Trans Iowa V8 Recon Report

Okay, I made some big progress on the recon of the T.I.V8 course today. It was an all day, 300 plus mile slog behind the wheel of The Truck With No Name, but now I have only about 20-25 miles left to look at, and that's all going back to Grinnell. Very, very stoked about all the good roads and the route overall. (Remember: Clicky make biggy for better photo viewing experiences!)

On the road before the crack of dawn

The day was actually started on Friday evening as I laid out all my things and went over my goals for the Saturday drive. Maps were looked at, supplies were laid up, and I went to bed fairly early to get a good nights sleep before the long drive.

I got up while it was still dark, went and fueled up the truck, checked the tires, and hit the road. My plan was to be at the place I had left off at the southern end of the route by 10:30am. Yes.....it is a long, long way away from where I live!

I made great time, getting in place to start a full one half of an hour early. The day started out overcast, but by the time I got into position, it was brilliant sunshine and wispy clouds. What a perfect day! I even saw four Bald Eagles before noon all in different places. Cool!

The southern end of the course is all twisty-turny roads. Hilly, but ya'all would expect that, no? Well, it is, and driving here was a bit of  a challenge. Route finding was already done for this beginning section of the days recon, but with all the "Y" corners and confusing intersections, I had to be careful to document everything very specifically.

Densely wooded areas

 One unusual feature of the course down here is the woods. More wooded areas than farm fields, actually. It is really a different look to Trans Iowa than what we usually have with all the open countryside and empty, (during late April), fields.

The gravel was white, dusty, and otherwise in good shape down here. In fact, I would surmise that this part of Iowa has seen little to no precip for some time. Streams were low, and with no snow cover for the foreseeable future, I would submit that it would take a soaking of epic proportions this spring to turn this parched land to muck. But then again, never under-estimate the weather of Iowa!

I suppose I just jinxed T.I.V8 and we'll be subjected to torrential T.I.V6-like rain and mud mixed in with epic thunder and lightning. (By the way- why do we say thunder and lightning"? Shouldn't that be "lightning and thunder"?)

One lane bridge

 One thing I will probably have to stress over the coming months is that you T.I.V8 folks will be needing to be especially careful this year. Usually with the sort of speedy down hills we have, you have clear sight lines and you can see how you are going to run out long before you actually get to that point. Not so much this year. Clearly, (or not, as the case may be), you should use extreme caution when trying to descend these steep grades when you can not see where the gravel is deep, where the ruts and pot holes are, or what might be hiding just beyond your sight line in the way of cars, tractors, or trucks.

Now, think about doing this at night. Yeah........it gets real sketchy! Better make sure you don't outrun your lights capabilities to show you what is coming up. Trust me- some of these hills will have you topping out at 35-40mph if you decide to eschew your brake lever. Really.

Of course, you can  ignore all my rantings, like a couple of other guys have that stacked it up and put themselves out of Trans Iowas. Don't say I didn't tell ya so!

Old, old, old bridge. (Did I say it was old?)

Overall, I am pretty pleased, despite the danger level, of all the roads, with the exception of two places.

One is along a river valley where I could see that high water had washed out the roads previously. That isn't a good sign, and if rains come in earnest, I may have an issue to deal with out there. I will be planning a "B Route' to re-route by, just in case.

The other sketchy section may be this old bridge. Planks were loose and rattling as I drove across it. It isn't on a "dead road" though, so I am hopeful that due to the amount of folks living out here the county keeps from shutting this down. If they do, I have a re-route at the ready, but........it includes a B Road! So, I'd rather have this bridge than not, but either way, I can make the route work.

And take a look at those planks folks. Those are skinny tire sucking machines there. Get your head on straight before you cross this one. Oh yeah.....most of you will likely be seeing this at night too!

About 50 miles from the finish....

So other than those two sections, I really am thinking this course is bomber. I did have to slide in an over two mile section of paved road to get across a certain geographical feature, but the five miles that come after it are so crazy good, it is worth it, I think. (In fact, I have gotten lost in this section twice now! Don't worry- you won't, since I have the directions down right now.)

B Roads will be scarce this year. There are maybe only three to four miles, and none in the last 150 miles, (unless I am forced to re-route, as noted above.) Why? Have I gone all soft on ye Trans Iowa competitors? No.....no, trust me.....you will understand after you have completed the course, if you complete the course. I think from a physical standpoint, this is probably one of the hardest courses I have come up with. Hills abound. Technically speaking, this course demands more from you in terms of the difficult corners and descents. (As outlined above.)  Depending on the weather, this could become an undo-able feat, since the course meanders in every conceivable direction, guaranteeing a head wind off and on all the way around. If it rains, even without B roads, this could become just about impossible to finish.

So, the bottom line was that I thought I didn't really need to throw anymore B Roads into this one. It just doesn't call out for them. Of course, the ones that are in it are at the beginning, so those Rookies will get their proper T.I. rite of passage ritual in.

Windmills!

Numbers: I have not gotten the very end of the route reconned as of yet. I have maybe 25-30 miles maximum to add in yet. I am shooting for 320-ish miles complete. There will be a Checkpoint at Mile 52, and another checkpoint in a rural location that has yet to be determined. Probably at around 170 miles or so, just like last year, I am thinking. That worked out well from a logistical standpoint.

The first checkpoint will get graced with an extra 15 minutes than last year to get there, and I think the cut off for Checkpoint #2 will be similar to last year. The bulk of the really gnarly, tough stuff will come post checkpoint #2 and that coupled with the navigational challenges made me not want to use B Roads throughout the last half of the course. So, if you get to Checkpoint #2, you'll be done with B Roads for the remainder of the event, but like I say, it doesn't mean it'll be easier without them.

Now I will plan out the very end of the event's course, and try and recon that soon. In the meantime, I will start writing drafts for cue sheets which will be handed out to two independent course checkers that I will accompany on two separate occasions to double and triple check every cue. (In fact, some of the course will probably be driven by a third independent source that will give me further feedback. This should insure accurate turns and mileages for all in the event. That doesn't mean that you won't get lost though. In fact, I suspect several folks still will get messed up. It always happens in these long events. It just won't be my fault for having bad cues. 

Okay, there will be more course updates, but that should tide ya over for awhile. feel free to ask questions in the comment section...

Trans Iowa V8 Recon Report

Okay, I made some big progress on the recon of the T.I.V8 course today. It was an all day, 300 plus mile slog behind the wheel of The Truck With No Name, but now I have only about 20-25 miles left to look at, and that's all going back to Grinnell. Very, very stoked about all the good roads and the route overall. (Remember: Clicky make biggy for better photo viewing experiences!)

