Minus Ten Review -33

My old next door neighbor's chopper.

Ten years ago this week on the blog I reported on going to the Trek show in Madison, Wisconsin. This was back when Trek put on a typical "trade show" deal. They showed all of their latest wares and had a bit of a party atmosphere for the dealers that showed up. It was pretty cool to talk to the actual product managers, athletes, and luminaries like Gary Fisher.

Unfortunately that sort of thing is a bygone era now. "Trek World", as they call it now, is structured, educational seminars, where Trek gets to drill down their philosophy and business tactics. Oh sure, I bet they have a little fun too, but instead of this being free, you have to pay, and the atmosphere is completely businesslike. Not a good time for relationship building and brand building with lower tiered employees, such as myself. So, I haven't been to a Trek show in what? Almost ten years now. Trek relies on its outside rep for its only personal contact point now,otherwise it's all on their own web portal. Pretty soulless these days...........

I also made some pretty bold statements about where 29 inch wheels would be going. Although the burp in the timeline, which was the big push with 650B, interrupted what I thought was going to happen, the point is, it happened. That being long travel 29"ers which would dominate the trail market.

In 2008 people thought that was an absolutely crazy notion, but look at where we are at now. 29"er long travel bikes are everywhere. Sure, 650B is right there as well, but no one ever said that 650B wheels would never be a good fit for long travel full suspension bikes. They certainly said that about 29"ers though. Here is a bit of what I heard and posted back ten years ago regarding the possibility of long travel 29"ers: "No way, you will never see it. It doesn't make sense with big wheels. They are too flexy, there isn't a fork, there are no tires, the chain stays would be miles long. It is a ridiculous notion. Go back to your single speed wagon wheeler and be happy!" 

I wonder how that crow tastes in 2018? 

Minus Ten Review -33

My old next door neighbor's chopper.

Ten years ago this week on the blog I reported on going to the Trek show in Madison, Wisconsin. This was back when Trek put on a typical "trade show" deal. They showed all of their latest wares and had a bit of a party atmosphere for the dealers that showed up. It was pretty cool to talk to the actual product managers, athletes, and luminaries like Gary Fisher.

Unfortunately that sort of thing is a bygone era now. "Trek World", as they call it now, is structured, educational seminars, where Trek gets to drill down their philosophy and business tactics. Oh sure, I bet they have a little fun too, but instead of this being free, you have to pay, and the atmosphere is completely businesslike. Not a good time for relationship building and brand building with lower tiered employees, such as myself. So, I haven't been to a Trek show in what? Almost ten years now. Trek relies on its outside rep for its only personal contact point now,otherwise it's all on their own web portal. Pretty soulless these days...........

I also made some pretty bold statements about where 29 inch wheels would be going. Although the burp in the timeline, which was the big push with 650B, interrupted what I thought was going to happen, the point is, it happened. That being long travel 29"ers which would dominate the trail market.

In 2008 people thought that was an absolutely crazy notion, but look at where we are at now. 29"er long travel bikes are everywhere. Sure, 650B is right there as well, but no one ever said that 650B wheels would never be a good fit for long travel full suspension bikes. They certainly said that about 29"ers though. Here is a bit of what I heard and posted back ten years ago regarding the possibility of long travel 29"ers: "No way, you will never see it. It doesn't make sense with big wheels. They are too flexy, there isn't a fork, there are no tires, the chain stays would be miles long. It is a ridiculous notion. Go back to your single speed wagon wheeler and be happy!" 

I wonder how that crow tastes in 2018? 

Minus Ten Review- 34

Trek World '07: I really miss the visionary bikes you could actually buy from Fisher

Ten years ago on the blog this week I gave a visual report on some of the cool new 2008 models from Trek and Gary Fisher. You remember Fisher Bikes? Man! I miss the brand and its vision.

Gary Fisher infused his brand with style and a look forward to a day when bicycles could be everyday transpo for all. I know people at Trek still believe in this concept, but it isn't pushed forward like it was with Fisher Bikes. Now it is all electric assist, blah,blah,blah.... Stuff folks cannot really aspire to, nor is there anyone in the company that figures in to embodying the concept of the "everyman cyclist" like there was when Gary Fisher was at the helm of Fisher Bikes.

 It is just hard to get behind the corporate image of Trek, or Specialized and Giant, for that matter, when their visions and philosophies are so hard to relate to. I mean, what is Trek? It used to mean "touring", or "adventure" in the late 70's. It was a concept that embodied everything the company stood for. Now it is what? Heck, I don't know. Same goes for Specialized and Giant and several other companies. Unrelateable corporate entities with faceless persona. Sad. The loss of the Fisher brand is regrettable in that light.

Fisher Superfly. Image by Carl Buchannan

Consider that Fisher Bikes was the brand which championed 29"ers since 2001. In early 2005, the lack of sales almost cost the brand the big wheelers, but then in 2005 Dual Sport bikes, and The Rig brought back 29"ers from the brink of extinction. By 2007 Fisher Bikes were showing the new carbon hardtail dubbed the Superfly, and 29"ers were outselling 26"ers at Fisher Bikes. This all well before many brands had a single 29"er in their line at all.

Had the 29"er been left in Trek's hands without a person like Gary Fisher, what would have happened? I bet something very different would have happened and we'd be looking at a very different landscape for cycling now. Not just in mountain bikes either.

So, what else was going on ten years ago here? Well, I was talking about how 29"ers had brought back steel frames as a viable alternative frame material to aluminum and carbon fiber. I also was yakking about Trans Iowa v4 planning with my new co-director, David Pals. Also, the odd "News And Views" post found a home on Friday, finally, after several random appearances on different days of the week prior to that. I also hinted in that "Friday News And Views" that a "spicy" new 29"er was about to be announced, which was easy to figure out. It was a Salsa model, of course. Stay tuned for what that was in an upcoming "Minus Ten Review" post.

Minus Ten Review- 34

Trek World '07: I really miss the visionary bikes you could actually buy from Fisher

Ten years ago on the blog this week I gave a visual report on some of the cool new 2008 models from Trek and Gary Fisher. You remember Fisher Bikes? Man! I miss the brand and its vision.

Gary Fisher infused his brand with style and a look forward to a day when bicycles could be everyday transpo for all. I know people at Trek still believe in this concept, but it isn't pushed forward like it was with Fisher Bikes. Now it is all electric assist, blah,blah,blah.... Stuff folks cannot really aspire to, nor is there anyone in the company that figures in to embodying the concept of the "everyman cyclist" like there was when Gary Fisher was at the helm of Fisher Bikes.

 It is just hard to get behind the corporate image of Trek, or Specialized and Giant, for that matter, when their visions and philosophies are so hard to relate to. I mean, what is Trek? It used to mean "touring", or "adventure" in the late 70's. It was a concept that embodied everything the company stood for. Now it is what? Heck, I don't know. Same goes for Specialized and Giant and several other companies. Unrelateable corporate entities with faceless persona. Sad. The loss of the Fisher brand is regrettable in that light.

