Friday News And Views

 Cost Of Crushed Rock At Historically High Levels:

Crushed rock, or more commonly known as gravel, is getting expensive. A recent story by kchanews.com, a radio station in Floyd County, Iowa, claims that Floyd County will pay an estimated 1.5 million or more in 2024 for crushed rock for their gravel road maintenance. 

The price per ton two years ago was $13.88 and the price today has risen to $15.28 per ton, the highest amount the county has ever paid for rock for their gravel roads. 

Comments: Obviously a lot of things have increased in price, but I feel as though there are some things we can point to which have caused counties to have to maintain the roads more often than in the past. 

One thing is the drought. Dry conditions seem to cause the gravel to break down more quickly, but I could be wrong about that. It just seems that way to me. Secondly, heavier agricultural equipment and the widespread use of semi tractor-trailers for grain transportation have wreaked havoc on the roads. Finally, Winter plowing grinds off gravel and pushes it into ditches. In years past such aggressive snow removal tactics were not employed. 

All this means now is that taxes extracted from residents will be stretched to cover higher priced materials to maintain the public roads. Paved roads cost even more, so paving everything is not the answer. In my opinion, farmers need to bear more of the responsibility for what their equipment does to roads. 

Image courtesy of Hayes/Manitou

Manitou Throws It Back To The 90's:

Manitou, who were there at the beginning of the suspension revelotion in mountain bikes, has announced a special edition Mattoc Pro fork all done up to look like Manitou's famous elastomeric suspension fork from the early 1990's. 

Those early Manitou forks were black and silver with a reputation for being rather flexy and having nearly no damping characteristics at all. but then again, most early suspension fork efforts were pretty dismal compared to the wild technology we have today. 

At about $1100.00, it is not cheap, but it surely is about 1100 times better than the original the fork is made to look like. 

Manitou doesn't get the "love" these days like Fox and Rock Shox, but they do make nice things which I think more folks should be taking a look at. Take this Mattoc Pro, for instance. It comes out of the box set at 140m of travel, but any user can adjust that at home with a simple procedure to go anywhere from 110mm to 150mm of travel making this 1750 gram fork versatile from XC to light enduro riding. 

Image courtesy of Esker Cycles

Houchin To Ride Esker Ti Japhy For 2024:

Ultra-distance athlete and single speeder Alexandera Houchin was announced as a sponsored rider by Esker Cycles this week. 

Houchin rides single speed a lot, but will also be using geared and possibly full-suspension bikes from Esker Cycles range in the future, according to a statement in the press release. 

Houchin is a well known and accomplished rider in the off-road ultra-distance field. She has set, or holds several records including the fastest single speed ride for Women and first woman overall at the 2019 Tour Divide, a record setting and winning ride in the Women's category at the Colorado Trail Race, plus many more wins and records. Alexandera has logged an incredible 6 consecutive Colorado Trail starts and finishes. Along with 3 consecutive Arizona Trail Race 800 starts and finishes. 

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #42: The Mid-South Review

I know many of you already waded through my written version of things concerning the Mid-South,
and if you did read that report, thank you! 

But if you are game for more, or would rather listen to two old dudes gab, the podcast version can be accessed HERE or wherever you get your podcasts from these days. 

There is a bit more content here concerning riding bandit, as well as some banter about the "fast folk" doing things that could be seen as unfair. 

Plus we do a Gravel Amplifier on two events also. What's that? Oh....well it is my opinion that mainstream cycling media thinks there are only Pro level gravel events. I don't adhere to that take, so N.Y. Roll and I search out smaller, affordably priced gravel events in places we think a lot of people would find interesting. We talk about that instead of hyping all the European and North American events the pro riders are doing. They get enough amplification.

Also, I'll throw it out here that we are always looking for events to bring to our audience's attention, so if you have any gravel events you think should get some run on "The Guitar Ted Podcast" then you can send me the information to: g.ted.productions@gmail.com

Image courtesy of Race Face

Race Face Introduces ERA Carbon MTB Wheels:

Race Face introduced a new mountain bike wheel set yesterday called ERA. This is an all-new wheel with Race Face's Vault hubs and a 30mm internal rim width. The wheels are available in 29" or 27.5" sizes.

The big deal with these rims on the ERA wheel set is the compliance Race Face has tried to engineer into the wheels. Race Face believes that vertical compliance is a good thing, but that lateral compliance is also key to a successful ride off-road.

They point to how a rigid wheel with no give laterally will "ping" you off rocks and trail obstacles, knocking you off-line and causing handling to go out the window. The ERA wheels are designed to absorb some of that energy that would otherwise be sending you in a new direction.

Will it work? That's the big question here, but you have to give it to Race Face for trying. You can find out for yourself by ponying up $1599.00USD. 

That's a wrap on this week's news and views. Have a great weekend and thanks for reading the Guitar Ted Productions blog!!

How Are We Going To Do This?

Those two threaded holes? That's an early attempt at a disc brake mount.

Everyone that nerds out on bicycles seems to have a pretty strong opinion on "standards", (like "there aren't ANY"!), and these opinions often times will be without any regard to history. Usually "it has been done before" and the reason it didn't catch on might be one of several things. Money being one of the biggest reasons, but material technology is usually reason number one. That means that the idea was "there" but the means to make it work right was not. Materials and the way they are applied generally are the reason many innovations ultimately become realities for bicycles. Like disc brakes, for instance.

Shimano had working disc brakes for bicycles back during the bike boom of the 70's. While the calipers were heavy and clunky, and the rotors were solid steel, they did work. There were concerns , of course, and since forks of the day were spindly and not very strong, disc brakes on bicycles then were typically only mounted on rear wheels. Ironically, Shimano chose to thread on the rotor to the hub, much like a freewheel, and if you think about it, Centerlock brakes are just a minor variation on that theme.

The whole disc brake thing then "went away" for a time, but during the late 70's, 80's and 90's, mountain bikers started tinkering around with disc brakes and by the late 90's, it was going to happen. Early adopters were within the ranks of the Marin clunker gang who used the Shimano disc brakes of the time despite their tank-ish weight. Later in the 80's there was a few attempts at using disc brakes on down hill mountain bikes. The 90's saw more activity with disc brakes, maybe most famously by Mountain Cycle who had an "upside down" fork design which required disc brakes to make it work. Gary Fisher also had a bike with disc brakes at the time, but it was........ahhh.... not very good!