On the road before the crack of dawn

The day was actually started on Friday evening as I laid out all my things and went over my goals for the Saturday drive. Maps were looked at, supplies were laid up, and I went to bed fairly early to get a good nights sleep before the long drive.

I got up while it was still dark, went and fueled up the truck, checked the tires, and hit the road. My plan was to be at the place I had left off at the southern end of the route by 10:30am. Yes.....it is a long, long way away from where I live!

I made great time, getting in place to start a full one half of an hour early. The day started out overcast, but by the time I got into position, it was brilliant sunshine and wispy clouds. What a perfect day! I even saw four Bald Eagles before noon all in different places. Cool!

The southern end of the course is all twisty-turny roads. Hilly, but ya'all would expect that, no? Well, it is, and driving here was a bit of  a challenge. Route finding was already done for this beginning section of the days recon, but with all the "Y" corners and confusing intersections, I had to be careful to document everything very specifically.

Densely wooded areas

 One unusual feature of the course down here is the woods. More wooded areas than farm fields, actually. It is really a different look to Trans Iowa than what we usually have with all the open countryside and empty, (during late April), fields.

The gravel was white, dusty, and otherwise in good shape down here. In fact, I would surmise that this part of Iowa has seen little to no precip for some time. Streams were low, and with no snow cover for the foreseeable future, I would submit that it would take a soaking of epic proportions this spring to turn this parched land to muck. But then again, never under-estimate the weather of Iowa!

I suppose I just jinxed T.I.V8 and we'll be subjected to torrential T.I.V6-like rain and mud mixed in with epic thunder and lightning. (By the way- why do we say thunder and lightning"? Shouldn't that be "lightning and thunder"?)

One lane bridge

 One thing I will probably have to stress over the coming months is that you T.I.V8 folks will be needing to be especially careful this year. Usually with the sort of speedy down hills we have, you have clear sight lines and you can see how you are going to run out long before you actually get to that point. Not so much this year. Clearly, (or not, as the case may be), you should use extreme caution when trying to descend these steep grades when you can not see where the gravel is deep, where the ruts and pot holes are, or what might be hiding just beyond your sight line in the way of cars, tractors, or trucks.

Now, think about doing this at night. Yeah........it gets real sketchy! Better make sure you don't outrun your lights capabilities to show you what is coming up. Trust me- some of these hills will have you topping out at 35-40mph if you decide to eschew your brake lever. Really.

Of course, you can  ignore all my rantings, like a couple of other guys have that stacked it up and put themselves out of Trans Iowas. Don't say I didn't tell ya so!

Old, old, old bridge. (Did I say it was old?)

Overall, I am pretty pleased, despite the danger level, of all the roads, with the exception of two places.

One is along a river valley where I could see that high water had washed out the roads previously. That isn't a good sign, and if rains come in earnest, I may have an issue to deal with out there. I will be planning a "B Route' to re-route by, just in case.

The other sketchy section may be this old bridge. Planks were loose and rattling as I drove across it. It isn't on a "dead road" though, so I am hopeful that due to the amount of folks living out here the county keeps from shutting this down. If they do, I have a re-route at the ready, but........it includes a B Road! So, I'd rather have this bridge than not, but either way, I can make the route work.

And take a look at those planks folks. Those are skinny tire sucking machines there. Get your head on straight before you cross this one. Oh yeah.....most of you will likely be seeing this at night too!

About 50 miles from the finish....

So other than those two sections, I really am thinking this course is bomber. I did have to slide in an over two mile section of paved road to get across a certain geographical feature, but the five miles that come after it are so crazy good, it is worth it, I think. (In fact, I have gotten lost in this section twice now! Don't worry- you won't, since I have the directions down right now.)

B Roads will be scarce this year. There are maybe only three to four miles, and none in the last 150 miles, (unless I am forced to re-route, as noted above.) Why? Have I gone all soft on ye Trans Iowa competitors? No.....no, trust me.....you will understand after you have completed the course, if you complete the course. I think from a physical standpoint, this is probably one of the hardest courses I have come up with. Hills abound. Technically speaking, this course demands more from you in terms of the difficult corners and descents. (As outlined above.)  Depending on the weather, this could become an undo-able feat, since the course meanders in every conceivable direction, guaranteeing a head wind off and on all the way around. If it rains, even without B roads, this could become just about impossible to finish.

So, the bottom line was that I thought I didn't really need to throw anymore B Roads into this one. It just doesn't call out for them. Of course, the ones that are in it are at the beginning, so those Rookies will get their proper T.I. rite of passage ritual in.

Windmills!

Numbers: I have not gotten the very end of the route reconned as of yet. I have maybe 25-30 miles maximum to add in yet. I am shooting for 320-ish miles complete. There will be a Checkpoint at Mile 52, and another checkpoint in a rural location that has yet to be determined. Probably at around 170 miles or so, just like last year, I am thinking. That worked out well from a logistical standpoint.

The first checkpoint will get graced with an extra 15 minutes than last year to get there, and I think the cut off for Checkpoint #2 will be similar to last year. The bulk of the really gnarly, tough stuff will come post checkpoint #2 and that coupled with the navigational challenges made me not want to use B Roads throughout the last half of the course. So, if you get to Checkpoint #2, you'll be done with B Roads for the remainder of the event, but like I say, it doesn't mean it'll be easier without them.

Now I will plan out the very end of the event's course, and try and recon that soon. In the meantime, I will start writing drafts for cue sheets which will be handed out to two independent course checkers that I will accompany on two separate occasions to double and triple check every cue. (In fact, some of the course will probably be driven by a third independent source that will give me further feedback. This should insure accurate turns and mileages for all in the event. That doesn't mean that you won't get lost though. In fact, I suspect several folks still will get messed up. It always happens in these long events. It just won't be my fault for having bad cues. 

Okay, there will be more course updates, but that should tide ya over for awhile. feel free to ask questions in the comment section...

The Big Plan For The Day

I'm out in the sticks, doing recon!

Well, today I am going to do something that I have been planning for, but have had to put off for one reason or another, for over two months now. What is that?

T.I.V8 recon, that's what.

Not that I haven't been doing anything at all about that, because I have. Much pouring over maps, looking at Google Earth, trying different route solutions, and trying to keep the mileage within reason. Tasking all that with a mind to convenience store opportunities and it gets a little bit dicey sometimes.

But it isn't anything I haven't done before. It always requires actual eye-to-course recon anyway, so that is what today is all about. Getting some solutions to some perceived issues that may force alternate decisions.....or not!

The thing is, the route must be picked up where I left off last time, at the apogee of the circuit. It is making for a long drive, that's for sure! The good news is that shorter bits and pieces of the route back to Grinnell have already been looked at, so it should go well, at least it will if a couple of key points turn out to my benefit. So, stay tuned for a T.I.V8 recon report and course update to come, hopefully soon!

