My Final Dirty Kanza 200 Setup...

Well, I have continued to think and consider how my body has been reacting to the training and racing I've been doing over the past few weeks. As a result, my Dirty Kanza 200 setup has evolved to look like this. It's a little "bigger" than almost all of the other bikes I've seen so far, but that's not daunting to me. Actually, that's pretty much what I expected... You see, the biggest mistake most folks make at the Kanza is trying to roll skinny rubber and paying the price in flat tires and a rough ride. I've made that mistake and vow to not be "the one" this year. Not only is my setup fast, it's smooth... And over 200 miles, that's what counts.

Three areas have been addressed in the lead-up to the DK200: ride quality, hydration and on-bike cargo capacity. A Salsa Minimalist rack bolsters cargo capacity in the rear using a wrap-style setup with a Trek water bottle cargo carrier as the core. Salsa rack straps secure it very well to the rack, and I've added an additional spare tube to the underside of the rack with a Simple Strap (I will have a total of four spare tubes with me during the event).

A Planet Bike Snack Sack sits atop the top tube, giving me easy access to nutrition, cash and incidental items while I'm on the road. A 50oz. Camelbak hydration reservoir sits in the main compartment of the Jandd frame pack, complimenting the three on-frame water bottle cages. This will give me a total of 125-130oz. of water per leg of the course, which should be more than enough. A Blackburn Flea headlight (original version, required by the event) sits between my Bontrager cyclometer and my Detours map holder.

The Camelbak's drink tube is mounted on a magnetic retraction spool made by Veleau (which they're now marketing as "Lapeleau", which allows me to drink easily, yet the tube retracts quickly and is held securely by a strong magnet while I'm not drinking. It's nice...

Weight worth having... I may be one of the only ones rolling up to the line Saturday with a Rock Shox Reba on the front of my bike, but my feeling is that, if I've got it, I'm gonna' run it... And I've got it. The Dirty Kanza 200 is a unique race in that, while some sections of the race are baby's butt smooth, some of the sections are as close as you can get to a mountain bike race and still be on a dirt road, so my feeling is that, for those sections, this will be my best bet for getting through without 1) pain in my right arm (which has 20 screws in the forearm), and 2) flat tires, which is the best way to ensure a fast, top finish. It's awfully frustrating to have a day where you're feeling strong, only to have a string of flat tires ruin the party. I know several riders who've gone out like that, and I hope to not be one of those guys on Saturday. That's why you're seeing the setup you're seeing here. Strong, fast, comfortable, reliable, reasonably light. I will not have to worry about anything on the bike on my way to the finish line, and that's exactly the way I like it to be.

See you in Emporia! I'm super excited for this year's event...

The Dirty Kanza 200-ready BWNN...

During my interview today on the Mountain Bike Race Minute online, host Ben Welnak asked me about my Dirty Kanza 200 setup, and I told him I'd post it up here on the Dirtblog for all to see. For while I've thought long and hard about everything here, I'm not above letting you see how I'm rolling this year. Here it is...

Frame is my Ti Salsa Bike With No Name (BWNN) -- a prototype of the Ti Fargo, but with a couple notable differences. I'm going with big tires this year - a Kenda Kommando 2.2 on the front and a WTB Vulpine 2.1 on the rear, both tubeless with my own "getto" sealant. A 2x9 drivetrain -- 30x44 Salsa chainrings on a vintage 58/94 BCD Deore XT crank with a low-mount XT front derailleur driving a 11-34 Deore XT cassette via an XTR (M950) rear derailleur on the "business" end. WTB saddle, Ti Moots seatpost. Lots of bottle cages. (I may ditch the seatpost bottle mount and use the fork mounts -- we'll see.)

In the Jandd frame bag, I'll run a 50oz Camelbak bladder, which will increase my water carrying capacity significantly without requiring me to carry a bag on my body. The Salsa Woodchipper handlebar is a super comfortable choice for long days in the drops. PRO Silicone tape was added at the recommendation of Nate Woodman, and was a fantastic choice... It's the most comfortable tape I've ever ridden, hands down.

Feel free to ask questions. Thanks for reading, and for listening to the Mountain Bike Race Minute online!

