat bikes, because they are a ton of fun. Try one and see.......

So, What Rhymes With Carbon?

I just built this one up yesterday. Another Carbon Beargrease XX1

In my post last week about Chinese sourced carbon fat bike frames, I mentioned how some industry folk believe that carbon fiber is the "material of choice" for the average bike in the future. They say it will replace aluminum as the most common bicycle frame material for the recreational cycling market.

Well, in road bikes, I can see that, and maybe in terms of mountain bikes, sure- that might happen, but would people really go to the extent of buying into the carbon fiber fat bike idea? I mean, a fat bike is sort of an odd deal yet. Maybe a "play bike" for someone loaded with bikes and that needs a diversion. I guess I was thinking your carbon fat bike idea might sell a few units, but this season has blown me away as far as how the carbon fat bike idea has taken root so quickly.

As I recall, it took at least 2G to build a Pugsley back five years ago, and that kept fat bikes out of my hands, and I am sure it deterred others as well. Then in late 2010, Salsa Cycles came out with that Mukluk and Surly quickly followed suit with their fully built Pugs option and suddenly you could buy a fat bike for under $1600.00 ready to roll.

Now this made sense to me. Now you could somewhat afford to dive in and take the chance to see what it was all about. Then several other companies started in with their own cheap options, which now have brought prices down to Walmart levels for a fat bike, (quite literally, with the Mongoose "Beast" fat bike. $200.00! ) Conversely Salsa Cycles started to push upward with a titanium offering and higher spec aluminum models. Then suddenly it seemed that everyone was talking carbon fiber fat bikes with crazy drive train set ups like SRAM's new XX1 stuff. (The cassette alone costs what TWO Mongoose Beast fat bikes do!) So, like........who is going to buy into that? Yeah, maybe a few, as I thought, but really.......not that many, right?

The slightly less blingy Carbon Beargrease X-9

Wrong! I have been soooooo wrong about this. It's blowing my mind everyday. I can't really explain it either. Yes- these are lighter by a fair piece than the aluminum Mukluks. (About 8lbs lighter in the case of a XX1 vs Muk 2) Yes, carbon is the premier material for frames in the road world and is quickly, (or already has), becoming the same in the mountain biking world. I guess fat bikes are falling in on the coat tails of this.

Is it really all about the weight? Maybe it is. I do know that the massive, almost cartoonish scale of the frame dimensions is amusing, but so far, I haven't seen any customers laughing, like I did when I first laid eyes on a Beargrease at Frostbike last February. So I don't know if that has anything at all to do with it. Is it the subversive blackness of the carbon frame? Maybe. Maybe fat bike customers are rebels that manifest their disconnect with traditional cycling by buying these outlandish looking steeds. "Look at me! I will crush you with my uber-light, ultra-black wheels of Death!

Or maybe this is the anti-Lance-effect bike. The bike that manifests the backlash against pro roadie drugged performances that has gutted the romance and idealistic dreams of the common cyclist who once played make-believe roadie when Lance was King. But it is still carbon fiber!

Or maybe these are just freaking cool bicycles that blow peoples minds to the point that they have to get one. But I don't know about that. Why didn't the same basic rigs in aluminum fly out the door like these have here then? Maybe aluminum isn't cool anymore. We're going to have to find a catch phrase for carbon like steel frames have. You know- steel is real  and all.  But what rhymes with carbon?

Well, whatever it is that is making this blow up, I can not say. All I know is that big, humongous boxes containing plasticky fat goodness keep appearing at the shop and I keep building them up. What happens after that is anybodies guess, I guess!

So, What Rhymes With Carbon?

I just built this one up yesterday. Another Carbon Beargrease XX1

In my post last week about Chinese sourced carbon fat bike frames, I mentioned how some industry folk believe that carbon fiber is the "material of choice" for the average bike in the future. They say it will replace aluminum as the most common bicycle frame material for the recreational cycling market.

Well, in road bikes, I can see that, and maybe in terms of mountain bikes, sure- that might happen, but would people really go to the extent of buying into the carbon fiber fat bike idea? I mean, a fat bike is sort of an odd deal yet. Maybe a "play bike" for someone loaded with bikes and that needs a diversion. I guess I was thinking your carbon fat bike idea might sell a few units, but this season has blown me away as far as how the carbon fat bike idea has taken root so quickly.