Fisher Superfly. Image by Carl Buchannan

Consider that Fisher Bikes was the brand which championed 29"ers since 2001. In early 2005, the lack of sales almost cost the brand the big wheelers, but then in 2005 Dual Sport bikes, and The Rig brought back 29"ers from the brink of extinction. By 2007 Fisher Bikes were showing the new carbon hardtail dubbed the Superfly, and 29"ers were outselling 26"ers at Fisher Bikes. This all well before many brands had a single 29"er in their line at all.

Had the 29"er been left in Trek's hands without a person like Gary Fisher, what would have happened? I bet something very different would have happened and we'd be looking at a very different landscape for cycling now. Not just in mountain bikes either.

So, what else was going on ten years ago here? Well, I was talking about how 29"ers had brought back steel frames as a viable alternative frame material to aluminum and carbon fiber. I also was yakking about Trans Iowa v4 planning with my new co-director, David Pals. Also, the odd "News And Views" post found a home on Friday, finally, after several random appearances on different days of the week prior to that. I also hinted in that "Friday News And Views" that a "spicy" new 29"er was about to be announced, which was easy to figure out. It was a Salsa model, of course. Stay tuned for what that was in an upcoming "Minus Ten Review" post.

Minus Ten Review- 33

Rich Dillen has a town named after him in the Cheese State? Who knew?

Ten years ago this week on the blog here I actually had images posted! Crazy. Anyway, one of the deals I got to go to back in the day was Trek World, the dealer only show Trek holds in Madison Wisconsin. Well.......except that it isn't a "show" anymore. And, not all dealers can go, plus the ones that can have to pay to get in. It isn't any big deal though, because you can learn all about Trek's newest bicycles online these days if you have a dealer portal. Still, it isn't the same as seeing the bikes with your own two eyes. That was special.

Plus, you got to meet people like Gary Fisher, the engineering team, product managers, and more. It gave a face to the company and you felt as though you were not working for some cybernetic, faceless corporation. Yes.....some dealers and international dealers do still get this treatment. They get to see the people and the bikes. It's pretty obvious that Trek doesn't see the US bicycle shop as being worth courting. In fact, they are buying up bike shops. But that's another story.....

In other news I talked about what was going on with my Special Projects. The two bicycles were the custom builds I had done in 2007. The Pofahl would be the first to get built but at this time ten years ago I was waiting on the fork to get corrected as it came to me with the rear disc mount instead of the correct front disc brake mount brazed on.

I got this swank Ergon rucksack to try out.

Jeff Kerkove was gone by this time and living in Colorado permanently, which he has been ever since that time. He arranged to have a new Ergon BD-2 sent out to me to try. It was an odd ball rucksack which had this solid plastic hip stabilizer and a ball joint which the pack actually hung from. The idea being that the rider could move without having to overcome the weight of the backpack to do so. The ball joint, or "Flink", as Ergon called it, allowed the pack to pivot on the back of the wearer.

It worked as advertised, but the rigid bits of the pack were.......annoying. The design also pushed the weight of the backpack and its contents away from the rider, which seems like a benefit at first. However; it meant that the weight of the pack and its contents had a more effective lever on your back and a heavy load seemed to be more of a burden than it should be since you were always countering that weight hanging off your back instead of having it closer to your body, which feels more natural. Anyway..... It was a neat pack.

Actually, I still have it. It's in a gear pile in the basement. It just seems like there is something about this which was a "parting gift" from Jeff, and I am a bit sentimental. So, I really should ditch it, but......anyway. 

I also was telling folks ten years ago that I was a confirmed member of "Team Stoopid". (Some say I always have been!) Team Stoopid was a four man endurance racing squad that tackled the 12 hour racing category at the Iowa 24 in 2007. All of us used rigid single speeds to race on, thus the name. It was the most fun racing I had ever had up to that point. But more on that in the near future.....

Minus Ten Review- 33

Rich Dillen has a town named after him in the Cheese State? Who knew?

Ten years ago this week on the blog here I actually had images posted! Crazy. Anyway, one of the deals I got to go to back in the day was Trek World, the dealer only show Trek holds in Madison Wisconsin. Well.......except that it isn't a "show" anymore. And, not all dealers can go, plus the ones that can have to pay to get in. It isn't any big deal though, because you can learn all about Trek's newest bicycles online these days if you have a dealer portal. Still, it isn't the same as seeing the bikes with your own two eyes. That was special.

Plus, you got to meet people like Gary Fisher, the engineering team, product managers, and more. It gave a face to the company and you felt as though you were not working for some cybernetic, faceless corporation. Yes.....some dealers and international dealers do still get this treatment. They get to see the people and the bikes. It's pretty obvious that Trek doesn't see the US bicycle shop as being worth courting. In fact, they are buying up bike shops. But that's another story.....

In other news I talked about what was going on with my Special Projects. The two bicycles were the custom builds I had done in 2007. The Pofahl would be the first to get built but at this time ten years ago I was waiting on the fork to get corrected as it came to me with the rear disc mount instead of the correct front disc brake mount brazed on.

I got this swank Ergon rucksack to try out.

Jeff Kerkove was gone by this time and living in Colorado permanently, which he has been ever since that time. He arranged to have a new Ergon BD-2 sent out to me to try. It was an odd ball rucksack which had this solid plastic hip stabilizer and a ball joint which the pack actually hung from. The idea being that the rider could move without having to overcome the weight of the backpack to do so. The ball joint, or "Flink", as Ergon called it, allowed the pack to pivot on the back of the wearer.

It worked as advertised, but the rigid bits of the pack were.......annoying. The design also pushed the weight of the backpack and its contents away from the rider, which seems like a benefit at first. However; it meant that the weight of the pack and its contents had a more effective lever on your back and a heavy load seemed to be more of a burden than it should be since you were always countering that weight hanging off your back instead of having it closer to your body, which feels more natural. Anyway..... It was a neat pack.

Actually, I still have it. It's in a gear pile in the basement. It just seems like there is something about this which was a "parting gift" from Jeff, and I am a bit sentimental. So, I really should ditch it, but......anyway. 

I also was telling folks ten years ago that I was a confirmed member of "Team Stoopid". (Some say I always have been!) Team Stoopid was a four man endurance racing squad that tackled the 12 hour racing category at the Iowa 24 in 2007. All of us used rigid single speeds to race on, thus the name. It was the most fun racing I had ever had up to that point. But more on that in the near future.....

Minus Ten Review- 47

Another one that came and got away. Haro Mary XC.

Ten years ago on the blog I was writing about 29"ers coming in left and right, or so it seemed. I started out 2006 with two 29"ers, one that wasn't even built up yet, and ended the year with seven 29"ers! 

