Press "Enter" to skip to content

Category: cycling

Pogie Retention: ODI Aluminum End Plugs and Nylon Spacer

Published January 2, 2018

Over the years I’ve gone through a few different iterations of bar end plugs for the elastic found inside of pogies such as Moose Mitts and Relevate Designs’ Williwaws. While many of these pogies can be used with the elastic wrapped around the grip, I find this a bit uncomfortable and these iterations happened as I tried to get to something better. Previously attempts were a couple variations on road-type screw-tight bar end plugs with a stack of washers, but after one of these became stuck in my carbon bars during a crash on ice I went looking for something simpler and more robust. I also wanted to avoid the thin washers, as a glancing blow from one during a fall could easily result in a cut.

Shown above is my latest attempt, made from two off-the-shelf parts:

  1. ODI Aluminum End Plugs (Amazon: $15.67)
  2. .531 x .870 x 3/16 Nylon Flat Washers (Lowes: $1.28, P/N 423512, Photo)

This setup meets the following requirements and should be an improvement on previous designs:

  • Easily removable, such as with a screw to tighten / remove.
  • Resistant to being driven into the bar or bending during a crash or bike falling over in the wind.
  • Must not have a sharp or narrow edge that could cut the rider.
  • Compatible with a variety of bar wall thickness; including thick-walled carbon bars such as the Salsa Salt Flat.

To put it all together I disassembled the ODI plug (photo), slipped the nylon washer over the body of the plug (photo), reassembled the plug, then inserted the plug into the bar and and tightened it down like normal. The washer is perfectly sized to set in the recess in the bar end plug while spacing it out from the end of the grip/bar. This ensures there’s a slight gap left for the elastic (photo), keeps the plug from hammering in during a crash, and the rounded bar edges of the plug should minimize injury. It’s also just large enough that it cannot slip past the expander wedge of the bar end plug, which should make removal extremely simple.

Prior to this I’d tried the ODI plugs without a nylon spacer, leaving them set a little ways out from the bar (photo), but whenever the bar end hit the ground during a fall they’d push in and trap the elastic. An alternative would be the Relevate Designs Pogie Bar End Plugs, but at $10 (plus shipping) per pair they aren’t much cheaper and won’t as easily be removable. Being all plastic and press-fit they seem more likely to pull out or be damaged during a crash.

Leave a Comment

TrainerRoad PowerMatch: Disabled

Published December 31, 2017

After getting the CycleOps Hammer smart trainer I’ve been experimenting with how it, my Stages power meter on the Salsa Vaya, and the TrainerRoad PowerMatch function work together. In short, PowerMatch is designed for those who have a power meter on their bike and want to ensure that the resistance and workouts are consistent indoors (with the smart trainer) and out (with just the power meter). While I only use power data for training indoors during the winter (never for outdoor training), I do like to look it over after outdoors rides and thus want to be sure the two are as in line as possible.

To automatically handle differences in power meters, TrainerRoad’s PowerMatch calculates the offset between the power meter and smart trainer, then adjusts the resistance every 10 seconds to accommodate the difference. On its face this makes sense to me, but whenever I’d enable it the resistance would get bit surge-y feeling during harder efforts leading me to think something wasn’t quite right. I suspect this is because of the Stages being single-leg, I likely have a bit of an imbalance between legs, and my recent rides in TrainerRoad have shorter efforts than the sustained stuff that single-leg meters are best at. So, I started to think about if something else was right for me.

In TrainerRoad, on the Power Meter settings, there is a toggle to use the meter for cadence only. In the Smart Trainer setting the options for PowerMatch are Auto, Disabled, or a Manual offset. This results in the following scenarios:

Power Meter Normal, PowerMatch Auto: Displayed power is from meter, with this data used by PowerMatch to determine resistance. Occasional surging feeling, but overall good. While riding it appeared that power data jumped around.

Power Meter Normal, PowerMatch Disabled: Displayed power is from meter, resistance set by trainer’s internal meter. Displayed power data appeared low (5-10W) when holding an interval steady.

Power Meter Cadence Only, Power Match Disabled: Displayed power is from trainer, resistance set by trainer’s internal meter. Feels smooth (no surging) but seemed marginally easier than with PowerMatch.

