All sizes of the Adam Turman illustrated Fun Hurts Ts should be in stock in about a week.
Due to the fact that I could never get entirely happy with the red ink, I am going with plain ol’ black and white this time.
XXC Dirt & Gravel Ts will be back in stock shortly too. They will be on a dark brown T and now include a small “Long, Hard, Dirt Fun” graphic element on the top back .
I also plan to get the new graphic below to the printer shortly (not wanting to beat a dead horse, I may ditch the ‘Fun Hurts’ phrase for another, but for now it’s on there). I just need to decide what sort of shirt to put it on. For some reason I see it on a heather grey shirt with 3/4 length black raglan sleeves (like a baseball type shirt). I got the idea for this one from some old packaging I’ve seen and from the Tumblr site hipsterbranding.tumblr.com. Of course since I am no longer even close to being a hipster it fell short, but I still really dig it.
Finally- we SHOULD be about a week or so away from delivery of the team kits (I HOPE!). Thanks to all of you for your patience and willingness to pre-order. Much appreciated.
The Barry-Roubaix is fast approaching. Over 1,500 racers will be lining up come Saturday morning and right now many are pondering the question- which bike, mountain or cross? Personally I’m going with my Kona Jake the Snake gussied up with some well worn, should have got a new pair ages ago 700 x 40c Ritchey SpeedMax cross tires. This may or may not be the right choice. But unless Saturday is going to be an utter mud fest, that’s the choice I’m going with.
The 62 mile course has over 4,000 feet of elevation gain, which is sort of scaring the hell out of me for a couple of reasons… 1. I recently did a 59 mile gravel road ride near my house in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. That ride netted me only about 600 feet of elevation gain. 600 feet vs. 4,000 feet. Yikes! 2. I did the 32 mile Barry-Roubaix race in 2011 on my 29er hard tail. I remember thinking “I should have done this on my cross bike” quite often during the race. Of course it’s easy to think that when you’re middle ringing it up climbs in 32/34 and floating over sandy sections on 2.1 tires.
Other areas of concern: The new section of E. Sager Road To Shaw Road (see the video race director Sir Rick Plite shot below).
As you can see the sand looks like it’s going to be a bitch for sure. Add in 1,500 racers and it could be epicly bitchy. But there is a very good chance of rain from now up to and including race day. This could help improve traction in this sand. Of course if we get heavy rains it could turn the rest the course into a deep muddy mess, based on my experiences on my local Michigan dirt roads this could make the mountain bike a very good choice.
Many may be thinking “Jesus dude, just ride the freaking course and stop thinking about it.” And I would have to agree with that, to an extent. But I also think that all he pre-race thinking about gear and nutrition choices is part of what makes racing so fun. I’d rather spend my pre-race week thinking about tire and bike choices than worrying about rising fuels costs, my chapped ass, elections or the Bronco’s new QB.
Having said all that, come Saturday I will line up with 1,500+ other folks and whichever bike I’m on will be the right bike, because at that point there’s no point thinking about the bike, just racing. Well racing and having a few beers and busting the balls (or female equivalent) of your friends who made the wrong bike choice. See… it’s allllll good! Unless your friends are busting YOUR balls (or female equivalent)… then they’re of course just being asses and you should start looking for new friends.
The Fatty-Roubaix?
As discussed above many folks (or just me) are lamenting bike choices. But there are 19 folks who know right now what they are riding… A fat bike. Yep, a freaking fat bike. In 2012 Sir Rick introduces a 36 mile Fat Bike option for the Barry-Roubaix. Of the 19 signed up there are two women; one is XXC #15 cover star Tara Jansen, the other is our friend Danielle Musto (Salsa Cycles). I recently emailed with Danielle to ask if her if she still plans to roll her Salsa Mukluk, why the hell she would, and about racing the Barry on it. Here is her response:
Yes I am racing my fatty at Barry in the Fat Bike category, which is 36 miles. When I saw they had that category I had to sign up.
