Trailblazered Fargo

They fit well, are an interesting ride, but still not sold on it......

So this idea of fitting the Trailblazer B+ tires to the Fargo Gen 2 bike got started on earlier than I had wanted to, due to the illness and all. I had time I had to fill that otherwise would have been spent riding. Yesterday I was "confined to quarters" by Mrs. Guitar Ted, but I just had to do a short loop as a test since conditions were ripe for finding out what I wanted to know.

What did I want to find out? Well, I'll list out a few things that have been on my mind concerning the concept overall and these Trailblazer tires specifically.

• Float: 29+ has a decent quality for float- well, at least the 29+ Knards do that well. Do the Trailblazers have a similar quality?
• Stability: Would the B+ tires have lateral stability, or would they slide sideways and be hard to control?
• Would this set up be suitable for a long, gravel/backroad event? 
• Is the bottom bracket too low with this wheel system?

Red arrows point to the track of the B+ Trailblazers in the mud.

The advantages of going out now for testing were that there are plenty of saturated muddy places and some slushy snowy tracts to test out how the B+ Trailblazers act on these difficult surfaces. I have noted that 29+ has a tendency to float up on top and also that those wheels would tend to slide sideways a bit, making for a bit more difficult handling.

The Trailblazer has a rather flattish crown to the tread area whereas the Knard is very rounded, almost a "peaked C shaped" crown to the tread. The difference in how they track through mud is noticeable. The Trailblazer sort of "sucks" the center part of whatever soft surface it is covering and tries to pull it up as the tire rotates off the soil or snow. Note the area I have highlighted with the red arrows to the left. If you click on the image, you can get a larger image to see this more clearly.

While the Trailblazer "cut" into the soil maybe more than a Knard does, it also adhered to the slippery surfaces better and did not demonstrate such a tendency to want to lose lateral stability. So, at least in saturated soils or wet snow, you might see a better grip and handling, to a degree, which could make for a better experience.

Stability is better, but float is not quite as nice as 29+ Knards. The last two questions I will have to wait for answers to until I get a lot more riding time on this set up. I have a plan for what this might get used for now as well, but that announcement will be on hold for a bit until I have a few things confirmed.

Trailblazered Fargo

They fit well, are an interesting ride, but still not sold on it......

So this idea of fitting the Trailblazer B+ tires to the Fargo Gen 2 bike got started on earlier than I had wanted to, due to the illness and all. I had time I had to fill that otherwise would have been spent riding. Yesterday I was "confined to quarters" by Mrs. Guitar Ted, but I just had to do a short loop as a test since conditions were ripe for finding out what I wanted to know.

What did I want to find out? Well, I'll list out a few things that have been on my mind concerning the concept overall and these Trailblazer tires specifically.

• Float: 29+ has a decent quality for float- well, at least the 29+ Knards do that well. Do the Trailblazers have a similar quality?
• Stability: Would the B+ tires have lateral stability, or would they slide sideways and be hard to control?
• Would this set up be suitable for a long, gravel/backroad event? 
• Is the bottom bracket too low with this wheel system?

Red arrows point to the track of the B+ Trailblazers in the mud.

The advantages of going out now for testing were that there are plenty of saturated muddy places and some slushy snowy tracts to test out how the B+ Trailblazers act on these difficult surfaces. I have noted that 29+ has a tendency to float up on top and also that those wheels would tend to slide sideways a bit, making for a bit more difficult handling.

The Trailblazer has a rather flattish crown to the tread area whereas the Knard is very rounded, almost a "peaked C shaped" crown to the tread. The difference in how they track through mud is noticeable. The Trailblazer sort of "sucks" the center part of whatever soft surface it is covering and tries to pull it up as the tire rotates off the soil or snow. Note the area I have highlighted with the red arrows to the left. If you click on the image, you can get a larger image to see this more clearly.

While the Trailblazer "cut" into the soil maybe more than a Knard does, it also adhered to the slippery surfaces better and did not demonstrate such a tendency to want to lose lateral stability. So, at least in saturated soils or wet snow, you might see a better grip and handling, to a degree, which could make for a better experience.

Stability is better, but float is not quite as nice as 29+ Knards. The last two questions I will have to wait for answers to until I get a lot more riding time on this set up. I have a plan for what this might get used for now as well, but that announcement will be on hold for a bit until I have a few things confirmed.

Randomonium

Every ride requires a lengthy cleaning session of late.

Well, with having been ill most of 2015 so far, the riding has been on the down low. (Do people still use this term? ) Anyway, since that has been the case, I have a splattering of disjointed stuff to talk about today that may or may not make sense. Let's see......

Mucky-muck: Generally we have maybe two weeks that are really a mess as far as riding goes around here. Those two weeks generally happen in March when the snow is melting and the frost works up out of the ground. Car "leavings"- things like remnants of accidents, hub caps, and bits and pieces off autos can be found since their snowy hiding places melt away, revealing the junk for all to see and run over. This is typical March type fare for city riding around here. Well, that is exactly how it has been now.

The odd January thaw, for real this time. It's been weird, and really messy. My commute to work is across some grassy fields, parkways, and in some gravel parking lots. These areas are where I get mucked up the most, but even the streets are a mess these days. It makes for more maintenance work. I suppose it will freeze up again, since we are not even into February yet, and then we will get to do this all over again in March- when it is supposed to happen.

Image by Jacob Stevenson

With this strange weather we are seeing a lot of spectacular mornings and evenings. It has been fairly consistent for the past couple of weeks. Fiery skies, or pastel concerts of rose, yellow, blue, and purple. It certainly has been fun to catch these early or late atmospheric fireworks.