Power Meter Normal, Power Match Manual: Displayed power is from meter, resistance set by trainer offset adding/subtracting manual value; no automatic adjustment of offset done.

With Power Meter Normal, Power Match Manual looking most like what I wanted, I set out to determine the offset between my Stages meter and the CycleOps Hammer. To do this I first ensured the Stages and Hammer were calibrated. TrainerRoad was set to have PowerMatch disabled and the Stages meter to Use Cadence Only. My Garmin Edge 520 recorded power from the Stages meter and TrainerRoad recorded the Hammer’s data. I then rode a custom TrainerRoad workout that has a warmup, then a series of 1 minute intervals at 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, and 110% of FTP with 30 second 50% rests between in Erg mode so  trainer resistance adjusted automatically. After this I did a 30 minute Free Ride where I shifted to adjust speed (and thus power), trying to get a good mix of steady state and short/hard intervals, under different situations, to get sane date to compare. To cut down on data misalignment both of these rides were non-stop spins without pausing, doing my best to start and stop the Garmin along with the TrainerRoad workout.

Both of these sets of data were then compared in DC Rainmaker‘s Analyzer tool, with the results visible here:

Comparing the two, I see two notable things, both most visible in the 30 Minute Freeride:

  1. Sudden transitions decreasing power show 0 values when measured by the Hammer, but still some power with the Stages.
  2. Hammer seemed to measure higher, with the variance becoming greater as power output became higher.

I don’t believe the sudden transitions are a concern nor really something that can be accommodated for, and I don’t think they’ll be a problem for the normal Erg mode workouts where the main desire is to have the trainer providing resistance. This is likely a simple side effect of the large flywheel in the trainer taking a while to slow.

For the scaling disparity between the Stages and Hammer, maybe there’s something there… I’m tending to think that the Stages is reading higher on very hard efforts because with these I’m more apt to be standing and shoving down on the pedals versus a smooth spin. Perhaps this is throwing off the strain gauge? Let’s see…

Here’s how the average powers worked out:

Workout Meter Average Power Weighted Average Power
Custom Test Stages 173.50 191.70
Hammer 174.77 194.20
Free Ride 30 Stages 209.87 228.25
Hammer 211.03 234.05

 

Since I’m trying to compare power meters themselves, I’m looking at Average Power. (I don’t want to use Weighted Average, because this gives increasing priority to greater power outputs, since they are harder on one’s body. For example, it’s a way of reflecting how 300 W feels more than 2x as hard as 150 W.)

Across these two rides the two meters are within ~1 W of each other. While I originally went into this investigation looking to see how much of an offset I’d have to set up in Power Match Manual, I’m now thinking that the Hammer is close enough to the Stages to simply use Power Meter Cadence Only, PowerMatch Disabled. It’s possible this could skew a bit more as I do higher power efforts, but I think this will probably still be within sane ranges. It’s rare that I’ll see the 100W difference like in the high power effort of the Free Ride 30 test (700-800 W range), most things will be in the 200W-300W steady state range where alignment seems sane.

This will cut down on the surging that seems to be coming from the single-leg power meter, still provide sufficient correlation between indoor and outdoor efforts, all while having the benefits of an Erg mode smart trainer.

It’d be nice if TrainerRoad offered some sort of percentage correction, but perhaps this is why PowerMatch instead does a frequent reassessment and is turned on my default; better to check the offset and correct vs. attempting to figure out a scale. Being able to see how PowerMatch is working internally would be nice, but I’m not sure this would add any real value to the product.

2 Comments

2017-2018 Trainer Setup: CycleOps Hammer

Published December 28, 2017

For winter 2017-2018 I’ve put together a revamped, and much improved, trainer setup in my basement. Since the last setup with a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine things have been changed pretty significantly. I had previously set things up in front of a CRT HDTV which I’d previously used as a gaming / home theater setup but over the years I didn’t really use it for anything other than movies while on the trainer and basement music; just kind of a waste. This fall I sold the CRT HDTV and stands, picked up a cheap LCD TV (with built-in Netflix and Amazon apps), and put the whole setup on a metal stand in front of the trainer.