When I first found out that I was getting the Mukluk I was excited, but never imagined that I would like it as much as I do. I have not ridden another bike outside since I got it (which was sometime in December). I’m considering this race a “fat-bike season finale” and then I’m going to start riding my regular mountain bikes again. Except when I’m going to the beach.
Our category is combined Men and Women. Tara Jansen (Farm Team) and I are the only females representing and she will be hard to beat. I think there was only 8 minutes separating us in the Farmer’s FatBike race. While I’m a stronger mountain bike racer she is really, really strong on the road. It will be a good race for sure. And of course I’ll be trying to pick off as many skinny tired bikes as possible! HA!
I think this race will be a blast. The only thing I’m NOT looking forward to is the prospect of rain and mud. I DO NOT need my bike to be any fatter then it already is!
Thanks for the replay Danielle.
Good luck to all the folks racing the Barry-Roubaix. Ride fast, ride safe, have fun.
Tires… pretty much a necessity when it comes to riding. I have the following criteria for a tire.
It must be an “all -round” tire. I use Stan’s goo and I don’t want to be re-gooing and changing tires every freaking weekend.
Rolling resistance. No one likes to hear the whirl of knobbies on dirt. I mean pavement is one thing, but if I hear “the whirl” on dirt. UG!
Must play well with Stan’s (or your favorite tubeless goo).
Oh yeah, it needs to be a 29″ tire. Do they even make 26″ tires anymore? (I know they do, I was being a jerk).
While no tire is going to perform perfectly in every condition, I like a tire that comes close. For my mountain bikes I have been using the Maxxis Ignitor* with success for a few years now (much to the chagrin of my friend Dahn “you’re STILL using those tires n’at?” he says way too often). Well, the Ignitors have been good to me- I roll them in wet and dry conditions, on gravel on pavement and everything in between. I leave them on A. Because I am a creature of habit. B. I am lazy. C. They have worked fine, so why rock the boat? and D. I am lazy (yeah, I know I said that twice, but I am REALLY freaking lazy!).
So that’s is me. I am open to suggestions for new rubber so hit me with your best shot tire geeks post a replay here or hit this status update on Facebook. I am looking to find something that might be a little be faster (especially for the dry to sandy conditions of Michigan). But given my laziness… I probably won’t change anything soon.
*For the record, Maxxis is in NO WAY affiliated with XXC Magazine or xxcmag.com (not for lack of trying, but they ain’t). But if they want to our ad rates are cheaper than a $5 hooker. Just sayin’.
Last week I posted my thoughts on the TRP CX9 brake set (you can read that HERE). I was pretty damn sweet on them, but I only had short ride in pretty dry conditions. So I wanted to do a short follow up on how the brakes felt.
Since I posted the initial review I’ve got in a couple more rides with them in less than desirable conditions: ice, snow, mud and slush. And I am happy to say that these brakes continued to just be awesome. I could not be happier with my purchase. With my old cantis, trying to stop going down hill on muddy gravel/dirt roads could be a tad harrowing. Not so with the TRP CX9s. Very happy with this purchase. Visit www.trpbrakes.com for more information on these brakes.
I don’t race cross but I have a cross bike, it’s my gravel road bike and I love riding it on the dirt and gravel roads that surround XXC Mag HQ. What I don’t love is cross brakes, A.K.A. cantilever brakes, or maybe I should say the stock cantis that came on my 2010 Kona Jake The Snake. I’m exaggerating, but basically it felt like there was a 3 second delay from the time I would pull the lever until the time the brakes engaged another couple seconds until the bike and my hulking Lycra clad body finally came to a stop. Intersections, even out on the dirt roads were harrowing to say the least (I mean nobody wants run down by a 10 ton combine!). Maybe I should just get a new ride? I love new rides… EVERYONE LOVES NEW RIDES!!
