One of the bigger questions I have is how the plus sized tyres go with rolling, will they drag more than the 29er option or will they be better suited to the longer rides?
I came across this article. SCIENCE.
So at this point, with time on my sideā¦ I am still deciding on the Juice or Karate Monkey. With the time that I have up my sleeve, I would love to try and track down a 27.5+ to ride on some local trails so I have a bit of an idea of how they actually handle.
Dbl up! Fuck
Good idea!
The Cyclery at fyshwick have a stumpjumper 6fattie as a demo bike that might be worth trying.
On my recent timber trail trip me on 29x2.4 X-kings and me mate on 29x3.0 Chronicles I never once had the impression that they were holding him up on either the way up or down. I think the drag that you feel on the tarmac is largely down to the added weight and tread pattern.
I have only ridden plus tyres on singletrack and I did notice (a little bit) the added weight when climbing but was amazed the way they descendāespecially their grip through hardpack corners. I found myself needing to ease well off the brakes when compared with a regular 27.5 tyres.
Have never ridden them on pea gravel but that stuff is slippery no matter what tyres youāre running.
TL;DR: As weekend warrior with no interest in racing a 27.5+ hardtail will be my next bike no doubt.
The 3in tyres weighed 1045g and 985g,
Too heavy for me, I mean come on!
Shhhhh H ā¦Shhhhhh
(and read this:https://dirtmountainbike.com/features/interviews/steel-new-blueprint.html)
Oh and Liam - Kona Unit!
[video=vimeo;190873469]https://vimeo.com/190873469[/video]
The Brother Big Bro is another potential option.
Why not the Salsa El Mariachi?
Didnāt Salsa drop the El Mar from their line up?
Yeah they did. It has been replaced with the Timberjack or Woodsmokeā¦
This is pretty much where I got to and bought the Soma Sandworm frame. 26x4.0 & 27.5x3.0 wheelsets and still thinking about a 29x2.0 wheelset.
Have a carbon fork for trails/general dirt riding, ordered a Muru Ti fork for bikepacking/trekking & now thinking a Boost 27.5+ fork for more single track/trails action. Had thoughts about a Bluto but have read mixed reviews,and Iād have to build a different front wheels coz hub spacing.
Pretty good assessment - to add, I think 27.5+ holds momentum pretty well on tight singletrack and it isnāt too hard to get going again. And yea, descending on plus sized tires is heaps of fun 8).
Assessment for ābikepackingā (eg hunt1000): noticeable drag on long, extended gravel climbs (but not too bad), obviously noticeable drag on road stretches. Holds momentum very well on rolling gravel/etc and perfect for rugged sections (eg Jagungalās).
Overall they probably neutralize themselves for such events.
However, atmo they do open up possibilities for more rugged/remote riding that I have my eye set on for next yearā¦
FWIW - I reckon the new KM is the coolest bike posted so far (for the reasons already mentioned). Worst case you can swap out for a regular 29er wheelset pretty easily eh.
The 1 1/8" steerer is a straight NNNNNOOOOOOPE!
I donāt think theyāve replaced it with anything. If anything the Fargo is the closest to the El Mar Its pretty much the same frame save for a longer headtube. Run a fargo with a slammed stem and youāve pretty much got yourself an El Mar.
The aluminium Salsa frames lack a lot of the features that made the El Mar a great bikepacking rig ATMO.
besides you canāt run plus wheels in either an El Mar or a Fargo.
Have you read the reviews on bikepacking.com? While I have no doubt that it involves some level of sponsored content (very QBP centric) they do a nice job of reviewing bikes specifically for said purpose.
I have to agree that straight steerers are and should be dead on new bike purchases, they just lack confidence under brakes and cornering.
Fuck. I must really stoke my bikeās ego well cos it seems to stop and corner just fine. Here I was thinking it was all about fork availability (and selling more stuff)
I also have a lot of 1" and 1 1/8 bikes but if I was buying new Iād go tapered for sure.
If I apply the front brakes while standing over my Parlee and rock the bike forward/back the tyre moves and the fork flexes slightly if I do the same on my straight steerer bikes the forks flex dramatically and I can feel it when applying heavy braking especially into tight corners.
The down side is not many tapered forks with rack mounts but more and more are popping up.
Is that the fork blades or the steerer?
The new fork I had made for rawland has same steerer but much stiffer blades = less flex
I would argue for a bike that is gonna do some bikepacking/touring some flex in the fork isnāt a bad thing.
But I also wouldnāt be buying any MTB frame with a straight steerer. Bikepacking/off-road touring sure, but not a MTB.