Yeah, no substitute for time in the saddle to prepare for a big ride like that. It's part of my bicycling regimen that needs a little work. One hour of trail riding, every day, is a good workout and very healthy, but that long distance stuff is another type of workout.

Been riding the Surly Krampus all week and switching back and forth with various bikes for the sake of comparison. The closest bike to the Krampus is my other 29+ rigid, my Trek Stashe. Okay, well, duh! Still, the two are surprisingly different. Shorter chain stays on the Trek, lighter frame and more XC geometry make it a more nimble, agile bike. You might expect a 29+ bike to be kind of clunky in the handling department, but not this one. Reminds me of my old classic 26" MTBs.

The Krampus, though, amazes me. With the new Knard tires, it's actually a slightly faster bike than the Trek on a straight run. Plenty agile, but not as twitchy as the Trek. Better climber in the steeps and easier to hop logs with it's trail geometry. And that steel? Oh, yeah, what a difference it makes on the rough stuff.

What is especially noticeable on the Krampus is its ability to track a straight line. This could be the result of it fitting me better than than the Trek, but it is the more stable bike. I used to ride the Trek on 6 to 10 miles of pavement to get to my favorite gravel and sand roads, but the Trek just felt like a mismatch on the pavement as in, what are we doing on this stuff? Get the Krampus out on a road, though, and it begs to cover some miles. I had originally hoped that the Krampus would give me a narrow tire, lighter version of the Pugsley for a do it all, utility bike and looks like I hit the jackpot. The Pugs will still get the call in extreme conditions or when things turn soft and the Pugs can be ridden in all four seasons, but the Krampus will take over for the longer rides until the snow falls.

Love the Pugs and now the Krampus, too.