I've noted some folks on Facebook have picked up on this as well and I have enjoyed your posts immensely. Thanks for taking the time to post those, if you are one of the folks doing so. All across the Mid-West, West, and beyond seem to be experiencing this of late. I don't mind it one bit, but it is something to consider.

Stickered up and ready to represent

Frostbike: 

Hopefully the weather doesn't go upside down for Frostbike, (but it probably will), like it did last year when we drove through a blizzard to get there. This time I will be representing RidingGravel.com and I have gotten my kit in the mail and am all ready to go. Well......I need to line up a place to stay yet. There is that. Time to go shopping for a motel room, eh?

I will be busy doing another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch post. This time we will be talking to Trenton Raygor of the Filthy 50 gravel race. It should be a good time. I would think that the podcast will get posted later in the week. So far, in an amazing turn of events, I have gotten a lot of great feedback from doing these. It kind of reminds me of doing those old cassette tape machine "radio shows" I used to do as a kid. (If you are younger than 40 years old, never mind! You won't get that last statement.) Anyway, I like doing it and it has been fun so far. I hope to expand upon the scope of subject matter in the coming days. I'd like to get into having some racers on for chats, and maybe do something from a remote location. Possibly from an event or two. Look for things in that vein to pop up later in the year.

Oh yeah.....this section was supposed to be about Frostbike. Well, actually I will be doing some test recording there that may show up as audio on the Radio Ranch. Stay tuned.......

Randomonium

Every ride requires a lengthy cleaning session of late.

Well, with having been ill most of 2015 so far, the riding has been on the down low. (Do people still use this term? ) Anyway, since that has been the case, I have a splattering of disjointed stuff to talk about today that may or may not make sense. Let's see......

Mucky-muck: Generally we have maybe two weeks that are really a mess as far as riding goes around here. Those two weeks generally happen in March when the snow is melting and the frost works up out of the ground. Car "leavings"- things like remnants of accidents, hub caps, and bits and pieces off autos can be found since their snowy hiding places melt away, revealing the junk for all to see and run over. This is typical March type fare for city riding around here. Well, that is exactly how it has been now.

The odd January thaw, for real this time. It's been weird, and really messy. My commute to work is across some grassy fields, parkways, and in some gravel parking lots. These areas are where I get mucked up the most, but even the streets are a mess these days. It makes for more maintenance work. I suppose it will freeze up again, since we are not even into February yet, and then we will get to do this all over again in March- when it is supposed to happen.

Image by Jacob Stevenson

With this strange weather we are seeing a lot of spectacular mornings and evenings. It has been fairly consistent for the past couple of weeks. Fiery skies, or pastel concerts of rose, yellow, blue, and purple. It certainly has been fun to catch these early or late atmospheric fireworks.

I've noted some folks on Facebook have picked up on this as well and I have enjoyed your posts immensely. Thanks for taking the time to post those, if you are one of the folks doing so. All across the Mid-West, West, and beyond seem to be experiencing this of late. I don't mind it one bit, but it is something to consider.

Stickered up and ready to represent

Frostbike: 

Hopefully the weather doesn't go upside down for Frostbike, (but it probably will), like it did last year when we drove through a blizzard to get there. This time I will be representing RidingGravel.com and I have gotten my kit in the mail and am all ready to go. Well......I need to line up a place to stay yet. There is that. Time to go shopping for a motel room, eh?

I will be busy doing another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch post. This time we will be talking to Trenton Raygor of the Filthy 50 gravel race. It should be a good time. I would think that the podcast will get posted later in the week. So far, in an amazing turn of events, I have gotten a lot of great feedback from doing these. It kind of reminds me of doing those old cassette tape machine "radio shows" I used to do as a kid. (If you are younger than 40 years old, never mind! You won't get that last statement.) Anyway, I like doing it and it has been fun so far. I hope to expand upon the scope of subject matter in the coming days. I'd like to get into having some racers on for chats, and maybe do something from a remote location. Possibly from an event or two. Look for things in that vein to pop up later in the year.

Oh yeah.....this section was supposed to be about Frostbike. Well, actually I will be doing some test recording there that may show up as audio on the Radio Ranch. Stay tuned.......

#psyck Part 3

Tired of sitting inside all weekend, I decided to break out and enjoy a Sunset. Glad I did!

Noticing a theme for 2015 so far?

Not that I wouldn't like to change that. It's been great outside, (for January), and I could have been piling on some miles. Oh well....... They say things happen for a reason. Perhaps it was a period where I needed to slow down, relax, and take it easy, and as much as I am not liking that, it may be true. Well, there is only so much I can take, so after resting all day Saturday and most of Sunday, I went out for a short jaunt on the Blackborow DS to chase down a Sunset.

I mentioned in my #psyck Part 2 post that the snow would be mostly gone by the weekend, and it was. There were a few stretches of mushy snow left here and there, but for the most part it was either completely gone, packed into ice, or forming big stretches of water. I merrily splooshed through the mud and water, trundling along in the "low range" on the Blackborow, and kept things chill. I didn't need to burn any matches, what with being sick yet, I just wanted some exercise and fresh air. Plus, the slower speeds kept the muck in check.

It always amazes me how little impact fat bikes can have on soft ground. (Note dog print in left foreground)

The Blackborow DS with its Clown Shoe 100mm rims and Lou tires really leaves little impact in comparison to anything else out there, and I know that any other bike than a wide tire type fat bike would have caused a lot of trail damage that day. Not that it matters in the Green Belt, but it is a good observation. I noted that pedestrian and dog traffic was leaving more evidence of passage, and more damage, than I was creating. In fact, all you could see in most places I rode were my tread block marks, as shown above.

You should ride this event.