Most suspension forks now use the 74mm post mount standard developed by Manitou

Finally, a concerted effort to make disc brakes work cranked up in the 90's. There was the Rock Shox mechanical disc brake with their funky 3 bolt rotors. Hayes Brakes had a 22mm direct mount, Manitou had a 74mm post mount, (yes, Manitou came up with that), and there was a 51mm mount that required adapters floating around as well. Eventually, the 51mm standard got adopted as the "International Standard" while Manitou, (and ironically, Hayes after they bought Manitou), stuck with 74mm mounts which eventually became the standard across most suspension forks and now rigid mtb forks. While the 51mm "IS" standard is still around, it requires different adaptors for front and rear brakes, while the 74mm post mounts do not. 74mm isn't widely adopted by the frame builders though since it requires a bit more effort to make precisely.

Now around about 2014 Shimano unveiled plans to make a new standard called "Flat Mount", which is not unlike what Hayes was trying to do in the late 90's with its 22mm mount. The idea was that the calipers would sit flush to the frame and fork without unsightly adapters or posts sticking off forks and frames. Unfortunately, by the time flat mount came about there were many carbon forks which were using the post mount standard for road applications. To further complicate things, not many custom or high end builders liked the flat mount aesthetic on the rear chain stay, nor were too keen on not using already available IS compatible drop outs which had been refined to look rather good.

Complicating things further is Shimano's lack of interchangeable adapters to fit other types of calipers to flat mount and flat mount calipers to other types of mounts. SRAM has done more in this vein. There are issues with adapters, but one thing flat mount does do is make adapting the caliper to either a 140mm or 160mm rotor an easy affair. You just flip the adapter mount around to use one size or the other. (No 180mm or 203mm rotors can be used with flat mount Shimano calipers.)

Shimano Flat Mount Disc Brakes

Flat mount seems to have been developed to make disc brakes look sleeker and to limit rotor sizes to smaller rotors. While it confuses the market further, it probably isn't going away, since aftermarket brake, fork, and some frame makers are adopting this for road and "gravel" applications.

It also is worth mentioning that along with flat mount disc brakes Shimano also foisted 12mm front through axle for road on us at the same time. This all makes one ask a few hard questions, such as, "What is wrong with 15mm through axles?", (a standard, ironically also foisted on us partially by Shimano), and how about "What is wrong with 74mm post mount, or IS brake mounts we already have?". Don't hold yer breath for any answers to those questions, by the way.

So, in a way, Shimano has brought us full circle back to the flat mount brake, which Hayes proposed in the late 90's. Weird, huh?

The whole disc brake mounting question isn't 100% settled just yet, but it would seem that IS and 74mm post mount will be the realm of off road applications only and this flat mount technology will be the realm of road and gravel. Maybe.......

Then there is the whole through axle thing which is already changing road bike wheels and will, no doubt, upset the apple cart with regard to legacy wheels not working, people wanting certain combinations that won't be possible any longer, and with the brake thing, it will be even worse. Change is often frustrating and painful. This looks to be no different, but we've been through this before with mountain bikes, so welcome to the nightmare......again.

How Are We Going To Do This?

Those two threaded holes? That's an early attempt at a disc brake mount.

Everyone that nerds out on bicycles seems to have a pretty strong opinion on "standards", (like "there aren't ANY"!), and these opinions often times will be without any regard to history. Usually "it has been done before" and the reason it didn't catch on might be one of several things. Money being one of the biggest reasons, but material technology is usually reason number one. That means that the idea was "there" but the means to make it work right was not. Materials and the way they are applied generally are the reason many innovations ultimately become realities for bicycles. Like disc brakes, for instance.

Shimano had working disc brakes for bicycles back during the bike boom of the 70's. While the calipers were heavy and clunky, and the rotors were solid steel, they did work. There were concerns , of course, and since forks of the day were spindly and not very strong, disc brakes on bicycles then were typically only mounted on rear wheels. Ironically, Shimano chose to thread on the rotor to the hub, much like a freewheel, and if you think about it, Centerlock brakes are just a minor variation on that theme.

The whole disc brake thing then "went away" for a time, but during the late 70's, 80's and 90's, mountain bikers started tinkering around with disc brakes and by the late 90's, it was going to happen. Early adopters were within the ranks of the Marin clunker gang who used the Shimano disc brakes of the time despite their tank-ish weight. Later in the 80's there was a few attempts at using disc brakes on down hill mountain bikes. The 90's saw more activity with disc brakes, maybe most famously by Mountain Cycle who had an "upside down" fork design which required disc brakes to make it work. Gary Fisher also had a bike with disc brakes at the time, but it was........ahhh.... not very good!

Most suspension forks now use the 74mm post mount standard developed by Manitou

Finally, a concerted effort to make disc brakes work cranked up in the 90's. There was the Rock Shox mechanical disc brake with their funky 3 bolt rotors. Hayes Brakes had a 22mm direct mount, Manitou had a 74mm post mount, (yes, Manitou came up with that), and there was a 51mm mount that required adapters floating around as well. Eventually, the 51mm standard got adopted as the "International Standard" while Manitou, (and ironically, Hayes after they bought Manitou), stuck with 74mm mounts which eventually became the standard across most suspension forks and now rigid mtb forks. While the 51mm "IS" standard is still around, it requires different adaptors for front and rear brakes, while the 74mm post mounts do not. 74mm isn't widely adopted by the frame builders though since it requires a bit more effort to make precisely.

Now around about 2014 Shimano unveiled plans to make a new standard called "Flat Mount", which is not unlike what Hayes was trying to do in the late 90's with its 22mm mount. The idea was that the calipers would sit flush to the frame and fork without unsightly adapters or posts sticking off forks and frames. Unfortunately, by the time flat mount came about there were many carbon forks which were using the post mount standard for road applications. To further complicate things, not many custom or high end builders liked the flat mount aesthetic on the rear chain stay, nor were too keen on not using already available IS compatible drop outs which had been refined to look rather good.

Complicating things further is Shimano's lack of interchangeable adapters to fit other types of calipers to flat mount and flat mount calipers to other types of mounts. SRAM has done more in this vein. There are issues with adapters, but one thing flat mount does do is make adapting the caliper to either a 140mm or 160mm rotor an easy affair. You just flip the adapter mount around to use one size or the other. (No 180mm or 203mm rotors can be used with flat mount Shimano calipers.)

Shimano Flat Mount Disc Brakes

Flat mount seems to have been developed to make disc brakes look sleeker and to limit rotor sizes to smaller rotors. While it confuses the market further, it probably isn't going away, since aftermarket brake, fork, and some frame makers are adopting this for road and "gravel" applications.

