Friday News And Views

SAFETY NOTICE - CUTTHROAT V2 FORK: 

Salsa Cycles, on Wednesday, sent out a notice that owners of the Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe v2 and Cutthroat Carbon v2 forks need to check their fork for a possible safety issue. The affected forks were delivered to dealers in September 2019 to the present and can be identified by their serial numbers which require the fork to be removed from the bike to be seen. 

Riders who are unsure of how to remove the fork safely should have a qualified mechanic look at any suspected fork immediately. You can check in to THIS LINK for more information regarding this advisory. 

Please share this post with anyone you know that has a late model Cutthroat or that has a Cutthroat fork that fits the description here. 

The Ti Muk 2 has been set up and ready for the Fat Bike Century attempt for weeks now.

Fall Planning:

 

With the end of August here, I have been in planning mode for Fall riding and reviewing for RidingGravel.com. I have things I want to do, and things I have to do. Lately, the 'things I have to do' have been taking priority and will continue to do so for quite a while. This is problematic since I failed to get in the entire 100 mile ride I attempted at the beginning of August and I still have the Fat Bike Century on my plate to attempt yet as well. 

But I have things that are continually dragging me away from personal challenges, and while I may sneak in a hundy while doing testing, it won't be on the fat bike. That one may have to wait and I am thinking that is a more likely than not situation. There are wheels that need to be ridden, 'super-secret' stuff to be used, and I have a Light and Motion light needing some night riding scheduled into the mix. All this also hinges on times I have open to ride, and that coupled with weather. 

That, as Jeff Kerkove used to say about Trans Iowa, is 'the wildcard', right? I could really get into a pinch if the weather conspires to be awful on days I have open for test riding. So far this year I have hit the jackpot. I have maybe only had a few days where I had to forgo testing due to weather. In fact, I have had more outside influences keep me from riding this year than I have had issues with weather. So, I hope my weather luck holds. It's 'crunch time' for my reviewing, because sooner than not Winter will be here, and while you may think that's nuts to think this, I know I have at least three months of scheduled reviewing/test rides ahead of me. Yes- There is that much stuff going on. 

 

Mike Varley teased this LaCabra proto plus wheeled bike as a future BMC model.

Plus Bike Dreams:

 

Posting my Ti Muk 2 and selling my Sawyer, which was set up with B+ wheels, has me thinking a lot about plus sized wheels again. It is the one thing 'I think' I am missing in the stable of choices I have here. Having ridden a few of these types of bikes, the concept intrigues me greatly. I know what the wheels are capable of, and I know just exactly what I'd do with a bike with plus sized wheels, if all was right with the design as I see things. 

 

First of all, I'd want to be able to run 29 X 3" tires, although I'd likely do 29 X 2.8"ers in reality. 650B plus sized tires? Eh......why? 29"ers roll over stuff better and with a 3.0" wide 29"er tire, you can traverse some pretty difficult terrain. I've done it, so I know. I've seen it done too. I am convinced of this wheel size's prowess. 

So, that's why I have issues with the proposed BMC LaCabra. As cool as that bike would be, I would rather see it in a 700c format. So, what else is there? Well, you have the Surly ECR. Maybe.... It's over-built and has those stupid Surly drop outs which are a turn-off for me. So..... Jones Bike? Yeah.... a distinct possibility, but the cheap ones are not my cuppa. I'd do a LWB Titanium one in a heartbeat with a truss Fork, but $$$$'s are not what I have available to get into that. Really....the dream bike? A LWB Ti Spaceframe and Truss Fork. Hey, a man has to have a dream rig, right? 

 

Don't tell me about the Fargo. Not interested in the newer ones. I've seen these with 29 X 3" tires and I am not impressed. I don't want "modern trail geometry" either, so that puts a lot of other choices to rest too. No, right now only the Jones Ti LWB has me intrigued. But until I win the lottery...... The Ti Muk 2 will have to do me for now. Yes- I could build 29 X 2.8 wheels for this. However, this screws with the bottom bracket height on a Mukluk and I've tried 29+ wheels on a Mukluk before, so I know this. 

Anyway, just a random thought I have from time to time!

 

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend and put in some bicycling miles! 

Friday News And Views

SAFETY NOTICE - CUTTHROAT V2 FORK: 

Salsa Cycles, on Wednesday, sent out a notice that owners of the Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe v2 and Cutthroat Carbon v2 forks need to check their fork for a possible safety issue. The affected forks were delivered to dealers in September 2019 to the present and can be identified by their serial numbers which require the fork to be removed from the bike to be seen. 

Riders who are unsure of how to remove the fork safely should have a qualified mechanic look at any suspected fork immediately. You can check in to THIS LINK for more information regarding this advisory. 

Please share this post with anyone you know that has a late model Cutthroat or that has a Cutthroat fork that fits the description here. 

The Ti Muk 2 has been set up and ready for the Fat Bike Century attempt for weeks now.

Fall Planning:

 

With the end of August here, I have been in planning mode for Fall riding and reviewing for RidingGravel.com. I have things I want to do, and things I have to do. Lately, the 'things I have to do' have been taking priority and will continue to do so for quite a while. This is problematic since I failed to get in the entire 100 mile ride I attempted at the beginning of August and I still have the Fat Bike Century on my plate to attempt yet as well. 