The Big Plan For The Day

I'm out in the sticks, doing recon!

Well, today I am going to do something that I have been planning for, but have had to put off for one reason or another, for over two months now. What is that?

T.I.V8 recon, that's what.

Not that I haven't been doing anything at all about that, because I have. Much pouring over maps, looking at Google Earth, trying different route solutions, and trying to keep the mileage within reason. Tasking all that with a mind to convenience store opportunities and it gets a little bit dicey sometimes.

But it isn't anything I haven't done before. It always requires actual eye-to-course recon anyway, so that is what today is all about. Getting some solutions to some perceived issues that may force alternate decisions.....or not!

The thing is, the route must be picked up where I left off last time, at the apogee of the circuit. It is making for a long drive, that's for sure! The good news is that shorter bits and pieces of the route back to Grinnell have already been looked at, so it should go well, at least it will if a couple of key points turn out to my benefit. So, stay tuned for a T.I.V8 recon report and course update to come, hopefully soon!

Friday News And Views

Kona Raijin Prototype: (Image Courtesy Kona Cog blog)

More Tennessee Titanium: Lynskey Performance in Tennessee is cranking out titanium bikes under its own brand name, plus at least three other brands that I know about, maybe more. At any rate, I find it rather amusing to see this Kona proto coming out which should be available later this spring.

Signature Lynskey design touches abound here, and one starts to wonder when the brand on the down tube starts to lose its meaning. Sure......it's got a 69.5 degree head angle, but beyond this, what is really any different than a Lynskey or a Salsa Cycles offering? Not a whole lot.

Now, I realize I am riding a Lynskey made rig, and I have ridden a few others made by them. They do great work. My point isn't that "Lynskey is bad", my point is that if you are bothering to have one manufactured by them, you might want to somehow make a strong visual distinction from the "standard issue" Lynskey cues. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelash at first glance at this bike if it had a sandblasted Salsa Cycles logo on the down tube. Ya know?

That said, I am sure the Raijin is a cool riding rig. Gotta wonder what the chain stay length is here. I noticed its screaming non-disclosure in the blog posted specs. One other possibly telling cue: The rear tire is a Maxxis Ikon. Not a voluminous, wide tire. Maybe that's all that would fit with mud clearance with the sliders pulled all the way forward as they are here. If so, that won't fly too well with the forum-freaks. We'll see.

WTB Frequency Rims: Ya know, so many times I get e-mails about what rims to use for tubeless applications on big wheeled rigs. It seems so many choices are already laced to hubs. Well, not everyone wants pre-built wheels. It is something of a problem in the marketplace. Especially when one choice, (Stan's), seems to be the only thing that comes to most folks minds these days. (Not that Mr. Koziak minds, but it would be nice to have some competition here.)

Well, that is why things like the new WTB Frequency rims are going to be cool. These are looking like some pretty well thought out rims here. The bead seat is optimized more toward the UST side of things, and the sealing tape and sealant is right from Stan's playbook. Solid, reliable stuff there.

Then WTB's design work is added on top. "I-Beam" extrusions have been a feature of WTB rims since the late 90's. I used a set of Lazerbeam rims once back in my 26"er days and was really impressed with the lightweight/toughness combination they exhibited. I would suspect that the 29"er version, with current refinements, would be as good if not better. WTB also optimized the spoke drilling angles and added the "Unbendium Bulge" for strength. Good, smart stuff. 

Anyway, these are available now in 26 or 29 inch versions with 19mm or 23mm inside rim well dimension variants to choose from. MSRP on the 26 and 29 inch versions are $75.00 and $80.00 respectively. Now you know.

On One Scandal 29: Image courtesy of shedfire

Okay- So What Would You Suggest? Getting back to the Kona thing, I would have suggested that (perhaps) they should have veered from the "typical Lynskey" look and found a signature. Used to be that Kona had that rad top tube slope, big head tube, and an extended set tube with a forward facing slot at the seat collar.

You know the bike in the image doesn't look like a Lynskey. It looks like an On One bike. You know this from the signature seat stay arrangement.

So, ya know......that's what I am talking about. Get something unique out there. (Whoa! Never thought I'd write that about 29"ers, but they are mainstream now days.) The Kona Raijin isn't really much to crow about in terms of its looks. It does have some unique stats, but I dunno.......

Maybe I'm wrong here, but it just strikes me as a bit "ho-hum".

Okay, well.......enjoy the non-winter! Get out and ride a bike, take some pictures, and have an adventure.

Friday News And Views

Kona Raijin Prototype: (Image Courtesy Kona Cog blog)

More Tennessee Titanium: Lynskey Performance in Tennessee is cranking out titanium bikes under its own brand name, plus at least three other brands that I know about, maybe more. At any rate, I find it rather amusing to see this Kona proto coming out which should be available later this spring.

Signature Lynskey design touches abound here, and one starts to wonder when the brand on the down tube starts to lose its meaning. Sure......it's got a 69.5 degree head angle, but beyond this, what is really any different than a Lynskey or a Salsa Cycles offering? Not a whole lot.

Now, I realize I am riding a Lynskey made rig, and I have ridden a few others made by them. They do great work. My point isn't that "Lynskey is bad", my point is that if you are bothering to have one manufactured by them, you might want to somehow make a strong visual distinction from the "standard issue" Lynskey cues. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelash at first glance at this bike if it had a sandblasted Salsa Cycles logo on the down tube. Ya know?

That said, I am sure the Raijin is a cool riding rig. Gotta wonder what the chain stay length is here. I noticed its screaming non-disclosure in the blog posted specs. One other possibly telling cue: The rear tire is a Maxxis Ikon. Not a voluminous, wide tire. Maybe that's all that would fit with mud clearance with the sliders pulled all the way forward as they are here. If so, that won't fly too well with the forum-freaks. We'll see.

WTB Frequency Rims: Ya know, so many times I get e-mails about what rims to use for tubeless applications on big wheeled rigs. It seems so many choices are already laced to hubs. Well, not everyone wants pre-built wheels. It is something of a problem in the marketplace. Especially when one choice, (Stan's), seems to be the only thing that comes to most folks minds these days. (Not that Mr. Koziak minds, but it would be nice to have some competition here.)

Well, that is why things like the new WTB Frequency rims are going to be cool. These are looking like some pretty well thought out rims here. The bead seat is optimized more toward the UST side of things, and the sealing tape and sealant is right from Stan's playbook. Solid, reliable stuff there.

Then WTB's design work is added on top. "I-Beam" extrusions have been a feature of WTB rims since the late 90's. I used a set of Lazerbeam rims once back in my 26"er days and was really impressed with the lightweight/toughness combination they exhibited. I would suspect that the 29"er version, with current refinements, would be as good if not better. WTB also optimized the spoke drilling angles and added the "Unbendium Bulge" for strength. Good, smart stuff. 