The Dirtblog Review: 2012 Giant Anthem X-29 0...

Consistency is typically a good thing in mountain bike racing. I've always had good luck during a second season on a bicycle design I liked the first season. So, after having a successful and very enjoyable 2011 on my Giant Anthem X-29 1, will my experience on its successor, the 2012 Anthem X-29 0, be as good? Will the switch to RockShox suspension components and a SRAM drivetrain enhance or detract from the ride? I set out a little over a month ago to learn the answers to these questions. Along the way, I was surprised by a few things, but ended up stoked by most of the bike overall.

Giant's Anthem - Quality, Performance, Value

At the heart of the bike, the frame of the 2012 Anthem X-29 is essentially the same as the 2011 version aside from the darker grey anodizing. Looking closely, it seems as if the graphics are even the same color as in 2011, but the change in frame color makes them look darker... Interesting.

This shot gives a good perspective on the Anthem X-29's awesome tube shaping. Check out the down tube and top tube!

The frame construction is a display of Giant's mastery of alloy construction and it features a variety of welding techniques, depending on the requirement of the specific joint. Tubes are drawn in-house in Giant's own factory, giving the company the freedom to develop complex tube shapes and profiles. Each tube of the Anthem X-29 frame is highly manipulated, from the box section downtube, to the bent seat tube with an integrated pivot knuckle at the tube midsection.

Fantastic welds and more great tube shaping. Also note the clean derailleur cable routing.

Frame handling is a unique blend of quickness and stability. It has a quick pedaling efficiency, a low bottom bracket and is very light to turn at the bars, so you can really slam through tight singletrack, but it's also got relatively long chainstays, so it's not afraid to drop into a fast downhill with guys on bigger bikes. It's a fast bike that gives you the feeling you can ride it hard with confidence. It won't let you down.

A Pivot Meltdown...

That said, similar to the 2011 bike, I had consistent pivot loosening issues on the first five rides. On the Anthem, like most full suspension bikes, it makes sense to check pivot tightness regularly. Riding with a loose pivot can ruin parts quickly. Unfortunately, less than three weeks into my relationship with my new Anthem X-29, in the process of tightening one of the lower main pivots, the pivot cap cracked and broke. Since I was two days out from my first race of the season, I took it into Cycle Works and we pulled the pivot cap from my 2011 Anthem and installed it on my new bike so I could race while we called Giant about a new part.

The new pivot cap installed...

When the new part arrived, it arrived as part of a 'complete pivot and bearing replacement kit', which I was told I was going to have to buy in its entirety, since the cap that broke was "not under warranty", and that was the only way the cap was available... OK, so this is a bike that, at the time was three weeks old. And the fact is, that pivot was loosening consistently (which would be consistent with a pivot cap that was in the process of cracking). The rest of the pivots had settled down.

A bunch of parts I hope to never need to use, but I suppose it's good to have them.

But I ended up paying more than $30 for a whole new set of main pivots and bearings for my three week old Anthem X-29 0. I used one pivot cap and the rest of the parts are sitting on my work bench.

Spec Changes for 2012

Giant's product managers addressed key spec deficiencies on the 2011 bike in the areas of bar/stem and tires. The 2012 bike comes specced with the excellent Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 tubeless-ready tires, instead of the 2011 bike's Maxxis CrossMark 2.1s. Nothing against the CrossMark, but the Racing Ralph is perhaps the premier Midwest 'all-arounder'. That said, in preparation for a rocky race recently, I put a Maxxis Ardent 2.4 on the front so that I could charge the rocks a little harder without fear of nailing the rim. I love the Ardent 2.4 too... It's a little heavy, but it corners like it's on rails and is super stable in the rough. You can trust that tire. With that on the front and a 2.25 Racing Ralph on the rear, you have a fast, trustworthy combination. Think Dakota Five-O. I am... already.

Handlebar spec. on the Anthem X-29 0 goes to a one-inch rise bar with a generous 9-degree back sweep (plus 5-deg up-sweep), compared to last year's flat, 5-degree sweep bar. This was a great change. I had to toss last year's handlebar immediately, but this year, the stock bar is a keeper. The stem/spacer combination also allows for notably more vertical height adjustment than the 2011 bike -- a positive overall change for riders on the upper-end of each frame size.