It also is worth mentioning that along with flat mount disc brakes Shimano also foisted 12mm front through axle for road on us at the same time. This all makes one ask a few hard questions, such as, "What is wrong with 15mm through axles?", (a standard, ironically also foisted on us partially by Shimano), and how about "What is wrong with 74mm post mount, or IS brake mounts we already have?". Don't hold yer breath for any answers to those questions, by the way.

So, in a way, Shimano has brought us full circle back to the flat mount brake, which Hayes proposed in the late 90's. Weird, huh?

The whole disc brake mounting question isn't 100% settled just yet, but it would seem that IS and 74mm post mount will be the realm of off road applications only and this flat mount technology will be the realm of road and gravel. Maybe.......

Then there is the whole through axle thing which is already changing road bike wheels and will, no doubt, upset the apple cart with regard to legacy wheels not working, people wanting certain combinations that won't be possible any longer, and with the brake thing, it will be even worse. Change is often frustrating and painful. This looks to be no different, but we've been through this before with mountain bikes, so welcome to the nightmare......again.

Small Changes- Big Differences

The Sawyer with a shorter travel Reba G2 fork

Tuesday I had a gritchy throat which ended up becoming a full blown cold on Wednesday. so, any thoughts of long rides in the country on a chilly early Fall day were thrown out the window. I ended up nursing myself along at home and in the meantime I decided to monkey around with the Sawyer which I posted about yesterday.

Fork exchanges are no big deal, especially when the wheel standards and head set standards remain the same between parts. I just took about ten minutes to swap things around. That was the easy part.

The change to the Rock Shox Reba meant the same offset with a shorter axle to crown since the fork is set at 80mm of travel. That's positively unheard of these days, 80mm of travel, but that is what the Sawyer was developed around. By the way, I still have the original fork, but suspension for off roading sure is nice to have. The thought here was that maybe the fact that I'd been running a fork that was technically "too long" was causing my dislike of the bike's ride to some degree. Millimeters of difference, but sometimes small changes result in very different feelings and sensations while riding.

The game of millimeters and degrees of angle change are sometimes scoffed at by some cyclists. However; I would say that if I lowered your saddle by 5mm, or lengthened your stem by one centimeter, you'd notice a "big" difference. So, small changes really do matter. Even novice cyclists can tell these things. We see this all the time in the bike shop.

Te Reba has plenty of clearance with the 27.5+ tires as they are on Blunt 35 rims.

 Plunking around the neighborhood, (I was too ill to go for a full blown ride), I felt that the bike was "better". It didn't feel so up in the air, and the lowered front end made the top tube a touch more roomy. Definitely a move in the right direction. I'll have to actually get it out on a trail, obviously, but I think the slightly longer fork wasn't doing this bike any favors. Not for me, at any rate.

As a side note I also discovered I still have an 80mm travel Manitou Tower fork that would also work on this bike. It is not 51mm offset, but- and I may be wrong- I believe it is 46mm offset. Manitou liked that 46mm offset for 29"ers back then, as I recall. So, popping that one on the Sawyer would result in a different feel as well. More stability, and maybe not as eager to turn in. I may try it out as well. The axle to crown is similar to the Rock Shox, maybe a tick taller, I didn't take an exact measurement.

That all said, I probably will not be using any of the three forks. The thing I want to do here is get a 3.0" tire on an internal 40.mm wide rim and forks made the better part of a decade ago did not take such wheels in to account. I'll likely look for a newer, Boost spaced fork I can lower to 80mm of travel and that has through axles. The current, B plus wheels will likely be moved to gravel grinding duty.

The rear of the bike is a quick release, of course, but with aluminum sliding drop outs, well.......maybe I could get something made in through axle. It isn't imperative that I do so, but being that I am moving in to a modern front end at some point, it might prove to be nice to have the rear end match up.

All because the smallest differences seem to make all the difference in how much I like the bike.

Small Changes- Big Differences

The Sawyer with a shorter travel Reba G2 fork

Tuesday I had a gritchy throat which ended up becoming a full blown cold on Wednesday. so, any thoughts of long rides in the country on a chilly early Fall day were thrown out the window. I ended up nursing myself along at home and in the meantime I decided to monkey around with the Sawyer which I posted about yesterday.

Fork exchanges are no big deal, especially when the wheel standards and head set standards remain the same between parts. I just took about ten minutes to swap things around. That was the easy part.

The change to the Rock Shox Reba meant the same offset with a shorter axle to crown since the fork is set at 80mm of travel. That's positively unheard of these days, 80mm of travel, but that is what the Sawyer was developed around. By the way, I still have the original fork, but suspension for off roading sure is nice to have. The thought here was that maybe the fact that I'd been running a fork that was technically "too long" was causing my dislike of the bike's ride to some degree. Millimeters of difference, but sometimes small changes result in very different feelings and sensations while riding.

The game of millimeters and degrees of angle change are sometimes scoffed at by some cyclists. However; I would say that if I lowered your saddle by 5mm, or lengthened your stem by one centimeter, you'd notice a "big" difference. So, small changes really do matter. Even novice cyclists can tell these things. We see this all the time in the bike shop.

Te Reba has plenty of clearance with the 27.5+ tires as they are on Blunt 35 rims.

 Plunking around the neighborhood, (I was too ill to go for a full blown ride), I felt that the bike was "better". It didn't feel so up in the air, and the lowered front end made the top tube a touch more roomy. Definitely a move in the right direction. I'll have to actually get it out on a trail, obviously, but I think the slightly longer fork wasn't doing this bike any favors. Not for me, at any rate.

As a side note I also discovered I still have an 80mm travel Manitou Tower fork that would also work on this bike. It is not 51mm offset, but- and I may be wrong- I believe it is 46mm offset. Manitou liked that 46mm offset for 29"ers back then, as I recall. So, popping that one on the Sawyer would result in a different feel as well. More stability, and maybe not as eager to turn in. I may try it out as well. The axle to crown is similar to the Rock Shox, maybe a tick taller, I didn't take an exact measurement.

That all said, I probably will not be using any of the three forks. The thing I want to do here is get a 3.0" tire on an internal 40.mm wide rim and forks made the better part of a decade ago did not take such wheels in to account. I'll likely look for a newer, Boost spaced fork I can lower to 80mm of travel and that has through axles. The current, B plus wheels will likely be moved to gravel grinding duty.

The rear of the bike is a quick release, of course, but with aluminum sliding drop outs, well.......maybe I could get something made in through axle. It isn't imperative that I do so, but being that I am moving in to a modern front end at some point, it might prove to be nice to have the rear end match up.

All because the smallest differences seem to make all the difference in how much I like the bike.