Anyway, these are available now in 26 or 29 inch versions with 19mm or 23mm inside rim well dimension variants to choose from. MSRP on the 26 and 29 inch versions are $75.00 and $80.00 respectively. Now you know.

On One Scandal 29: Image courtesy of shedfire

Okay- So What Would You Suggest? Getting back to the Kona thing, I would have suggested that (perhaps) they should have veered from the "typical Lynskey" look and found a signature. Used to be that Kona had that rad top tube slope, big head tube, and an extended set tube with a forward facing slot at the seat collar.

You know the bike in the image doesn't look like a Lynskey. It looks like an On One bike. You know this from the signature seat stay arrangement.

So, ya know......that's what I am talking about. Get something unique out there. (Whoa! Never thought I'd write that about 29"ers, but they are mainstream now days.) The Kona Raijin isn't really much to crow about in terms of its looks. It does have some unique stats, but I dunno.......

Maybe I'm wrong here, but it just strikes me as a bit "ho-hum".

Okay, well.......enjoy the non-winter! Get out and ride a bike, take some pictures, and have an adventure.

Freeze- Thaw Cycling

This winter is so unusual that I have coined a new term for the type of cycling conditions I am seeing out on my rides. I call it "Freeze-Thaw Cycling".  There isn't any snow, or any ice involved, but the cycle of freezing and thawing is having a big time effect on how things are going down on my trails now.

Shot down in flames

Speaking of going down.... Yeah, it gets treacherous when this sort of thing happens. The thing is, typically we only see this at the very beginning, or the very end of winter. The majority of the time we have this, this........white stuff........oh, I can't remember the name! 

At any rate, when "Freeze-Thaw Cycling" occurs, we generally stay off the trails for a few days. maybe a week, and then it is over. However; this has been going on now for weeks, with no end in sight, so we are hitting the trails and discovering what "Freeze-Thaw Cycling" can do to you. It ain't pretty, let me tell ya!

Take for instance my story about the first image here. I came round a slight left hander. The Larry 3.8"er hits a bit of an off camber bump. That in turn just so happened to be right where the bright sun had been beaming down those little bits o radiation, and made the surface down to about a quarter of an inch all wet and greasy. This sent my front tire into a five yard skid, where- at the bitter end- I ate dirt.

I left the bike right where it landed and took that picture. Click on it and see the skid mark, if you care to.

Even the Black Hawk is freezing/thawing!

The funny thing is, since the angle of the sun now is so shallow, only a few, select places suffered from this greasy situation. The rest of the dirt was frozen and fast. Well, I fell into one of about three traps. Go figure.

Off Just A Little Makes A Big Diffrence: The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. I did discover, pre-ride, that I had miscalculated the length between my handle bar and saddle by one inch. That doesn't sound like a very big deal to some folks, but if you are an avid cyclist, one inch is as good as being off one mile!

Well, obviously I corrected for my mistake, and out on the ride, I could really tell the difference. The bike used to feel odd up front, but with my slight weight re-distribution, it took on more of the feel of the Snow Dog in the handling department. Closer, but still uniquely different. I did some measuring, and the chain stays are a half of an inch longer on the titanium bike. Yes, the Altenators are all the way forward. It definitely can be felt. I don't think it is bad, but it is different.

One other very interesting thing to note was that with the slight re-positioning, the front end torsional flex was not felt as dramatically. In fact, it was a lot better from my view, and with that slight saddle shift, the whole bike just became that much better.

Funny how something so seemingly insignificant can alter the way a bike feels so dramatically. I'll have more to say about By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk later, but for now, I am happy about the way the bike is turning out.

Freeze- Thaw Cycling

This winter is so unusual that I have coined a new term for the type of cycling conditions I am seeing out on my rides. I call it "Freeze-Thaw Cycling".  There isn't any snow, or any ice involved, but the cycle of freezing and thawing is having a big time effect on how things are going down on my trails now.

Shot down in flames

Speaking of going down.... Yeah, it gets treacherous when this sort of thing happens. The thing is, typically we only see this at the very beginning, or the very end of winter. The majority of the time we have this, this........white stuff........oh, I can't remember the name! 

At any rate, when "Freeze-Thaw Cycling" occurs, we generally stay off the trails for a few days. maybe a week, and then it is over. However; this has been going on now for weeks, with no end in sight, so we are hitting the trails and discovering what "Freeze-Thaw Cycling" can do to you. It ain't pretty, let me tell ya!

Take for instance my story about the first image here. I came round a slight left hander. The Larry 3.8"er hits a bit of an off camber bump. That in turn just so happened to be right where the bright sun had been beaming down those little bits o radiation, and made the surface down to about a quarter of an inch all wet and greasy. This sent my front tire into a five yard skid, where- at the bitter end- I ate dirt.

I left the bike right where it landed and took that picture. Click on it and see the skid mark, if you care to.

Even the Black Hawk is freezing/thawing!

The funny thing is, since the angle of the sun now is so shallow, only a few, select places suffered from this greasy situation. The rest of the dirt was frozen and fast. Well, I fell into one of about three traps. Go figure.

Off Just A Little Makes A Big Diffrence: The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. I did discover, pre-ride, that I had miscalculated the length between my handle bar and saddle by one inch. That doesn't sound like a very big deal to some folks, but if you are an avid cyclist, one inch is as good as being off one mile!

Well, obviously I corrected for my mistake, and out on the ride, I could really tell the difference. The bike used to feel odd up front, but with my slight weight re-distribution, it took on more of the feel of the Snow Dog in the handling department. Closer, but still uniquely different. I did some measuring, and the chain stays are a half of an inch longer on the titanium bike. Yes, the Altenators are all the way forward. It definitely can be felt. I don't think it is bad, but it is different.

One other very interesting thing to note was that with the slight re-positioning, the front end torsional flex was not felt as dramatically. In fact, it was a lot better from my view, and with that slight saddle shift, the whole bike just became that much better.

Funny how something so seemingly insignificant can alter the way a bike feels so dramatically. I'll have more to say about By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk later, but for now, I am happy about the way the bike is turning out.

Randomonium

Yes folks, I have been slammed by this and that mentally and haven't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days, so my brain is a mish-mash of bits and pieces. When this happens, I clear the slate with a "Randomonium" post. This is what is happening here today.....

By-Tor- The Mukluk Ti....

We'll kick things off with By-Tor. The Mukluk titanium rig has been ridden a few times on varying surfaces. My first impressions are that titanium fat bikes do indeed ride nicer than the aluminum ones. Even with the Snow Dog having Big Fat Larrys on it, the ride is not as smooth as By-Tor's is.

