Stupid Things Found in Mountain Bike Action (January issue)

I've had the latest issue sitting on my desk for a few weeks, but it wasn't very inspiring to make this post--just not too much stupid stuff in this issue, I guess. Perhaps they've already run out of 27.5" stuff to test?

Still, I can't let my little series die off after just two installments, so let's take a look:

Niner + Knard = NiKnard

Yesterday was unseasonably warm but very rainy, which made it a good day to spend some time in the garage with my help, building up my 29+ project. I tried fitting the Knard on my existing rear rim (a 23.5mm wide IRD Clyde), where it measured 65mm wide at the casing. It actually had enough clearance to turn, but it rubbed slightly at the chainstay where my wheel was a bit off center and out of true.

Anticipation

Aside from seeing a movie with the family ("Frozen", slow start but then it improved), I spent much of today finally lining up some parts for my next build. After my experience with the Krampus, I've been kind of 29+ obsessed lately. Finally, here was something new and different that I could sink my teeth into: not just a lighter widget, like my idea for a carbon frame, but a bike that truly made a difference in riding. Fun but also low tech, a good combination.

After some internal debate between a Krampus frameset and Carver Gnarvester, I settled on the third choice: see what I could do with my Niner SIR9. I won an auction today for a never used pair of Knards, almost two for the price of one, which set off my chain of buying:

Global Fat Bike Day and the Krampus

In the rush between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I think many people overlook the other holidays, such as today's celebration of Global Fat Bike Day. The guys at COMBO had scheduled a meet up at Alum Creek P1, and our friendly local Trek store was there with some fat bike demos. I had previously demoed a Moonlander at last year's COMBOween, and pretty much hated it: slow everywhere, ponderous to turn, and did I mention slow? But when I saw the Trek store would have a Krampus demo, I kissed the kids goodbye and was out the door.