Sea Otter '17 News

The Manitou Mastodon Fat Bike Fork

Manitou Mastodon:

Sea Otter is starting today and so you will be seeing a bunch of news that will be pretty cool for us cyclists out here. One of the new things that hasn't been so secret, but which I've known about in detail for a few months, is the Manitou Mastodon fat bike fork. This fork will be a game changer in the fat biking segment.

Announcement details will verify whether I am correct here, but this fork was developed with Trek for their Farley fat bikes for 2018. It is my understanding that will be the only avenue that the Mastodon will be available through for the 2018 model year.

Trek will spec one aluminum Farley, a carbon Farley, and the full suspension fat bike they make with this fork. Availability is slated for this Fall.  Trek fat bikes will also all be 27.5 based only, so you know this fork will clear their tires. I've also heard that this fork clears a massive Vee Tire Snowshoe 2XL with room to spare on a 110mm wide carbon rim. So, it can handle any fat bike tire made today.

The Mastodon will also be the fork that makes the Bluto obsolete. Not only frm a standpoint of clearance, but also from a standpoint of performance. The fork is said to be not only better in terms of damping, rebound, and ride feel, but also in terms of stiffness. Trek has a long history of working with suspension makers to provide riders with highly tuned, high performing shocks, and it sounds like they have pulled it off again with Manitou.

If, as I suspect, Trek is the only avenue for this fork for 2018, you may have to wait until mid-year next year to get one aftermarket. Stay tuned on that one though.......

Get ready for a ton of "mid-plus" 29"er tires to hit the news

Terrene Teases A New 29"er Tire:

Sea Otter should be rife with tire news and especially in a "new" category of tires which will fill in the gap between 2.5" and 3.0"tires. The complaint many "plus" bike riders have had is that the tires available now have side walls which are too flexy and that leads to a vagueness in corners which is not desirable for trail bike handling. Trouble is that to make 3.0 inch tires stiff enough to withstand cornering forces, the tires would have to gain weight, (more material = more weight), and that would not work out for trail riders either.

The answer is to down size the tire, beef up the sidewalls, and provide puncture protection and/or sidewall protection. This as yet unnamed Terrene teaser in a 29 X 2.8 is such a tire. Look for tires like these to be getting spec on the longer travel 29" trail bikes we are sure to be seeing out there as well at Sea Otter. I showed you all the new Rock Shox Lyric fork news last week and keeping in mind that the Lyric will be available in a 29'er form with up to 180mm travel, I would think this tire, or tires like it, were what was in mind for that fork.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of this puzzle..... The pieces are coming together.

That's the new WTB Byway on my Twin Six Standard Rando

WTB Announces Another Road Plus Tire- The Byway:

And finally- In news that I have been a part of in a small way for several weeks, WTB will announce another 650B X 47mm tire, the Byway, and it will be available immediately to purchase from dealers.

This is a real similar casing, if not exactly the same, as the previous Horizon Road Plus tire but the Byway has actual tread. That means it has far better grip on dirt and mud than the smooth Horizon does.

I have already been riding the Byway for several weeks and it does very well on dirt and it even powered me through some mud/sand pretty easily that I came across on Petrie Road here a while back. So, it is pretty impressive in that respect. The combination of the minimalist tread design and width give this tire a flotation characteristic instead of the "pizza cutter" effect many 700c based tires have in similar situations.

I am reviewing this tire for RidingGravel.com, but there is more- This is the tire which is one of the options for Trans Iowa finishers to choose from. WTB is giving away one free set of tires to any official finisher of T.I.v13. They will get to pick from the 700 X 37mm Riddler, 700 X 45mm Riddler, or the Byway.

Sea Otter '17 News

The Manitou Mastodon Fat Bike Fork

Manitou Mastodon:

Sea Otter is starting today and so you will be seeing a bunch of news that will be pretty cool for us cyclists out here. One of the new things that hasn't been so secret, but which I've known about in detail for a few months, is the Manitou Mastodon fat bike fork. This fork will be a game changer in the fat biking segment.

Announcement details will verify whether I am correct here, but this fork was developed with Trek for their Farley fat bikes for 2018. It is my understanding that will be the only avenue that the Mastodon will be available through for the 2018 model year.

Trek will spec one aluminum Farley, a carbon Farley, and the full suspension fat bike they make with this fork. Availability is slated for this Fall.  Trek fat bikes will also all be 27.5 based only, so you know this fork will clear their tires. I've also heard that this fork clears a massive Vee Tire Snowshoe 2XL with room to spare on a 110mm wide carbon rim. So, it can handle any fat bike tire made today.

The Mastodon will also be the fork that makes the Bluto obsolete. Not only frm a standpoint of clearance, but also from a standpoint of performance. The fork is said to be not only better in terms of damping, rebound, and ride feel, but also in terms of stiffness. Trek has a long history of working with suspension makers to provide riders with highly tuned, high performing shocks, and it sounds like they have pulled it off again with Manitou.

If, as I suspect, Trek is the only avenue for this fork for 2018, you may have to wait until mid-year next year to get one aftermarket. Stay tuned on that one though.......

Get ready for a ton of "mid-plus" 29"er tires to hit the news

Terrene Teases A New 29"er Tire:

Sea Otter should be rife with tire news and especially in a "new" category of tires which will fill in the gap between 2.5" and 3.0"tires. The complaint many "plus" bike riders have had is that the tires available now have side walls which are too flexy and that leads to a vagueness in corners which is not desirable for trail bike handling. Trouble is that to make 3.0 inch tires stiff enough to withstand cornering forces, the tires would have to gain weight, (more material = more weight), and that would not work out for trail riders either.

The answer is to down size the tire, beef up the sidewalls, and provide puncture protection and/or sidewall protection. This as yet unnamed Terrene teaser in a 29 X 2.8 is such a tire. Look for tires like these to be getting spec on the longer travel 29" trail bikes we are sure to be seeing out there as well at Sea Otter. I showed you all the new Rock Shox Lyric fork news last week and keeping in mind that the Lyric will be available in a 29'er form with up to 180mm travel, I would think this tire, or tires like it, were what was in mind for that fork.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of this puzzle..... The pieces are coming together.

That's the new WTB Byway on my Twin Six Standard Rando

WTB Announces Another Road Plus Tire- The Byway:

And finally- In news that I have been a part of in a small way for several weeks, WTB will announce another 650B X 47mm tire, the Byway, and it will be available immediately to purchase from dealers.

This is a real similar casing, if not exactly the same, as the previous Horizon Road Plus tire but the Byway has actual tread. That means it has far better grip on dirt and mud than the smooth Horizon does.