The one pictured here was my "thank you" from Haro/Mike Varley for doing that catalog writing for the Mary 29"ers. I screwed up big time when I was asked by Mike about what I wanted. The single speed version of the bike was almost an impossibility, since it was selling through and demand meant that maybe I would never see a frame and fork. I should have waited.  The other thing was that I asked for a size medium. I was such a doofus back then concerning what size bike I would need. It didn't help that I was on the cusp of either a Medium or Large size in many company's sizing schemes. I was often left to guess, and when the odds are 50-50, I typically lose. No matter what Bill Nye says about probability.

The other thing I see when I look at this image is that the frame and fork are on Jeff's old bench. We were finalizing the ideas behind Trans Iowa v3 at that time. Registration was just about to kick off at that time and recon was being done at about the same period as well. This marked a time in Trans Iowa history that was pretty critical. No more point to point courses. No more entry fees. Oh.......you didn't know Trans Iowa once had entry fees? Yes, for the first two years it did. We charged what we felt would cover the insurance fees to cover the event. Year one was easy, year two the fees doubled, and for year three, it was to be doubled again. We weren't prepared to charge one hundred bucks a head for the chance to ride in this crazy event. So, we went with advice we had gotten from the inception of Trans Iowa. No fee to ride.

Part of the T.I.v3 course

Speaking of Jeff, I finally got to ride mountain bikes with him during this time. I think we hit the trails twice during the Fall of '06. Both at Camp Ingawanis. It would be the only times we ever rode bicycles together, ironically. The next Spring Jeff was off to work with Ergon, where he has been ever since.

In other news, I heard solid rumors at this time in '06 that Fox was entering the 29"er fork market. This was huge. At that time, had no one like Fox jumped in with a truly legitimate option for 29"ers, the big wheeled bikes would likely have died off eventually. However; unbeknownst to me at the time, Trek put up the dollars to get a set of lowers made and an offset crown forged for their Gary Fisher line of 29"ers. Gary Fisher would have a one year exclusive on the Fox forks before everyone would be on board in the '09 model year.  

Interestingly, later on I also found out why 51mm was chosen as the offset for the Fox G2 geometry forks, and why this has been the offset that is most used on 29"er forks today. In speaking with Travis Brown at a Trek World event, he related to me that several offsets were tried in blind comparisons with riders located in several locations. In the end, all were convinced that one of the forks handled and performed the best. The one with 51mm of offset.

So, if you've ever wondered how that 51mm offset for forks on 29"ers was arrived at,now you know.

Minus Ten Review- 47

Another one that came and got away. Haro Mary XC.

Ten years ago on the blog I was writing about 29"ers coming in left and right, or so it seemed. I started out 2006 with two 29"ers, one that wasn't even built up yet, and ended the year with seven 29"ers! 

The one pictured here was my "thank you" from Haro/Mike Varley for doing that catalog writing for the Mary 29"ers. I screwed up big time when I was asked by Mike about what I wanted. The single speed version of the bike was almost an impossibility, since it was selling through and demand meant that maybe I would never see a frame and fork. I should have waited.  The other thing was that I asked for a size medium. I was such a doofus back then concerning what size bike I would need. It didn't help that I was on the cusp of either a Medium or Large size in many company's sizing schemes. I was often left to guess, and when the odds are 50-50, I typically lose. No matter what Bill Nye says about probability.

The other thing I see when I look at this image is that the frame and fork are on Jeff's old bench. We were finalizing the ideas behind Trans Iowa v3 at that time. Registration was just about to kick off at that time and recon was being done at about the same period as well. This marked a time in Trans Iowa history that was pretty critical. No more point to point courses. No more entry fees. Oh.......you didn't know Trans Iowa once had entry fees? Yes, for the first two years it did. We charged what we felt would cover the insurance fees to cover the event. Year one was easy, year two the fees doubled, and for year three, it was to be doubled again. We weren't prepared to charge one hundred bucks a head for the chance to ride in this crazy event. So, we went with advice we had gotten from the inception of Trans Iowa. No fee to ride.

Part of the T.I.v3 course

Speaking of Jeff, I finally got to ride mountain bikes with him during this time. I think we hit the trails twice during the Fall of '06. Both at Camp Ingawanis. It would be the only times we ever rode bicycles together, ironically. The next Spring Jeff was off to work with Ergon, where he has been ever since.

In other news, I heard solid rumors at this time in '06 that Fox was entering the 29"er fork market. This was huge. At that time, had no one like Fox jumped in with a truly legitimate option for 29"ers, the big wheeled bikes would likely have died off eventually. However; unbeknownst to me at the time, Trek put up the dollars to get a set of lowers made and an offset crown forged for their Gary Fisher line of 29"ers. Gary Fisher would have a one year exclusive on the Fox forks before everyone would be on board in the '09 model year.  

Interestingly, later on I also found out why 51mm was chosen as the offset for the Fox G2 geometry forks, and why this has been the offset that is most used on 29"er forks today. In speaking with Travis Brown at a Trek World event, he related to me that several offsets were tried in blind comparisons with riders located in several locations. In the end, all were convinced that one of the forks handled and performed the best. The one with 51mm of offset.

So, if you've ever wondered how that 51mm offset for forks on 29"ers was arrived at,now you know.

Minus Ten Review- 34

An image from the first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational by Matt Wills

Ten years ago on the blog I was happy to announce that the first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational had been a rousing success. It featured a wrong turn that made it 152 miles and was therefore the longest ride I had ever done previous or since that time up until the 2015 Dirty Kanza 200 when I made it 154 miles. "Unofficially" that first Death Ride was still my longest ever single day ride but I did not count the ride to the start nor the miles to home from the finish. I figure it is still the longest ride I ever have done because it is approximately 5 plus miles to the old starting place one way. I figure I did about 162 plus that day. But I'll never really know for sure. The best part? I did that ride on my single speed Karate Monkey.

So, in "official terms", my longest ride ever is the 2015 DK200, then the first Death Ride, then last weekend's Gravel Worlds at 145 miles. Pretty good for this old man, but I can do better!

There was some banter about 29"er stuff on the blog ten years ago that I posted on, but the "big" news was trek World where we got a sneak peek at the 2007 line up from Gary Fisher Bikes, (Remember- only Fisher had 29"ers then. There were no trek 29"ers)  There were a lot of cool bikes added to the line up for '07, as the 29"er revolution started gaining ground about this time.

The Ferrous. remember that bike? Almost cool....

The frame I was most smitten with, and surprised by, was the Ferrous. It was a "production custom bike". The detail on the frame was amazing. Everywhere you looked it had some cool little tacked on applique, decal, or feature that was like something from a small custom builder. Not a "big" corporate entity like Trek/Fisher.

Not only that, but it had a full drive train! It wasn't just another single speed. Although, it had an eccentric bottom bracket so you could single speed the bike. Triple ring cranks. remember those?