I will also say that for some reason the titanium one feels shorter, handles differently, and along with the material difference, is like riding a completely different fat bike design than my aluminum one. The tape measure and angle finder will be employed to sus out any differences soon. Stay tuned.....

Beyond that though, the bike is working flawlessly. The 1 X 10, the wheels, and everything else is just going great. I do notice more flex in this frame than with the aluminum bike. The whole frame twists ever so slightly in ruts and off cambers in a way that is a tiny bit like the wheels are going in different planes at times. Just a wee bit. I can tell at the handle bar. One grip will unload and the other will push up barely enough you can feel it. Oh yeah, and it isn't the handle bar either. That handle bar is super stiff! This tells me it is twisting at the head tube/down tube/top tube junctions. As I say, it is barely perceptible, and the aluminum version does not feel this way at all, but then again, it has a pretty flexible carbon bar on it. That may be the difference there. At any rate, these two bikes have entirely different personalities.

The Winter That Didn't Show Up: Wow! I would have never even bet on going this far into winter without snow. We have had one event where the white stuff just barely covered the grass, and that lasted a day before warmer weather blasted that into forgetfulness.

I look at this image from early last February. The snowmobile trail I was riding was about a foot deep of packed, consolidated snow. Maybe more. I guess that kind of scene will be a pipe dream this winter. And what about Triple D? Well, there is one shot at snow, according to the forecast, before that event. Even if that is right, it won't add up to enough snow to make a fat-bike really necessary. If standard procedure for winter 2011-2012 continues, that race will be dominated by 29"ers and cross bikes. I'll still take one of my fat bikes anyway.....

Yeah......I am still training for this, but my illness really kicked me in the jimmy. I'll be there though, just not as tuned up as I might like to be. "FUN" will be the goal. I think I'll easily attain to that. Next goal? Finish. We'll see.

 New Look TNI: The update for Twenty Nine Inches is nearing reality. The whole site is getting a refresh. Much needed too. It hasn't been tweaked since 2006. Too long ago! We're going to have a nice looking site with stuff that actually works for search, links, and content. We're going to finally roll The Cyclistsite into TNI so all content will be in one place. Ya know, we figured 29"ers are pretty much mainstream now, so talking about non-29"er stuff won't be seen as being out of the ordinary anymore.

This whole deal has been pretty much done by my friend, Grannygear in his spare time. I am not at all computer literate, so he's taken the whole re-do on himself, and learned the ropes to get it done. There have been a lot of decisions and phone calls and worrying and well.......it has been nutty. I sure hope it all goes smoothly and that we can get on with doing what we do best: Riding and writing. Computer website design is not much fun folks. Well......I don't think it is! 

 You know what? I am still getting post cards for Trans Iowa. Yes......really! Now I don't get many, or on a regular basis, but every once in awhile one will randomly show up. It is weird.

Be that as it may, we have had one drop since the roster registration ceased. So, one lucky guy got contacted off the list. He refused. I move on to the next guy now. All that to say, as a reminder, that if you can not make it to T.I.V8 for any reason, please tell me ASAP! The Waiting List is only maintained through the end of this month, then there will be no further transfers from The Waiting List, and the roster will be allowed to shrink if any further drops occur.

I should have more sponsor news to share with everyone shortly, by the way, and also news should start coming up concerning the Pre-Race Meat-Up.So keep checking the Trans Iowa site for updates as they occur.

And that's enough randomonium for one post. Thanks for reading!

Randomonium

Yes folks, I have been slammed by this and that mentally and haven't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days, so my brain is a mish-mash of bits and pieces. When this happens, I clear the slate with a "Randomonium" post. This is what is happening here today.....

By-Tor- The Mukluk Ti....

We'll kick things off with By-Tor. The Mukluk titanium rig has been ridden a few times on varying surfaces. My first impressions are that titanium fat bikes do indeed ride nicer than the aluminum ones. Even with the Snow Dog having Big Fat Larrys on it, the ride is not as smooth as By-Tor's is.

I will also say that for some reason the titanium one feels shorter, handles differently, and along with the material difference, is like riding a completely different fat bike design than my aluminum one. The tape measure and angle finder will be employed to sus out any differences soon. Stay tuned.....

Beyond that though, the bike is working flawlessly. The 1 X 10, the wheels, and everything else is just going great. I do notice more flex in this frame than with the aluminum bike. The whole frame twists ever so slightly in ruts and off cambers in a way that is a tiny bit like the wheels are going in different planes at times. Just a wee bit. I can tell at the handle bar. One grip will unload and the other will push up barely enough you can feel it. Oh yeah, and it isn't the handle bar either. That handle bar is super stiff! This tells me it is twisting at the head tube/down tube/top tube junctions. As I say, it is barely perceptible, and the aluminum version does not feel this way at all, but then again, it has a pretty flexible carbon bar on it. That may be the difference there. At any rate, these two bikes have entirely different personalities.

The Winter That Didn't Show Up: Wow! I would have never even bet on going this far into winter without snow. We have had one event where the white stuff just barely covered the grass, and that lasted a day before warmer weather blasted that into forgetfulness.

I look at this image from early last February. The snowmobile trail I was riding was about a foot deep of packed, consolidated snow. Maybe more. I guess that kind of scene will be a pipe dream this winter. And what about Triple D? Well, there is one shot at snow, according to the forecast, before that event. Even if that is right, it won't add up to enough snow to make a fat-bike really necessary. If standard procedure for winter 2011-2012 continues, that race will be dominated by 29"ers and cross bikes. I'll still take one of my fat bikes anyway.....

Yeah......I am still training for this, but my illness really kicked me in the jimmy. I'll be there though, just not as tuned up as I might like to be. "FUN" will be the goal. I think I'll easily attain to that. Next goal? Finish. We'll see.

 New Look TNI: The update for Twenty Nine Inches is nearing reality. The whole site is getting a refresh. Much needed too. It hasn't been tweaked since 2006. Too long ago! We're going to have a nice looking site with stuff that actually works for search, links, and content. We're going to finally roll The Cyclistsite into TNI so all content will be in one place. Ya know, we figured 29"ers are pretty much mainstream now, so talking about non-29"er stuff won't be seen as being out of the ordinary anymore.

This whole deal has been pretty much done by my friend, Grannygear in his spare time. I am not at all computer literate, so he's taken the whole re-do on himself, and learned the ropes to get it done. There have been a lot of decisions and phone calls and worrying and well.......it has been nutty. I sure hope it all goes smoothly and that we can get on with doing what we do best: Riding and writing. Computer website design is not much fun folks. Well......I don't think it is! 

 You know what? I am still getting post cards for Trans Iowa. Yes......really! Now I don't get many, or on a regular basis, but every once in awhile one will randomly show up. It is weird.