This past weekend marked another running of the Triple D event in Dubuque. It is a three pronged event- when there is enough snow- and one of those is a fat bike race. I have done it three years in a row and decided to take a year off. Good thing! Seeing as how I have been under the weather for a couple weeks, I wouldn't have been able to ride it anyway.

They had record number of riders attempt the event this year, and by some estimations it was the fastest course conditions ever. Sounds good, right? Well, I admire anyone that tackled the event, but I am not sorry I missed subjecting my self and my equipment to that mudfest. Whoo-wee! The images that I saw of folks coming back in made it look as though they had been in a mud wrestling match with a herd of pigs. The bikes didn't look much better! I'm sure it was "fun" but that aftermath didn't look too great.

Let's hope that the rescheduled Iowa Winter Games fat bike event at George Wyth State Park on the 31st actually has snow. As of now, I doubt there is a whole lot left out there. Of course, you could always go to the Fatbike Frozen Forty in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Being further North, that event may have the best chances of actually being a snow event than anything down this way does this year. I probably won't get up there as it is the 14th of February and right before Frostbike, which I cannot miss. Well, unless I am still sick then! 

Which brings me back to that- If you have your health, don't take it for granted. Get out there, use it, and enjoy it while you can. I can tell you one thing- It ain't no fun sitting on the sidelines due to being ill, mudfest or no!

#psyck Part 3

Tired of sitting inside all weekend, I decided to break out and enjoy a Sunset. Glad I did!

Noticing a theme for 2015 so far?

Not that I wouldn't like to change that. It's been great outside, (for January), and I could have been piling on some miles. Oh well....... They say things happen for a reason. Perhaps it was a period where I needed to slow down, relax, and take it easy, and as much as I am not liking that, it may be true. Well, there is only so much I can take, so after resting all day Saturday and most of Sunday, I went out for a short jaunt on the Blackborow DS to chase down a Sunset.

I mentioned in my #psyck Part 2 post that the snow would be mostly gone by the weekend, and it was. There were a few stretches of mushy snow left here and there, but for the most part it was either completely gone, packed into ice, or forming big stretches of water. I merrily splooshed through the mud and water, trundling along in the "low range" on the Blackborow, and kept things chill. I didn't need to burn any matches, what with being sick yet, I just wanted some exercise and fresh air. Plus, the slower speeds kept the muck in check.

It always amazes me how little impact fat bikes can have on soft ground. (Note dog print in left foreground)

The Blackborow DS with its Clown Shoe 100mm rims and Lou tires really leaves little impact in comparison to anything else out there, and I know that any other bike than a wide tire type fat bike would have caused a lot of trail damage that day. Not that it matters in the Green Belt, but it is a good observation. I noted that pedestrian and dog traffic was leaving more evidence of passage, and more damage, than I was creating. In fact, all you could see in most places I rode were my tread block marks, as shown above.

You should ride this event.

This past weekend marked another running of the Triple D event in Dubuque. It is a three pronged event- when there is enough snow- and one of those is a fat bike race. I have done it three years in a row and decided to take a year off. Good thing! Seeing as how I have been under the weather for a couple weeks, I wouldn't have been able to ride it anyway.

They had record number of riders attempt the event this year, and by some estimations it was the fastest course conditions ever. Sounds good, right? Well, I admire anyone that tackled the event, but I am not sorry I missed subjecting my self and my equipment to that mudfest. Whoo-wee! The images that I saw of folks coming back in made it look as though they had been in a mud wrestling match with a herd of pigs. The bikes didn't look much better! I'm sure it was "fun" but that aftermath didn't look too great.

Let's hope that the rescheduled Iowa Winter Games fat bike event at George Wyth State Park on the 31st actually has snow. As of now, I doubt there is a whole lot left out there. Of course, you could always go to the Fatbike Frozen Forty in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Being further North, that event may have the best chances of actually being a snow event than anything down this way does this year. I probably won't get up there as it is the 14th of February and right before Frostbike, which I cannot miss. Well, unless I am still sick then! 

Which brings me back to that- If you have your health, don't take it for granted. Get out there, use it, and enjoy it while you can. I can tell you one thing- It ain't no fun sitting on the sidelines due to being ill, mudfest or no!

Salsa Cycles Anything Cage HD: An Update

The Anything Cage HD is a new version of Salsa Cycles "rack" for front forks or down tubes that is designed to carry any "roundish" object. The initial review can be found HERE. There you will learn about the cage and my initial two week test period using the cages on my Salsa Cycles Blackborow DS.

I took note of a comment in the initial introduction on Salsa's site that claimed the Anything Cage idea was rubbish for water bottles or hard cylindrical objects. Claiming that one would have issues retaining such objects and removing/replacing those objects in a secure manner, the commenter was pointing to a soft side type alternative. While that is certainly a valid way to go, the claims of poor security and usefulness of the Anything Cage HD for water bottles or hard, cylindrical objects has been disproven in my experience since I have posted my initial review.

For the test I chose various vessels that had varying levels of rigidity. Stainless steel cylinders, hard plastic "insulated" bottles, and traditional water bottles for cycling were all used during this test. I even packed a water bottle in with some soft outer wear into a dry bag, making for a mixed soft/hard load, to test a "roundish" type load for good measure.

Wrapping the Anything Cage straps twice around the bottles worked great.

I'll admit that one of my reservations in using the Anything Cage HD was a possibility of not having the capability to carry water bottles along on the fork blades. For me, that has been a great way to get water off my back and on the bike, making for a less stressed body after a long day in the saddle. I assumed that if I could make the Anything Cage HD work with water bottles, I would lose the ability to grab a bottle on the go from the fork, but at least I could possibly have that amount of water to switch out to a place I could get at it on the run. I assumed an ability to quickly switch out bottles without unnecessarily undoing the straps and re-lacing them again. If that couldn't happen, I would deem the experiment a failure.