But I have things that are continually dragging me away from personal challenges, and while I may sneak in a hundy while doing testing, it won't be on the fat bike. That one may have to wait and I am thinking that is a more likely than not situation. There are wheels that need to be ridden, 'super-secret' stuff to be used, and I have a Light and Motion light needing some night riding scheduled into the mix. All this also hinges on times I have open to ride, and that coupled with weather. 

That, as Jeff Kerkove used to say about Trans Iowa, is 'the wildcard', right? I could really get into a pinch if the weather conspires to be awful on days I have open for test riding. So far this year I have hit the jackpot. I have maybe only had a few days where I had to forgo testing due to weather. In fact, I have had more outside influences keep me from riding this year than I have had issues with weather. So, I hope my weather luck holds. It's 'crunch time' for my reviewing, because sooner than not Winter will be here, and while you may think that's nuts to think this, I know I have at least three months of scheduled reviewing/test rides ahead of me. Yes- There is that much stuff going on. 

 

Mike Varley teased this LaCabra proto plus wheeled bike as a future BMC model.

Plus Bike Dreams:

 

Posting my Ti Muk 2 and selling my Sawyer, which was set up with B+ wheels, has me thinking a lot about plus sized wheels again. It is the one thing 'I think' I am missing in the stable of choices I have here. Having ridden a few of these types of bikes, the concept intrigues me greatly. I know what the wheels are capable of, and I know just exactly what I'd do with a bike with plus sized wheels, if all was right with the design as I see things. 

 

First of all, I'd want to be able to run 29 X 3" tires, although I'd likely do 29 X 2.8"ers in reality. 650B plus sized tires? Eh......why? 29"ers roll over stuff better and with a 3.0" wide 29"er tire, you can traverse some pretty difficult terrain. I've done it, so I know. I've seen it done too. I am convinced of this wheel size's prowess. 

So, that's why I have issues with the proposed BMC LaCabra. As cool as that bike would be, I would rather see it in a 700c format. So, what else is there? Well, you have the Surly ECR. Maybe.... It's over-built and has those stupid Surly drop outs which are a turn-off for me. So..... Jones Bike? Yeah.... a distinct possibility, but the cheap ones are not my cuppa. I'd do a LWB Titanium one in a heartbeat with a truss Fork, but $$$$'s are not what I have available to get into that. Really....the dream bike? A LWB Ti Spaceframe and Truss Fork. Hey, a man has to have a dream rig, right? 

 

Don't tell me about the Fargo. Not interested in the newer ones. I've seen these with 29 X 3" tires and I am not impressed. I don't want "modern trail geometry" either, so that puts a lot of other choices to rest too. No, right now only the Jones Ti LWB has me intrigued. But until I win the lottery...... The Ti Muk 2 will have to do me for now. Yes- I could build 29 X 2.8 wheels for this. However, this screws with the bottom bracket height on a Mukluk and I've tried 29+ wheels on a Mukluk before, so I know this. 

Anyway, just a random thought I have from time to time!

 

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend and put in some bicycling miles! 

Friday News And Views

How much longer will we see category expanding, experimental marketing bikes like this?

2016 was a rough year in the cycling industry and most of that was due to an over-supply issue in the industry coupled with a downturn in growth of the market. Pressure from various sources on the traditional bike shop retailer were also to blame for a less than good showing for the year. The fall out from 2016 will be felt well into 2017. What will we see? It is hard to say, but here is some speculations on my part. Things I feel will be the effects of what we saw going on during this past year.

• Contraction of brands: I think we are going to see some more consolidation in the marketplace. Some brands may go away, but I think some others will be eaten up by investment firms and conglomerates eager to add a brand with a marketable name. We're going to see some radical changes in 2017 and beyond with regard to how we perceive certain brands going forward.  
• Changes in how we buy: This has been happening for a few years, but I feel that now we are going to see it accelerate in pace. There are a couple of brands that have already shown their hand as to the future of bicycle sales for many brands and Canyon Bikes will also be a big influencer on this as well. They are supposed to be selling direct to consumer in the US starting this coming Spring. Canyon does not sell through the traditional bike shop model and is on par with the best brands we have here in the US. We haven't seen anything like this here. How will traditional retailers like Trek and Specialized react? 
• Contraction of choices: I think part of how the market will go in 2017 and beyond is that we will start seeing certain kinds of bicycles go away. There already have been hints at this in the media. The "next best thing" style of marketing is not working, and what it has done is that it has caused a flooding of choices in a short period of time. The consumer is inundated with choices, many of which are confusing and misunderstood. Think about how long it took folks to catch on to 29"ers, as an example. The market cannot wait to find out if plus bikes or full suspension fat bikes will gradually catch on in similar fashion. Expect things on the fringes to get weeded out.

Your next bike shop?