LUST
Because of all the riding I do on dirt and gravel roads aboard the Jake, I started thinking about lusting for a disc brake equipped cross/road bike like the Salsa Vaya, Specialized CruX Comp Disc Apex, or Foundry Auger. All fine steeds that come with bad ass disc brake stopping power that could make gravel riding even more fun. BUT as XXC’s Paid Reader Department lets me know every day, none of those bikes are in the financial cards right now or in the foreseeable future.
REALITY
I started thinking what it is that could actually improve my gravel grinding, shit road and UltraCX type riding/racing. I like my Jake. It’s comfy, fairly light and could probably get lighter if its rider wasn’t gaining 10 pounds a year since he turned 37 (sadly the rider is 40 now… ug!). Anyway, I have no qualms with the fit and ride of my bike, it came down to the brakes and their inability to stop with confidence in the dry/rain/snow/ice/etc. I convinced myself I needed disc brakes to be happy. My wallet said otherwise.
OPTIONS?
OK, a new bike is out of the question right now, what do I do? I hate canti’s and I don’t race cross, so I don’t have to justify myself to the cross-snob crowd. Years ago I used v-brakes set up with a Problem Solvers Travel Agent. It was OK, but there were issues at times with the brake cable not running smoothly through the adapter. Hmmm….
THE SOLUTION?
While I can’t afford $2,500 for a new bike or frame I was able to “cook the books” enough so as to afford trying out TRP’s CX9 brakes ($150 per set including hardware). I had heard some good things about the CX9s and figured that they couldn’t be much worse than what I was already using, so I went to Terry’s Cycles in “Scotland U.S.A.” Alma, Michigan to order up a set. Several QBP back orders later they finally came in.
INITIAL REACTION
I am a firm believer in getting things installed and set up right. This is why I forbid myself from trying to install things like new brakes on my bike. Some people just should NOT work on their bikes. I am one of those people. So, I let that up to Napper at Terry’s. When I questioned him over the phone on how the installation went, he said there were no issues, but he was a little disappointed with the initial feel of the brakes and that they were a little mushy to engage in his opinion, so he did play around with that a bit. I was slightly concerned. Turns out I had no reason to be.
Upon feeling the engagement of the brakes in the shop I was pretty stoked, I perceived no mushyness and the brakes gripped the rim the rim like a champ. Then again, this could just have been a reflection on how lackluster my old brakes were. Plus, I think I just have a picky wrench, but that’s a good thing!
FIRST RIDE
The first ride was not all that much of a test; a cold 25 mile loop on pavement and frozen dry dirt roads. But what I can say is this….
The brakes STOP. I mean STOP compared to the cantis I had. Not that I do a lot of one hand braking, but it is something that could never have been done with the cantis, but the TRP’s were more than capable of doing so.
Since I was so used to grabbing two handfulls of brake, I had a couple stops that were abrupt to say the least. But it was easy to get used to even while wearing big ass winter riding gloves.
Once I was used to the stopping power all was good and I had no issues with getting used to the modulation.
NOTE: TRP recommends the CX9 brakes for Shimano levers and the CX 8.4 for SRAM.
Having said all that, ONE 25 loop in dry conditions is not really the best for overall feedback on whether the brakes are any good or not. So I will post up a ride report here every so often on my experiences with these brakes. I just know for now I am happy with stopping when I need to stop. I believe we are in for some light snow here for the weekend, so I may have some new conditions to test them in. Stay tuned for me on these stoppers.
The winter of 2011/2012 has been a strange one for sure. In these parts last year we were digging out from 2 feet of snow. This year I think I’ve shoveled less than 10 inches of snow all winter. The trails are WAY too muddy to be ridden yet, but I have been enjoying many a brunch time R&D ride on the dirt and gravel roads that surround XXC Magazine HQ.
While the rides are great, they are not without their challenges. What snow we have had, combined with warm-ish daytime temps and freezing nighttime temps has left the roads a smorgasbord of conditions: dry, tacky mud, mud, peanut butter mud, slush and solid ice. “Why wouldn’t you just ride on pavement?” you ask. I could list a bunch of reasons why I choose to ride the dirt (mud) roads rather than paved roads, but it pretty much boils down to the fact that every time I got out with the plan to ride pavement, I find that the road turns to dirt, so I might as well just ride the dirt.