I wanted one, but I had so many things in the hopper at the time I just couldn't justify getting one. A friend of mine did, and it was quickly discovered by him, and almost every other Ferrous owner, that the bowed out seat stays would catch your heels. Worse, several of these ended up braeking. The Ferrous was a one year model.

Makes you wonder if there are any left sitting around in garages out there anywhere.

Minus Ten Review- 34

An image from the first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational by Matt Wills

Ten years ago on the blog I was happy to announce that the first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational had been a rousing success. It featured a wrong turn that made it 152 miles and was therefore the longest ride I had ever done previous or since that time up until the 2015 Dirty Kanza 200 when I made it 154 miles. "Unofficially" that first Death Ride was still my longest ever single day ride but I did not count the ride to the start nor the miles to home from the finish. I figure it is still the longest ride I ever have done because it is approximately 5 plus miles to the old starting place one way. I figure I did about 162 plus that day. But I'll never really know for sure. The best part? I did that ride on my single speed Karate Monkey.

So, in "official terms", my longest ride ever is the 2015 DK200, then the first Death Ride, then last weekend's Gravel Worlds at 145 miles. Pretty good for this old man, but I can do better!

There was some banter about 29"er stuff on the blog ten years ago that I posted on, but the "big" news was trek World where we got a sneak peek at the 2007 line up from Gary Fisher Bikes, (Remember- only Fisher had 29"ers then. There were no trek 29"ers)  There were a lot of cool bikes added to the line up for '07, as the 29"er revolution started gaining ground about this time.

The Ferrous. remember that bike? Almost cool....

The frame I was most smitten with, and surprised by, was the Ferrous. It was a "production custom bike". The detail on the frame was amazing. Everywhere you looked it had some cool little tacked on applique, decal, or feature that was like something from a small custom builder. Not a "big" corporate entity like Trek/Fisher.

Not only that, but it had a full drive train! It wasn't just another single speed. Although, it had an eccentric bottom bracket so you could single speed the bike. Triple ring cranks. remember those?

I wanted one, but I had so many things in the hopper at the time I just couldn't justify getting one. A friend of mine did, and it was quickly discovered by him, and almost every other Ferrous owner, that the bowed out seat stays would catch your heels. Worse, several of these ended up braeking. The Ferrous was a one year model.

Makes you wonder if there are any left sitting around in garages out there anywhere.

Friday News And Views

This one's a keeper with B+

Mid-Fat Plans:

I've been fortunate enough to be able to try WTB Trailblazer 2.8 B+ tires on a couple of my single speeds and, of course, on the "Fat Fargo". I've been duly impressed with the wheels on all three bikes I've tried them on. So much so that I plan on building up at least one more set of wheels to accommodate a plan I have to return another oft neglected bike I have to the general rotation.

Of course, you regular readers all have seen my scribings about how this wheel size is coming hard for 2016. That has been confirmed with a bevy of brands doing several models of this size of wheel. Not only that, but the most recent article in "BRAIN" on the wheel size quotes some tire company honches as saying "..it's here to stay", when asked about B+ tires. 29+? Nary a mention, except that asides were made to the wheel size by the trade mag in the article. This fits right in with what I think is going to happen. 29+ = too big of a diameter. Mid-fat/B+ tires = just right. That's because of the overall diameters. 27.5+/B+ is right at 29". The larger 29+ is 31" in diameter which is just too big.

I am going to do a 29+ set up alongside my B+ wheels and then I will get a much better comparison. Both sizes should be up and running here before the end of the year. Stay tuned on that......

Breaking out the Tamland for Gravel Worlds

Gravel Worlds:

The last big event for me this year is Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska. This time I am busting out the Tamland. There are a few reasons why this bike gets the call up.

First of all, according to intell received via the PCL, there won't be near the steep climbing that the GTDRI had, and there won't be long distances between resupplies like there were in the Dirty Kanza. What I am seeing is that we will have to be ready to ride up to 40 miles at a crack. That makes things a bit lighter, in terms of what to carry. That doesn't look like Fat Fargo territory to me. With the Tamland's 1 to 1 low gear, I should be fine with the hills, and I can carry four to five water bottles with my Chaff Bag set up and the cages that the Tamland has. Plenty of fluids for 40 mile stints. Then all I have to carry, really, is some food and tools. I'll likely pack up the Tangle Bag for that.

The fenders will come off, and I may slap the Gravel Grinder tires by Challenge back on there, but the Clement MSO's will do fine as well. At any rate, this is the rig I am going with.

Another studded fat bike tire option from Trek (Image pilfered from the Trek World site)

Trek World Bits:

There were a few things not seen before shown at Trek World, and those seemed to all be fat bike related. First of all, there is the new fat bike tire with the goofy name "Gnarwahl". (groan)

Okay..... Besides the unfortunate naming of this tire, it looks to be a solid offering. Some say it doesn't have enough studs, but how many do you need? (Note: I don't think you need very many, but that's me.) It's listed as a 3.8"er, which maybe leaves out those wanting big, wide, floaty meats, but I can see commuters digging this or those that use fat bikes as indoor trainer substitutes being all over this. I know I won't be on board, because I don't feel the need for the studs on fat bike tires, but I probably am in the minority here. By the way, I have heard this will be out in November, but I haven't seen a price on these as yet.

It bears repeating that Trek has moved from 170mm rear spacing to 190mm based spacing on the Farleys. There also will be a full carbon frame, the Farley 9.8, and that bike will feature carbon rims as well. Just think "Carbon Beargrease" with a wider rear. Then you'll pretty much have the idea.

Fat Bikes On The Wane?

 Interestingly, as an aside about fat bike tires, in the referenced "BRAIN" article about plus sized tires that I mentioned above, there is some insight in to fat bike tires. It seems that while molds are not the hold up, the tooling to make the bladders and what not to make the casings is a huge investment that many tire manufacturers are not willing to ante up for. As examples, it appears that neither Continental or WTB are anywhere near pulling the trigger on fat bike tire production. My perception is that the fat bike market is a saturated one now, so I would suspect that tire introductions will not be as numerous as they were a couple years ago. I could be wrong, but I bet this year will be another soft one in fat bike sales, and from what I am seeing, that does not bode well for the future of fat bikes growth as a product category.

I am blaming this B+/29+ for part of that. I am reading a few stories and seeing quotes that refer to the "plus bike market" as being the "sweet spot" from the perspective that it hits a lot of points that riders want in fat tires without the ponderous handling and weight of a fat bike. Makes sense to me, at least from the perspective of cyclists living South of the snow belt.

That's it from this dude! Have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down!