• More Mobile Bike Shops: There are fewer bicycle shops in "brick and mortar" form every year. This has led to an issue where many smaller villages and towns do not have service for bicycles at all. Customers often have to travel for hours to find a shop in Iowa, for example. In bigger urban areas, people are pressed for time and a service which will make your bicycling service needs more convenient may be of great appeal. Velofix, a mobile bike shop company, just sold the rights to the entire state of Minnesota to a franchisee. This is the tip of the iceberg. While I do not foresee a huge impact upon traditional bike shops in major urban areas, I think that more rural areas may see the mobile bike shop as the only option going forward. I expect mobile bike shops will become a huge force in medium to smaller sized cities and towns going forward. 
• E-Bike marketing will increase: You are going to see a HUGE push by the industry to get you to ride an e-bik.......er, motorcycle, in the coming year. The industry cannot imagine that you won't want one of these things. They have been getting the media to go ga-ga over e-mountain bikes all throughout 2016 and I expect more of the same nonsense to occur in the future. Sooner or later this house of cards will fall though. Look- prices for e-bikes are far more expensive than for traditional bikes. Traditional, non-pedal equipped scooters are already selling at similar prices to e-bikes and have greater range and versatility right now. Once government gets their hands on licensing these motorized bicycles, the end will come faster than a bolt of lightning. In my opinion, the only advantage to e-bikes is that they are a motorized vehicle that escapes the need for license and insurance requirements. Otherwise, a lightweight, easy to pedal, comfortable bike trumps the e-bike for ease of portability, personal satisfaction in overcoming challenges without motorized assistance, and in ease of maintenance and initial price. 

Okay folks, that's my wrap on News and Views for 2016 with a look at the future from my view. Have a Happy and Safe New Year and a healthy, fun, adventurous 2017!!

Friday News And Views

How much longer will we see category expanding, experimental marketing bikes like this?

2016 was a rough year in the cycling industry and most of that was due to an over-supply issue in the industry coupled with a downturn in growth of the market. Pressure from various sources on the traditional bike shop retailer were also to blame for a less than good showing for the year. The fall out from 2016 will be felt well into 2017. What will we see? It is hard to say, but here is some speculations on my part. Things I feel will be the effects of what we saw going on during this past year.

• Contraction of brands: I think we are going to see some more consolidation in the marketplace. Some brands may go away, but I think some others will be eaten up by investment firms and conglomerates eager to add a brand with a marketable name. We're going to see some radical changes in 2017 and beyond with regard to how we perceive certain brands going forward.  
• Changes in how we buy: This has been happening for a few years, but I feel that now we are going to see it accelerate in pace. There are a couple of brands that have already shown their hand as to the future of bicycle sales for many brands and Canyon Bikes will also be a big influencer on this as well. They are supposed to be selling direct to consumer in the US starting this coming Spring. Canyon does not sell through the traditional bike shop model and is on par with the best brands we have here in the US. We haven't seen anything like this here. How will traditional retailers like Trek and Specialized react? 
• Contraction of choices: I think part of how the market will go in 2017 and beyond is that we will start seeing certain kinds of bicycles go away. There already have been hints at this in the media. The "next best thing" style of marketing is not working, and what it has done is that it has caused a flooding of choices in a short period of time. The consumer is inundated with choices, many of which are confusing and misunderstood. Think about how long it took folks to catch on to 29"ers, as an example. The market cannot wait to find out if plus bikes or full suspension fat bikes will gradually catch on in similar fashion. Expect things on the fringes to get weeded out.

Your next bike shop?

• More Mobile Bike Shops: There are fewer bicycle shops in "brick and mortar" form every year. This has led to an issue where many smaller villages and towns do not have service for bicycles at all. Customers often have to travel for hours to find a shop in Iowa, for example. In bigger urban areas, people are pressed for time and a service which will make your bicycling service needs more convenient may be of great appeal. Velofix, a mobile bike shop company, just sold the rights to the entire state of Minnesota to a franchisee. This is the tip of the iceberg. While I do not foresee a huge impact upon traditional bike shops in major urban areas, I think that more rural areas may see the mobile bike shop as the only option going forward. I expect mobile bike shops will become a huge force in medium to smaller sized cities and towns going forward. 
• E-Bike marketing will increase: You are going to see a HUGE push by the industry to get you to ride an e-bik.......er, motorcycle, in the coming year. The industry cannot imagine that you won't want one of these things. They have been getting the media to go ga-ga over e-mountain bikes all throughout 2016 and I expect more of the same nonsense to occur in the future. Sooner or later this house of cards will fall though. Look- prices for e-bikes are far more expensive than for traditional bikes. Traditional, non-pedal equipped scooters are already selling at similar prices to e-bikes and have greater range and versatility right now. Once government gets their hands on licensing these motorized bicycles, the end will come faster than a bolt of lightning. In my opinion, the only advantage to e-bikes is that they are a motorized vehicle that escapes the need for license and insurance requirements. Otherwise, a lightweight, easy to pedal, comfortable bike trumps the e-bike for ease of portability, personal satisfaction in overcoming challenges without motorized assistance, and in ease of maintenance and initial price. 

Okay folks, that's my wrap on News and Views for 2016 with a look at the future from my view. Have a Happy and Safe New Year and a healthy, fun, adventurous 2017!!

Friday News And Views

2017 Anthem X Advanced- Image courtesy of Giant Bicycles

How's That Crow Tasting, Sir?

Okay, first of all, since I am a fan of history, I like to take stories I see in context of history. That way, I feel, we are getting a truer picture of what is going on today. Take, for instance, the quiet refocus on 29"ers from Giant Bicycles.

Giant made waves three years ago when they steadfastly said that 27.5"ers were going to supplant 26" and 29" wheels in their line up of mountain bikes. They basically said that all other wheel sizes would be phased out eventually and that they were going to focus future mtb development on the "tweener' wheel size. Now we see that Giant has turned back on those sentiments and have reintroduced 29"ers into their XC categories.