Happily I am able to report that one does not have to totally undo the strapping, if you use the technique I employed. This involves wrapping the Salsa Anything Cage strap twice around the cage, the fork blade, and your bottle, if you use a smaller standard sized bicycle water bottle. One of the claims against using straps like the Anything Cage Straps was that they would simply slide on the smoother vessels used for water and not tighten against them to secure them. This is not an issue at all if one knows how to tighten the strap with a quick flick of the wrist. Once the strap gets a bite on the vessel it can be further snugged up if you desire by tugging, as usual, on the end of the strap. A bonus if you have a typical bottle that features the indentation for an old fashioned cage to retain a water bottle is that you can place your upper strap there to gain further assurance that you won't eject the bottle on rough terrain.

It is also important to note that I did use the strapping going only once around the bottles. This did not affect the stability or use of the bottles with the Anything Cage HD, but the resulting extra strapping was annoying and could possibly get into your spokes while riding unless you secure them. Be careful with that!  Going around twice eliminated that possibility, and probably gave me a bit of extra purchase on my loads.

I tried ejecting the bottles by going over some whoop-de-doos like these and anything rough to no avail.

Verdict: While it is true that I cannot access the bottles in the Anything Cage HD on the fork blades while riding, I can easily slightly loosen the straps by flicking the buckle upward. This loosens the straps just enough to get the bottle out. A new bottle, or the one you just removed, can be inserted into the two loops of strapping formed by carrying the previous bottle and then by simply re-tightening the straps, you are good to go. You can even swap out bottles of different diameters fairly quickly and easily.

Security of bottles held in this manner is not a concern at all. I was not able to lose a bottle, even if I left the straps loose enough to remove a bottle by hand. They did move and "jump" up and down a bit though! Still, if I was careful to strap the bottle in tightly, it never came loose. Even after days of riding. I have total faith in the security of carrying water bottles in this manner with the Anything Cage HD, and it is easy to remove and replace bottles at will, as long as you are stopped while doing so.

By the way, that dry bag with a mixed hard/soft load? Not at all an issue to carry either. So, as a wrap up, there is no real disadvantage to using an Anything Cage HD as intended on a fork blade or down tube of a bike equipped with the requisite triple bosses. If you need to haul a roundish load, or hard side cylindrical objects, as long as they fit the cage reasonably well, you should have no problems getting your cargo safely to your destination.

The Anything Cage HD's came from Salsa Cycles at no charge and I will strive to use my honest thoughts and opinions about these products here and in the future.

Salsa Cycles Anything Cage HD: An Update

The Anything Cage HD is a new version of Salsa Cycles "rack" for front forks or down tubes that is designed to carry any "roundish" object. The initial review can be found HERE. There you will learn about the cage and my initial two week test period using the cages on my Salsa Cycles Blackborow DS.

I took note of a comment in the initial introduction on Salsa's site that claimed the Anything Cage idea was rubbish for water bottles or hard cylindrical objects. Claiming that one would have issues retaining such objects and removing/replacing those objects in a secure manner, the commenter was pointing to a soft side type alternative. While that is certainly a valid way to go, the claims of poor security and usefulness of the Anything Cage HD for water bottles or hard, cylindrical objects has been disproven in my experience since I have posted my initial review.

For the test I chose various vessels that had varying levels of rigidity. Stainless steel cylinders, hard plastic "insulated" bottles, and traditional water bottles for cycling were all used during this test. I even packed a water bottle in with some soft outer wear into a dry bag, making for a mixed soft/hard load, to test a "roundish" type load for good measure.

Wrapping the Anything Cage straps twice around the bottles worked great.

I'll admit that one of my reservations in using the Anything Cage HD was a possibility of not having the capability to carry water bottles along on the fork blades. For me, that has been a great way to get water off my back and on the bike, making for a less stressed body after a long day in the saddle. I assumed that if I could make the Anything Cage HD work with water bottles, I would lose the ability to grab a bottle on the go from the fork, but at least I could possibly have that amount of water to switch out to a place I could get at it on the run. I assumed an ability to quickly switch out bottles without unnecessarily undoing the straps and re-lacing them again. If that couldn't happen, I would deem the experiment a failure.

Happily I am able to report that one does not have to totally undo the strapping, if you use the technique I employed. This involves wrapping the Salsa Anything Cage strap twice around the cage, the fork blade, and your bottle, if you use a smaller standard sized bicycle water bottle. One of the claims against using straps like the Anything Cage Straps was that they would simply slide on the smoother vessels used for water and not tighten against them to secure them. This is not an issue at all if one knows how to tighten the strap with a quick flick of the wrist. Once the strap gets a bite on the vessel it can be further snugged up if you desire by tugging, as usual, on the end of the strap. A bonus if you have a typical bottle that features the indentation for an old fashioned cage to retain a water bottle is that you can place your upper strap there to gain further assurance that you won't eject the bottle on rough terrain.

It is also important to note that I did use the strapping going only once around the bottles. This did not affect the stability or use of the bottles with the Anything Cage HD, but the resulting extra strapping was annoying and could possibly get into your spokes while riding unless you secure them. Be careful with that!  Going around twice eliminated that possibility, and probably gave me a bit of extra purchase on my loads.

I tried ejecting the bottles by going over some whoop-de-doos like these and anything rough to no avail.