The result is a nice setup where a movie plays at eyes-on-the-road level and TrainerRoad is just a glance below. A CycleOps Hammer smart trainer provides resistance when riding, a nice step up from using a power meter, fluid trainer, and shifting to reach power targets. Four speakers (plus two over the workbench) are connected to a home theater receiver / amp, making for great audio from movies, or music via the AppleTV (and iTunes), although I tend to have subtitles on while watching movies to keep the audio at a reasonable level. A squirrel cage fan blows from a distance to keep me cool while riding. To ensure good ANT+ connectivity I’ve located the Garmin USB adaptor to a table next to the bike where it has a short path to the trainer, power meter, and my heart rate strap.

Since I have a Stages power meter on the Vaya, I have the option of using TrainerRoad’s PowerMatch. This uses the on-bike power meter and adjusts the smart trainer so that everything matches. I understand how this will benefit those wanting the same power numbers indoors and out (since no two units match exactly), but I’m still undecided if it’s a good setup for me. I’ll be working that out over the next few rides.

So far this setup is working out very nicely. While expensive initially (almost the cost of a bike) I vastly prefer the feel of a direct drive smart trainer to the fluid trainer with power meter. Both are effective, but I’m really enjoying not having to shift and chase power targets. Both Kristen (she also bought a Hammer) and I are following TrainerRoad plans over the winter, and as it moves into more over-under workouts, especially those with very short high intensity intervals, having a smart trainer is a huge bonus. It’s very difficult to effect radical changes in power and stay on target when shifting and matching speed to a power target. A smart trainer eliminates that need.

Leave a Comment

Wahoo KICKR Customer Service Disappointment

Published December 21, 2017

Planning to follow a TrainerRoad plan with Kristen all winter, and a little irked at the quirkyness of shifting to hit power targets on my current setup, I became interested in a smart trainer. My buddy Mike let me borrow his Wahoo KICKR, something I’d been itching to try after hearing so many good reviews of them. In short, I really liked the experience and was quite impressed by how much easier it made riding indoors. I focused more on putting out effort and selecting my cadence and less on staying on target, and large swings (say, over/unders) were MUCH easier to do when I didn’t have to seek the moving power target. I really wanted one. A few days later I noticed that Wahoo was selling NOS (new old stock) 2016 model for $899, which seemed perfect! The $1199 retail price is a bit more than I can afford, but this was doable for both Kristen and I. Orders were placed and we got ready to sell our fluid trainers.

Not hearing anything on the order after four days we sent notes to Wahoo’s customer service department. The responses indicated the units had accidentally been oversold, so we were offered refurbished 2016 units for $100 less. Having the same warranty and being even cheaper, that sounded great! We both accepted the offer and waited. A day later we were informed that the warehouse had found more stock of the new 2016 units and those were on the way, with the refurb offer rescinded. Not as good of a deal, but still, great! Because of this back and forth Melinda, the customer service person, tossed in a 142×12 Thru Axle Adapter for me and a TICKR X Heart Rate Monitor for Kristen; both things we could use and a really nice gesture.

Unfortunately, when the KICKRs arrived, we found that Wahoo had screwed up. These were not new units, nor refurbished, but instead returns which likely hadn’t been opened since the customers packed them up. Mine was scraped and the end caps were chewed up as if the previous owner didn’t clamp it down properly and had the bike come off while riding. The cassette was slightly greasy, it had a bunch of non-Wahoo stuff (Garmin manual and packaging, Monoprice packaging) in the box, and fine plastic dust from the expanded foam packaging was spread all over, including in the resistance unit. Kristen’s was arguably worse, with a heavily scuffed flywheel area (as if the owner had it resting against something), an empty through axle adapter box, and the previous owner’s personal info: the RMA from Clever Training and — inexplicably — a copy of his vehicle inspection report from Volkswagen Credit.