Friday News And Views

This one's a keeper with B+

Mid-Fat Plans:

I've been fortunate enough to be able to try WTB Trailblazer 2.8 B+ tires on a couple of my single speeds and, of course, on the "Fat Fargo". I've been duly impressed with the wheels on all three bikes I've tried them on. So much so that I plan on building up at least one more set of wheels to accommodate a plan I have to return another oft neglected bike I have to the general rotation.

Of course, you regular readers all have seen my scribings about how this wheel size is coming hard for 2016. That has been confirmed with a bevy of brands doing several models of this size of wheel. Not only that, but the most recent article in "BRAIN" on the wheel size quotes some tire company honches as saying "..it's here to stay", when asked about B+ tires. 29+? Nary a mention, except that asides were made to the wheel size by the trade mag in the article. This fits right in with what I think is going to happen. 29+ = too big of a diameter. Mid-fat/B+ tires = just right. That's because of the overall diameters. 27.5+/B+ is right at 29". The larger 29+ is 31" in diameter which is just too big.

I am going to do a 29+ set up alongside my B+ wheels and then I will get a much better comparison. Both sizes should be up and running here before the end of the year. Stay tuned on that......

Breaking out the Tamland for Gravel Worlds

Gravel Worlds:

The last big event for me this year is Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska. This time I am busting out the Tamland. There are a few reasons why this bike gets the call up.

First of all, according to intell received via the PCL, there won't be near the steep climbing that the GTDRI had, and there won't be long distances between resupplies like there were in the Dirty Kanza. What I am seeing is that we will have to be ready to ride up to 40 miles at a crack. That makes things a bit lighter, in terms of what to carry. That doesn't look like Fat Fargo territory to me. With the Tamland's 1 to 1 low gear, I should be fine with the hills, and I can carry four to five water bottles with my Chaff Bag set up and the cages that the Tamland has. Plenty of fluids for 40 mile stints. Then all I have to carry, really, is some food and tools. I'll likely pack up the Tangle Bag for that.

The fenders will come off, and I may slap the Gravel Grinder tires by Challenge back on there, but the Clement MSO's will do fine as well. At any rate, this is the rig I am going with.

Another studded fat bike tire option from Trek (Image pilfered from the Trek World site)

Trek World Bits:

There were a few things not seen before shown at Trek World, and those seemed to all be fat bike related. First of all, there is the new fat bike tire with the goofy name "Gnarwahl". (groan)

Okay..... Besides the unfortunate naming of this tire, it looks to be a solid offering. Some say it doesn't have enough studs, but how many do you need? (Note: I don't think you need very many, but that's me.) It's listed as a 3.8"er, which maybe leaves out those wanting big, wide, floaty meats, but I can see commuters digging this or those that use fat bikes as indoor trainer substitutes being all over this. I know I won't be on board, because I don't feel the need for the studs on fat bike tires, but I probably am in the minority here. By the way, I have heard this will be out in November, but I haven't seen a price on these as yet.

It bears repeating that Trek has moved from 170mm rear spacing to 190mm based spacing on the Farleys. There also will be a full carbon frame, the Farley 9.8, and that bike will feature carbon rims as well. Just think "Carbon Beargrease" with a wider rear. Then you'll pretty much have the idea.

Fat Bikes On The Wane?

 Interestingly, as an aside about fat bike tires, in the referenced "BRAIN" article about plus sized tires that I mentioned above, there is some insight in to fat bike tires. It seems that while molds are not the hold up, the tooling to make the bladders and what not to make the casings is a huge investment that many tire manufacturers are not willing to ante up for. As examples, it appears that neither Continental or WTB are anywhere near pulling the trigger on fat bike tire production. My perception is that the fat bike market is a saturated one now, so I would suspect that tire introductions will not be as numerous as they were a couple years ago. I could be wrong, but I bet this year will be another soft one in fat bike sales, and from what I am seeing, that does not bode well for the future of fat bikes growth as a product category.

I am blaming this B+/29+ for part of that. I am reading a few stories and seeing quotes that refer to the "plus bike market" as being the "sweet spot" from the perspective that it hits a lot of points that riders want in fat tires without the ponderous handling and weight of a fat bike. Makes sense to me, at least from the perspective of cyclists living South of the snow belt.

That's it from this dude! Have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down!

Trek To Sell Bikes On-Line: Sign Of The Times

Soon to be available on-line

The "Trek World" dealer only show is happening now in Madison, Wisconsin. It is where Trek shows off its latest and greatest stuff, including Bontrager components and apparel. One might expect Trek to roll out a cool new entry to their line up at the show, which might cause a stir, or get some attention in the media. Well, they got a ton of attention, but it wasn't for any bicycle in particular. Trek announced it would sell its bikes and components on-line soon.

This has caused quite a tizzy amongst the cycling nerdom out there. First off, it must be said that this isn't what it appears at first glance. Trek isn't going all "Bikes Direct" on you. No, you still have to have a dealer involved in the process, but make no mistake. This is a monumental shift in the landscape of bicycle business in the USA.

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

So, what does this look like for consumers then? Basically, not a whole lot different in terms of pricing. In fact, it may not be as good as haggling with a dealer. You will pay the set price, pick which dealer in your area that will have to assemble it, and depending upon whether said dealer has opted in with Trek on the program fully or not, you may get it delivered to your door, or you may have to go pick it up at the shop. Basically, it is "special order" 24-7. Of course, this raises another set of questions......

The "Whys": You know, like "Why would anyone buy a bike this way? No test ride, no fitting, no real pricing advantages.  

• No test ride- No big deal. This goes for fitting as well. Think about it for a minute- How do companies like Bikes Direct and Canyon Bikes stay in business if this test ride and fitting thing kills online sales? Obviously, it doesn't kill the online sales model. In fact- it doesn't matter. Not like many bike nerds think it does. Folks buy bikes for reasons that go beyond fit and test rides don't even enter into the equation. Some online companies have a return mechanism in place in case something doesn't fit right, or feel good. Trek probably has this covered as well. The point is, this isn't the stumbling block that many make it out to be. 
• Pricing- Well, it may not be an advantage to Trek customers now. But don't be at all surprised if that's how things end up going. Trek sees fewer bike shops every month in the USA. (As do all brands) This means less opportunities to sell Trek product, and that trend of the shrinking local bike shop base isn't showing signs of abatement any time soon. Online sales open up "new territories" that are not covered, or serviced well by dealers. Those folks won't mind paying retail now, since many maybe cannot even get to a Trek dealer now. Plus, the "online store" is open 24-7. Once more big players come into doing online sales, and they will, then the pricing wars will heat up. 