Be that as it may, we have had one drop since the roster registration ceased. So, one lucky guy got contacted off the list. He refused. I move on to the next guy now. All that to say, as a reminder, that if you can not make it to T.I.V8 for any reason, please tell me ASAP! The Waiting List is only maintained through the end of this month, then there will be no further transfers from The Waiting List, and the roster will be allowed to shrink if any further drops occur.

I should have more sponsor news to share with everyone shortly, by the way, and also news should start coming up concerning the Pre-Race Meat-Up.So keep checking the Trans Iowa site for updates as they occur.

And that's enough randomonium for one post. Thanks for reading!

Gravel Riding Makes The News

Last week, while I was doing my requisite end-o-the-year recap, a little surprise came in the mail down at the shop where I work. Well, it wasn't a total surprise to me, since I knew it was going to happen at some point. It did catch me by surprise at how fast the story did get published though.

Front page news!

I am talking about a story published in the January 1st issue of the trade paper, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News", affectionately known in the bicycle trade by its acronym- "BRAIN".

Here's the "back story" on the story, for those who care about such things....

The whole thing got started when I was following BRAIN's Tapei Bicycle Exposition coverage back in early December. That show is a time for product managers to meet with factory representatives and brand managers from component companies in Taiwan, where a big chunk of the recreational bicycle trade works. The deal here is getting ideas to spec on future bicycles that will show up on dealers show room floors for 2013 and beyond. Part of that is your garden variety component news, and sometimes you might find out about something brand new.

Well, a story about Clement brand tires caught my eye. Clement is offering to the trade some new, fat road tires. We're talking 40mm and up to 50mm road tires with high performance features. The author of the story, BRAIN's Matt Wiebe, mused that bikes don't exist for such tires, and who would be using them? Well, I decided to e-mail him and let him know about this little gravel grinding deal going on out here in the hinterlands. One thing lead to another and.......

We got yer fat gravel road action right here.

......Mr Wiebe wrote this story. I basically tried to get an overview of gravel grinding stuffed into two short phone calls, and I didn't know what would make the story, and what wouldn't. You know, the whole thing was supposedly about those big Clement tires, and Campagnolo's newest triple cranks coming out for folks like gravel grinders.

I mentioned a few of the events I felt captured the best all around feel of gravel grinding's roots today. (Sorry if I left your favorite event out, this was off the top of my head, after all!) I mentioned some brands that I thought were catering to gravel grinding, I mentioned the grass roots nature of the events, and how I felt that appealed to the riders taking part in these events. Oh, and I stressed that this has a lot of interest amongst you folks out there. (I don't think that is stretching the truth.) Of course, (Matt Wiebe himself being a prime example), not everyone has even heard of gravel grinding,  or can imagine why anyone would want to do that when they do consider it, so yeah.....it isn't for everyone! 

Still, you gotta say that gravel grinding has been catching on. Look at the registration numbers for Almanzo, Dirty Kanza, Barry-Roubaix, or even for the smaller events like CIRREM. Ten years ago, barely anyone was out riding gravel, and hardly anyone was having competitions. Now the race calendar on Gravel Grinder News  is chock full of competitions and rides from coast to coast and even overseas.

So, the story in BRAIN comes out and Mr. Wiebe actually packs about everything I mentioned in there. Of course, the brevity of the article prevents in-depth coverage, but at least the story has been delivered to bicycle shops all over the country and maybe, just maybe, some new folks will hit the back roads to see what the heck the deal is concerning "gravel grinding".

Thanks Mr. Wiebe for being curious and for getting this story out. Yes, I know some would rather not have the secret get out, but there are so many back roads around here, the more the merrier, I say. Then again, not everyone can even grasp the "why" of gravel road riding in the first place. That's okay too. I'll be out there grinning from ear to ear no matter.

Gravel Riding Makes The News

Last week, while I was doing my requisite end-o-the-year recap, a little surprise came in the mail down at the shop where I work. Well, it wasn't a total surprise to me, since I knew it was going to happen at some point. It did catch me by surprise at how fast the story did get published though.

Front page news!

I am talking about a story published in the January 1st issue of the trade paper, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News", affectionately known in the bicycle trade by its acronym- "BRAIN".

Here's the "back story" on the story, for those who care about such things....

The whole thing got started when I was following BRAIN's Tapei Bicycle Exposition coverage back in early December. That show is a time for product managers to meet with factory representatives and brand managers from component companies in Taiwan, where a big chunk of the recreational bicycle trade works. The deal here is getting ideas to spec on future bicycles that will show up on dealers show room floors for 2013 and beyond. Part of that is your garden variety component news, and sometimes you might find out about something brand new.

Well, a story about Clement brand tires caught my eye. Clement is offering to the trade some new, fat road tires. We're talking 40mm and up to 50mm road tires with high performance features. The author of the story, BRAIN's Matt Wiebe, mused that bikes don't exist for such tires, and who would be using them? Well, I decided to e-mail him and let him know about this little gravel grinding deal going on out here in the hinterlands. One thing lead to another and.......

We got yer fat gravel road action right here.

......Mr Wiebe wrote this story. I basically tried to get an overview of gravel grinding stuffed into two short phone calls, and I didn't know what would make the story, and what wouldn't. You know, the whole thing was supposedly about those big Clement tires, and Campagnolo's newest triple cranks coming out for folks like gravel grinders.

I mentioned a few of the events I felt captured the best all around feel of gravel grinding's roots today. (Sorry if I left your favorite event out, this was off the top of my head, after all!) I mentioned some brands that I thought were catering to gravel grinding, I mentioned the grass roots nature of the events, and how I felt that appealed to the riders taking part in these events. Oh, and I stressed that this has a lot of interest amongst you folks out there. (I don't think that is stretching the truth.) Of course, (Matt Wiebe himself being a prime example), not everyone has even heard of gravel grinding,  or can imagine why anyone would want to do that when they do consider it, so yeah.....it isn't for everyone! 

Still, you gotta say that gravel grinding has been catching on. Look at the registration numbers for Almanzo, Dirty Kanza, Barry-Roubaix, or even for the smaller events like CIRREM. Ten years ago, barely anyone was out riding gravel, and hardly anyone was having competitions. Now the race calendar on Gravel Grinder News  is chock full of competitions and rides from coast to coast and even overseas.

So, the story in BRAIN comes out and Mr. Wiebe actually packs about everything I mentioned in there. Of course, the brevity of the article prevents in-depth coverage, but at least the story has been delivered to bicycle shops all over the country and maybe, just maybe, some new folks will hit the back roads to see what the heck the deal is concerning "gravel grinding".

Thanks Mr. Wiebe for being curious and for getting this story out. Yes, I know some would rather not have the secret get out, but there are so many back roads around here, the more the merrier, I say. Then again, not everyone can even grasp the "why" of gravel road riding in the first place. That's okay too. I'll be out there grinning from ear to ear no matter.