Verdict: While it is true that I cannot access the bottles in the Anything Cage HD on the fork blades while riding, I can easily slightly loosen the straps by flicking the buckle upward. This loosens the straps just enough to get the bottle out. A new bottle, or the one you just removed, can be inserted into the two loops of strapping formed by carrying the previous bottle and then by simply re-tightening the straps, you are good to go. You can even swap out bottles of different diameters fairly quickly and easily.

Security of bottles held in this manner is not a concern at all. I was not able to lose a bottle, even if I left the straps loose enough to remove a bottle by hand. They did move and "jump" up and down a bit though! Still, if I was careful to strap the bottle in tightly, it never came loose. Even after days of riding. I have total faith in the security of carrying water bottles in this manner with the Anything Cage HD, and it is easy to remove and replace bottles at will, as long as you are stopped while doing so.

By the way, that dry bag with a mixed hard/soft load? Not at all an issue to carry either. So, as a wrap up, there is no real disadvantage to using an Anything Cage HD as intended on a fork blade or down tube of a bike equipped with the requisite triple bosses. If you need to haul a roundish load, or hard side cylindrical objects, as long as they fit the cage reasonably well, you should have no problems getting your cargo safely to your destination.

The Anything Cage HD's came from Salsa Cycles at no charge and I will strive to use my honest thoughts and opinions about these products here and in the future.

Trans Iowa V11: A Look At The Rules Part 17

 Last year I did a historical overview of each Trans Iowa up to T.I.V9. This year I am going to revisit something that I feel many folks have overlooked for a long time; The "Race Rules".

Last week I posted about the self-suported factor and having a "pit crew of one" HERE.  This week I will discuss the use of cell phones for Trans Iowa. Let's look at the rule......


19: A cell phone is highly recommended. Make sure you know how to use it.

Okay, back in 2005 there were still a fair amount of "cell phone hold-outs". Smart phones weren't a big deal, the iPhone was still two years away, and if you had a nice cell phone, it probably was one of those smaller, "flip phones", like the Motorola Razor. They didn't do much beyond allowing you to talk and to listen to music files.

The intention for this rule then was to make sure that a rider could "call in the cavalry" if that should become necessary. Allowing for the prehistoric functionality of those earlier cell phones, and the spotty coverage, we were being rather optimistic here. Essentially, most early T.I. riders were likely really out there on their own back in those days.

That's me on the right calling in a Trans Iowa Radio post during T.I.V6

Slowly cell phones became more useful, and with Trans Iowa V5, I realized that maybe cell phones were becoming a big issue in a few ways. My first inkling was when one of our volunteers showed me his GPS function and maps- right on his phone. So, riders potentially could pinpoint right where they were at, and maybe use that to cheat? I didn't know for sure, but thoughts of riders getting cached supplies and meeting support in the hinterlands suddenly became very real possibilities.

The next thing that I figured out post-T.I.V5 was that some riders were being "coached", encouraged, and cajoled via relatives or friends during cell phone conversations. Suddenly, cell phones went from being a hoped for safety net to an outright way to cheat at Trans Iowa. I sweat over this for a bit, posted admonitions, and eventually had to let it go to a degree, since if someone really wanted to cheat in this manner, they are only cheating themselves. I think a bit of this has gone away since we started having Mountain Bike Radio host the Trans Iowa Radio call ins from riders. A very positive step in cell phone usage!

Next Week: Help A Brotha Out.

Trans Iowa V11: A Look At The Rules Part 17

 Last year I did a historical overview of each Trans Iowa up to T.I.V9. This year I am going to revisit something that I feel many folks have overlooked for a long time; The "Race Rules".

Last week I posted about the self-suported factor and having a "pit crew of one" HERE.  This week I will discuss the use of cell phones for Trans Iowa. Let's look at the rule......


19: A cell phone is highly recommended. Make sure you know how to use it.

Okay, back in 2005 there were still a fair amount of "cell phone hold-outs". Smart phones weren't a big deal, the iPhone was still two years away, and if you had a nice cell phone, it probably was one of those smaller, "flip phones", like the Motorola Razor. They didn't do much beyond allowing you to talk and to listen to music files.

The intention for this rule then was to make sure that a rider could "call in the cavalry" if that should become necessary. Allowing for the prehistoric functionality of those earlier cell phones, and the spotty coverage, we were being rather optimistic here. Essentially, most early T.I. riders were likely really out there on their own back in those days.

That's me on the right calling in a Trans Iowa Radio post during T.I.V6

Slowly cell phones became more useful, and with Trans Iowa V5, I realized that maybe cell phones were becoming a big issue in a few ways. My first inkling was when one of our volunteers showed me his GPS function and maps- right on his phone. So, riders potentially could pinpoint right where they were at, and maybe use that to cheat? I didn't know for sure, but thoughts of riders getting cached supplies and meeting support in the hinterlands suddenly became very real possibilities.

The next thing that I figured out post-T.I.V5 was that some riders were being "coached", encouraged, and cajoled via relatives or friends during cell phone conversations. Suddenly, cell phones went from being a hoped for safety net to an outright way to cheat at Trans Iowa. I sweat over this for a bit, posted admonitions, and eventually had to let it go to a degree, since if someone really wanted to cheat in this manner, they are only cheating themselves. I think a bit of this has gone away since we started having Mountain Bike Radio host the Trans Iowa Radio call ins from riders. A very positive step in cell phone usage!

Next Week: Help A Brotha Out.

News And Views: The Day Late Edition!

Ready for hunting season?

Niner Doesn't Do A Fat Bike:

Several days previous to Thursday of this past week, Niner Bikes was teasing a "new model" bike to be revealed the 16th. Rumors were running rampant that they would introduce a fat bike, or maybe a B+/Mid-Fat bike. Thankfully, and wisely- they did neither of those things.