I have already been riding the Byway for several weeks and it does very well on dirt and it even powered me through some mud/sand pretty easily that I came across on Petrie Road here a while back. So, it is pretty impressive in that respect. The combination of the minimalist tread design and width give this tire a flotation characteristic instead of the "pizza cutter" effect many 700c based tires have in similar situations.

I am reviewing this tire for RidingGravel.com, but there is more- This is the tire which is one of the options for Trans Iowa finishers to choose from. WTB is giving away one free set of tires to any official finisher of T.I.v13. They will get to pick from the 700 X 37mm Riddler, 700 X 45mm Riddler, or the Byway.

Single Is Not Necessarily Simple

The current Inbred SS set up

 I grabbed the Inbred SS rig for a quick errand yesterday and realized something.....well, actually I remembered something, but the Inbred reminded me of it.

Single speed bikes are not necessarily "simple". In fact, going single speed on a mountain bike these days might actually complicate things a bit. How? Well, in a few, irritatingly significant ways, actually. In some cases, it is almost better just running a geared bike. Almost....

Take rear drop outs for instance. At first glance, the traditional track end seems innocuous enough. But add disc brakes, a boat load of torque, and a grippy rear tire and a few things become sickeningly apparent. Slipping axles in the fork ends, fighting the caliper to remove a wheel, and just getting the wheel centered, (if you are OCD, this is the biggest issue!), can really ruin your day. Sure, you can use a chain tug, but that's another layer of complexity you are adding to a "simple drop out". Yes, you could just use nutted axles, but then you have to carry a wrench. See what I mean?

Then you have the solutions to the track end drop out. Eccentric bottom brackets, sliding drop outs, or swinging drop outs. None without their peccadilloes, and some with a big headache or two.

Why do we have to keep reinventing thru axles?

Then you have suspension forks, which have their own sets of complexities. None more baffling than the through axle. At first glance you may think all of them are like the Maxle, or Fox/Shimano's 15QR, but you'd be remiss in that notion. It seems to be a big game to see how many ways we can reinvent the through axle for mountain bikes.

Take this Manitou Tower Pro, as an example, a fine enough fork when it comes to suspension duties. However; it has a funky keyed through axle that isn't very easy to get right, and the mere fact that it can be done incorrectly, yet look right, is dangerous, in my opinion. Not only is this system less intuitive and fussy than a Maxle or 15QR, but it has a tension adjustment for the quick release lever, which if it isn't adjusted correctly will leave your wheel loose. What? You have to do two things to secure the wheel versus one, simple, easy to use method?  Let's not even get into Magura's system, or a couple of other oddball through axle deals out there.

So, you can see that on both ends of my Inbred, things are complicated. Yes- even without gears. In some ways, just popping a rear wheel into a vertical drop out, slamming the quick release over and riding off sounds kind of like a simple, sweet deal on a geared bicycle. Maybe if the industry would just give over and quit trying to be "different" for the sake of avoiding a licensing fee, we'd see some sensible results. Maybe if stupid trade mark and patent infringement deals that frustrate riders would be let go of so we could have an industry wide standard for through axles like the Maxle, we'd get rid of these wonky, one off designs.

Yeah.....I know- Dream on Ted!

But I will say that when all the goofiness works as advertised, and you hear nothing but your breathing and the tires working the trail, a single speed can give you a certain feeling that makes all those issues go away. For that time, the single speed is the greatest tool of mountain biking distilled down to its simplest form. Well......until you notice that your rear wheel is crooked again! 

Bah!

Single Is Not Necessarily Simple

The current Inbred SS set up

 I grabbed the Inbred SS rig for a quick errand yesterday and realized something.....well, actually I remembered something, but the Inbred reminded me of it.

Single speed bikes are not necessarily "simple". In fact, going single speed on a mountain bike these days might actually complicate things a bit. How? Well, in a few, irritatingly significant ways, actually. In some cases, it is almost better just running a geared bike. Almost....

Take rear drop outs for instance. At first glance, the traditional track end seems innocuous enough. But add disc brakes, a boat load of torque, and a grippy rear tire and a few things become sickeningly apparent. Slipping axles in the fork ends, fighting the caliper to remove a wheel, and just getting the wheel centered, (if you are OCD, this is the biggest issue!), can really ruin your day. Sure, you can use a chain tug, but that's another layer of complexity you are adding to a "simple drop out". Yes, you could just use nutted axles, but then you have to carry a wrench. See what I mean?

Then you have the solutions to the track end drop out. Eccentric bottom brackets, sliding drop outs, or swinging drop outs. None without their peccadilloes, and some with a big headache or two.

Why do we have to keep reinventing thru axles?

Then you have suspension forks, which have their own sets of complexities. None more baffling than the through axle. At first glance you may think all of them are like the Maxle, or Fox/Shimano's 15QR, but you'd be remiss in that notion. It seems to be a big game to see how many ways we can reinvent the through axle for mountain bikes.

Take this Manitou Tower Pro, as an example, a fine enough fork when it comes to suspension duties. However; it has a funky keyed through axle that isn't very easy to get right, and the mere fact that it can be done incorrectly, yet look right, is dangerous, in my opinion. Not only is this system less intuitive and fussy than a Maxle or 15QR, but it has a tension adjustment for the quick release lever, which if it isn't adjusted correctly will leave your wheel loose. What? You have to do two things to secure the wheel versus one, simple, easy to use method?  Let's not even get into Magura's system, or a couple of other oddball through axle deals out there.

So, you can see that on both ends of my Inbred, things are complicated. Yes- even without gears. In some ways, just popping a rear wheel into a vertical drop out, slamming the quick release over and riding off sounds kind of like a simple, sweet deal on a geared bicycle. Maybe if the industry would just give over and quit trying to be "different" for the sake of avoiding a licensing fee, we'd see some sensible results. Maybe if stupid trade mark and patent infringement deals that frustrate riders would be let go of so we could have an industry wide standard for through axles like the Maxle, we'd get rid of these wonky, one off designs.

Yeah.....I know- Dream on Ted!

But I will say that when all the goofiness works as advertised, and you hear nothing but your breathing and the tires working the trail, a single speed can give you a certain feeling that makes all those issues go away. For that time, the single speed is the greatest tool of mountain biking distilled down to its simplest form. Well......until you notice that your rear wheel is crooked again! 

Bah!

The Three Coolest Things At Frostbike 2012

Okay, you know the drill. You go to a bike show and the inevitable question for everyone that attends that is going to be asked is the following: "So, did you see anything interesting? Did you see anything you thought was cool?"

Al right, okay........that is actually two questions. But they almost always come in tandem, so I am calling it "one question". Sue me! Anyway......here is my answer. since I cannot/will not winnow it down to one thing, I am going with three. I'm sure that will be more interesting anyway, right? Right then.....