My KICKR:

 
  

Kristen’s KICKR:

IMG_4727.JPG IMG_4728.JPG IMG_4742.JPG
IMG_4730.JPG IMG_4743.JPG IMG_E4729.JPG

Separately we both immediately contacted Wahoo, but being Saturday didn’t hear back until Monday afternoon. (They’re open M-F, 10am – 7pm, and email responses seem to take about a day.) The first responses offered $100 refunds claiming the units were refurbished. After pushing back indicating that they are simply used and don’t seem like it’d be up to their standards, the refund offer was upped to $200 with the opportunity to test them out before accepting. While $699 is an even better price, neither of us were keen on paying so much for used trainers with plastic dust in sensitive electronics.

Since it’s often easier to work things out over the phone I decided to call Wahoo. I spoke with Micah, who explained that the original customer service person I’d contacted via email, Melinda, was best suited to help me. (I got the impression she’s a lead or manager.) Indicating that what I really wanted was a new trainer, and that I was hoping they could sort this all out, he informed me that the 2016 units are gone, so that’s no longer possible, but he’d get in touch with Melinda and let her know that we had talked. A short while later I heard back from Melinda, offering to return the used trainer and give a 10% discount on a new 2017 KICKR. I replied asking for the RMA, declining to purchase the 2017 model. (In the mean time Kristen had called and set up an RMA for hers, but did not receive a discount offer.)

I understand that things go wrong with warehousing and shipping, especially when winter (trainer time!) is coupled with the busy holiday season, but I can’t help but be left quite soured by this experience. Almost two weeks after making the purchase, with time sunk into a back and forth via email and visiting FedEx, we’re both back where we started… without smart trainers. And waiting on refunds.

Good thing we’ve still got fluid trainers to ride… Because the CycleOps Hammers that we ordered are still en route.

Leave a Comment

(SOLD!) For Sale: 2014 Trek Cali Carbon SLX

Published August 31, 2017

After going back and forth on it for a year, Kristen has decided to sell her very-upgraded 2014 Trek Cali Carbon SLX. It’s an outstanding bike, perfect for Michigan XC single track, but it’s just not being ridden, so it’s time to let it go. It was originally listed for sale in 2016, but after pulling it off the market and fitting a carbon fiber fork and 34t chainring it was only ridden a handful of times, so now it’s back up for sale.

This bike is a 2014 Trek Cali Carbon SLX (details on Trek’s site here), but it’s had quite a few upgrades from when she originally bought it new. Size small, the bike has been fitted with a 170mm SRAM X9 (direct mount capable) crank, converted to a SRAM 1×11 setup (34t x 10-42) w/XD driver, and now sports the matching Trek carbon fiber fork. It comes with the original Fox suspension fork, with crown races installed on both, so swapping between forks takes just a couple of minutes with 4mm and 5mm hex wrenches.

Frame: 2014 Trek Cali Carbon SLX, Small
Suspension Fork: Fox F29 RLC, G2 Offset (Only a handful of rides since being rebuilt by RBS.)
Rigid Fork: Bontrager Bowie, Matching Colors and G2 Offset
Brakes: Shimano XT M785
Crankset: SRAM X9 (Hollow, Direct Mount Capable)
Shifter/Derailleur: SRAM GX (1×11)
Cassette: SRAM XG-1150 (10-42)
Chain: SRAM PC-X1
Wheels: DT Swiss X1800 (DT350 Hubs, Straightpull Spokes, tubeless ready, upgraded to XD driver, decals removed.)
Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph Snakeskin 2.35″ (Front), Specialized Fast Trak GRID 2.25″ (Rear), Set Up Tubeless
Bar/Stem/Seatpost: Bontrager Racelite
Saddle: Specialized Henge

The complete bike as pictured above — without the cheap demo platform pedals — weighs a light 20.74 pounds.

Click here for photos both from 2016 when it was originally listed for sale, and now. Here’s the current photos (high res):

Asking price is US$2000 US$1600 SOLD with both forks. (MSRP, as 2×10 without carbon fork was $3870.)

Bike is located in the Warren / Troy / Shelby Township / Rochester / Utica area and is available for demo rides at any local trails, including River Bends and Stony Creek.

Please email steve@nuxx.net if you are interested.