The new Giant Contact riser bar improves ergonomics significantly compared to the flat bar specced on the 2011 bike.

Rollin' RockShox in 2012 

I have to admit to being initially wary of Giant's move to RockShox suspension components on the Anthem X-29 0 for 2012. Since I'd been riding virtually nothing but Fox suspension for several seasons prior, I had become very used to the distinct "Fox feel." Once you drink the Kool Aid, it's hard to voluntarily jump off the wagon, but I did, and I have to say, it's not bad.

I had the most reservations about the rear Monarch RT3 damper, but ironically today that's the component I like the most. It's a very high quality piece that offers effective damping adjustments, a great working platform (for the few times you want it on an Anthem) and overall, simply gives the bike a great composure and 'feel' out on the trail. Initially, I chased pressure and rebound damping settings a bit, but today I don't feel there are any situations that last year's RP3-equipped bike out-performs this year's bike.

The RockShox Monarch RT3 rear damper features a built-in sag indicator, making set-up a piece of cake. Air pressure, compression/platform damping (blue lever) and slow speed rebound damping (red dial) are user adjustable.

An interesting thing I've noticed: on last year's Fox-equipped bike, I had to run the rebound damping all the way out (fast), or it felt way too slow. This year's Monarch RT3 damper has perhaps a narrower range of damping adjustment, but I am running it more in the middle of the adjustment range (at five clicks in from full-fast). This is a sign to me that the engineers at Giant and RockShox have done a good job of working together to develop the adjustment range of their dampers.

Race #1 at Swanson Park in Bellevue. I finished 10th overall in cat 1, 5th in cat 1 40-49 (tough class)

Similar to the rear, the SID 29 RCT3 fork is a solid performer, especially for how light it is on the scale. It features 15mm MAXLE through axle lowers to maximize steering stiffness and handling precision. It works too. For while you can see a bit of flex front-to-rear through the fork under heavy braking, the lateral, or side-to-side stiffness the fork displays is top-notch.

Despite its lightweight credentials, the 100mm travel RockShox SID 29 RCT3 fork is a true performer in the rough.

Another thing I love about RockShox forks is the ability to fine tune spring rates with tunable positive and negative air springs. Want your fork a little plusher off the top? No sweat, just dial up a little more negative air spring. Want it a little stiffer, or softer at the end of the travel? You can do that too. Just adjust the positive pressure accordingly. I've found it works well to keep pressures relatively balanced and I'm actually running slightly less than recommended pressure (95psi pos/neg) for my weight to achieve the full 100mm fork travel.

The SRAM Drivetrain

Initially, I was thinking the switch to a SRAM X9/X0 drivetrain from last year's Shimano Deore XT group was a mistake, but as the parts have broken in they're working much better and are functioning smoother. I particularly like the Elixir 9 brakes for their smooth modulation, light action and fantastic power when they're called upon. The 185mm front rotor is a great spec choice on Giant's part that I think all 29-inch mountain bikes should come with. It just makes sense.

Avid Elixir 9 brakes are solid performers. 185f/160r rotors are an excellent spec.

The 2x10 drivetrain is a keeper too. I've heard a couple of journalists complain about the 26/39 crankset's ratios being too tall for a 29"er, but when coupled with the bike's 11-36 cassette, I've found it's got plenty of gears for the stuff I'm climbing. Here in the Midwest, I rarely use the 26, but know that when I go out to Colorado, or up to the Dakota Five-O, I'll spend plenty of time in that little ring. I can't wait...

The carbon/alloy 2-ring SRAM X0 crankset is stiff and fairly light. Shifting is excellent with the X9 front derailleur. Note the clean routing for the rear derailleur cable and disc hose.

Disappointments?

If I was disappointed with any area of the Anthem X-29 0 spec, it would definitely be the wheelset. Last year's bike came with a similar wheelset, but the rear wheel was laced with a DT 350 hub. This year loses the DT hub in favor of a Giant-branded "Tracker Performance" hub that is absolutely nothing spectacular. I would expect this hub to appear on bikes in the $1,500-$2,000 range, not on a bike costing almost $4,000. It adds up to a wheelset that easily breaks the 2,000g barrier, making what would be a lightweight bike much more of a pig than it needs to be. The wheels aren't even tubeless compatible, so to make them so, you've got to add additional weight in rim strips. Further proof they're off-the-back...