10 speed: Get a grip!

Grip Shift returns in 10 speed: I was tipped off to this by our SRAM rep, and it was a cool find at Frostbike. Ten speed compatible Grip Shifters.

When 10 speed XX and XO came around everyone wanted to know if a Grip Shifter would also be offered. (Well, not everyone, but a lot of folks did want this.) At any rate, the shifters were not offered right away, but apparently there was enough pressure from manufacturers and riders to bring back a ten speed version.

The first hint that something was coming was this past summer when Pro XC Champion, Jaroslav Kulhavy, was seen riding a ten speed version of a Grip Shift shifter. Rumors that SRAM was going to offer a ten speed version were hot and heavy, and now here is the proof.

The details are not entirely clear, but here are some solid points I gathered at Frostbike and afterward from SRAM:

• There will be a XX and XO level 10spd Grip Shift pair offered for now. No lower groups will have this for now. 
• XX level will have carbon fiber for the outer housing. XO is injection molded plastic. NOT aluminum as some sites are saying. (I asked about this specifically)
• The internal indexing will be accomplished by ball bearings. I was told that due to the precise requirements necessary for ten speed indexing, a traditional ratchet/spring method was not sufficient for the level of shifting precision SRAM wanted. I was told that the shifter would also feel somewhat smoother due to this different internal design. Apparently, it is not advised to take one apart to look as I was told, "...you'll have all kinds of ball bearings on the floor if you do." (take it apart). 
• Final pricing and availability will be announced at Sea Otter along with more details on the shifters themselves. 

Manitou Marvel 29"er

 Manitou Marvel and Tower 29"er Forks: For about the last three years plus we have been told that Manitou was going to have a tapered steer tube and 15mm through axle fork options for 29'ers. Prototypes were shown to me three years ago at Interbike, but no production models were being proffered since. Well, now, after a long wait, they are about ready to be unleashed.

Along with this comes Manitou's XC 29"er fork line, the Marvel. The Marvel will be 80-120mm forks and Tower forks will be 80-140mm forks. Both lines will have 15mm through axles and tapered steer tube options along with the traditional 1 1/8th and 9mm quick release options.

Marvel and Tower 15mm through axle forks will use the new Hexlock tapered axle technology where instead of threading into the stanchion, the hex shaped end of the axle fits into a corresponding pocket and this holds the Hex while you rotate the QR lever till you can cam it over to lock down the axle. It looks pretty trick and should be easy to use.

The lowers are all new to reflect the move to the through axle and feature a stiffer chassis with the new crown as well. Of course, the tapered steer tube will be welcomed to those who wanted a Manitou that would be compatible with their frame's tapered head tube.  These aren't quite available yet, but they should be later in the spring. I was also told to expect to see these on 2013 models of 29"ers. (Updated 2/21/12: Note: Due to a miscommunication, I have learned I was mistaken about the Marvel. It will not be a 29"er fork. 26"er only for now. Manitou will only offer the Tower and Dorado as 29"er forks for 2012. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.)

The prototype "FBFS" (Fat Bike Full Suspension)

Salsa Cycles Prototype Fat Bike: Of course, everyone was buzzing about this rig. Salsa Cycles is officially saying it is ........well, not  on the radar for production. Really, they just don't have enough figured out yet to know if it will even work right.

Admittedly, the front fork just isn't there. The Maverick SC32 forks, (as shown here), are abysmal as far as flexiness and from a tire clearance standpoint. Yes- insiders have known that Lefty fork clamps have been developed for fat bike usage, and one has to assume that a prototype of this bike exists that is sporting one. Obviously, a better take on the bike will be gotten from that fork, but there are other issues.

The suspension damping and compression is going to be affected by such a voluminous air spring, (I'm talking about the tires), and how the suspension reacts to that and trail input  along with a riders pedaling the whole shebang on top of all of that, well..... It's no wonder that Salsa Cycles can not really say much about the project. There are a lot of data points to be gathered, analyzed,  accounted for in redesign, retested, more data points gathered, etc. It's going to be awhile before Salsa will even know what to do with the project.

Big tires + suspension = "Big If".

Another issue being dealt with is how a tire with better traction affects the suspension, frame structure, and surrounding parts, especially brakes. Lots of considerations here to look over carefully.

Salsa folks were "optimistically guarded" when discussing this proto, but it was easy to tell that everyone was extremely excited about the possibilities. Obviously, it would be a big deal for them to have this work out, so you have to think it is on the front burner, as far as projects go.

One more thing- One person mentioned how the mere existence of this bike will push tire and rim design forward. I'd have to strongly agree with that, especially since almost everything fat bike is in house at QBP when it comes to tires and largely so in the rims department. I look for much to come from this, even though it may be radically different than what we are looking at here.

And those are my top three most interesting, cool things I saw at Frostbike 2012. That isn't to say there weren't more cool things, but I'll be mentioning those in the coming days.

The Three Coolest Things At Frostbike 2012

Okay, you know the drill. You go to a bike show and the inevitable question for everyone that attends that is going to be asked is the following: "So, did you see anything interesting? Did you see anything you thought was cool?"

Al right, okay........that is actually two questions. But they almost always come in tandem, so I am calling it "one question". Sue me! Anyway......here is my answer. since I cannot/will not winnow it down to one thing, I am going with three. I'm sure that will be more interesting anyway, right? Right then.....

10 speed: Get a grip!

Grip Shift returns in 10 speed: I was tipped off to this by our SRAM rep, and it was a cool find at Frostbike. Ten speed compatible Grip Shifters.

When 10 speed XX and XO came around everyone wanted to know if a Grip Shifter would also be offered. (Well, not everyone, but a lot of folks did want this.) At any rate, the shifters were not offered right away, but apparently there was enough pressure from manufacturers and riders to bring back a ten speed version.

The first hint that something was coming was this past summer when Pro XC Champion, Jaroslav Kulhavy, was seen riding a ten speed version of a Grip Shift shifter. Rumors that SRAM was going to offer a ten speed version were hot and heavy, and now here is the proof.

The details are not entirely clear, but here are some solid points I gathered at Frostbike and afterward from SRAM:

• There will be a XX and XO level 10spd Grip Shift pair offered for now. No lower groups will have this for now. 
• XX level will have carbon fiber for the outer housing. XO is injection molded plastic. NOT aluminum as some sites are saying. (I asked about this specifically)
• The internal indexing will be accomplished by ball bearings. I was told that due to the precise requirements necessary for ten speed indexing, a traditional ratchet/spring method was not sufficient for the level of shifting precision SRAM wanted. I was told that the shifter would also feel somewhat smoother due to this different internal design. Apparently, it is not advised to take one apart to look as I was told, "...you'll have all kinds of ball bearings on the floor if you do." (take it apart). 
• Final pricing and availability will be announced at Sea Otter along with more details on the shifters themselves. 