Okay, so what's the deal here? Well, I think you have to look at two points in history concerning Giant and wheel sizes that may help us make sense of it all. First was the very late entry of Giant to the world of 29"er sales. Giant didn't get into the 29"er game until 2010 with a modest line of hard tail bikes. They arguably were the very last bicycle company of note to enter the 29"er market, which by this time was dominated by Trek/Fisher, and to a lesser degree, Specialized, and every other bicycle maker of note. At the same time, moves were underway to deep six the 26 inch wheeled, long travel mountain bike as the choice for mountain bike riding in the back country and even for competitive, gravity oriented mountain biking. What we didn't know in 2010 was that in two years the 27.5"er, "enduro" bike would be the newest darling of the industry on the dirt side. Which leads to the second point.....

B+ wheels on an OS Bikes Blackbuck: Image courtesy of Bob Poor.

The genesis of this whole B+/27.5+ thing goes back to a chance meeting I had with a fellow by the name of Bob Poor in 2011 at the Interbike Outdoor Demo. I was poked in the back and I turned around to see Bob, (who, if you don't know, has a previous history with big wheels you can read about HERE) who had a very simplistic sketch of a wheel size idea. Using a 584ISO rim and a big, 2.8" tire, Bob theorized that a fatter, cushier, more tractable mtb tire could be slotted into many 29"er hard tail bikes. A "mid-fat" idea, that wouldn't require a new frame, like 29+ did. I liked his train of thought. Bob let on that he had presented the idea to WTB and that they were at work on the idea. I was told to sit on that info, but that it was going to happen. Someday......

So, it made sense that Giant would ditch the different wheel sizes for 27.5 and run with that idea, since the "enduro" thing was happening full tilt by 2013. What Giant hadn't bargained on was that 29"ers weren't going away, and that B+/27.5+ was coming along and would upset the apple cart. The enduring nature of 29"ers caught the attention of these very same "enduro" cycling athletes who pushed to try bigger wheels at these events. Eventually, serious rigs were produced which garnered serious results. So much so that we now have 29"er long travel enduro machines like Trek's Slash 29. Of course, we all know what the impact of B+ wheels has been. So it comes that Giant was essentially put into a corner on their own with the "only 27.5" wheels thing.

So, now they quietly come back with 29"ers. Will their be plus bikes and longer travel 29"ers in their future? We will see......

For another take on this, read the Bike Hugger's article here.

Salsa Cycles Demo Tour: 

2017 Salsa Cycles Timberjack

 I just wanted to give a bit of space here to say that Salsa cycles is coming to Waterloo/Cedar Falls with their demo truck chock full of 2017 bicycles to try out and drool over. There will be Timberjacks, Woodsmokes, Fargos, Bucksaws, Mukluks, and maybe a Pony Rustler or two. You can ride them on the trails of George Wyth State Park from 4:00pm till 7:00pm on Monday, August 15th.

For details go to the Facebook Page Here.

It is a great chance to actually feel and see the newest 2017 stuff from Salsa Cycles. The Woodsmoke is the incredible, raised chain stay, 29+ machine that can also handle 27.5+ and 29"er wheels, the Timberjack is the new 29'er or 27.5+ modern hard tail- slack and long in front, short and steep in the rear- that should make for a playful, fun bike. These two models are brand new, never before seen here bicycles that I think will be exciting to check out.

I'm not sure that there will be any touring Marrakesh's or Vayas on the truck, since I was told it was going to be heavy on the mtb/fat bike side of the equation, but Europa Cycle & Ski does have both of those models on their floor so you can always go there to check those out.

Remember- 4:00pm to 7:00pm only, so don't be late! I'll be there as well, in case you'd like to meet me and say "hello".

Thanks and have a great weekend, y'all!

Friday News And Views

2017 Anthem X Advanced- Image courtesy of Giant Bicycles

How's That Crow Tasting, Sir?

Okay, first of all, since I am a fan of history, I like to take stories I see in context of history. That way, I feel, we are getting a truer picture of what is going on today. Take, for instance, the quiet refocus on 29"ers from Giant Bicycles.

Giant made waves three years ago when they steadfastly said that 27.5"ers were going to supplant 26" and 29" wheels in their line up of mountain bikes. They basically said that all other wheel sizes would be phased out eventually and that they were going to focus future mtb development on the "tweener' wheel size. Now we see that Giant has turned back on those sentiments and have reintroduced 29"ers into their XC categories.

Okay, so what's the deal here? Well, I think you have to look at two points in history concerning Giant and wheel sizes that may help us make sense of it all. First was the very late entry of Giant to the world of 29"er sales. Giant didn't get into the 29"er game until 2010 with a modest line of hard tail bikes. They arguably were the very last bicycle company of note to enter the 29"er market, which by this time was dominated by Trek/Fisher, and to a lesser degree, Specialized, and every other bicycle maker of note. At the same time, moves were underway to deep six the 26 inch wheeled, long travel mountain bike as the choice for mountain bike riding in the back country and even for competitive, gravity oriented mountain biking. What we didn't know in 2010 was that in two years the 27.5"er, "enduro" bike would be the newest darling of the industry on the dirt side. Which leads to the second point.....

B+ wheels on an OS Bikes Blackbuck: Image courtesy of Bob Poor.