Amazingly Stupidly, I made it almost 20 years of riding without using fenders. Seriously. And I have no idea why other than I am cheap to the point that I did’t care about my back and chamois getting soaked with cold water and mud. That changed about a month or so ago when I was down at Terry Cycles in Alma picking up a rebuilt wheel and spied the fenders on the wall. The prices didn’t seem bad and a recent foray onto the cold, wet gravel roads left me “chapped” enough in places to nudge me over the line and hand over the cash.
There were a few options in stock and the prices were all similar. “Napper” (co-owner of Terry’s) recommended the Blackburn Dirt Merchant ($24.99 MSRP) based on his experience with the others slipping and getting all catttwampus when things got rough. The Dirt Merchant uses a Quickclamp that fits secure and snug to seatposts 22.2mm to 34.9mm in diameter.
The fender is sold alone or as a combo with a front downtube fender for just few bucks more ($34.99 MSRP). I figured while I was throwing the plastic around, I might as well splurge.
Well a month or so later I couldn’t be happier with the performance of the fenders. I mean when you get down to it, it’s just a fender all it has to do is keep my caboose dry and stay put. It does both. The quick release, er I mean “Quickclamp” is a breeze to set up and stays put. Win.
The down tube fender uses rubber straps to keep it in place and I’ve had no problem with slipping. Although I did accidentally tear one of the bands a bit when I unnecessarily used my kung fu gorilla grip during set up. Bad move on my part. When things get REALLY soupy a front fender like the Topeak DeFender™ FX might be a better choice (although the web site recommends them for little 26″ wheels). On a recent muddy road ride I found myself ingesting more than my share of mud. Mmmm…. mud.
I’m pretty sure my bikes hate me and will get even with me by needing a variety of pricey drivetrain bitz come spring. I wish that the fender combo could keep the gritty Michigan mud of my ENTIRE bike, but I know that’s just not possible. It DOES keep my ass end dry and comfortable when things get wet out there though and there’s something to be said for that. I’ve used the fenders on both my hardtail 29er and my cross bike with dry chamois success.
Wow, who knew I could type well over 580 words about a fender? I think it was just and excuse to post some pics. It is a sweet fender set though. So don’t be a cheap ass like me, get some fenders. Life is too short to put up with a soggy bottom.
Discomfort is an excellent teacher. I know this because I have learned a lot by being uncomfortable on the Fat Bike in cold temps. One thing that has taken me a while to dial-in is the process of hydrating when the temps are below zero. You can make mistakes and get away with it when the temps are 10F to 32F but once the temps drop below zero, the margin for error is slim.
About a month ago we had a stretch of overnight temps that dropped into the -5F to -18F degree range and I made it a point to get out and ride early a couple of times to practice my cold weather routine. On my first “below zero” ride of the season I managed to freeze my hydration tube within the first hour and then spent the next hour trying to thaw it out. During that time I had nothing to drink. Well, technically I had 72oz of water in my hydration pack but getting to it would have meant stopping, taking my jacket off, taking my hydration pack off, and then drinking from the opening in the top of my hydration bladder. That was an effective reminder.
Here are a few things that work for me to stay hydrated in really cold temps while out on the Fat Bike:
For moderately cold days, I wear a base layer & hydration pack under my softshell jacket.
For below zero days, I wear a base layer +vest & hydration pack under my softshell jacket. The vest helps keep the hydration hose against my body. I had a buttonhole sewn into my vest where I wanted the bite valve to exit
Hydration Packs – The most efficient way to drink while on the move…even when it’s bitterly cold
Wear a minimal hydration pack as close to the skin as possible
Wear your outer jacket over your hydration pack and try to choose a jacket that does not compresses the hydration pack when in your cycling position. I normally wear a large jacket but I have a dedicated XL jacket for the Fat Bike to accommodate the hydration pack.