Manitou Marvel 29"er

 Manitou Marvel and Tower 29"er Forks: For about the last three years plus we have been told that Manitou was going to have a tapered steer tube and 15mm through axle fork options for 29'ers. Prototypes were shown to me three years ago at Interbike, but no production models were being proffered since. Well, now, after a long wait, they are about ready to be unleashed.

Along with this comes Manitou's XC 29"er fork line, the Marvel. The Marvel will be 80-120mm forks and Tower forks will be 80-140mm forks. Both lines will have 15mm through axles and tapered steer tube options along with the traditional 1 1/8th and 9mm quick release options.

Marvel and Tower 15mm through axle forks will use the new Hexlock tapered axle technology where instead of threading into the stanchion, the hex shaped end of the axle fits into a corresponding pocket and this holds the Hex while you rotate the QR lever till you can cam it over to lock down the axle. It looks pretty trick and should be easy to use.

The lowers are all new to reflect the move to the through axle and feature a stiffer chassis with the new crown as well. Of course, the tapered steer tube will be welcomed to those who wanted a Manitou that would be compatible with their frame's tapered head tube.  These aren't quite available yet, but they should be later in the spring. I was also told to expect to see these on 2013 models of 29"ers. (Updated 2/21/12: Note: Due to a miscommunication, I have learned I was mistaken about the Marvel. It will not be a 29"er fork. 26"er only for now. Manitou will only offer the Tower and Dorado as 29"er forks for 2012. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.)

The prototype "FBFS" (Fat Bike Full Suspension)

Salsa Cycles Prototype Fat Bike: Of course, everyone was buzzing about this rig. Salsa Cycles is officially saying it is ........well, not  on the radar for production. Really, they just don't have enough figured out yet to know if it will even work right.

Admittedly, the front fork just isn't there. The Maverick SC32 forks, (as shown here), are abysmal as far as flexiness and from a tire clearance standpoint. Yes- insiders have known that Lefty fork clamps have been developed for fat bike usage, and one has to assume that a prototype of this bike exists that is sporting one. Obviously, a better take on the bike will be gotten from that fork, but there are other issues.

The suspension damping and compression is going to be affected by such a voluminous air spring, (I'm talking about the tires), and how the suspension reacts to that and trail input  along with a riders pedaling the whole shebang on top of all of that, well..... It's no wonder that Salsa Cycles can not really say much about the project. There are a lot of data points to be gathered, analyzed,  accounted for in redesign, retested, more data points gathered, etc. It's going to be awhile before Salsa will even know what to do with the project.

Big tires + suspension = "Big If".

Another issue being dealt with is how a tire with better traction affects the suspension, frame structure, and surrounding parts, especially brakes. Lots of considerations here to look over carefully.

Salsa folks were "optimistically guarded" when discussing this proto, but it was easy to tell that everyone was extremely excited about the possibilities. Obviously, it would be a big deal for them to have this work out, so you have to think it is on the front burner, as far as projects go.

One more thing- One person mentioned how the mere existence of this bike will push tire and rim design forward. I'd have to strongly agree with that, especially since almost everything fat bike is in house at QBP when it comes to tires and largely so in the rims department. I look for much to come from this, even though it may be radically different than what we are looking at here.

And those are my top three most interesting, cool things I saw at Frostbike 2012. That isn't to say there weren't more cool things, but I'll be mentioning those in the coming days.

Getting The Rides In

Blackbuck in season

Is it me, or does time seem more compressed at this time of year? It's as if the scurrying and business of the animals getting ready for winter finally rubs off on me. The daylight is shorter. I'm sure that has something to do with it as well.

Whatever it is, I feel pinched. Like I am running out of time on that pop quiz and I have three answers to go in 30 seconds.

I've got some loose ends to sew up before the snow flies in regard to test rides, and I have some things around the house I need to attend to, which really should have been done months ago. Yeah, my middle name is "Procrastination", and that bites me sometimes. Oh well......At least I got some good rides in. 

I also must have some of those genes that make me want to hibernate. I slept like a baby Saturday night, got an extra hour of sleep, due to our silly rearranging of the clock, and still could hardly crawl outta the sack. Again, I blame the season, or is it the end of the season?  Hmm......maybe I'm just wore out is all.

Anyway, I got the Blackbuck all set up with the Manitou Tower Expert fork, aired the Kenda Slant Six tires to a low setting, and hit the Green Belt yesterday. I'll say this, Manitou have themselves a really nice, ordinary suspension device. I am always pleased with the way these forks feel, the ease of set up, the low maintenance, and performance. They do not have some things that would likely make them a hair better. Things like easy to use 15mm through axles, tapered steer tubes, and a presence in the marketplace. Too bad too.

To be fair, I know Manitou is working on bringing out the 15QR versions and tapered steer tube versions of their forks, but every day that goes by is another day they get shot out the back, and that's a cryin' shame. The marketplace could use a strong third competitor that has a competitive price and performance like Manitou almost has.

Time is running on, and people are gettin' rides in. Hopefully Manitou gets bridged up. As for me, I just hope the weather hangs on a bit longer than Thanksgiving this year.....

Getting The Rides In

Blackbuck in season

Is it me, or does time seem more compressed at this time of year? It's as if the scurrying and business of the animals getting ready for winter finally rubs off on me. The daylight is shorter. I'm sure that has something to do with it as well.

Whatever it is, I feel pinched. Like I am running out of time on that pop quiz and I have three answers to go in 30 seconds.

I've got some loose ends to sew up before the snow flies in regard to test rides, and I have some things around the house I need to attend to, which really should have been done months ago. Yeah, my middle name is "Procrastination", and that bites me sometimes. Oh well......At least I got some good rides in. 

I also must have some of those genes that make me want to hibernate. I slept like a baby Saturday night, got an extra hour of sleep, due to our silly rearranging of the clock, and still could hardly crawl outta the sack. Again, I blame the season, or is it the end of the season?  Hmm......maybe I'm just wore out is all.

Anyway, I got the Blackbuck all set up with the Manitou Tower Expert fork, aired the Kenda Slant Six tires to a low setting, and hit the Green Belt yesterday. I'll say this, Manitou have themselves a really nice, ordinary suspension device. I am always pleased with the way these forks feel, the ease of set up, the low maintenance, and performance. They do not have some things that would likely make them a hair better. Things like easy to use 15mm through axles, tapered steer tubes, and a presence in the marketplace. Too bad too.