I was doing the math recently, and even without going to full-bling carbon fiber rims, simply upgrading to a nice set of Scandium alloy rim Bontrager X-Lite TLR Disc CL29 wheels would drop almost a pound (<400g) from the weight of the bike, with tubeless compatibility out of the box, at a MSRP of around $899. I'm sure the build quality of the Bontrager wheels would be much better as well, based on past experience. It would be a very worthy upgrade, and is one I'd love to be able to make at some point soon.

The Overall Verdict

Despite my pivot woes just three weeks into my relationship with my new Anthem X-29 0, I still love the performance of the bike overall. And while I'm disappointed that Giant as a company, is more interested in covering its costs than having satisfied customers, it's good to know the pivot hardware is relatively accessible and inexpensive (how's that for looking on the bright side?). I'm fortunate... I race on the Cycle Works/Moose's Tooth team. If I had paid the Giant's full $3,800 retail price though, I admit I would have been much more disappointed at having to pay an extra $40 for a complete pivot replacement kit. Thank you to Kris and Nathan at Cycle Works for getting that taken care of for me. I am not disappointed at all with Cycle Works whatsoever.

Okay, so with that all said, I think the switch to RockShox/SRAM has been largely a good one. I like the 2x10 gearing a lot for the type of riding I do and the ergonomics and integration of the SRAM matchmaker clamps is excellent. It keeps the bars clean and uncluttered. The suspension performs well for me overall too, and provides useful 'real world' damping adjustments.

Giant made a big ballyhoo about their new wheel program at the start of the 2012 model year, but it really missed with me, as every wheelset they introduced was for road bikes. Mountain bikes were left out entirely, and based on my experience with the 2012 Anthem X-29 0, wheels are where Giant really needs to step up its game, because 1) few components affect the feel of the ride of a bicycle more than wheels, 2) they are getting flat out beaten by Trek, Specialized and almost every other company on the market on their high end bikes because the wheels Giant specs simply aren't as light, or high-performance as those on the bikes of their competitors.

I hope to get a new job soon so I can afford to get a better set of wheels for this bike. It will greatly enhance my love for it, because while I like it a lot now, every time I ride it I wonder how much better it could be if it weren't weighed down by the boat anchor wheels it's burdened with.

Thanks to Cycle Works in Lincoln, Nebraska for the opportunity to ride and race the Anthem X-29 0 during the 2012 racing season. While I received the bike to review at no charge, I was not paid for my review and as always, worked hard to keep my review fair and objective. I welcome your comments and feedback.

Branched Oak Area 7 On My Salsa Mukluk...

From Sunday...

Closing Out Winter With Some MN Fatbiking...

Errin catches me hopping on the rear wheel of my Mukluk with a spectacular background. Check out the compression I was getting on the rear tire... Rad!!

I had the rare opportunity to travel and ride simply for pleasure with a small group of friends on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. We were fortunate to have not just fantastic snow, but also nearly ideal weather for the trip, which made for boundary expanding fatbiking for several of our crew, myself included.

I rolled into Minneapolis on Saturday night, just in time to meet our fearless leader, Gnat, who was with Joe Meiser and Errin Vasquez at a party at the Angry Catfish bike shop and coffee bar. After realizing that I had met the guys from Angry Catfish at the 2010 Dakota Five-O, we had some great conversation and I enjoyed looking over their amazing custom frame selection, including an exquisite $4100 stainless steel Pegoretti road frameset. It was perhaps one of the most fantastic frames I've seen. The night was capped off by an all-too-brief conversation with Minneapolis icon, Gene "Gene-O" Oberpiller, as I prepared to walk out the door. He's such a cool guy and he's got a lot of love for the Lincoln scene... A first-class dude for sure. As I walked out of Angry Catfish, I couldn't help but feel like that's a shop that has a special clientele, and a special community, supporting it. It has an inspired feel about it... I love it. Coffee and bikes just work together, especially in the rarified air those guys play in.