The genesis of this whole B+/27.5+ thing goes back to a chance meeting I had with a fellow by the name of Bob Poor in 2011 at the Interbike Outdoor Demo. I was poked in the back and I turned around to see Bob, (who, if you don't know, has a previous history with big wheels you can read about HERE) who had a very simplistic sketch of a wheel size idea. Using a 584ISO rim and a big, 2.8" tire, Bob theorized that a fatter, cushier, more tractable mtb tire could be slotted into many 29"er hard tail bikes. A "mid-fat" idea, that wouldn't require a new frame, like 29+ did. I liked his train of thought. Bob let on that he had presented the idea to WTB and that they were at work on the idea. I was told to sit on that info, but that it was going to happen. Someday......

So, it made sense that Giant would ditch the different wheel sizes for 27.5 and run with that idea, since the "enduro" thing was happening full tilt by 2013. What Giant hadn't bargained on was that 29"ers weren't going away, and that B+/27.5+ was coming along and would upset the apple cart. The enduring nature of 29"ers caught the attention of these very same "enduro" cycling athletes who pushed to try bigger wheels at these events. Eventually, serious rigs were produced which garnered serious results. So much so that we now have 29"er long travel enduro machines like Trek's Slash 29. Of course, we all know what the impact of B+ wheels has been. So it comes that Giant was essentially put into a corner on their own with the "only 27.5" wheels thing.

So, now they quietly come back with 29"ers. Will their be plus bikes and longer travel 29"ers in their future? We will see......

For another take on this, read the Bike Hugger's article here.

Salsa Cycles Demo Tour: 

2017 Salsa Cycles Timberjack

 I just wanted to give a bit of space here to say that Salsa cycles is coming to Waterloo/Cedar Falls with their demo truck chock full of 2017 bicycles to try out and drool over. There will be Timberjacks, Woodsmokes, Fargos, Bucksaws, Mukluks, and maybe a Pony Rustler or two. You can ride them on the trails of George Wyth State Park from 4:00pm till 7:00pm on Monday, August 15th.

For details go to the Facebook Page Here.

It is a great chance to actually feel and see the newest 2017 stuff from Salsa Cycles. The Woodsmoke is the incredible, raised chain stay, 29+ machine that can also handle 27.5+ and 29"er wheels, the Timberjack is the new 29'er or 27.5+ modern hard tail- slack and long in front, short and steep in the rear- that should make for a playful, fun bike. These two models are brand new, never before seen here bicycles that I think will be exciting to check out.

I'm not sure that there will be any touring Marrakesh's or Vayas on the truck, since I was told it was going to be heavy on the mtb/fat bike side of the equation, but Europa Cycle & Ski does have both of those models on their floor so you can always go there to check those out.

Remember- 4:00pm to 7:00pm only, so don't be late! I'll be there as well, in case you'd like to meet me and say "hello".

Thanks and have a great weekend, y'all!

Wheel Madness

Go "plus" or 29"er, but will you really ever change one to the other?

I have been having fun lately looking around at the landscape when it comes to mountain biking. I stayed away from it all for a while after I left Twenty Nine Inches.com, because I needed a vacation, a "clean break", and I was focused on my new RidingGravel.com gig 100%. However; enough time has gone by now that I feel better about taking a peek, and, well......I still get "Dirt Rag" every month, so that teases me to stay abreast of the latest stuff. Anyway, things have evolved a bit since I was last really paying attention.

You know, it seems to me that a good way to look at things concerning mountain biking is to put whatever you are looking at in a historical context, because when you do that, you begin to see a clearer picture of why things have come to the point that they have. Case in point- all these damn wheel sizes. It's enough to make you go batty, and really- is it all even necessary?

The other thing is that  I don't think I've seen more vapid, nonsensical comments about bicycles than I have lately. Things like, "all bikes are adventure bikes", which folks like to use against bike packing rigs, gravel/all road bikes, or whatever they deem "unnecessary" in cycling. You know, we get it. Of course "all bikes are adventure bikes". Duh! It's the reason we all started riding in the first place, most likely.

So, anyway, here's the thing folks, for years we had no choices. Historically you can go check this out. Just look at the past- 26 inch wheels only. 2.25" tires were the widest thing you could find easily. Everybody ran a NORBA geometry bike. If you don't know what that means, don't fret. It just means that all bikes handled pretty much identically one to another.

Blame it all on those pesky 29"ers.

Even full suspension bikes didn't deviate much, if at all, from the template for a mountain bike. Heck, folks would lose their religion back then arguing that riser bars would ruin the handling of a hard tail bike. We won't even get into the bar ends or not debate!

All that to say that it seemed to me that the lid was taken off Pandora's Mountain Biking Box when 29"ers came around. Oh oh! Now wheel size was in question. That had never happened on a large scale before in the modern mtb era. Then Gary Fisher unleashed this idea that fork offset was something to toy with. Look folks, if you don't know, please understand that fork offset was something no one thought about before 2007. Now? Heck, it is mentioned in nearly every mtb bike review you pick up these days.

That was all due to 29"ers. Wheels and geometry suddenly were all opened up for experimentation in a way that riders hadn't seen since the early 80's. Then fat bikes came along, and when those finally became viable, affordable bikes in 2011, things got pushed out fatter and wider on all fronts. Suddenly even road bikers were talking about fatter tires and wider rims. That brings us back to my original question, "why all these wheel sizes?" Well, it is because folks were digging all the new ways to enjoy cycling. More ways than ever before. Variety brought more interest, and that brought more sales and dollars. Manufacturers, eager to cash in, jumped on any trend they saw after letting the 29"er thing get away from them, in many cases. That won't happen ever again, by the way- a trend that grew organically and wasn't marketed down our throats. Heck, most brands had marketing guys back then that hated the idea of 29"ers and weren't afraid to say so. Now? Ha! Make a "plus" bike with Boost spacing? Get the factory on it, pronto! 