A Fat, Magic Carpet Ride: Complete!

Okay, yesterday I posted a teaser pic from my first ride on the titanium Mukluk. (I also posted a different one on Twitter and Facebook, just in case you follow me there.) At any rate, here is the final build. I'll talk about the components today and why I chose them.....

Salsa Cycles Mukluk Ti

Some of the parts I've detailed before, like the front hub and the carbon FSA SLK series parts, but I'll go over everything again here briefly.

Frame/Fork: 19"/Large Mukluk Ti frame with a Salsa Enabler steel fork- The Snow Dog is the same size, fits me great, and that's why I got the titanium frame in the same size. Result? Fits perfect, just as I expected. I could have gone with a carbon fork, lost a bit of weight on the build, but at the cost of versatility and at a much greater expense. Result? The Enabler fork wins. I need that versatility, and the weight savings wasn't worth the cost monetarily or in terms of limiting my options.

The other reasons for getting this frame are many- First off is that, (obviously), it is titanium. Weight savings were not the driving factor here.What was the decision maker was ride quality. Sure, I could have gotten a titanium El Mariachi, or another brand's titanium bike, but the Mukluk Ti wins over all those for the fat bike factor. However; there are options other frames made out of titanium for fat bike wheels cannot match. I can put a single speed set up on this one, for instance. Plus, it could be set up with drop bars, out fitted with racks and/or frame bags, and be a touring bike for off road with either fat bike wheels or a special set of 29"er wheels. Those same 29"er wheels can also turn this into a full time geared or single speed off road bike for anywhere. I could even use a suspension fork in that instance.

Wheels: Obviously a very important component of a fat bike, the wheels were chosen to be configured for year-round use. I went with 70mm Uma II rims from Fatback Bikes via Lacemine29. Mike Curiak, the wheel builder at Lacemine29, recommended these rims over all others for my purposes, and I am satisfied that these will be a great balance of off-road-ability and fat biking strengths. They built up very nicely, considering they bounced around my basement for three months plus!

The rims also feature a bead seat, which looks a lot like the ones you see on 29 inch tubeless type rims. Very secure for ultra-low psi settings in softer conditions.

The hubs for this build are a hybrid set up. I used an old, rare Surly single speed disc hub in anodized purple. The rear is a standard Mukluk 2 hub in black anodized color, since Salsa doesn't offer purple hubs.....yet. (Just hoping out loud here!) The rims and hubs are connected by Wheelsmith straight gauge spokes and brass nipples. Standard 3 cross build. Rim strip, which is visible through the cut outs in the rim, is "chrome duct tape". Surly tubes with wire bead Larry 3.8"ers, for the time being. I plan on getting some 45NRTH Husker Du tires later in the winter or early spring.

Finally, to top off the wheels in the looks department are these pre-production Salsa Cycles skewers in anodized purple. These skewers are refined now to have captured springs, washers,  and stainless steel collars. These will become available at some point. Don't know when though. These were kindly sent over by Salsa Cycles, so that is as much as I know!

Other bits are purple as well. I'll get to those as I go along here, but for right now I'll mention that Chris King head set in purple ano, which I've told the story about here before.

The brakes are new, 2012 Avid Elixir 9's. These have some refinements in the master cylinder to make bleeding more easy, as well as the calipers, which also were tweaked. The levers are carbon, and the calipers are a kind of gun metal blue anodized hue. The rotors are also new, as can be seen here. Elixir 9's basically take the place of the current Avid Elixir CR models. These brakes were sent over by SRAM at no charge for test and review, by the way. I will be writing up my thoughts on those later on Twenty Nine Inches.

I'll also be shortening the rear brake line and using Avid's new bleed kit to do that with, so stay tuned for how that process goes in the near future.

Moving to the handle bars and stem, these were parts provided by FSA from their SLK line of parts. Again, look for a review on those. The grips are Ergon Bio-Kork models which locked onto the FSA bar with zero issues so far. No twisting or turning! Plus I get the comfy feel of the shape with the material which shouldn't make my hands get cold in winter and have already proven themselves in summer time for me.

I'm running one, lonely shifter which is a SRAM TT shifter on a Paul Components Thumbies mount. This shifts the SRAM X-9 rear derailleur in gray and carbon over a SRAM 10 speed cassette with a 36T low gear.

My crank set is the old, ISIS drive type Bontrager crank, (with removable spider!), which is mounted with an E-Thirteen "Guide Ring" in their "Grape Drink" color that has 32 teeth. Hovering over this chain ring is a MRP chain guide which mounts from the bottom bracket, which is a FSA Platinum DH 100mm spindle model. Gotta have a chain retention device of some sort with a 1X10 set up, and the MRP guide should keep the Shimano 105 10 speed chain in line for me.

I figured a 1X10 drive train would be more than enough for where I ride these fat bikes here. On The Snow Dog, I rarely ever get out of the middle ring at all. If I ever do want to go with more gearing range, it will likely be lower, and I can add a granny ring to this crank set, mount my other thumb shifter, and mount a direct mount front derailluer for those times when low, low gears are necessary.

Of course, I needed a chain guide with this set up, and it had to mount in between the cup of the bottom bracket and the shell, and the MRP version here does just that. The bottom bracket is the best you can get to fit a  100mm wide shell in ISIS right now.

I used some old, crappy Welgo flat pedals for now. At some point I will replace these with nicer flats for winter and SPD's will go on for spring, summer, and fall rides.

The seat collar is a Salsa Cycles in purple ano. The seat post is another FSA SLK piece, and that is crowned by one of my favorite saddles, a WTB SST saddle.

So, how does it ride? I can't say much yet. I am still getting acquainted with the bike and I want to see that the parts are all working in harmony yet. Then I can ride it without thinking about things like, "what was that noise?", "Did I tighten that?" (thought for the third time after checking it twice), or "I need to tweak that saddle height/angle a bit".

Once that anxiety and nervousness has passed, I can focus on just riding the bike and I'll give you all a better assessment. That should happen soon after a couple more shake down rides. I will say now that it appears to be very much like the Snow Dog in terms of handling and the feel of the ride is different. Oh yeah.....and it is lighter too. By a fair amount, I'd say. It'll get lighter too after I get folding bead tires, new tubes, and different pedals.

Okay, that's my new Mukluk Ti, which has been dubbed "By-Tor". Hope ya'all enjoyed the tour!

A Fat, Magic Carpet Ride: Complete!

Okay, yesterday I posted a teaser pic from my first ride on the titanium Mukluk. (I also posted a different one on Twitter and Facebook, just in case you follow me there.) At any rate, here is the final build. I'll talk about the components today and why I chose them.....