I wish I'd have gotten more photos, but I was having so much fun, I didn't even pull out my phone to get any shots. Oh well...

The next day we packed up and drove up to Duluth to meet Salsa sponsored rider, Tim Ek and endurance legend, Charlie Farrow on the beach at Lake Superior, on which more than a foot of fresh snow had just fallen. We were literally breaking tracks in this amazing powder and were actually riding it!

MG breaks tracks with Eki in-tow. That's Charlie on the drop bar Pug. Photo: ImagineGnat.com

It wasn't fast, but it absolutely was fun!! Eki, Charlie, Ben and I took turns killing ourselves out front breaking fresh tracks, as it was much easier to be second or third wheel. When we got tired of breaking tracks, we simply turned around and rode back. It was awesome... Here's a video I shot from the ride:
    

And links to images from photographers on the ride:

• Jason Boucher - ImagineGnat.com
• Errin Vasquez - FatbikeInTheCity.com (check out the sweet shot Errin got of me hopping on my rear wheel!)

 After the rides, we enjoyed lunch at Fitger's with Eki and his super cool wife, Amy (thanks Amy). It was the perfect end to our time in Duluth, as we left spent and with full bellies. After our long lunch, we bid our hosts adieu and loaded up for the three hour tour north to Lutsen, MN, where our accommodations for the next couple of nights would be...

New Fork For the Bike With No Name...

The BWNN drop bar hardtail... something I've wanted for a long time!

Ever since I built my Ti Salsa "Bike With No Name", I've wanted a suspension fork for it. Gnat, the bike's original owner (and designer) just happened to have such a fork that I was recently able to acquire through some creative parts swapping. And as soon as the fork was in my hot little hands, you better believe I was hard at work installing it on my bike!

Though I will likely ride the bike with the rigid fork some of the time, it's awesome to be able to have this RockShox Reba to run when I want a little extra cush. And with crown races on both forks, it takes all of ten minutes to swap back-and-forth between the two... Perfect.

One more bike is ready for adventure in 2012... 

Thanks to Nathan and Damon at Cycle Works in Lincoln for their courier service of the fork from its former home in MPLS, and thanks again to Gnat for the fork (and frameset). I'm looking forward to hitting the trail on this beauty!

Cheers,
MG

New Bike Day: My 2012 Giant Anthem X-29 0...

Here it is... The bike I'll campaign in 2012 - a Giant Anthem X-29 0. To say I'm stoked is an understatement!

Aside from the difference in frame color compared to the 2011 bike I raced, my new Anthem is running a SRAM XO/X9 drivetrain. The 26x39 crankset and 10sp. rear derailleur come from the premium XO inventory, while cost is saved by an X9 front derailleur, shifters and cassette. The hollow-pin PC1070 chain is a quality spec.

Giant has not changed the design of the Maestro suspension design for 2012, nor did it need to. It has, however, swapped dampers, this year going to a RockShox Monarch RT3 from last year's excellent Fox RP3. While the initial ride feel is decent, the jury is still out on the Monarch's performance vs. the RP3. I have to admit I'm quite fond of the Fox, but am trying to remain objective. For now, I like the ease of setup the Monarch provides.

Major metalwork... Giant's hydro-formed alloy tubes create a distinctive appearance. It's easy to see the investment Giant has made in world-class manufacturing when perusing the Anthem X-29 0 in-person. It's a stunner...

Avid Elixir 9 brakes (180f/160r) with Matchmaker perches place the shifters on common clamps for uncluttered bars and maximum adjustability between brake and shift levers. It's an awesome setup... and light too! I've (to-date) primarily used Shimano drivetrains on my mountain bikes, but I have to say, this Matchmaker setup with the Avid brakes may be the most ergonomic brake/shift lever setup I've ever used. It's truly possible to brake and shift simultaneously. Very cool...