Local bike shops are destined to become "service centers"

So, where will this leave local bike shops? I think something else Trek announced is very telling in this regard. Trek is going to open a service tech certification center where shop mechanics can go and become "certified technicians". Trek will designate certain bike shops as "Authorized Service Centers". Essentially what this is telling me is that Trek wants dealers to become "dealerships" in much the same way that car dealerships operate. Local bike shops will morph into "service centers" with a small "showroom" and will not have independent owners, but will become "authorized dealerships". Maybe franchised, or outright owned by Trek itself. Other big brands will likely follow suit. These service centers will not depend upon bike sales. That will be the realm of the online presence for each brand. Customers will get their bicycles sent directly to them, or built for a fee and delivered by a "service center". All tune ups and repairs will be done by the "authorized technicians" for each brand, or your warranty will be void. Oh.......and be prepared to pay a lot more for service and repair. Trust me, you've been getting a sweetheart deal on service over the past, oh......several decades. Think what you pay to have anything else with wheels serviced and compare it to a bike shop repair. The gulf in pricing is very wide. That will not be the case in the future.

Of course, this won't happen overnight, and many of us won't notice diddly squat difference in the coming months, or maybe years. But I believe a sea change is coming. Look- the way things are now in the bicycle industry is not a sustainable business model. It has to change, or it won't last. I may have it totally wrong, or not. Whatever happens, it won't be the same as it is today anymore.

Also, I believe when one thing moves, there will be a separate reaction to it that counters that move. Will the big brands consolidate their dealers into "service centers" and make way for smaller brands to come in and make a new "independent bike shop" model that we cannot even imagine now? Possibly. Who knows, but I wouldn't be surprised if something of that nature happened. Time will tell. Trek has cast a stone into the calm waters, and the ripples that come out from this will be changing the way bicycle business is done in the future. That I am pretty sure of.

Trek To Sell Bikes On-Line: Sign Of The Times

Soon to be available on-line

The "Trek World" dealer only show is happening now in Madison, Wisconsin. It is where Trek shows off its latest and greatest stuff, including Bontrager components and apparel. One might expect Trek to roll out a cool new entry to their line up at the show, which might cause a stir, or get some attention in the media. Well, they got a ton of attention, but it wasn't for any bicycle in particular. Trek announced it would sell its bikes and components on-line soon.

This has caused quite a tizzy amongst the cycling nerdom out there. First off, it must be said that this isn't what it appears at first glance. Trek isn't going all "Bikes Direct" on you. No, you still have to have a dealer involved in the process, but make no mistake. This is a monumental shift in the landscape of bicycle business in the USA.

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

So, what does this look like for consumers then? Basically, not a whole lot different in terms of pricing. In fact, it may not be as good as haggling with a dealer. You will pay the set price, pick which dealer in your area that will have to assemble it, and depending upon whether said dealer has opted in with Trek on the program fully or not, you may get it delivered to your door, or you may have to go pick it up at the shop. Basically, it is "special order" 24-7. Of course, this raises another set of questions......

The "Whys": You know, like "Why would anyone buy a bike this way? No test ride, no fitting, no real pricing advantages.  

• No test ride- No big deal. This goes for fitting as well. Think about it for a minute- How do companies like Bikes Direct and Canyon Bikes stay in business if this test ride and fitting thing kills online sales? Obviously, it doesn't kill the online sales model. In fact- it doesn't matter. Not like many bike nerds think it does. Folks buy bikes for reasons that go beyond fit and test rides don't even enter into the equation. Some online companies have a return mechanism in place in case something doesn't fit right, or feel good. Trek probably has this covered as well. The point is, this isn't the stumbling block that many make it out to be. 
• Pricing- Well, it may not be an advantage to Trek customers now. But don't be at all surprised if that's how things end up going. Trek sees fewer bike shops every month in the USA. (As do all brands) This means less opportunities to sell Trek product, and that trend of the shrinking local bike shop base isn't showing signs of abatement any time soon. Online sales open up "new territories" that are not covered, or serviced well by dealers. Those folks won't mind paying retail now, since many maybe cannot even get to a Trek dealer now. Plus, the "online store" is open 24-7. Once more big players come into doing online sales, and they will, then the pricing wars will heat up. 

Local bike shops are destined to become "service centers"

So, where will this leave local bike shops? I think something else Trek announced is very telling in this regard. Trek is going to open a service tech certification center where shop mechanics can go and become "certified technicians". Trek will designate certain bike shops as "Authorized Service Centers". Essentially what this is telling me is that Trek wants dealers to become "dealerships" in much the same way that car dealerships operate. Local bike shops will morph into "service centers" with a small "showroom" and will not have independent owners, but will become "authorized dealerships". Maybe franchised, or outright owned by Trek itself. Other big brands will likely follow suit. These service centers will not depend upon bike sales. That will be the realm of the online presence for each brand. Customers will get their bicycles sent directly to them, or built for a fee and delivered by a "service center". All tune ups and repairs will be done by the "authorized technicians" for each brand, or your warranty will be void. Oh.......and be prepared to pay a lot more for service and repair. Trust me, you've been getting a sweetheart deal on service over the past, oh......several decades. Think what you pay to have anything else with wheels serviced and compare it to a bike shop repair. The gulf in pricing is very wide. That will not be the case in the future.

Of course, this won't happen overnight, and many of us won't notice diddly squat difference in the coming months, or maybe years. But I believe a sea change is coming. Look- the way things are now in the bicycle industry is not a sustainable business model. It has to change, or it won't last. I may have it totally wrong, or not. Whatever happens, it won't be the same as it is today anymore.

Also, I believe when one thing moves, there will be a separate reaction to it that counters that move. Will the big brands consolidate their dealers into "service centers" and make way for smaller brands to come in and make a new "independent bike shop" model that we cannot even imagine now? Possibly. Who knows, but I wouldn't be surprised if something of that nature happened. Time will tell. Trek has cast a stone into the calm waters, and the ripples that come out from this will be changing the way bicycle business is done in the future. That I am pretty sure of.

News Season: Trek World

Superfly SS (Image courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

Trek World:

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....


I remember almost ten years ago when going to Trek World was a really big deal. Fisher, the brand Trek killed off several years ago, was the banner bearer of the 29"er bicycle and seeing the new goods was a huge deal. Every bike was something new, pushing the boundaries. New tires from Bontrager, the promised TLR tubeless system, and "real suspension" forks. Ahh........those were some times, weren't they? 

But now Fisher is a hollow June Bug shell and everybody has 29"ers, (or used to), so a new swash of colors and a couple of spec changes are all that you see anymore for the most part. This is why there were really only three bikes worth talking about from Trek's latest "Trek World", a world where you have to be a "preferred dealer" to attend, or as a "lower tiered Trek dealer", pay Trek $500.00 for the privilege to just walk into the door to look at their bikes. Weird that, but that is another story altogether now.

Anywho....remember the Rig? That long standing single speed 29"er model. Gone. Well......think name change. Now it's the Superfly SS. Not the carbon one of old- this is aluminum. Nice looking "rig". (<====HA!) Oh, and is that a 51mm offset carbon fiber rigid fork I see there? A timely addition to the line, says 2008. (sarcasm)

The Trek 920 (Image courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

Then there is this, the Trek 920. I saw this and my first gut reaction? Fargo circa 2008. Except that it is aluminum, (bad), and it has reportedly less tire clearance than that bike has, (also bad).