But is that a bad thing? Well, look at the flip side, we could all be riding 71° head tube angle, 73° seat tube angle 26"ers with 130mm stems and "broomstick" handle bars yet. Those bikes could all be running narrow rims with 2.1"er skinwall tires. I mean, they all are adventure bikes, right? Yeah........right. The reality is that almost all these plus sized, slack angled, different wheel size bikes are not only better at the jobs they are intended for, they are more fun. Maybe some choices will fall by the wayside, but c'mon! We aren't going back to "one geometry/one wheel size" ever again.

And that's a good thing. 

Wheel Madness

Go "plus" or 29"er, but will you really ever change one to the other?

I have been having fun lately looking around at the landscape when it comes to mountain biking. I stayed away from it all for a while after I left Twenty Nine Inches.com, because I needed a vacation, a "clean break", and I was focused on my new RidingGravel.com gig 100%. However; enough time has gone by now that I feel better about taking a peek, and, well......I still get "Dirt Rag" every month, so that teases me to stay abreast of the latest stuff. Anyway, things have evolved a bit since I was last really paying attention.

You know, it seems to me that a good way to look at things concerning mountain biking is to put whatever you are looking at in a historical context, because when you do that, you begin to see a clearer picture of why things have come to the point that they have. Case in point- all these damn wheel sizes. It's enough to make you go batty, and really- is it all even necessary?

The other thing is that  I don't think I've seen more vapid, nonsensical comments about bicycles than I have lately. Things like, "all bikes are adventure bikes", which folks like to use against bike packing rigs, gravel/all road bikes, or whatever they deem "unnecessary" in cycling. You know, we get it. Of course "all bikes are adventure bikes". Duh! It's the reason we all started riding in the first place, most likely.

So, anyway, here's the thing folks, for years we had no choices. Historically you can go check this out. Just look at the past- 26 inch wheels only. 2.25" tires were the widest thing you could find easily. Everybody ran a NORBA geometry bike. If you don't know what that means, don't fret. It just means that all bikes handled pretty much identically one to another.

Blame it all on those pesky 29"ers.

Even full suspension bikes didn't deviate much, if at all, from the template for a mountain bike. Heck, folks would lose their religion back then arguing that riser bars would ruin the handling of a hard tail bike. We won't even get into the bar ends or not debate!

All that to say that it seemed to me that the lid was taken off Pandora's Mountain Biking Box when 29"ers came around. Oh oh! Now wheel size was in question. That had never happened on a large scale before in the modern mtb era. Then Gary Fisher unleashed this idea that fork offset was something to toy with. Look folks, if you don't know, please understand that fork offset was something no one thought about before 2007. Now? Heck, it is mentioned in nearly every mtb bike review you pick up these days.

That was all due to 29"ers. Wheels and geometry suddenly were all opened up for experimentation in a way that riders hadn't seen since the early 80's. Then fat bikes came along, and when those finally became viable, affordable bikes in 2011, things got pushed out fatter and wider on all fronts. Suddenly even road bikers were talking about fatter tires and wider rims. That brings us back to my original question, "why all these wheel sizes?" Well, it is because folks were digging all the new ways to enjoy cycling. More ways than ever before. Variety brought more interest, and that brought more sales and dollars. Manufacturers, eager to cash in, jumped on any trend they saw after letting the 29"er thing get away from them, in many cases. That won't happen ever again, by the way- a trend that grew organically and wasn't marketed down our throats. Heck, most brands had marketing guys back then that hated the idea of 29"ers and weren't afraid to say so. Now? Ha! Make a "plus" bike with Boost spacing? Get the factory on it, pronto! 

But is that a bad thing? Well, look at the flip side, we could all be riding 71° head tube angle, 73° seat tube angle 26"ers with 130mm stems and "broomstick" handle bars yet. Those bikes could all be running narrow rims with 2.1"er skinwall tires. I mean, they all are adventure bikes, right? Yeah........right. The reality is that almost all these plus sized, slack angled, different wheel size bikes are not only better at the jobs they are intended for, they are more fun. Maybe some choices will fall by the wayside, but c'mon! We aren't going back to "one geometry/one wheel size" ever again.

And that's a good thing. 

Project Wide Gravel Wheels

Well.......look at that, would ya?

Okay.......White Industries came through. I have the hubs in hand and now, as I am wont to do, I have instigated another "project". This one will be a wheel build to test my theory on wide rims for gravel.

Before I get into my hypothesis, let's take a look at these gorgeous black anodized goodies here, shall we? Of course, they are from White Industries and are their new disc hubs dubbed "XMR". What does that stand for? Who knows! I would say, "good looking", sleek", and light weight, but none of those terms start with "X" "M" or "R". White Industries says the hubs have a 6-4 titanium free hub body, a six bolt disc rotor interface, available swappable end caps for through axle compatibility, or as in my case, the standard traditional quick release caps which are included, and an 11 speed compatibility with backwards compatibility to 10 speed and 9 speed cassettes via an included spacer. Pretty swank looks, if I say so myself, with laser etched graphics, and an availability in a few different anodized hues to boot. I chose black so I can swap these wheels, when they are built, between multiple bikes if I so choose and they will look great in all of them. I must say that I was sorely tempted by the option of getting White Industries XMR hubs in luscious purple ano though!