Great spec... With Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires as a stock spec, the Anthem X-29 0 even came with my favorite treads. And unlike in 2011, Giant nailed the bar/stem spec, so I won't be needing to swap out the stock items (unless of course I want to). That said, the stem is Giant's "Overdrive 2" size, which is to say, it is a 1 1/4" diameter, so there are a limited number of aftermarket stem options available. The benefit is increased front-end stiffness when compared to traditional 1 1/8-to-1 1/2-inch tapered steerer designs. Since it fits me now and I'm confident of Giant's support of their "standard", I'll roll with it.

Revisiting RockShox... It's been a long time since I've had a SID on the front of my bike, but it's 2012 and the rules have changed. SID is a new creature! This SID RCT3 is one incredible fork, with its 32mm uppers and QR15 "Power Bulge" lowers, yet it's the one part that's largely responsible for the weight loss the 2012 bike experienced. Plus, it feels very nice right out of the box, and it's super adjustable. I like this fork.

The one thing I was disappointed to lose from my 2011 Anthem was the DT rear hub from the rear wheel. My 2012 Anthem X-29 0 saves cost with a less expensive rear hub, but likely gives the cost saved to a more expensive drivetrain (crankset, shifters, derailleurs), when compared to 2011. Time will tell if it was a fair trade, but I'm a big fan of DT Swiss hubs... Where last year, I raced on the stock wheelset, I'm thinking about different wheels for this year's bike. We'll see if I end up having the budget to do anything about it... Keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks to Kris and the crew at Cycle Works in Lincoln for their support of my racing, and for giving me the opportunity to race this incredible Giant bicycle in 2012. Look for the my Cycle Works/Moose's Tooth teammates and myself at mountain bike, gravel and adventure races this season. We'll be the ones in the rasta jerseys. Jah mon... Rasta!

Hey Bontrager Riders... Lookin' For a Fork?

Almost forgotten... This fork almost got lost in my bike room closet! But it's much too good to let go to waste, so I'm letting it go to a new home that'll make good use of it. Are you a Bontrager rider in need of a new fork? If so, get a hold of me.

 It's at moments like these that I realize I have a lot of bike parts... Recently, I was rummaging through the 'ol bike room closet, looking for an odd derailleur part for a bike I was building, and I ran across a very nice fork that I forgot about. It's an increasingly-rare one-inch steerer, 1998 model year Marzocchi Bomber Z2 BAM, with MountainSpeed Speed Springs and top-out springs (and 80mm travel top out spacers). The seals on this open bath-design fork (which is very, very reliable) were replaced when the MountainSpeed kit and new bushings were installed in approx. 2001.

This version has both cantilever brake studs and disc tabs. I've never used discs on this fork...

The upper tubes are free from nicks or scrapes and the wiper seals are in great shape. It's clear this fork was produced in an age long since passed, when everything was made of metal. The craftsmanship is evident...

 The fork saw very limited use from 2002 to 2005, when I purchased one of the last one-inch steerer forks produced by Marzocchi. Getting one of those last 1-inch Marzocchi forks was the only reason I stopped using this fork (and when I say "using," I basically mean it was "holding the front wheel on my Bontrager Race", as since 1999, the bike has been a permanent but rarely-ridden member of my collection).

Here's a photo of me riding the Marzocchi near Nederland, CO. in the fall of 1999. Photo: B. Ganzel, Layout: MG

I purchased the fork new in late-July of 1998 and raced with the fork on the front of my red Bontrager RaceLite during the last half of my first mountain bike season in Colorado (my last season as an expert). It was on this fork that I won the Expert 25-29 division of the 1998 Breckenridge NORBA National Championship Series race, and I give a lot of credit to my frame and fork that day... It was sketchy out there and it was on the descents that I was pulling away. This fork is an awesome performer, even today. You can feel how smooth it is when you push on the crown. It sinks into its initial travel effortlessly.

A preload adjuster sits atop each leg, while the left leg (right side of the photo) includes a rebound adjuster.

Being a coil-sprung fork, this fork features spring preload and rebound damping adjustments. At 155 lbs, I use very little preload on whatever Speed Springs I decided to run (please don't ask which they are -- I don't remember and I'm not breaking into the fork -- springs are appropriate for an aggressive 155 lb rider, and can probably handle a heavier rider by at least 10-15 lbs, depending on preference). I recall that, stock, one of the things I wanted was a bit more stiffness, so that was something I went after with the Speed Springs (along with a bit of additional travel).