The next thing I noted was that it comes with a bent top tube. Again- bad. That will make hanging a top tube bag or frame bag you may have now a frustrating proposition. Obviously, you can get any number of custom made bags, but c'mon Trek! This just shows Trek's seeming arrogance and refusal to take notice of bikepacking needs. How hard would it have been to make this with a straight top tube? Oh.....never mind! It's a bagger bike. That's forward thinking for a bike to tour off road with.

It also is not suspension corrected. I like non-sus corrected looks, but trust me, when the going gets rough, (and where this bike is designed to go, it will be that), you are gonna beg for a squishy fork. It's as if Trek noticed that Salsa made a 2008 Fargo, copied it in the wrong material, and took a giant step backward.

I saw somewhere that it was suggested that this is a great choice for a gravel bike.  It's an "okay" choice, but Trek is sitting on the best gravel bike design anybody could come up with and not putting it out there. (Domane Disc) With a bit more tire clearance and a slightly slacker head angle...BAM! Too bad they won't do that. Oh wait.......maybe there is a six year development cycle for great ideas. That would explain the current 920 and the carbon 51mm offset fork. Bet that's it.......

Remedy Carbon (Image courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

Then there was the eventual evolution of the Remedy to a carbon framed bike. This isn't really news, because it has been known for well over a month that this was on the way.

So........that's it. Not that I would expect anything really earth shattering, because 27.5" stuff has really pulled R&D dollars out of 29"er development as a whole across all brands for the last several years. Now that this is mostly behind many brands, we may see the return of some innovation on the 29"er side, and certainly on the B+ and 29+ stuff, which to my mind will eventually be the thing that overshadows both 29"er development and fat bike development in the near future.

As for this Trek World, it was the biggest dud from the standpoint of 29"ers since the early 2000's, and that's saying a lot, since as I said, anything Fisher did back then was a really big deal. So, are 29"ers done? It's a funny thing, but from the standpoint of pushing any boundaries in any real, palatable way, yes. 29"ers are a done deal. Could Trek, (or any other brand, for that matter), do something really cool with 29"er wheels yet? Totally. Yes, they could, but they won't.

All I know is that the notable bikes this year, for the most part, are visitations from the Spirit of '08, and that in itself seems rather strange and shocking, really, for a company like Trek to be doing.

NOTE: Trek info and images used here were scraped from various Internet places where I could scare up the info. While I work at a Trek dealer, I guess this is how it goes these days. Half a G to get in the door just didn't trip my trigger. My bad.

News Season: Trek World

Superfly SS (Image courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

Trek World:

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....


I remember almost ten years ago when going to Trek World was a really big deal. Fisher, the brand Trek killed off several years ago, was the banner bearer of the 29"er bicycle and seeing the new goods was a huge deal. Every bike was something new, pushing the boundaries. New tires from Bontrager, the promised TLR tubeless system, and "real suspension" forks. Ahh........those were some times, weren't they? 

But now Fisher is a hollow June Bug shell and everybody has 29"ers, (or used to), so a new swash of colors and a couple of spec changes are all that you see anymore for the most part. This is why there were really only three bikes worth talking about from Trek's latest "Trek World", a world where you have to be a "preferred dealer" to attend, or as a "lower tiered Trek dealer", pay Trek $500.00 for the privilege to just walk into the door to look at their bikes. Weird that, but that is another story altogether now.

Anywho....remember the Rig? That long standing single speed 29"er model. Gone. Well......think name change. Now it's the Superfly SS. Not the carbon one of old- this is aluminum. Nice looking "rig". (<====HA!) Oh, and is that a 51mm offset carbon fiber rigid fork I see there? A timely addition to the line, says 2008. (sarcasm)

The Trek 920 (Image courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

Then there is this, the Trek 920. I saw this and my first gut reaction? Fargo circa 2008. Except that it is aluminum, (bad), and it has reportedly less tire clearance than that bike has, (also bad).

The next thing I noted was that it comes with a bent top tube. Again- bad. That will make hanging a top tube bag or frame bag you may have now a frustrating proposition. Obviously, you can get any number of custom made bags, but c'mon Trek! This just shows Trek's seeming arrogance and refusal to take notice of bikepacking needs. How hard would it have been to make this with a straight top tube? Oh.....never mind! It's a bagger bike. That's forward thinking for a bike to tour off road with.

It also is not suspension corrected. I like non-sus corrected looks, but trust me, when the going gets rough, (and where this bike is designed to go, it will be that), you are gonna beg for a squishy fork. It's as if Trek noticed that Salsa made a 2008 Fargo, copied it in the wrong material, and took a giant step backward.

I saw somewhere that it was suggested that this is a great choice for a gravel bike.  It's an "okay" choice, but Trek is sitting on the best gravel bike design anybody could come up with and not putting it out there. (Domane Disc) With a bit more tire clearance and a slightly slacker head angle...BAM! Too bad they won't do that. Oh wait.......maybe there is a six year development cycle for great ideas. That would explain the current 920 and the carbon 51mm offset fork. Bet that's it.......

Remedy Carbon (Image courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

Then there was the eventual evolution of the Remedy to a carbon framed bike. This isn't really news, because it has been known for well over a month that this was on the way.

So........that's it. Not that I would expect anything really earth shattering, because 27.5" stuff has really pulled R&D dollars out of 29"er development as a whole across all brands for the last several years. Now that this is mostly behind many brands, we may see the return of some innovation on the 29"er side, and certainly on the B+ and 29+ stuff, which to my mind will eventually be the thing that overshadows both 29"er development and fat bike development in the near future.

As for this Trek World, it was the biggest dud from the standpoint of 29"ers since the early 2000's, and that's saying a lot, since as I said, anything Fisher did back then was a really big deal. So, are 29"ers done? It's a funny thing, but from the standpoint of pushing any boundaries in any real, palatable way, yes. 29"ers are a done deal. Could Trek, (or any other brand, for that matter), do something really cool with 29"er wheels yet? Totally. Yes, they could, but they won't.

All I know is that the notable bikes this year, for the most part, are visitations from the Spirit of '08, and that in itself seems rather strange and shocking, really, for a company like Trek to be doing.

NOTE: Trek info and images used here were scraped from various Internet places where I could scare up the info. While I work at a Trek dealer, I guess this is how it goes these days. Half a G to get in the door just didn't trip my trigger. My bad.

News Season Part 4: Tires V2

Bontrager Chupacabra 29 X 3.0

Tires V2:

My last post on tires can be seen HERE. 

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Another 29+ Choice:

Trek World was buzzing recently about the news of a new tire. (Odd that the show isn't all that notable for a particular bike, right?) The reason this tire caught everyone off guard was that Trek doesn't do anything 29+.......yet. With the appearance of this tire, due in December, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Trek pushing something in this niche soon.