Salsa Cycles Mukluk Ti

Some of the parts I've detailed before, like the front hub and the carbon FSA SLK series parts, but I'll go over everything again here briefly.

Frame/Fork: 19"/Large Mukluk Ti frame with a Salsa Enabler steel fork- The Snow Dog is the same size, fits me great, and that's why I got the titanium frame in the same size. Result? Fits perfect, just as I expected. I could have gone with a carbon fork, lost a bit of weight on the build, but at the cost of versatility and at a much greater expense. Result? The Enabler fork wins. I need that versatility, and the weight savings wasn't worth the cost monetarily or in terms of limiting my options.

The other reasons for getting this frame are many- First off is that, (obviously), it is titanium. Weight savings were not the driving factor here.What was the decision maker was ride quality. Sure, I could have gotten a titanium El Mariachi, or another brand's titanium bike, but the Mukluk Ti wins over all those for the fat bike factor. However; there are options other frames made out of titanium for fat bike wheels cannot match. I can put a single speed set up on this one, for instance. Plus, it could be set up with drop bars, out fitted with racks and/or frame bags, and be a touring bike for off road with either fat bike wheels or a special set of 29"er wheels. Those same 29"er wheels can also turn this into a full time geared or single speed off road bike for anywhere. I could even use a suspension fork in that instance.

Wheels: Obviously a very important component of a fat bike, the wheels were chosen to be configured for year-round use. I went with 70mm Uma II rims from Fatback Bikes via Lacemine29. Mike Curiak, the wheel builder at Lacemine29, recommended these rims over all others for my purposes, and I am satisfied that these will be a great balance of off-road-ability and fat biking strengths. They built up very nicely, considering they bounced around my basement for three months plus!

The rims also feature a bead seat, which looks a lot like the ones you see on 29 inch tubeless type rims. Very secure for ultra-low psi settings in softer conditions.

The hubs for this build are a hybrid set up. I used an old, rare Surly single speed disc hub in anodized purple. The rear is a standard Mukluk 2 hub in black anodized color, since Salsa doesn't offer purple hubs.....yet. (Just hoping out loud here!) The rims and hubs are connected by Wheelsmith straight gauge spokes and brass nipples. Standard 3 cross build. Rim strip, which is visible through the cut outs in the rim, is "chrome duct tape". Surly tubes with wire bead Larry 3.8"ers, for the time being. I plan on getting some 45NRTH Husker Du tires later in the winter or early spring.

Finally, to top off the wheels in the looks department are these pre-production Salsa Cycles skewers in anodized purple. These skewers are refined now to have captured springs, washers,  and stainless steel collars. These will become available at some point. Don't know when though. These were kindly sent over by Salsa Cycles, so that is as much as I know!

Other bits are purple as well. I'll get to those as I go along here, but for right now I'll mention that Chris King head set in purple ano, which I've told the story about here before.

The brakes are new, 2012 Avid Elixir 9's. These have some refinements in the master cylinder to make bleeding more easy, as well as the calipers, which also were tweaked. The levers are carbon, and the calipers are a kind of gun metal blue anodized hue. The rotors are also new, as can be seen here. Elixir 9's basically take the place of the current Avid Elixir CR models. These brakes were sent over by SRAM at no charge for test and review, by the way. I will be writing up my thoughts on those later on Twenty Nine Inches.

I'll also be shortening the rear brake line and using Avid's new bleed kit to do that with, so stay tuned for how that process goes in the near future.

Moving to the handle bars and stem, these were parts provided by FSA from their SLK line of parts. Again, look for a review on those. The grips are Ergon Bio-Kork models which locked onto the FSA bar with zero issues so far. No twisting or turning! Plus I get the comfy feel of the shape with the material which shouldn't make my hands get cold in winter and have already proven themselves in summer time for me.

I'm running one, lonely shifter which is a SRAM TT shifter on a Paul Components Thumbies mount. This shifts the SRAM X-9 rear derailleur in gray and carbon over a SRAM 10 speed cassette with a 36T low gear.

My crank set is the old, ISIS drive type Bontrager crank, (with removable spider!), which is mounted with an E-Thirteen "Guide Ring" in their "Grape Drink" color that has 32 teeth. Hovering over this chain ring is a MRP chain guide which mounts from the bottom bracket, which is a FSA Platinum DH 100mm spindle model. Gotta have a chain retention device of some sort with a 1X10 set up, and the MRP guide should keep the Shimano 105 10 speed chain in line for me.

I figured a 1X10 drive train would be more than enough for where I ride these fat bikes here. On The Snow Dog, I rarely ever get out of the middle ring at all. If I ever do want to go with more gearing range, it will likely be lower, and I can add a granny ring to this crank set, mount my other thumb shifter, and mount a direct mount front derailluer for those times when low, low gears are necessary.

Of course, I needed a chain guide with this set up, and it had to mount in between the cup of the bottom bracket and the shell, and the MRP version here does just that. The bottom bracket is the best you can get to fit a  100mm wide shell in ISIS right now.

I used some old, crappy Welgo flat pedals for now. At some point I will replace these with nicer flats for winter and SPD's will go on for spring, summer, and fall rides.

The seat collar is a Salsa Cycles in purple ano. The seat post is another FSA SLK piece, and that is crowned by one of my favorite saddles, a WTB SST saddle.

So, how does it ride? I can't say much yet. I am still getting acquainted with the bike and I want to see that the parts are all working in harmony yet. Then I can ride it without thinking about things like, "what was that noise?", "Did I tighten that?" (thought for the third time after checking it twice), or "I need to tweak that saddle height/angle a bit".

Once that anxiety and nervousness has passed, I can focus on just riding the bike and I'll give you all a better assessment. That should happen soon after a couple more shake down rides. I will say now that it appears to be very much like the Snow Dog in terms of handling and the feel of the ride is different. Oh yeah.....and it is lighter too. By a fair amount, I'd say. It'll get lighter too after I get folding bead tires, new tubes, and different pedals.

Okay, that's my new Mukluk Ti, which has been dubbed "By-Tor". Hope ya'all enjoyed the tour!

Happy New Year!

Happy (Fat) New Year!

Happy New Year ya'all! I hope it is filled with joy, love, and family good times. Great rides, miles of smiles, and new, shiny bikes and parts.

I'll be back tomorrow with a run down on By-Tor, the titanium Mukluk, and hopefully a ride report.

Stay tuned............

Happy New Year!

Happy (Fat) New Year!

Happy New Year ya'all! I hope it is filled with joy, love, and family good times. Great rides, miles of smiles, and new, shiny bikes and parts.

I'll be back tomorrow with a run down on By-Tor, the titanium Mukluk, and hopefully a ride report.

Stay tuned............