While I used to own four fine Bontragers, I've divested all but this beautiful blue Race -- my original Bontrager frame. It gets ridden only occasionally, and then only when the sun is shining.

The fork will fit any steel Bontrager frame, with the only caveat being on an extra large frame, the stem will not be able to have any spacers between itself and the headset top cap. The steerer measures 168mm (6 2/3-inches).

Mirror finish... The crown and polished bits still gleam with a luster you have to see to believe! In the late-90s when this fork was produced, Marzocchi quality was unrivaled in the suspension world.

I'm asking $200, plus any applicable shipping. Please don't hesitate to get a hold of me if you'd like to purchase this fork, or if you have questions you'd like to ask me directly -- mattgersib at gmail dot com.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out... Now get out there and ride!

Get Ready for Odin's Revenge...

Odin... from the Odin's Revenge website.

Our good buddy CQ and his band of gravel lovin' hooligans are fixin' to unleash Odin's Revenge on up to 75 well-prepared riders this June 29-30. Starting and finishing in the town of Gothenburg, NE., the event will traverse approx. 180 miles of fantastically scenic western Nebraska dirt and gravel roads. Sign-up is set to begin on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), via a TransIowa-style postcard system.

Image grabbed from CQ's blog that may or may not be part of the Odin's Revenge course...

Full details on the race and registration process, as well as contact information for the event promoters, can be found on the Odin's Revenge website.

Another image from CQ's blog that, if I were a bettin' man, I'd bet was part of the Odin's Revenge course.

Get out and support these guys... They're famously good hosts and it's sure to be a top-notch event!

The New, Improved Salsa Mukluk 3 Review...

Blogger has outdone itself now. In a move I'm still struggling to figure out, my recent review of the Salsa Mukluk 3 has gone completely missing on my blog. I was away from home visiting family over the weekend when it happened, so I'm not even sure exactly when it happened. But the real bummer is that I didn't have a back-up copy of the original review, so long story short, here is the replacement for the missing review. Hopefully there is some additional perspective included that the original review didn't have. Enjoy!

 DirtBlog Review: 2012 Salsa Mukluk 3

I bought my first fatbike back in mid-December, a 2012 Salsa Mukluk 3, and now with more than six weeks of riding and nearly a thousand miles accumulated under its tires, I've formed some very strong opinions about the performance and value the Mukluk brings to the table. As you'd expect for a bike retailing for well under $2,000, I've swapped out a fair number of parts, but surprisingly (to me at least), not as many as I thought I would, and I think that's quite simply because the folks at Salsa did a great job of spending the dollars they had at their disposal.

The Mukluk 3 is based around a 7005 series aluminum frame that Salsa designed to be able to accommodate the widest tire/rim combinations currently available on the market -- the 100mm Clown Shoe rim and 4.7-inch Big Fat Larry tire. Both are products by Salsa Cycles' QBP stablemate, Surly, and while the combination reportedly doesn't leave the bike with a ton of extra clearance at the seatstays and chainstays, it's cool Salsa designed the frame to be future proof, even though the bike is specced off the floor with narrower 82mm Rolling Darryl rims and 3.8-inch Larrry/Endomorph tires.

The 3.8 Surly Larry running tubeless on a Rolling Darryl (82mm width) rim. Note the stock Salsa skewer has been replaced with the rear skewer from a Mavic Crossmax wheelset in an attempt to cure front end flex experienced early-on in my time with the bike. It seems the inertia big wheels generate would make a through axle fork a great idea. In fact, I'm not the only one talking about this...

That said, running tire/rim combinations that wide will absolutely require a Mukluk 3 user to make drivetrain modifications, which Salsa outlines online in a blog post that you can check out here. The mods aren't hard to make, and will increase the user's enjoyment significantly. Even with the stock tire/rim setup, I ended up truncating my cassette into an 8-speed, which consisted of removing the smallest 12t cog and spacing the remaining eight cogs over as far to the drive side as possible. This eliminated the tire rubbing the chain experienced in the 24/36 combination, which on a fatbike is a more commonly-used gear combination than the 36/12 being lost. In practice, this has proven true as well, for while I often use the 14t cog, I have yet to want for the missing 12t.