The spec sheet on this tire reads like this- 120TPI casing, Dual compound tire with Aramid folding bead. The kicker? It's a tubeless ready tire using the excellent TLR system. Projected weight is 850 grams per tire.

Commentary: December delivery? Dang! Put this on your Christmas list, and look for Trek to offer a wide, TLR type rim to go along with this at some point. Heck.....look for a complete bike! My intuition tells me a Stache model with these tires would make sense in Trek's line up. Will they do it? I think if the fork for such a beast surfaces, it's a no brainer. I look for a 29+ fork from Rock Shox to be shown at Eurobike soon. But otherwise, this looks a lot like a tubeless ready, siped tread Knard, which ain't a bad thing.  

Jackalope wheel (Courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

 In my last update on tires I talked about the Hodag fat bike tire. This is the TLR rim that goes with it. This will be stock on Farley 8 models.

It is a unique looking, aluminum rim with no cut outs and an 80mm width. It has a center ridge which is where the spokes anchor and what looks to be a combination of dual wall extrusion in the center and single wall in the edge sections.

Commentary: 

While this may not end up being all that light, if you pair it up with the Hodag tire and go tubeless, it will likely be very worthwhile to roll this set up. I really like the TLR format and this is truly a systemic approach which should yeild reliable low pressure, cold weather performance.

One has to be wondering if Trek is developing a carbon frame and carbon Jackalope rims to go with that. Trek's commitment to the fat bike range is impressive and with a tire and rim of their own design, it wouldn't take much of a leap of faith to see the day when Trek unleashes a carbon rimmed, carbon framed, super-light fat bike. This wheel points to the future and it looks bright.

Okay, that's a short one for this time. I'll have a few comments on some of the Trek World bikes coming up later on. Stay tuned for that.......

News Season Part 4: Tires V2

Bontrager Chupacabra 29 X 3.0

Tires V2:

My last post on tires can be seen HERE. 

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Another 29+ Choice:

Trek World was buzzing recently about the news of a new tire. (Odd that the show isn't all that notable for a particular bike, right?) The reason this tire caught everyone off guard was that Trek doesn't do anything 29+.......yet. With the appearance of this tire, due in December, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Trek pushing something in this niche soon.

The spec sheet on this tire reads like this- 120TPI casing, Dual compound tire with Aramid folding bead. The kicker? It's a tubeless ready tire using the excellent TLR system. Projected weight is 850 grams per tire.

Commentary: December delivery? Dang! Put this on your Christmas list, and look for Trek to offer a wide, TLR type rim to go along with this at some point. Heck.....look for a complete bike! My intuition tells me a Stache model with these tires would make sense in Trek's line up. Will they do it? I think if the fork for such a beast surfaces, it's a no brainer. I look for a 29+ fork from Rock Shox to be shown at Eurobike soon. But otherwise, this looks a lot like a tubeless ready, siped tread Knard, which ain't a bad thing.  

Jackalope wheel (Courtesy of Trek's Twitter feed)

 In my last update on tires I talked about the Hodag fat bike tire. This is the TLR rim that goes with it. This will be stock on Farley 8 models.

It is a unique looking, aluminum rim with no cut outs and an 80mm width. It has a center ridge which is where the spokes anchor and what looks to be a combination of dual wall extrusion in the center and single wall in the edge sections.

Commentary: 

While this may not end up being all that light, if you pair it up with the Hodag tire and go tubeless, it will likely be very worthwhile to roll this set up. I really like the TLR format and this is truly a systemic approach which should yeild reliable low pressure, cold weather performance.

One has to be wondering if Trek is developing a carbon frame and carbon Jackalope rims to go with that. Trek's commitment to the fat bike range is impressive and with a tire and rim of their own design, it wouldn't take much of a leap of faith to see the day when Trek unleashes a carbon rimmed, carbon framed, super-light fat bike. This wheel points to the future and it looks bright.

Okay, that's a short one for this time. I'll have a few comments on some of the Trek World bikes coming up later on. Stay tuned for that.......

News Season: Part 8- Fat Bikes & US Made Bikes?

Farley complete and Farley frame set.

Apparently folks are all about fat bikes lately. This post, which was about fat bikes from Salsa has been at the top of the heap in the stats here for well over two weeks now. I'll have more about Salsa and other QBP brands in a bit...

Right now let's take a look at Trek's fat bike entry, the Farley. More details have emerged on this bike since the U.S. version of Trek World has kicked off here Monday.

The Farley was a puzzler for me when I got wind of it because it was being shown with Surly tires and rims. Trek has the horsepower to do their own thing, and as we saw with Specialized, they are planning on doing their own rims and tires, so why not Trek?

Note: The following is purely speculation on my part. You've been warned! My thought is that the Trek Farley was rushed to market, maybe a bit sooner than Trek would have liked. Why do I think this? Because it has come to light that Trek is only producing 500 Farley's for 2014. (Presumably, this includes frame sets) Still- that's a lot of Farleys, but Trek probably can not get more tires and rims from Surly right now. (Which may explain the Knards, which are a pretty terrain specific tire, not very conducive to softer conditions.)  Add to that the fact that Trek plans on having their own tires and rims by 2015. Makes one wonder........

Next, the claims on the weight of this bike. Trek is rumored to be saying this bike will weigh 26lbs. Okay, let's think about that. The last aluminum lightweight fat bike was the Salsa Beargrease. It weighed 28+ pounds in a size medium. It was aluminum, stripped of any braze ons save for the bottle cage bosses on the frame, and had a pretty spiffy kit, including some snazzy e13 cranks.

It's hard to imagine that the Farley will out do the Beargrease of 2013 by two pounds, especially considering the fact that the Beargrease and the Farley have essentially the same wheels and tires. But, we'll see. Consider also that the price on the Farley is about what last year's Beargrease was, and I can be colored skeptical on this one. The shop where I work has one coming in. My scales are ready..... UPDATED: A Trek World attendee has confirmed that the Farley will actually be in the 29 pound range as told to him by a Trek product manager. That's what I figured....

Made in the U.S.A?

QBP Brands To Be Made Stateside?

According to a post on Cyclelicious, Quality Bicycle Products may be producing bicycle frames in Minnesota within the next few years. QBP head, Steve Flagg, is quoted in the post from an interview from Minnesota Public Radio and hints that the process to reach a goal of having Stateside frame production is in process. (See more here.)

Those are bold words there. This would be the biggest frame production and bike assembly producer in the U.S. since the days of Trek's steel frame production in the 80' and 90's. Many pundits have been saying that Asian production is getting more expensive and less profitable for U.S. based companies, and at some point the tables would turn for a favorable manufacturing climate here in the U.S. Maybe that time is nigh.