As I recall, it took at least 2G to build a Pugsley back five years ago, and that kept fat bikes out of my hands, and I am sure it deterred others as well. Then in late 2010, Salsa Cycles came out with that Mukluk and Surly quickly followed suit with their fully built Pugs option and suddenly you could buy a fat bike for under $1600.00 ready to roll.

Now this made sense to me. Now you could somewhat afford to dive in and take the chance to see what it was all about. Then several other companies started in with their own cheap options, which now have brought prices down to Walmart levels for a fat bike, (quite literally, with the Mongoose "Beast" fat bike. $200.00! ) Conversely Salsa Cycles started to push upward with a titanium offering and higher spec aluminum models. Then suddenly it seemed that everyone was talking carbon fiber fat bikes with crazy drive train set ups like SRAM's new XX1 stuff. (The cassette alone costs what TWO Mongoose Beast fat bikes do!) So, like........who is going to buy into that? Yeah, maybe a few, as I thought, but really.......not that many, right?

The slightly less blingy Carbon Beargrease X-9

Wrong! I have been soooooo wrong about this. It's blowing my mind everyday. I can't really explain it either. Yes- these are lighter by a fair piece than the aluminum Mukluks. (About 8lbs lighter in the case of a XX1 vs Muk 2) Yes, carbon is the premier material for frames in the road world and is quickly, (or already has), becoming the same in the mountain biking world. I guess fat bikes are falling in on the coat tails of this.

Is it really all about the weight? Maybe it is. I do know that the massive, almost cartoonish scale of the frame dimensions is amusing, but so far, I haven't seen any customers laughing, like I did when I first laid eyes on a Beargrease at Frostbike last February. So I don't know if that has anything at all to do with it. Is it the subversive blackness of the carbon frame? Maybe. Maybe fat bike customers are rebels that manifest their disconnect with traditional cycling by buying these outlandish looking steeds. "Look at me! I will crush you with my uber-light, ultra-black wheels of Death!

Or maybe this is the anti-Lance-effect bike. The bike that manifests the backlash against pro roadie drugged performances that has gutted the romance and idealistic dreams of the common cyclist who once played make-believe roadie when Lance was King. But it is still carbon fiber!

Or maybe these are just freaking cool bicycles that blow peoples minds to the point that they have to get one. But I don't know about that. Why didn't the same basic rigs in aluminum fly out the door like these have here then? Maybe aluminum isn't cool anymore. We're going to have to find a catch phrase for carbon like steel frames have. You know- steel is real  and all.  But what rhymes with carbon?

Well, whatever it is that is making this blow up, I can not say. All I know is that big, humongous boxes containing plasticky fat goodness keep appearing at the shop and I keep building them up. What happens after that is anybodies guess, I guess!

Friday News And Views

Welcome to the start of the second to last month of 2013. Now let that sink in for a moment or three.......

 T.I.V10: The registration process for the next Trans Iowa started today. I will be updating the roster later today with whatever names I receive in the digital mail box. If as in years past, the Finishers of Trans Iowas  take maybe around 20 spots, then that would leave 100 or so to split up between the Vets and Rookies. Maybe I'll be surprised and we'll see a lot of Finishers come back. Who knows. One thing is for sure, the Finishers get first take, and Veterans can make sure their post cards come in November 11th-16th. Rookies get their turn starting November 18th, and I bet within a day or two of then the spots will be all gone. See the site here.

It'll be fun to see which folks jump on board this year.  I already know that a fella from Germany is going to try to get in, and I've heard about another Canadian guy that's supposedly going to jump in the mix.  Stay tuned....

26.3lbs of carbon wonder bike.

Beargreased: I got to assemble this crazy fat bike yesterday. A Carbon Beargrease XX1. What a cool fat bike! It really is hard to understand the enormity of those carbon tube shapes until you actually lay your eyes on this beast. The profiles and their size are cartoonishly huge. (Those are technical terms, by the way.)

One minor detail I was glad to see was the use of DT Swiss' excellent RWS through axles. These couldn't be easier to use. Very nice, and the wheels slotted into the frame with zero drama. That isn't always the case with through axle stuff.

And as long as we're talking fat bikes, it seems that many companies are waiting out to see just what the rules will be regarding fat bikes in racing. As in "not in the snow racing" racing. The dividing line seems to be where the wheel standards will go. Many in the industry are thinking that the 170mm rear standard will win out for "racing"/all year usages, and if this is the case, and the governing bodies see fit to declare such standards for racing, the companies in the industry will start developing new rims and components geared to the 170mm type bikes.