Leave a Comment

2015 Salsa El Mariachi Single Speed w/ Upgrades

Published February 5, 2017

A couple years ago I had an older Bomb Pop Blue colored El Mariachi that I used in a bunch of different setups, including rigid SS and rigid 1×9, but mostly it saw use as a hard tail SS with wide wheels. A fun all-around XC bike; I loved it. After building up the Jones Plus (as a single speed) I sold the El Mariachi, but missed it, especially after selling off the Jones. (While nice, I couldn’t justify such a high end single speed like the Jones, and my buddy Bob was really keen on it…)

For everything from might-get-wet rides to trips to Ray’s (where a derailleur can be a liability) I liked having a cheaper, familiar, single speed bike and kept an eye out for something that’d meet the want…

Suddenly, one dreary spring day in 2016, I found what I was looking for: a second hand (but practically new condition) 2015 Salsa El Mariachi Single Speed, in it’s wonderfully weird grey-green color which occasionally looks to my deuteranomalous eyes as brown. Even better, with a 44mm straight head tube and kinked seatpost it features Salsa’s newer El Mariachi geometry; the same as is found on my beloved El Mariachi Ti, a perfect single speed for me. Unfortunately, while I love the frame and its color, I was was never really happy with the anodized orange accents.

After riding it for a year, tweaking some things, reusing spare parts, and finding some mid-winter deals it’s had quite an upgrade. While the stock wheels were nice I wanted higher engagement hubs and wider rims with higher volume tires. A suspension fork, bought used from a buddy in late spring 2016, took the edge off of rough trails. New wheels, a black handlebar (from the Blackborow), and a new seatpost collar did away with the remaining orange. Swapping on 180mm/160mm rotors (also from the Blackborow) brings stopping in line with my other XC bikes. The end result is monochrome parts on a colorful frame, my preferred style of bike.

Topping it all off are Schwalbe’s giant, aggressively knobbed 29″ x 2.6″ Nobby Nic tires which — even on the wide-for-XC WTB KOM i29 rims — fit nicely in the El Mariachi’s frame, getting it close to 29+ territory. While I’m not normally fond of such an aggressive tread for XC use it’s the only tire of its size available that appealed to me. The stock bike build featured 2.25″ Nobby Nic tires and while they felt squirmy on hard pack, they were quite enjoyable when conditions are soft or loose; precisely one of the times when I opt to ride single speed. So, I opted to give them a go. I may eventually switch to something lower knob, but for now they are staying.

More photos, including wheel build numbers, can be seen here, and the complete bike is built as follows:

Frame / Rigid Fork: 2015 El Mariachi Single Speed (Medium)
Suspension Fork: Fox Racing Shox OE, CTD w/ Open Bath Damper (Grey Decals)
Rigid Fork: Salsa CroMoto Grande, tapered, 15mm thru-axle (Matched to Frame)
Hubs: Hope Pro 4 (front), Pro 4 Trials / Single Speed (Rear)
Rims: WTB KOM i29
Spokes: Sapim D-Light (Black, 292mm and 290mm)
Nipples: Sapim (Black)
Tires: Schwalbe Nobby Nic HS 463 (29 x 2.60, SnakeSkin, TL-Easy, PaceStar)
Tubeless Setup: Stan’s NoTubes Sealant and Valves (35mm), WTB TCS Rim Tape (34mm)
Brakes: Shimano Deore M615
Brake Rotors: TRP-14 Standard Rotor (180mm, 160mm)
Front Brake Adapter: Shimano SM-MA-F180P/P2 (Suspension Fork), SM-MA-F180P/S (Rigid Fork)
Handlebar: Salsa Salt Flat 2 (700mm, cut from 750mm)
Grips: Ergon GP1 BioKork (Large)
Headset: Cane Creek 40 ZS44/EC44
Stem: Thomson Elite X4 (SM-E133 0° X 100mm X 31.8 1-1/8 X4 Black)
Spacers: Generic Aluminum
Stem Cap: Niner YAWYD w/ Evil Twin Cap
Seatpost: Thomson Elite (SP-E113 27.2 X 410 Black)
Seatpost Clamp: Thomson Seatpost Collar (SC-E102 29.8 Black)
Saddle: Specialized Phenom Expert (143mm)
Crankset: Generic (Salsa OE)
Bottom Bracket: Generic (Salsa OE)
Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeater Sl
Chainring: Generic 32t (Salsa OE)
Cog: Surly Cassette Cog (17t)
Cog Spacers/Lockring: Surly Spacer Kit
Chain: SRAM PC-850
Bottle Cages: Specialized Zee Cage II (Left and Right)
Rear Light: Planet Bike Superflash Stealth
Bell: Mirrycle Original Incredibell
Sensors: Garmin Bike Speed Sensor