Count the cogs... If you look closely, you can see that I've removed the 12t cog, making the 14t my new "high gear". No, I don't miss the 12t. Also shown here is the SRAM X7 rear derailleur, KMC Z99 zinc-plated "rust buster" chain and Salsa 170mm rear hub.

As you might expect, the handling of the Mukluk 3 is dominated by those massive fatbike wheels and their dominating inertia. Even though I'm running the Larry/Endomorph tires tubeless, each wheel is still easily two pounds heavier than any other bike I've ever ridden, and the momentum and inertia that generates on the trail is impressive. It dominates the riding experience. Salsa has done an admirable job of developing geometry that harnesses that inertia and allows it to be piloted at high speeds on twisty trails. I'm not sure that, over time, fatbike geometry won't evolve to be slacker, with more fork offset, but I think Salsa is leading the way as far as production bikes go with low bottom brackets, 170mm rear hub spacing, long headtubes and geometry that allows riding confidently in a wide variety of conditions, from snow to dirt, to rocks and roots.

I've found the SKS GrandM.O.M rear mud guard to be a great addition to my Mukluk 3 on days that might get a little sloppy. It's got enough width to completely cover my rear Endomorph, keeping my back side clean. Photo: N. Swanson

Mods I've made to my Mukluk to attend to performance issues have been relatively few. The brake levers had to go immediately. I first used a pair of Avid 1.9L levers I had in the parts bin, but realized I had a pair of 950-series XTR levers on my Big Mama that have offset built-in for GripShift and immediately set about swapping them out. Wow... What a difference that made. I can now brake without having any of my hand on the shifter. Fantastic! Since I'm using a set of WTB Original Trail grips with the inner flanges cut off, I'm using spray paint to adhere them to the bars. I use lock-on grips on all my other bikes, so the thought of slipping grips is not something I want to entertain! Though a bit messy, the spray paint solution is quite effective.

The current control center. Shimano BL-M950 levers from the mid-90s sit aside modern SRAM X7 shifters and WTB Original Tral grips. Bars are OEM-only Salsa Bend 3 models with 17-degrees of sweep. While I like the stock bar, I'd like to try the company's Bend 2 model in the offered 23-degree bend.

In addition to the levers, I also replaced the stock Avid BB5 brakes with a set of older BB7s I had in the parts bin. This gained me increased adjustability, as well as modulation and power courtesy of stiffer, one-piece calipers. The difference the braking system changes have made is dramatic. If I were going to recommend one change to the bike for every owner, I'd recommend replacing at the very least the brake levers, and then the calipers second.

The Moots Cinch seatpost added significant quality to the ride. Upgraded Avid BB7 brake calipers provided a similar increase in braking quality, especially when paired with XTR M950 levers.

Two other modifications I made were fit and comfort related. I swapped the stock 110mm Salsa stem out for a 100mm Salsa ProMoto Ti stem, and the stock Kalloy seatpost and WTB Pure V Sport saddle for a Moots Cinch seatpost, and have been swapping between two WTB saddles -- the SST and Silverado Team. Currently I'm riding the Silverado, and it's working well.

The Salsa Minimalist rack, WTB Silverado Team saddle and XTR M950 brake levers are the three most recent component changes to my Mukluk 3, all of which are clearly visible in this image.

I am also now running Salsa's Minamalist rack on the front of my Mukluk, simply because I can. The bike includes mid-blade rack mounts, which allow a multitude of options, including the Minimalist. It's proven sturdy, durable and good looking -- a great addition to the bike.

The Minimalist rack integrates cleanly with the Mukluk's mid-blade rack mounts, as well as my Gino light mounts from Paul Component Engineering.

Back in December, I didn't have any idea that I'd fall as hard for fatbiking, or my Mukluk, as I have. But sitting here six weeks later, I have to say I'm smitten. I've been riding and racing for more than 20 years, and this bike has shown me a whole new world of cycling I never knew existed. And believe it or not, it's a world I find myself spending the majority of my time in now... I'm not the only one that's been lured to the fat side. You might just be next.

Photo: Jen Deep