Now I can hear you out there, (well......not really, but it is a figure of speech!), saying something like "why in the world would you think that they shouldn't do a fat bike?" That's easy........because everyone is doing a fat bike. Honestly- there are so many fat bikes now I cannot imagine the marketplace has moved to seeing them as mountain bikes enough to support more entries into the market now. Later? Maybe. Things like the Bucksaw, King Kahn, and Foes new full suspension fatty might start a change there, but it will take a while.

Anywho....Niner basically evolved the three models they waved their wand over, and in a world where most companies are pushing the next big thing, it is refreshing to see a company not only refine, but push mid to entry level bikes in their line ups to new levels.

Carbon rim, knobbly tire, and tubelessness = awesome.

Fat Bike Tubeless:

I recently had the opportunity to build a set of fat bike carbon fiber rim wheels and set the tires up tubeless. Here's my take on the system- the Whiskey #9 rim, and the 45NRTH Vanhelga tires, which are rated tubeless ready.

Whiskey #9 rim: Now this isn't my first rodeo with carbon rims. I've built a few sets dating way back to 2003. I know what carbon rims feel like when built, and I have to say that the Whiskey #9 rims acted more like their metallic brethren than not. They were out of round by a tic, untrue by a tic, and one was slightly less in diameter than the other. All things not uncommon at all with run of the mill aluminum rims, but definitely not what I expected from rims that cost this much and made from carbon fiber. Does it really matter? Well, you should expect better tolerances at these prices, but really, as long as I was able to true it all up- no. It doesn't really matter. It just is. 

As for the tubeless nature of these rims, well they worked perfectly with the Vanhelgas. More on that in a bit....

Vanhelga Tires: Okay, first off, the tread pattern is aggressive, the tread blocks are soft, but they don't just fold over, and the bead talon looked really good from the aspect of being tubeless ready. I didn't weigh these, but they felt reasonably light. Now for mounting. Oh my God! The fit the first time was super tight. My hands ached for two days after mounting these with tubes to set the tape on the inside of the rim well. Oh.......and the rim tape flat out sucks. If you buy Whiskey #9 rims, you will get a roll of this worthless blue tape. Tell your wheel tech, or if you build yourself, be advised, not to use the stuff. I got it to work, but Stan's would be waaaaay better. Why? Because the Whiskey tape is stiff, non-compliant, and wrinkles if you look at it sideways. Trust me, it is one of the worst tubeless tapes I have ever been exposed to. Okay.....now on to the good stuff!

The tires set up with a simple floor pump. I used Dawn dish soap in a straight from the bottle application to the beads to allow them to pop into place easily. I got the beads to set up at 20psi this way. There was zero leakage from the beads or valve stem (Which is the excellent Bontrager valve stem, by the way). I used 6oz of Stan's in each tire and after a couple wrinkles in the tape were sealed up, I had no leakage after 48 hours. Good to go.

The Vanhelgas on the 70mm wide Whiskey rims were about 5mm wider than the 45NRTH Dillingers on Marge Lites and waaay lighter. A worthy upgrade here. These are not my wheels nor is it my bike, but if I get further feedback, I'll pass it along.

Bottom Line: Expensive, but effective tubeless system for fat bikes with a few "wrinkles" that need ironing out.

Snow tested.

Blackborow DS Update Coming Soon:

I have had the Blackborow DS in the snow a couple of times since I got it, but I want to see if we get some truly deep, thick snow cover before I give my final assessment on this new model from Salsa Cycles.

So far, I have seen the bike do things that I was hoping for. It is more stable due to great geometry and wider, grippier tires and wide rims. Those Lou tires have a really good roll on hard pack or pavement, but those paddles really give me greater traction than I've ever experienced on a fat bike before. The "DS" part has been rust free and has given me no worries so far. This is especially good seeing as how I have dealt with wet, "car snow" of late, which is usually the worst thing for bicycle drive trains around here.

Finally, I have taken note of a couple of negative comments left on the Salsa Anything Cage HD review I did and I have tested for those comments. A review update is coming which I think you might find very interesting from the stand point of how the straps work with non-round and smaller water bottle type loads.

Okay- that's a wrap. Have a great weekend and ride yer bikes!

News And Views: The Day Late Edition!

Ready for hunting season?

Niner Doesn't Do A Fat Bike:

Several days previous to Thursday of this past week, Niner Bikes was teasing a "new model" bike to be revealed the 16th. Rumors were running rampant that they would introduce a fat bike, or maybe a B+/Mid-Fat bike. Thankfully, and wisely- they did neither of those things.

Now I can hear you out there, (well......not really, but it is a figure of speech!), saying something like "why in the world would you think that they shouldn't do a fat bike?" That's easy........because everyone is doing a fat bike. Honestly- there are so many fat bikes now I cannot imagine the marketplace has moved to seeing them as mountain bikes enough to support more entries into the market now. Later? Maybe. Things like the Bucksaw, King Kahn, and Foes new full suspension fatty might start a change there, but it will take a while.

Anywho....Niner basically evolved the three models they waved their wand over, and in a world where most companies are pushing the next big thing, it is refreshing to see a company not only refine, but push mid to entry level bikes in their line ups to new levels.

Carbon rim, knobbly tire, and tubelessness = awesome.

Fat Bike Tubeless:

I recently had the opportunity to build a set of fat bike carbon fiber rim wheels and set the tires up tubeless. Here's my take on the system- the Whiskey #9 rim, and the 45NRTH Vanhelga tires, which are rated tubeless ready.