Post upgrade, tubeless, with suspension fork, without Garmin Edge 520 or rear light, it weighs 26.12 pounds. This is pretty nice for what’s effectively a steel 29+ single speed, with super-grippy tires, in a geometry that I’m very comfortable riding. I have less than $1500 into the bike, which I’m pretty happy with considering how well equipped it is.

Leave a Comment

Where I Rode in 2016

Published January 2, 2017

I’m not normally one to do a list on all the places I’ve ridden in a given year, but this map from RubiTrack — my preferred offline ride tracking application — changed my mind for this year. In my personal life it’s been quite an interesting year or so, and I took advantage of of that to travel a bit more. Some of these were with my amazing girlfriend Kristen, some with friends, and some by myself. Whatever way, it made for some great riding.

Calculated via Strava, I ended up with 261 rides totaling 5928 miles over 503 hours 22 minutes and climbing 234,394 feet.

Here’s all the different places/trails that I was fortunate enough to ride, broken down by state:

Michigan

  • Addison Oaks County Park
  • Aspen Park
  • Bald Mountain Recreation Area
  • Bear Creek
  • Big M Ski Area
  • Bloomer Park
  • Brighton
  • Bruno’s Run
  • Churning Rapids
  • Clinton River Park Trails
  • Clinton River Trail
  • Copper Harbor
  • DTE Energy Foundation Trail
  • Fort Custer
  • Glacial Hills
  • Hanson Hills
  • Harlow Lake
  • Hewen’s Creek
  • Hickory Glen Park
  • Highland Recreation Area
  • Hillside Trails (Munising)
  • Hines Park
  • Holly-Holdridge Mountain Bike Trail
  • Iron Ore Heritage Trail
  • Island Lake Recreation Area
  • Kensington to Proud Lake Connector
  • Lake Orion High School
  • Lakeshore Park
  • Maaso Hiihto
  • Macomb Orchard Trail
  • NTN Trails (Marquette)
  • Maybury State Park
  • Merrell Trail
  • Michawyé
  • Milford Trail
  • Morton – Taylor
  • Munson Park
  • North Country Trail
  • Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne Counties
  • Olson Park
  • Orion Oaks County Park
  • Ortonville Recreation Area
  • Owasippe
  • Paint Creek Trail
  • Pontiac Lake Recreation Area
  • Potawatomi
  • Proud Lake Recreation Area
  • RAMBA Trails (Ishpeming and Negaunee)
  • River Bends Park
  • Rolling Hills
  • Rouge Park
  • Ruby Campground
  • Seven Lakes State Park
  • Sharon Mills
  • Stony Creek Metropark
  • Stony Creek Ravine
  • Swedetown
  • Valley Spur
  • VASA

Ohio

  • Mohican State Park
  • Ray’s Indoor MTB Park

Indiana

  • Brown County State Park
  • Nebo Ridge

North Carolina

  • Bent Creek Experimental Forest
  • DuPont State Forest
  • Pisgah National Forest

Missouri

  • Berryman Trail
  • Greensfelder County Park

Arkansas

  • Back 40
  • Blowing Springs
  • Coler
  • Hobbs State Park
  • Lake Atalanta
  • Lake Leatherwood
  • Park Springs
  • Razorback Regional Greenway
  • Slaughter Pen

Here’s to 2017!

Leave a Comment

Fat Bike Upgrade: 2017 Salsa Mukluk Carbon

Published December 10, 2016

I’ve had my Salsa Blackborow for a year and loved riding it in all seasons, but thanks to Tree Fort Bikes I got a line on the brand-new 2017 Salsa Mukluk Carbon frame and decided it was time to upgrade. I love how the Blackborow rides, but a carbon frame with a 100mm threaded bottom bracket is what I’ve really wanted and until now it wasn’t practically available. In designing the 2017 Mukluk Salsa made some slight tweaks to the outstanding Blackborow geometry, named it the Mukluk, added some nice options (dropper post routing, new style Alternators), and built it out of carbon. All parts (except crank and headset) will swap over from my Blackborow, so there was no way I could say no.