This bears watching. More as I hear about it.......

Update On Uncle Dick's:

I've begun to use the Uncle Dick's Bead Slip this past week. Here are my thoughts on it so far....

It adds an extra, somewhat tedious step to tire mounting that you ordinarily do not have. So, "Is it worth the trouble?", is the question here.

My initial response is that it is in certain circumstances. You've got to know when those circumstances are worth it, is all. I've had the benefit of 14+ years of being a bicycle mechanic, so I maybe am a bit ahead of the curve in that manner, but if you are not, here's my advice: Use this on tubeless tires, steel rims, plastic rims, or on really tight fitting tire/rim combos. Everything else is probably a situation where this product really isn't all that necessary. I mean- you could use it all the time, but many times you really wouldn't need to.

Here's a good example of using this product when it makes a big difference: I mounted some new 27 X 1 1/4 tires on steel rims the other day and many, many times this results in a portion of the bead that will not slip up into place on the rim, no matter how hard you try to make it do so. I brushed on the Uncle Dick's on the tire beads and the airing up of these tires went so easily it was ridiculous.

While it did take time to paint the beads with the Bead Slip, it easily paid off in time saved possibly wrenching the tire with a tool trying to coax the bead up into place. What was also noticeable was how the tire actually spread out and took on a fuller profile on that steel rim. Nice!

More on that stuff as I get time with it......

That's a wrap for now folks. Have a great weekend and I hope ya'all get a good ride in soon.

Friday News And Views

Welcome to the start of the second to last month of 2013. Now let that sink in for a moment or three.......

 T.I.V10: The registration process for the next Trans Iowa started today. I will be updating the roster later today with whatever names I receive in the digital mail box. If as in years past, the Finishers of Trans Iowas  take maybe around 20 spots, then that would leave 100 or so to split up between the Vets and Rookies. Maybe I'll be surprised and we'll see a lot of Finishers come back. Who knows. One thing is for sure, the Finishers get first take, and Veterans can make sure their post cards come in November 11th-16th. Rookies get their turn starting November 18th, and I bet within a day or two of then the spots will be all gone. See the site here.

It'll be fun to see which folks jump on board this year.  I already know that a fella from Germany is going to try to get in, and I've heard about another Canadian guy that's supposedly going to jump in the mix.  Stay tuned....

26.3lbs of carbon wonder bike.

Beargreased: I got to assemble this crazy fat bike yesterday. A Carbon Beargrease XX1. What a cool fat bike! It really is hard to understand the enormity of those carbon tube shapes until you actually lay your eyes on this beast. The profiles and their size are cartoonishly huge. (Those are technical terms, by the way.)

One minor detail I was glad to see was the use of DT Swiss' excellent RWS through axles. These couldn't be easier to use. Very nice, and the wheels slotted into the frame with zero drama. That isn't always the case with through axle stuff.

And as long as we're talking fat bikes, it seems that many companies are waiting out to see just what the rules will be regarding fat bikes in racing. As in "not in the snow racing" racing. The dividing line seems to be where the wheel standards will go. Many in the industry are thinking that the 170mm rear standard will win out for "racing"/all year usages, and if this is the case, and the governing bodies see fit to declare such standards for racing, the companies in the industry will start developing new rims and components geared to the 170mm type bikes.

This bears watching. More as I hear about it.......

Update On Uncle Dick's:

I've begun to use the Uncle Dick's Bead Slip this past week. Here are my thoughts on it so far....

It adds an extra, somewhat tedious step to tire mounting that you ordinarily do not have. So, "Is it worth the trouble?", is the question here.

My initial response is that it is in certain circumstances. You've got to know when those circumstances are worth it, is all. I've had the benefit of 14+ years of being a bicycle mechanic, so I maybe am a bit ahead of the curve in that manner, but if you are not, here's my advice: Use this on tubeless tires, steel rims, plastic rims, or on really tight fitting tire/rim combos. Everything else is probably a situation where this product really isn't all that necessary. I mean- you could use it all the time, but many times you really wouldn't need to.

Here's a good example of using this product when it makes a big difference: I mounted some new 27 X 1 1/4 tires on steel rims the other day and many, many times this results in a portion of the bead that will not slip up into place on the rim, no matter how hard you try to make it do so. I brushed on the Uncle Dick's on the tire beads and the airing up of these tires went so easily it was ridiculous.