These hubs came highly recommended to me, but of course, there are more things to a wheel than hubs. I also chose WTB's KOM i25 rims for this build, and here's where it gets interesting, as far as my theory goes here. First, you need to know that WTB KOM i25 rims are 25mm inside width, so they are pretty wide rims! Keep in mind that most road-ish, cyclo-cross rims run in the 17mm-19mm inner rim width territory. Yeah......these are wide rims!! Well, for 35-40mm tires, they are wide rims. And see......that's the thing, everybody is going wide and wider off road, so why not for gravel? I mean, a 30mm wide rim is considered XC-ish these days and 35-40mm inner rim widths are commonplace on trail bikes. Every road rim that is introduced gets wider as well. So, it only follows that gravel riders might be benefiting from the same ideas, right? Well, we will see......

KOM rims come in several widths and diameters, but I chose the biggest and widest!

I figure we can look at gravel road tires as "plus sized road tires", so wider rims make sense to me in that vein. My hope is that the wider KOM i25 will do for the 38mm-40mm tires I intend to use on them what the wider mtb rims and 27.5+ tires did for my "Fat Fargo". Those corpulent wheels transformed the Fat Fargo into a rough terrain eating machine. Maybe wider rims will help stabilize gravel tires and help them roll over loose, deep gravel at lowered pressures better than they do on more traditional width cyclo-cross or road rims, the likes of which I have been using. Maybe that will translate into a more comfortable, less fatiguing ride quality which will help me out on longer rides. That's the hope and what I intend on finding out.

So, stay tuned for a detailed wheel build post, then I'll pop on some bigger gravel going rubber and then these will be featured first on my Twin Six Standard Rando, but I fully expect to also use them on my Raleigh Tamland Two and my Gen I Fargo.

Project Wide Gravel Wheels

Well.......look at that, would ya?

Okay.......White Industries came through. I have the hubs in hand and now, as I am wont to do, I have instigated another "project". This one will be a wheel build to test my theory on wide rims for gravel.

Before I get into my hypothesis, let's take a look at these gorgeous black anodized goodies here, shall we? Of course, they are from White Industries and are their new disc hubs dubbed "XMR". What does that stand for? Who knows! I would say, "good looking", sleek", and light weight, but none of those terms start with "X" "M" or "R". White Industries says the hubs have a 6-4 titanium free hub body, a six bolt disc rotor interface, available swappable end caps for through axle compatibility, or as in my case, the standard traditional quick release caps which are included, and an 11 speed compatibility with backwards compatibility to 10 speed and 9 speed cassettes via an included spacer. Pretty swank looks, if I say so myself, with laser etched graphics, and an availability in a few different anodized hues to boot. I chose black so I can swap these wheels, when they are built, between multiple bikes if I so choose and they will look great in all of them. I must say that I was sorely tempted by the option of getting White Industries XMR hubs in luscious purple ano though!

These hubs came highly recommended to me, but of course, there are more things to a wheel than hubs. I also chose WTB's KOM i25 rims for this build, and here's where it gets interesting, as far as my theory goes here. First, you need to know that WTB KOM i25 rims are 25mm inside width, so they are pretty wide rims! Keep in mind that most road-ish, cyclo-cross rims run in the 17mm-19mm inner rim width territory. Yeah......these are wide rims!! Well, for 35-40mm tires, they are wide rims. And see......that's the thing, everybody is going wide and wider off road, so why not for gravel? I mean, a 30mm wide rim is considered XC-ish these days and 35-40mm inner rim widths are commonplace on trail bikes. Every road rim that is introduced gets wider as well. So, it only follows that gravel riders might be benefiting from the same ideas, right? Well, we will see......

KOM rims come in several widths and diameters, but I chose the biggest and widest!

I figure we can look at gravel road tires as "plus sized road tires", so wider rims make sense to me in that vein. My hope is that the wider KOM i25 will do for the 38mm-40mm tires I intend to use on them what the wider mtb rims and 27.5+ tires did for my "Fat Fargo". Those corpulent wheels transformed the Fat Fargo into a rough terrain eating machine. Maybe wider rims will help stabilize gravel tires and help them roll over loose, deep gravel at lowered pressures better than they do on more traditional width cyclo-cross or road rims, the likes of which I have been using. Maybe that will translate into a more comfortable, less fatiguing ride quality which will help me out on longer rides. That's the hope and what I intend on finding out.

So, stay tuned for a detailed wheel build post, then I'll pop on some bigger gravel going rubber and then these will be featured first on my Twin Six Standard Rando, but I fully expect to also use them on my Raleigh Tamland Two and my Gen I Fargo.

News Season: Plus Bikes

Possibly the best name for a B+ model- The Felt "Surplus" for 2016 Image courtesy of BRAIN

"Plus" bikes. I've been telling you here for a long time that these sorts of bikes, and specifically the 27.5+ bikes, were going to be "the next big thing" in cycling.

Some early releases bear this out- Specialized has not only embraced the hard tail 27.5+ bike, but has a full suspension Camber (Whoops! That's a Stumpjumper FS) variant sporting the fatter rubber. Obviously, Rocky Mountain has one as well, since they teased that Sherpa over a year ago and have made good on the promise to bring that bike to market. Rock Shox tipped us off to the future of B+ by introducing 27.5+ specific forks, as well as Manitou. Fox won't be far behind, you can bet on that. If fork makers, who won't make anything specific unless there are boatloads of orders for it, are doing 27.5+ specific forks, that pretty much tells all. You can bet that just about every mountain bike related press release for the next three months will have 27.5+ news in it. Mark my words folks.