Route the hydration tube under the arm and against body
Don’t overfill the hydration bladder to start the ride or the liquid will be forced into the tube when you lean forward into your cycling position
Consider using a drink mix with sodium, like Carbo Rocket, to reduce the freezing temp of the liquid
Forcefully blow back into tube after every sip (blow until you hear bubbles in your pack), then lock the mouth piece closed
Carry a “backup” bottle in case your hose freezes and you can’t thaw it out
Insulated Bottles – Not as efficient but more foolproof in truly cold temps.
Outdoor Research and Granite Gear make effective bottle insulators
Carry your insulated bottles on your bars, fork legs, and/or downtube for easy access
The Salsa Anything Cage allows you to easily mount “bottle parkas” to your bike
With the Arrowhead 135 staring this Monday, I have been thinking about the gear that I would choose if I were racing. The Arrowhead is notorious for freezing racer’s hydration systems due to typical temps of -20F or colder during the race. If I were lining up this Monday, I would run the combination of a 3L hydration pack and two Granite Gear Aquatherm bottle insulators with a couple of 24oz Polar Insulated water bottles in them. This would ensure that I could have at least 48oz of insulated liquid storage available even if I managed to freeze my hose. The Granite Gear Aquatherm/Polar Insulated bottle combo can be operated with one hand while riding and are much easier to drink from than a screw-top Nalgene bottle. The only downside is that you give up 8oz per bottle in capacity vs. a standard Nalgene bottle.
Photos and text by Dave Byers Title photo by Jason Mahokey
There are a variety of pogies and bar mitts out there on the market to choose from and I’m sure all of them surely do the job. I am no pogie expert as on a personal level I tend to shy away from long rides in extreme cold, I’m just NOT a fan of cold weather riding (plus I gotta say being on blood thinners does NOT help). BUT… since moving to Michigan I have learned to suck it up a bit more than I used to and kick my ass out the door and off the trainer when time allows in the winter. Having said all that, this year I finally invested in some pogies.
I went with Moose Mitts, basically because they are made at Trail’s Edge Cyclery just a couple hours south of my house XXC Mag HQ and it’s nice to support localish businesses when I can. Today was the ride that was finally cold enough (9˚ at ride time, I think that’s cold enough), I had the time to get a “real” ride in and the dirt and gravel farm roads were snowy and frozen enough to support such cold-ass shenanigans.
I must say my hands were seriously HAPPY! If anything they became TOO warm and sweaty and after about an hour twenty-five things got more than a tad cold due to that fact. Had I taken and extra pair of gloves (something I usually do due to my sweaty hand problem) or used a more breathable pair I would have been gold. I gotta say that buying the Moose Mitts was the best $65 I’ve ever spent on my winter cycling. Now if they could just make something to keep my feet warm I’d be EXTREMELY happy, my vintage pair of Lake winter boots aren’t really cutting it these days. I thought I was gonna lose a little piggy or two today. YIKES!
As I said above, I am not a HUGE winter cyclist (but the more beer I drink and pizza I eat I am becoming a HUGE cyclist)… I do what I can to just to stay on the business side of sane and call it a day. I mean today topped out at just under 3 hours, not HUGE by any means but that’s about all I have for cold weather riding. I do have to say though, rides like the one today REALLY ups my respect for the folks who take on challenges like the Arrowhead 135, Susitna 100, etc., Freaks… FREAKS I tell you!!! I really don’t know how their bodies deal with the cold, eeesh!! BTW, keep an eye out for more on the Arrowhead 135 in the next issue of XXC Magazine.
Despite the Ice Station Zebra temps, the sun was out, vitamin D was soaked up, miles were rode and after I chiseled away the frozen sweat on my face and thawed out my toes a grin was seen in the mirror.
Wait… what was this post about? Umm…a….a… I guess pogies are sweet, get some if you do cold ass rides and Moose Mitts are swell.