Complete, with pedals, bottle cages, Garmin Edge 520, rear blinky light mount, bell, all sensors, and 4.8″ Schwalbe Jumbo Jim tires set up tubeless the complete bike weighs in at 26.48 pounds.

Almost all the parts are the same as the Blackborow build, save for the wheels (upgraded at the end of my time with the Blackborow), stem, crankset, bar, and headset. The crankset on the Mukluk ended up being a unicorn SRAM XO1 fat bike crank which I fortuitously found as a brand new take-off from a Bucksaw Carbon XO1. Fitted with the non-standard 0mm offset chainring (intended for Boost 148 spec bikes), two non-drive side spacers (none on the drive side), the chainline moves to 71.5mm, which is just about right for a 190/197mm rear end fat bike. It was necessary to put both spacers on the non-drive side to get even spacing between the crank arms and chainstays.

On the first couple rides there was occasional heel rub, so I fitted a set of extended spindles for Eggbeater pedals. This is minor and only seems to happen with larger shoes on technical corners, so the extra 5mm Q-factor should help.

Due to a slightly different geometry on the bike and a wider bar (carbon, to hopefully keep my hands warmer in winter) I went with a 90mm stem, which results in the same saddle-grip reach and feels good.

Full photo gallery can be found here: 2017 Salsa Mukluk Carbon

Here’s how the build ended up:

Frame / Fork: 2017 Salsa Mukluk Carbon Frame (Medium) / Bearpaw Carbon Fork
Wheelset: Hubs: DT Swiss 350 Big Ride (Front, Rear, Center Lock, XD Driver) / Rims: Hed B.A.D / Spokes: DT super comp / Nipples: DT Pro Lock (built by Mike Curiak)
Freehub Ratchets: Bontrager HUB51312614R (54-point for DT Swiss)
Summer Tires: Schwalbe Jumbo Jim HS466 26 x 4.8 (Snakeskin, TL-Easy)
Winter Tires: 45NRTH Flowbeist / Dunderbeist
Brake Calipers: TRP Spyke
Brake Rotors: Shimano SM-RT70 (180mm front, 160mm rear)
Front Brake Spacer: Shimano SM-MA90-F180P/P2
Brake Levers: Avid FR-5 (Black)
Brake Lever Insulation: 18mm 3:1 Heat Shrink (Generic)
Handlebar: Salsa Salt Flat Carbon (750mm)
Grips: Ergon GP1 (Large)
Headset: Cane Creek 40 Tapered IS41/IS52/40 Short Top Cover
Stem: Thomson Elite X4 (SM-E132 0° X 90mm X 31.8 1-1/8 X4)
Spacers: Generic Aluminum
Stem Cap: Niner YAWYD w/ Ore Dock Brewing Company Bottle Cap
Seatpost: Thomson Elite (SP-E116SB 31.6 X 410 Setback Black)
Seatpost Clamp: Salsa Lip Lock
Saddle: Specialized Phenom Expert (143mm)
Crankset: SRAM XO1 Fat Bike, SRAM Carbon Crank Boots
Bottom Bracket: SRAM GXP (100mm)
Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 (Blue) w/ Long Spindle Kit
Chainring: SRAM X-SYNC Direct Mount (30t and 28t, 0mm offset)
Cassette: SRAM XG-1150 FULL PIN Cassette
Derailleur: SRAM GX 1×11 X-HORIZON Rear Derailleur
Shifter: SRAM GX 11-speed X-ACTUATION Trigger Shifter
Chain: SRAM PC-X1
Cables/Housing: Jagwire LEX (4mm shift, 5mm shift for brakes)
Chainslap Protection: Scotch 2228 Rubber Mastic Tape
Bottle Cages: Specialized Zee Cage II (Left and Right)
Rear Light: Planet Bike Superflash Stealth
Bell: Mirrycle Original Incredibell
Sensors: Garmin Bike Speed Sensor and Cadence Sensor

1 Comment

For Sale: 2016 Salsa Blackborow Frame + Fork + Headset + Crankset

Published December 9, 2016

Up for sale is my year-old 2016 Salsa Blackborow Frame + Fork + Headset + Crankset + Extra Chainring. Everything is set up and ready to go.