To be fair, I know Manitou is working on bringing out the 15QR versions and tapered steer tube versions of their forks, but every day that goes by is another day they get shot out the back, and that's a cryin' shame. The marketplace could use a strong third competitor that has a competitive price and performance like Manitou almost has.

Time is running on, and people are gettin' rides in. Hopefully Manitou gets bridged up. As for me, I just hope the weather hangs on a bit longer than Thanksgiving this year.....

Weekend Report

<===I'll shoot my deer with a camera, thank you!

Wow! If you didn't drop the rake, leave the dishes unwashed, or forget about washing the car and get outside, you were daft! It was a beautiful last chance to get out and enjoy shirt sleeve weather in 2009. (I'm betting)

I got out Saturday and rode at the camp- for a short bit! My chain sucked on the Big Mama and then not 50 yards down the trail it snapped in two. Not good for prospects of forward motion by two wheels. And I without a chain tool! Bad me! I should know better. I should have been riding a single speed!! Ha! So, now a full drive train replacement will be in order. It's time, and this was a sign.



<===Wait just a gol durn minute!

The fork for then Gun Kote El Mariachi came in last week. A 100mm through axle Manitou Minute 29"er fork. This will determine the wheel set now, which will be a Bontrager Rhythm wheel set I have had in reserve for months now. That means I'll most likely set it up with some Bontrager tires, or Specialized 2Bliss, which works well on the TLR rim strip too.
This Minute has the Absolute Plus damper and lock out, which could be upgraded to the MILO remote lock out if I wanted it. The fork, with an uncut steer tube weighs a paltry 4.2lbs. It'll be less than that once I cut it down a bit.



<===A bear of a tire.

The WTB, Niner Bikes distributed, Kodiak 2.5" tire showed up here too. I've gotten them mounted and ridden a bit too.

What do I think? Well, you'll have to wait for the Twenty Nine Inches reports, but I will say that it is a very different tire from the WTB Dissent that I also am testing here. Actually, they hardly share anything at all in common! Wire beads and Inner Peace sidewall protection, and that's about it from what I can tell so far. Stay tuned!


<===Some long overdue "love" for the Fargo.

I got a Chris King bottom bracket a while ago now. I finally installed it in the Fargo the other day. I think the green goes good with the stock paint, but really, the King BB is smarter than that!

I can maintain this one by injecting grease from time to time ala the King grease tool, which I have to get yet. Hopefully the Fargo will be fine for some time to come, but I need to order that tool anyway for customers at the shop that will be wanting a fresh shot of grease in theirs soon.


<===The frame isn't tiny, the wheels are big!

I saw a thread on mtbr.com that showed this prototype 29"er DH rig from Intense Cycles.

This is serious folks. Intense doesn't fool around with DH. They helped define the genre', and if they are fiddling with wagon wheels for DH, they have an inkling that it might just work.

This would be revolutionary if it proves out. DH has long been thought of as an area of mountain biking that 29 inch wheels were just ridiculous for. They would never be used in that application other than by experimenters and dreamers. The debates will rage now, but if racers start showing up on these, and more importantly- winning on them- then the last barrier to big wheels will have fallen. Will it happen?

Well, it doesn't really matter in the end, but what will happen is that many new ideas will be birthed from the experiment that will benefit long travel and any full suspension 29"er bike. Rim technologies, tire technologies, and of course- fork and damper technologies all stand to be altered by these DH experimenters. It'll be interesting to watch, at the very least.

Weekend Report

<===I'll shoot my deer with a camera, thank you!

Wow! If you didn't drop the rake, leave the dishes unwashed, or forget about washing the car and get outside, you were daft! It was a beautiful last chance to get out and enjoy shirt sleeve weather in 2009. (I'm betting)

I got out Saturday and rode at the camp- for a short bit! My chain sucked on the Big Mama and then not 50 yards down the trail it snapped in two. Not good for prospects of forward motion by two wheels. And I without a chain tool! Bad me! I should know better. I should have been riding a single speed!! Ha! So, now a full drive train replacement will be in order. It's time, and this was a sign.



<===Wait just a gol durn minute!

The fork for then Gun Kote El Mariachi came in last week. A 100mm through axle Manitou Minute 29"er fork. This will determine the wheel set now, which will be a Bontrager Rhythm wheel set I have had in reserve for months now. That means I'll most likely set it up with some Bontrager tires, or Specialized 2Bliss, which works well on the TLR rim strip too.
This Minute has the Absolute Plus damper and lock out, which could be upgraded to the MILO remote lock out if I wanted it. The fork, with an uncut steer tube weighs a paltry 4.2lbs. It'll be less than that once I cut it down a bit.



<===A bear of a tire.

The WTB, Niner Bikes distributed, Kodiak 2.5" tire showed up here too. I've gotten them mounted and ridden a bit too.

What do I think? Well, you'll have to wait for the Twenty Nine Inches reports, but I will say that it is a very different tire from the WTB Dissent that I also am testing here. Actually, they hardly share anything at all in common! Wire beads and Inner Peace sidewall protection, and that's about it from what I can tell so far. Stay tuned!


<===Some long overdue "love" for the Fargo.

I got a Chris King bottom bracket a while ago now. I finally installed it in the Fargo the other day. I think the green goes good with the stock paint, but really, the King BB is smarter than that!

I can maintain this one by injecting grease from time to time ala the King grease tool, which I have to get yet. Hopefully the Fargo will be fine for some time to come, but I need to order that tool anyway for customers at the shop that will be wanting a fresh shot of grease in theirs soon.


<===The frame isn't tiny, the wheels are big!

I saw a thread on mtbr.com that showed this prototype 29"er DH rig from Intense Cycles.

This is serious folks. Intense doesn't fool around with DH. They helped define the genre', and if they are fiddling with wagon wheels for DH, they have an inkling that it might just work.

This would be revolutionary if it proves out. DH has long been thought of as an area of mountain biking that 29 inch wheels were just ridiculous for. They would never be used in that application other than by experimenters and dreamers. The debates will rage now, but if racers start showing up on these, and more importantly- winning on them- then the last barrier to big wheels will have fallen. Will it happen?

Well, it doesn't really matter in the end, but what will happen is that many new ideas will be birthed from the experiment that will benefit long travel and any full suspension 29"er bike. Rim technologies, tire technologies, and of course- fork and damper technologies all stand to be altered by these DH experimenters. It'll be interesting to watch, at the very least.