Today xxcmag.com’s Fat Bike guru Dave Byers takes us through his newest fat bike build; a 2012 Fatback and gives us a short term review of the bike. Please note this is Dave’s bike, the frame was not provided to XXC Magazine or xxcmag.com. The purpose of the post is to share the joy building up a new bike and to give you an idea on what to consider when building up a fat bike, whether it be a Fatback, Salsa, Twenty2, Surly, etc., etc.,. – XXC Magazine.
A Fatback Fat Bike Build, First Impressions
by Dave Byers
When the FedEx truck pulled into my driveway I knew exactly what he was about to unload. Is it wrong that I watched the FedEx Tracking page like a hawk for two days while my frame made its way to Idaho from Anchorage, AK? I have been thinking about a new Fat Bike frame for a while and when I saw the specs of the 2012 Fatback I knew it was the frame for me.
My ultimate goal for a new Fatback was FLOAT. I want to have the best chance of riding, not pushing, when the conditions get soft. I wanted to be able to run the largest tires available, the 4.7” Big Fat Larry, and not have to make drivetrain sacrifices. The 2012 Fatback was actually ready for production before Surly announced the Big Fat Larry tire but the guys at Speedway Cycles wanted their new bike to accommodate this new huge-mongous tire. New drawings were sent to their fabricator and of course this added a delay to the delivery time. I would say the extra wait was worth it.
“I want to have the best chance of riding, not pushing, when the conditions get soft. I wanted to be able to run the largest tires available, the 4.7” Big Fat Larry, and not have to make drivetrain sacrifices”
My new aluminum 2012 Fatback in the raw finish has a no-nonsense industrial look to it. The frame has several well thought out features such as a tapered head tube, clean cable routing for full-length housing runs, a bent top tube for more standover clearance, and massive rear triangle clearance to accommodate the biggest Fat Bike tire available today.
Having the clearance to run a 4.7” Big Fat Larry tire on a 90mm-100mm rim in the rear is important to me because of where and how I ride. Our snowmobile trails here in the Tetons have a lot of hills and I need at least two chainrings in the front. I chose to build up the new fatback with a 2 x 9 drivetrain using the Origin 8 Isis crank set and SRAM XO 9-speed in the rear.
Photo: Room for 90mm rims, Big Fat Larry, and a 2 x 9 drivetrain
Photo: The rear triangle is built around at 170mm Hub and Fat Carbon with Stealth Graphics.
I opted for the new tapered carbon Fatback fork for one simple reason. It is sexy baby. A steel fork would have ridden just fine and cost a few bucks less but I could not resist the sexy FAT carbon. Does that make me a bad person?
“A steel fork would have ridden just fine and cost a few bucks less but I could not resist the sexy FAT carbon. Does that make me a bad person?”
I find myself moving to wider handlebars on my XC bikes so I thought I would try something really wide on the Fatback. The Enve DH bar is 800mm uncut and I have now cut them down to 760mm. I think I am in love. A Fat Bike seems to be the perfect application for a wide bar because of the stable handling it creates.
Photo: Enve Downhill Bars cut down to 760mm
Photo: The 2012 Aluminum Fatback, Ready to Rock
So how does it ride? Laterally stiff while remaining vertically compliant… I think I read that somewhere. Ha!
In my opinion, the two key ingredients to the ride of a Fat Bike are:
A) How does it fit the rider?
B) The tire profile and PSI
The guys at Speedway Cycles nailed the geometry with this frame. My large frame has a 24.2 effective top tube and a tall-ish head tube that made it very easy for me to create a comfortable position. In terms of tire profile and PSI, I am running Big Fat Larry tires front and rear and my typical riding pressure is 6 PSI. At this low pressure, the ride is super comfy and grippy. With about 20 hours in the saddle so far, I have to say that I am very happy and impressed with the bike.
Well a month or so later I couldn’t be happier with the performance of the fenders. I mean when you get down to it, it’s just a fender all it has to do is keep my caboose dry and stay put. It does both. The quick release, er I mean “Quickclamp” is a breeze to set up and stays put. Win.
