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Rigs of the 2019 Tour Divide


dinneR

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8 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

What's the story on this???? I see it on a couple bikes.

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Salsa Woodsmoke with a raised chainstay. It fits 29, 29+, or 27.5+ tires. Fun bike. I did a bikepacking trip on a 27.5+. Sean (Salsa engineer who designed this and the Timberjack) explained the design to me. He was shooting for ultra short stays, multiple wheel and tire sizes, nimble handling.

It has a big triangle for bikepacking, rides like a nice hardtail for singletrack. It's a versatile bike that can do a lot. 

 

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3 minutes ago, dennis said:

Salsa Woodsmoke with a raised chainstay. It fits 29, 29+, or 27.5+ tires. Fun bike. I did a bikepacking trip on a 27.5+. Sean (Salsa engineer who designed this and the Timberjack) explained the design to me. He was shooting for ultra short stays, multiple wheel and tire sizes, nimble handling.

It has a big triangle for bikepacking, rides like a nice hardtail for singletrack. It's a versatile bike that can do a lot. 

 

Interesting torque in that rear triangle isn't a mess.

I thought it might hide a suspension point somewhere along the seat tube/BB area.  I guess the theory is they can attach at a higher point and therefor avoid hitting the chainring(s)?  That allows a wider tire without a wider Q factor?

 

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It also has the alternator dropout so the wheelbase can be short or long depending on your preference and you can run it single speed. It can handle 1x or 2x set-ups. I think versatility and options are the key with this bike.

Personally, I liked riding it. I like the bigger tires. I don't know if I'd ever buy one. The Timberjack is the aluminum version that is similar. I tried to buy that one, but they were sold out. Some of those are being discounted now. I kind of dig the Krampus too. I just have a hard time justifying another bike. 

details on the Woodsmoke here:

https://salsacycles.com/bikes/woodsmoke/2018_woodsmoke_xo1_eagle_27.5

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5 hours ago, dennis said:

It also has the alternator dropout so the wheelbase can be short or long depending on your preference and you can run it single speed. It can handle 1x or 2x set-ups. I think versatility and options are the key with this bike. 

Seems to be the eternal battle going on in the bike world - specialized & very focused bikes vs broader generalist/flexible bikes.  It definitely didn't take long for the gravel market to get sliced and diced into a half dozen sub-classes.  It is good for those folks who have space, money, and a clear aim to have narrowly designed bikes for each of their needs, but many/most normal folks just want something they can use for a commute during the week, a race on the weekend, and an adventure on a holiday.

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1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

Seems to be the eternal battle going on in the bike world - specialized & very focused bikes vs broader generalist/flexible bikes.  It definitely didn't take long for the gravel market to get sliced and diced into a half dozen sub-classes.  It is good for those folks who have space, money, and a clear aim to have narrowly designed bikes for each of their needs, but many/most normal folks just want something they can use for a commute during the week, a race on the weekend, and an adventure on a holiday.

Versatility is the beauty of the Fargo. Drop bar/Jones bar, 3 tire sizes, gear/ss, gravel, pavement or singletrack. Sus fork corrected. A friend of mine ran a fat front on his for riding in snow. I use mine as a commuter year round, gravel, and bikepacking with frame bags or rack and panniers. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Interesting side note. A friend is on the route now. We met him as they rolled through the area. He is riding a hardtail with a suspension fork. He said a FS bike would be awesome for the route. That kind of surprised me. Most of the bikes shown are fully rigid. He likes the squish. The person riding with him said the same thing. 

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17 hours ago, dennis said:

Interesting side note. A friend is on the route now. We met him as they rolled through the area. He is riding a hardtail with a suspension fork. He said a FS bike would be awesome for the route. That kind of surprised me. Most of the bikes shown are fully rigid. He likes the squish. The person riding with him said the same thing. 

It's funny in that I was listening to a podcast of a guy who has eventually landed on gravel from a journey through road and MTB. He stated how fun it was to be riding technical trails again versus the recent past when he rode a FS MTB.  He said he noticed he had gotten lazy since the FS just took so much of the difficulty out of so many parts of a trail. Parts that, when he used to ride a fully rigid or rigid rear had to be navigated properly which was rewarding to the rider when done well. Gravel bikes brought him back to that feeling again.

Of course, in a race or over long days in a saddle fast and/or comfortable are key, so if a FS can smooth out a section and it wears the rider down less, it is a great thing in the right situation.

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7 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

It's funny in that I was listening to a podcast of a guy who has eventually landed on gravel from a journey through road and MTB. He stated how fun it was to be riding technical trails again versus the recent past when he rode a FS MTB.  He said he noticed he had gotten lazy since the FS just took so much of the difficulty out of so many parts of a trail. Parts that, when he used to ride a fully rigid or rigid rear had to be navigated properly which was rewarding to the rider when done well. Gravel bikes brought him back to that feeling again.

Of course, in a race or over long days in a saddle fast and/or comfortable are key, so if a FS can smooth out a section and it wears the rider down less, it is a great thing in the right situation.

That's funny. I've ridden geared and ss hardtails for 28 years. I just bought a FS bike last fall. I'm loving it. I can descend so much faster. I am enjoying riding over rocks and roots instead of picking a line. It definitely makes things easier, but fun as hell. 

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On 6/28/2019 at 10:46 PM, dennis said:

That's funny. I've ridden geared and ss hardtails for 28 years. I just bought a FS bike last fall. I'm loving it. I can descend so much faster. I am enjoying riding over rocks and roots instead of picking a line. It definitely makes things easier, but fun as hell. 

So, you'll eventually embrace gravel riding!  You just need to get past being soft and lazy :D

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3 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

So, you'll eventually embrace gravel riding!  You just need to get past being soft and lazy :D

Exactly. I've been mt biking for three decades. Gravel just one decade.  Fatbiking almost a decade. It's this whole pavement thing that's new to me.

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53 minutes ago, dennis said:

Exactly. I've been mt biking for three decades. Gravel just one decade.  Fatbiking almost a decade. It's this whole pavement thing that's new to me. 

You'll get there! It is the circle of cycling life, and eventually, you're right back where you began.

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15 hours ago, dennis said:

Winner 15 days 11 hrs 24 mins.

https://bikepacking.com/news/chris-seistrup-2019-tour-divide/

My friend is in CO. 

AWESOME!

Never heard of the Binary Bicycles, and he also uses a Lauf (which remains one of the single-most unattractive bike components available).

Riding for Save One Life, Chris accomplished his goal of becoming the first person with hemophilia to ride the entire Tour Divide. Chris pedaled a Binary Bicycles SuperB XC, with the Lauf fork and full XTR 1×11 drivetrain. For bags, he carried a full set from Oveja Negra, including a Snack Pack, two Chuckbuckets, a Gear Jammer seat pack, the Front End Loader handlebar system, and a Super Wedgie frame pack.

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