But what about 29+? Well, we haven't seen a whole lot of movement on that front. Trek is basically going to keep 29+ alive, in my opinion, because of their commitment to the category with the introduction of the Stache. However; this will prove out to be the odd introduction, and won't be joined by many more. I know of one bike coming out in 29+ guise and about five times that number in 27.5+ wheels.

As I have said many times, 29+ is too big for most folks. With an outer diameter of 31 inches, give or take a bit, the 29+ is just too much. Too much diameter to make it work for smaller folk. Too much weight to get going from a stop or slow speeds. Too much is only going to work for fewer folks. That isn't good business. Despite Trek, Manitou, and QBP's commitment to 29+, I give it about five years more before it goes away.

Talk about yer wagon wheels......

In contrast, the 27.5+/B+ format has several advantages going for it. The first is that geometry for this wheel size favors fitting a much wider slice of the mountain biking populace. It is essentially a fatter 29"er, with the overall diameter of 27.5+ being that of a 2.2" or so 29"er wheel/tire combo. So, all manufacturers really needed to do was get the clearances a bit wider, and 27.5+ was a no brainer. Add in the "Boost" standard which widens out the hub spacing enough to give these wheels a bit more breathing room, and it really becomes simple to push this size as the next big thing in mountain biking since the 29"er to be successful.

In fact, I foresee that if this deal really gets a foothold we will also see the demise of the 29"er as well. Manufacturers would then be able to sell across one bead seat diameter for rims and one ISO bead size for tires. Manufacturers like that, and so do retailers. Smaller bikes and lighter, XC oriented bikes would all be 27.5, with the "bigger diameter option" becoming the B+ wheel. I even see fat bikes becoming 27.5/584 ISO based bikes, since that would eliminate 26 inch based wheel/tire stuff altogether, as it has mostly been wiped out anyway by 29"ers and 27.5" today.

Anyway, back to reality! The thing is, this 27.5+/B+ thing is going to become a droning sound in your ears for the next several months, so ya'all better get used to reading and hearing about how awesome it is. Because it is coming, whether you want it to or not.

News Season: Plus Bikes

Possibly the best name for a B+ model- The Felt "Surplus" for 2016 Image courtesy of BRAIN

"Plus" bikes. I've been telling you here for a long time that these sorts of bikes, and specifically the 27.5+ bikes, were going to be "the next big thing" in cycling.

Some early releases bear this out- Specialized has not only embraced the hard tail 27.5+ bike, but has a full suspension Camber (Whoops! That's a Stumpjumper FS) variant sporting the fatter rubber. Obviously, Rocky Mountain has one as well, since they teased that Sherpa over a year ago and have made good on the promise to bring that bike to market. Rock Shox tipped us off to the future of B+ by introducing 27.5+ specific forks, as well as Manitou. Fox won't be far behind, you can bet on that. If fork makers, who won't make anything specific unless there are boatloads of orders for it, are doing 27.5+ specific forks, that pretty much tells all. You can bet that just about every mountain bike related press release for the next three months will have 27.5+ news in it. Mark my words folks.

But what about 29+? Well, we haven't seen a whole lot of movement on that front. Trek is basically going to keep 29+ alive, in my opinion, because of their commitment to the category with the introduction of the Stache. However; this will prove out to be the odd introduction, and won't be joined by many more. I know of one bike coming out in 29+ guise and about five times that number in 27.5+ wheels.

As I have said many times, 29+ is too big for most folks. With an outer diameter of 31 inches, give or take a bit, the 29+ is just too much. Too much diameter to make it work for smaller folk. Too much weight to get going from a stop or slow speeds. Too much is only going to work for fewer folks. That isn't good business. Despite Trek, Manitou, and QBP's commitment to 29+, I give it about five years more before it goes away.

Talk about yer wagon wheels......

In contrast, the 27.5+/B+ format has several advantages going for it. The first is that geometry for this wheel size favors fitting a much wider slice of the mountain biking populace. It is essentially a fatter 29"er, with the overall diameter of 27.5+ being that of a 2.2" or so 29"er wheel/tire combo. So, all manufacturers really needed to do was get the clearances a bit wider, and 27.5+ was a no brainer. Add in the "Boost" standard which widens out the hub spacing enough to give these wheels a bit more breathing room, and it really becomes simple to push this size as the next big thing in mountain biking since the 29"er to be successful.

In fact, I foresee that if this deal really gets a foothold we will also see the demise of the 29"er as well. Manufacturers would then be able to sell across one bead seat diameter for rims and one ISO bead size for tires. Manufacturers like that, and so do retailers. Smaller bikes and lighter, XC oriented bikes would all be 27.5, with the "bigger diameter option" becoming the B+ wheel. I even see fat bikes becoming 27.5/584 ISO based bikes, since that would eliminate 26 inch based wheel/tire stuff altogether, as it has mostly been wiped out anyway by 29"ers and 27.5" today.

Anyway, back to reality! The thing is, this 27.5+/B+ thing is going to become a droning sound in your ears for the next several months, so ya'all better get used to reading and hearing about how awesome it is. Because it is coming, whether you want it to or not.