Whiskey #9 rim: Now this isn't my first rodeo with carbon rims. I've built a few sets dating way back to 2003. I know what carbon rims feel like when built, and I have to say that the Whiskey #9 rims acted more like their metallic brethren than not. They were out of round by a tic, untrue by a tic, and one was slightly less in diameter than the other. All things not uncommon at all with run of the mill aluminum rims, but definitely not what I expected from rims that cost this much and made from carbon fiber. Does it really matter? Well, you should expect better tolerances at these prices, but really, as long as I was able to true it all up- no. It doesn't really matter. It just is. 

As for the tubeless nature of these rims, well they worked perfectly with the Vanhelgas. More on that in a bit....

Vanhelga Tires: Okay, first off, the tread pattern is aggressive, the tread blocks are soft, but they don't just fold over, and the bead talon looked really good from the aspect of being tubeless ready. I didn't weigh these, but they felt reasonably light. Now for mounting. Oh my God! The fit the first time was super tight. My hands ached for two days after mounting these with tubes to set the tape on the inside of the rim well. Oh.......and the rim tape flat out sucks. If you buy Whiskey #9 rims, you will get a roll of this worthless blue tape. Tell your wheel tech, or if you build yourself, be advised, not to use the stuff. I got it to work, but Stan's would be waaaaay better. Why? Because the Whiskey tape is stiff, non-compliant, and wrinkles if you look at it sideways. Trust me, it is one of the worst tubeless tapes I have ever been exposed to. Okay.....now on to the good stuff!

The tires set up with a simple floor pump. I used Dawn dish soap in a straight from the bottle application to the beads to allow them to pop into place easily. I got the beads to set up at 20psi this way. There was zero leakage from the beads or valve stem (Which is the excellent Bontrager valve stem, by the way). I used 6oz of Stan's in each tire and after a couple wrinkles in the tape were sealed up, I had no leakage after 48 hours. Good to go.

The Vanhelgas on the 70mm wide Whiskey rims were about 5mm wider than the 45NRTH Dillingers on Marge Lites and waaay lighter. A worthy upgrade here. These are not my wheels nor is it my bike, but if I get further feedback, I'll pass it along.

Bottom Line: Expensive, but effective tubeless system for fat bikes with a few "wrinkles" that need ironing out.

Snow tested.

Blackborow DS Update Coming Soon:

I have had the Blackborow DS in the snow a couple of times since I got it, but I want to see if we get some truly deep, thick snow cover before I give my final assessment on this new model from Salsa Cycles.

So far, I have seen the bike do things that I was hoping for. It is more stable due to great geometry and wider, grippier tires and wide rims. Those Lou tires have a really good roll on hard pack or pavement, but those paddles really give me greater traction than I've ever experienced on a fat bike before. The "DS" part has been rust free and has given me no worries so far. This is especially good seeing as how I have dealt with wet, "car snow" of late, which is usually the worst thing for bicycle drive trains around here.

Finally, I have taken note of a couple of negative comments left on the Salsa Anything Cage HD review I did and I have tested for those comments. A review update is coming which I think you might find very interesting from the stand point of how the straps work with non-round and smaller water bottle type loads.

Okay- that's a wrap. Have a great weekend and ride yer bikes!

#psyck Part 2

Ahh......so where are all the fat bike tracks?!!

Having been put out of commission for about two weeks and getting very little in the way of "fun riding" in, I have been getting a bit grumpy of late. Fortunately for those around me, I was (mostly) able to keep "Mr. Grumpypants" in check. There were a few unfiltered outbursts, but that seems to be in the past now. In fact, I can say that this flu- or whatever it is- has finally been starting to come out of me.

It has been getting good enough that I decided to risk riding to work on Wednesday and back. I'll tell ya what- that was an eye opener! My fitness has flown South with the birds in search of warmer, and healthier, weather. My heart rate was so intense going up the hill by the water tower that I allowed myself a five minute cool down period. That was going to work. Coming home I took it easy and yesterday I felt fine waking up, so at least I wasn't going backward on my health gains. Another commute to work, and this time I didn't have to take a break going.

Now after work, I was going to take "the long way home", but how long was the question. I didn't want to over do it, but I also wanted to explore what I had been missing the past week and a half or so with regard to snow opportunities on the fat bike. I figured I would find a nicely tracked in trail. As I got down on Hackett going underneath the Trolley Car Trail overpass, I saw a familiar figure with some XC skis and his wife in tow. He said something about my fat bike and said that he had seen "your tracks all over". Well......they weren't my tracks! But that bode well for finding tracked in trail. Only it didn't.

In all my meandering, I found one set of fat bike tracks and lots of ped traffic and dog paw marks. Oh well! I made some tracks, but seeing as how the temperature was 35°F yesterday, and will be that for today and tomorrow, the snow is going to take a big hit. At least I got to get in one decent ride on snow. Who knows what February will bring, but January looks to close out with little to no snow as the forecast looks a bit too warm with no precip coming, at least that's the outlook now. Hopefully my outlook is for better health in the coming days!

#psyck Part 2

Ahh......so where are all the fat bike tracks?!!

Having been put out of commission for about two weeks and getting very little in the way of "fun riding" in, I have been getting a bit grumpy of late. Fortunately for those around me, I was (mostly) able to keep "Mr. Grumpypants" in check. There were a few unfiltered outbursts, but that seems to be in the past now. In fact, I can say that this flu- or whatever it is- has finally been starting to come out of me.

It has been getting good enough that I decided to risk riding to work on Wednesday and back. I'll tell ya what- that was an eye opener! My fitness has flown South with the birds in search of warmer, and healthier, weather. My heart rate was so intense going up the hill by the water tower that I allowed myself a five minute cool down period. That was going to work. Coming home I took it easy and yesterday I felt fine waking up, so at least I wasn't going backward on my health gains. Another commute to work, and this time I didn't have to take a break going.