The Salsa Blackborow is an outstanding fatbike platform with clearance for 5″ tires, and this package is the perfect way to build yourself an outstanding bike. All you need to get this rolling is a set of fatbike wheels (150mm front, 197mm rear — current through axle standards) and brakes/shifting bits/cockpit. Outside of the wheels nothing needed is fatbike specific, so this is a perfect project platform. If you want a suspension fork this frame is designed to accept a 100mm Rockshox Bluto; a drop-in replacement for the rigid fork.

Here’s what is included in the sale:

Everything is in great shape. Protective tape has been applied to everywhere routine rub could occur, and there are no cable rub, chain slap, or chainsuck. Small plastic plugs were installed into the non-used mounting holes for a smooth look and to help keep water out of the frame. There are a few small scuffs from usual riding wear, but so minor they don’t really show up in photos. There are no scratches, dents, etc.

Click here to see high-res photos of everything for sale: Take My Stuff: 2016 Salsa Blackborow.

The crankset spins smooth and the bottom bracket has plenty of life left (no roughness nor slop). Crank boots are installed to protect the ends of the cranks and crank washers were always used. Chainrings are in great shape with plenty of life left. Both the 28t and 30t rings are included, as I swapped between these for winter and summer. The 28t ring is currently installed, perfect for building up the bike as we roll into winter. The headset is smooth and works as it should, and being a Cane Creek 40 will have a very long life.

Price for the whole package is $900. Pacakge is now sold!

I’m the original owner of this frame and purchased it from Tree Fort Bikes in October 2015. Original retail price for this package was about $1461 + tax (Frame + Fork: $999 / Headset: $65 / Crankset + Bottom Bracket + Spacer Kit: $268 / Chainring: $60 + $60 / Crank Boots: $9). You can save a bunch by buying slightly-used and also avoid the hassle of pressing in a headset and bottom bracket. (All these parts match perfectly and are already set up, so I’m not interested in splitting up the package.)

Being only a year old you’re probably asking why I’m selling this. I came into a new frame (2017 Salsa Mukluk Carbon) and swapped over all compatible parts. Had the Mukluk not made it into my hands I would have been riding this Blackborow for the foreseeable future. It really is a great bike, fit me well, and is perfect for year-round riding here in Michigan. But, I don’t need two fat bikes, so this frame is for sale.

For sizing reference, I find that Salsa frames tend to run a bit big. For cross reference I ride a large in Specialized MTB frames and medium in all other Salsa stuff. Reach on this medium 2016 Salsa Blackborow frame is 420.2mm and stack is 604.4mm. Check out the geometry specifics here.

I live in Shelby Township, work in Warren, and am planning to take some trips to the Gaylord and Grand Rapids areas this month, so I’d be willing to meet a number of places in Michigan to complete this sale. I’m glad to ship this, so long as the buyer pays for shipping + insurance (actual price via UPS Ground). All parts will be packed in a Salsa frame box.

Leave a Comment

Head Gloves from Costco for Road Cycling

Published November 26, 2016

Costco is currently (Autumn 2016) selling some Head-brand winter gloves for $12.99 that make great road cycling gloves. I picked these up because my Pearl Izumi AmFib gloves don’t do well in high wind (the glove material is too thin and gets cold), and the lobster mitt type gloves are too warm above freezing. I’d hoped they would work well for 35-45F-ish temps and today’s ride proves that they are, and at a great price as well.

These gloves claim to be waterproof but breathable, and judging by today’s ride I think they are. Once I got a little sweaty they became damp inside, but stayed warm (but not too warm) the whole time. Prior to getting sweaty they seemed to breath nicely. A zipper pocket on the pack can be used for hand warmers or opened to add a little more venting. They did a fine job blocking wind, I had no problems shifting while wearing them, and there were no awkward seams or padding to make them uncomfortable on drop bars. Definitely a recommended purchase.

Leave a Comment