June Riding

[north woods gal]

Great ride reports! Thanks.

Nothing special, here. Just my usual every day stuff. Just for fun, yesterday, I rode my 5 different fat/plus bikes for an hour on our trails just to get a comparison in a back-to-back kind of way. (Yes, even with fat bikes, there are a lot of differences in the way they ride and handle.) Didn't really learn anything I didn't already know, but still fun and interesting and a good workout, to boot.

The Trek Stashe 29x3" rigid was the fastest and most nimble, but it has the purest XC (straight up) geometry. Definitely not as comfy over rough ground, though, as the fat bikes. Definitely felt the difference. Can still do the same log hops and rock pile climbs as the fat bikes, but not as much margin for error. Timing and approach are more critical for the stunt stuff. Super gravel and logging road bike, though.


My Norco Sasquatch fattie came very close in speed and handling and was much more comfy over the long haul. It's a fat bike that rides like a good trail bike. I could ride it as my only MTB and be perfectly happy.


Switched back to the original Schwalbe Sammy Slick 700x35 tires on my Salsa Warbird and ride comfort AND handling in sand improved, dramatically, over the 700x40 WTBs I was running. Funny how two tire models can look so similar in tread but perform so differently. Problems solved with just the change of tires. Time for a nice long run on this one. Does great on hard packed gravel.