Now after work, I was going to take "the long way home", but how long was the question. I didn't want to over do it, but I also wanted to explore what I had been missing the past week and a half or so with regard to snow opportunities on the fat bike. I figured I would find a nicely tracked in trail. As I got down on Hackett going underneath the Trolley Car Trail overpass, I saw a familiar figure with some XC skis and his wife in tow. He said something about my fat bike and said that he had seen "your tracks all over". Well......they weren't my tracks! But that bode well for finding tracked in trail. Only it didn't.

In all my meandering, I found one set of fat bike tracks and lots of ped traffic and dog paw marks. Oh well! I made some tracks, but seeing as how the temperature was 35°F yesterday, and will be that for today and tomorrow, the snow is going to take a big hit. At least I got to get in one decent ride on snow. Who knows what February will bring, but January looks to close out with little to no snow as the forecast looks a bit too warm with no precip coming, at least that's the outlook now. Hopefully my outlook is for better health in the coming days!

Thinking About The "Rat Bike"

 A Raleigh Willard One at the shop where I work

Okay, if you've been poking around here for a while you already know what I think a "gravel bike" should be like. Not that you should have one like it, but it's been my ideal, if you will, cogitated over many, many miles of gravel and experiences over the years. That said, my ramblings struck a nerve with some folks and in another stunning turn of events, Raleigh actually took some of my ideas and turned them into the Tamland. Then they went and switched the frame and fork materials, spec'ed the bike differently to some degree, and called it the Willard.

Now, when I found out about the aluminum framed, carbon fiber forked Willard, two thoughts immediately jumped into my head- One was that my high school sweetheart's Dad was named Willard. The other was the movie by the same name. If you are familiar with that movie, you know it is a horror flick about killer rats. In my mind, (admittedly, a twisted mass of neurons), the Raleigh Willard is "The Rat Bike". Well, that's my own issue, and not what I was wanting to get into here, so......

The Ra.....er.....Willard Two!

Al-yoo-min-yum. The material chosen to construct the two models of the Willard from, is an interesting choice here. Sure.....lots of lesser expensive road bikes share this material, but they are not going on the "paint shaker-like" surfaces we ride on out here, in general. That alloy stuff has a reputation, ya know, and it may not be true, but many feel that aluminum is a rough riding frame material. I don't think that it necessarily has to be that way, but if you've ever noticed, many companies are not flouting a "compliant aluminum alloy frame" in their marketing materials. I suppose that's got more to do with that aforementioned "reputation" that aluminum has than anything else. That said, I'd like to put my suspicions to rest and see if this, or some other aluminum frame might actually be a nice riding frame set. 

I know- lots of you out there are thinking this is a stupid thing. No way an aluminum frame rides nicely in the same or similar manner as a steel or carbon frame can, right? Well, I am thinking it is a possibility, and maybe, just maybe, this here  Raleigh number can do it. If not the Willard, why couldn't it be another aluminum frame? I mean, look how much an air frame flexes, fer cryin' out loud. I would think someone could figure out how to make a bicycle frame in aluminum do that. Oh wait.......they already did. Vitus anyone?

Anyway, just some crazy thinking around these parts for today. Nuthin' unusual!

Bonus: Here's a cool video I received from a French manufacturer that is pushing the gravel scene in France

Thinking About The "Rat Bike"

 A Raleigh Willard One at the shop where I work

Okay, if you've been poking around here for a while you already know what I think a "gravel bike" should be like. Not that you should have one like it, but it's been my ideal, if you will, cogitated over many, many miles of gravel and experiences over the years. That said, my ramblings struck a nerve with some folks and in another stunning turn of events, Raleigh actually took some of my ideas and turned them into the Tamland. Then they went and switched the frame and fork materials, spec'ed the bike differently to some degree, and called it the Willard.

Now, when I found out about the aluminum framed, carbon fiber forked Willard, two thoughts immediately jumped into my head- One was that my high school sweetheart's Dad was named Willard. The other was the movie by the same name. If you are familiar with that movie, you know it is a horror flick about killer rats. In my mind, (admittedly, a twisted mass of neurons), the Raleigh Willard is "The Rat Bike". Well, that's my own issue, and not what I was wanting to get into here, so......

The Ra.....er.....Willard Two!

Al-yoo-min-yum. The material chosen to construct the two models of the Willard from, is an interesting choice here. Sure.....lots of lesser expensive road bikes share this material, but they are not going on the "paint shaker-like" surfaces we ride on out here, in general. That alloy stuff has a reputation, ya know, and it may not be true, but many feel that aluminum is a rough riding frame material. I don't think that it necessarily has to be that way, but if you've ever noticed, many companies are not flouting a "compliant aluminum alloy frame" in their marketing materials. I suppose that's got more to do with that aforementioned "reputation" that aluminum has than anything else. That said, I'd like to put my suspicions to rest and see if this, or some other aluminum frame might actually be a nice riding frame set. 

I know- lots of you out there are thinking this is a stupid thing. No way an aluminum frame rides nicely in the same or similar manner as a steel or carbon frame can, right? Well, I am thinking it is a possibility, and maybe, just maybe, this here  Raleigh number can do it. If not the Willard, why couldn't it be another aluminum frame? I mean, look how much an air frame flexes, fer cryin' out loud. I would think someone could figure out how to make a bicycle frame in aluminum do that. Oh wait.......they already did. Vitus anyone?

Anyway, just some crazy thinking around these parts for today. Nuthin' unusual!

Bonus: Here's a cool video I received from a French manufacturer that is pushing the gravel scene in France

Pivot LES Fat: One Bike To Rule Them All?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pivot LES Fat: One Bike To Rule Them All?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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