While it did take time to paint the beads with the Bead Slip, it easily paid off in time saved possibly wrenching the tire with a tool trying to coax the bead up into place. What was also noticeable was how the tire actually spread out and took on a fuller profile on that steel rim. Nice!

More on that stuff as I get time with it......

That's a wrap for now folks. Have a great weekend and I hope ya'all get a good ride in soon.

Friday News And Views

Slippy-Slide!

Tires.You gotta have them. I like tires a lot too, and I've mounted thousands of them in my lifetime as a mechanic on bicycles (14 years), and as a car mechanic, (5.5 years). One thing that I've always thought was missing with regard to bicycle tires versus the car tires I used to mount was the "slippy-slide".

Slippy-slide......that's a technical term! The "real name" of the product escapes me now- if I ever knew it- but it was indispensable for mounting car tires. You slathered on this snotty-goo substance on tire beads with a brush before mounting the tires to rims. Then when you hit the tire with an air compressor, the beads would slip into place on the rim, instead of hanging up part way. Pop-pop! The tires would seat right up every time.

Well, with bicycles, you generally go dry with the tires, and because we typically use higher pressures and lighter components than automobiles, the beads set up without any extra goo involved. But sometimes they do not, and when they do not, it can be a real hassle to get them to "bead up". (Think 27" steel wheels and tires as a for instance.) Tubeless tires are another good place where I have used various substances to help the bead seating process along. All were messy and wet. Now there is Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. 

It's an organic blend of non-toxic ingredients that you apply with a brush to a tire's beads and it is supposed to make things go easier. I just got some samples at the shop where I work to try out. I have only used it once on a tubeless installation just yesterday. I hit the beads with the Bead Slip and mounted up the tire. A blast from a compressor and...........silence. It was eery! I've never had a bead set up so easily and quietly. More research is necessary, but first impressions are that it is good stuff.

Trek's Farley fat bike.

Fat Bike News: 

Trek's Farley is hitting shops now and with only 500 units produced, the model is hard to come by for dealers, in fact- it is impossible to get unless your dealer pre-ordered some. Unfortunately even the extra 500 that Trek authorized to be built are spoken for as well.  (Yes- that equals 1000 Farleys.)

There are frame sets out there to get though, so if you are so inclined, the blue or black colors are supposedly order-able. The frames are hydro-formed aluminum and come with a fork as well.

As confirmed by a Trek employee, Trek did do just what I theorized earlier this year and rushed this out to market just to have product out there to compete with all the others jumping in. That totally explains the Surly rims and tires on the Farley.

Word is now that Trek will have their own tires and rims for 2015, (read next Fall), and will have "several models" in the fat bike line. Interesting...... This certainly means that Bontrager branded fat bike tires are coming, and rims as well, one would think. Bontrager does a great tubeless tire and rim strip for most types of cycling. It would stand to reason that some sort of tubeless tire and rim strip may be in the offing for fat bikes from Trek. I would also predict that it will be Trek, (and very likely Specialized), that will pay for the tooling to get suspension forks for fat bikes from Rock Shox. Next Summer I would bet that much of this speculation will either be common knowledge or disproved. I'm betting it will mostly be true. We'll see......

Surprised....

And finally....

The big surprise for me this season is not that carbon fat bikes are of great interest to riders, but that they are actually selling. But not that they are actually selling, it's that the best ones are selling. The really expensive ones!

While I won't get into numbers here, the shop where I work is selling these things and by "selling" I mean "sold". I gotta say that surprises me a bit. I can't put my finger on it, but there must be a few reasons why this is.

Obviously, fat bikes have captured the imagination of several folks. Of them, more than a few are thinking traditional fat bikes are heavy. (Well, they are, but that isn't that big a deal for many, or to me.) Now with weight reigned in to the point that most 29"er hard tails weigh more than a fat bike of the highest caliber, you have to wonder if that is finally enticing some folks to jump in. That or folks are just all about carbon fiber anything......I don't know. 

Whatever the motivation, a sub-23 pound fat bike with a wide range drive train is pretty unbelievable.  And with regard to the Salsa, you have to believe that it could go lighter with a tubeless set up, and maybe some lighter parts,or what have you. Updated: Word has it that the actual weights of the XX1 equipped Beargrease carbon rigs has "ballooned" to over 24lbs in reality. Still- that's darn light for a fat bike, but don't go get rid of your super-light 29"er hard tails just yet!

Okay, that's a wrap. I hope you all get a bike ride in and enjoy your weekend.....