But you should see the other guy! It was a bit of a battle royal for Fromme Friday today with Terry Walker and Larry Talker going a few rounds with a takedown to terra frozen firma. And if you’re thinking, “Wait, isn’t that the same person?” The answer is yepper-doo.
The change in weather has been aggressive but there was some cold, wet, comfort in the more typical January fair. With snow on some of the higher trails even the softest rubber stiffened up and I greatly appreciated my big 29×3″ tires and low pressures. It’s always a bit of a ‘fun’ learning curve remembering how to modulate brakes with thicker gloves and frosted fingers.
Anywho, Model-T managed to fully endo his 29’er surfing greasy rooted tendrils, resulting in a forest floor facial. Thankfully he’s a-ok {you’re still handsome Terry Walker} but still, he’s gone and earned everyone my standard full-face PSA.
So today you can thank LT for the rad tunes below & this reminder that there are any number of lightweight, breathable, and – most importantly to me – acoustically excellent full-face trail helmets on the market. That includes removable chin-bar options like the Bell Super 3R or Leatt MTB Enduro 2.0, or fixed chin-bar models like my Kali Invader 2.0.
{Above Photo: JacAttack}
Magic Gear Calculators
Narrow wide rings and a penchant for running my chain toward the slacker end of acceptable vs. too loose, give me a fair amount of leeway in magic gearing single speeds. That is, finding the right combination of chainring and cog to have a tight-enough chain without any additional tensioner.
In the mid-naughts, I had a 26/29″ rigid mullet {maker name intentionally withheld} with vertical dropouts and no ISCG tabs that had a slightly-too-tight chain when everything was fresh running 32x19t. The beauty of this setup is that I would get the entire life out of the chain before it was too loose to ride.
For folks relying on an ISCG chain guide to tension their single speed, knowing the closest magic gear options will also ensure that the chain adjustment range will be adequate.
I’ve used a few different online magic-gear calculators but Eric House’s effort is my favourite and never steers me wrong. Thank you, Eric! And thank you to all the folks that Eric thanks on his site. Most bike nerds will probably recognize a name or two in there.
9point8 iNVRS Pedals
The 9point8 iNVRS pedals are strictly an academic interest for me. Similar in appeal to a pair of US$225 (EACH!) 27×4.5″ convex studded 45NRTH Wraithchild tires or a Manitou Mastodon suspension fork. The latter two products are best-in-class-acclaimed for use in the worst winter conditions – ice or snow – and my first thought when I saw the iNVRS system is that it will be similarly loved by folks who can fully appreciate the appeal.
By studding shoes, riders gain an advantage in any hike-a-bike sections and open up a wide range of winter footwear for cycling use. Self-studded BOGS anyone? Maybe a pair from Baffin if it’s really properly très froid.
I think 9point8 has creatively implemented a neat idea and the execution is excellent. I would have named them Obverse {oBVERSE‽} instead of iNVRS, but what do I know?
As fat bike sales continue to tick along for real-winter usage, ages after the attempt to popularize them for all conditions, I can see a future where one or more companies will produce shoes with studs preinstalled (and I think the threaded studs are more interesting, if way more time-consuming, than the SPD plates), but in the meantime, there’s a bit of elbow grease required to take advantage of the system.
And yes, haters are hating, but I think this product will make perfect sense to enough riders pedaling through snow enough of the year that they’ll be a quiet hit away from the {Canadian} pacific-south-west.
{Photo Above: 9point8. If you’re keen, here’s their video on choosing the best shoes to stud.}
Clearout Clearouts
This is my prediction that the used market for bicycle parts is going to start to rebound in the next one to two months. Partly down to the season but also the fact that suppliers have righted many, most, the majority of their inventory overruns and, when it comes to bike parts, shops are seeing significantly fewer crazy clear-out offers.
I know I wrote about the rebound last week, but I’m genuinely stoked that all three of the product categories I searched from suppliers this week had no notable deals to be had. Especially notable are suspension forks, where I’ve even seen some brands starting to talk about MAP again for the first time in a couple years.
This may be partially wishful thinking, as I have a few things I need to move on to a new home, but I’m not the only person feeling genuinely optimistic. Even if bikes and clothing are still a year out from normal.
One-Speed Micro Drive
I’ve previously written about this in a longer form, but I am so stoked this week that I want to revisit it. I’ve been running my micro-drive single-speed drivetrain for five months now. The transition back to a round, rather than oval, chainring took a few rides to fully figure out but I’m getting on fine. To revisit, I’m running a teeny-tiny 26t NSBillet narrow-wide chain ring and 18t Chris King steel cog. {The cogs have been out of production for years but I have a couple in my stash.}
My favourite feature of this setup is ground clearance. I’ve been riding some fairly janky trails lately – Grannies, Digger, etc. – and I have had a few cringe moments where I was certain I was going to hang up thanks to the low bottom bracket on my mulleted Waltworks V2. Instead, not even a little rocky or rooted kiss of the chain ring.
This echoes Claire’s experience running a 24t chain ring (24×10-42t) and has me considering micro-driving my multispeed bike as well. For a hardtail on the Shore, even riding to my rides, how often is 24×10/11t going to prove painfully low on downhills?
Multi-speed discussions aside, the nature of my #1FG bike is that there are plenty of ways to achieve the same gear ratio. Why not get more trail clearance with a smaller ring?
100% Brisker Kids’ Gloves
I’ve written about Briskers here, there, and everywhere but I’m motivated to mention them again after The Clairebarian and I popped out for a short afterschool ride on Thursday. It was cold and drizzling and Claire started out with quite a few layers on – “I would rather be too hot than too cold” – and only shed one even with setting a stand-and-climb pace.
We had stopped to catch our breath and grab a drink of water when Claire remarked on the general awesomeness of her Brisker gloves. This is her third pair, as we’ve gradually sized up {kids and growing, am I right?}, going all the way back to riding her little 20″ Early Rider.
The quality has been fantastic even with a reasonable amount of washing {Claire has a low tolerance for stiff & stanky gloves} and I think the price is very reasonable to boot.
Anywho, shout out to the 100% Brisker. If there’s a better kids’ riding glove for our fall, winter, and early spring then I certainly have not found it.
Garbaruk 26t & 28t Single-Speed Cogs
Claire really, REALLY, really wants to try single-speeding and I love that. But the largest single-speed cog I have easy access to is a 25t and I think it’s a hair too stiff for powering her big steel Chromag Samurai up steep climbs like No Quarter, R&R, and Kerry’d Away. The 25t would have been fine on her 24″ wheeled Marin SQ. But the jump from 24″ to 27″ wheels is substantial.
Enter Garbaruk with their 26t and 28t cogs. They were a special order for the Canadian distributor, Orange Sport Supply, but my order is in and Claire is STOKED. I’ve not seen them myself, but I’ve installed a fair few Garbaruk chain rings, and the quality and performance seem solid.
I always worry with genuinely own-their-niche products that the options will disappear, so I hope there’s enough interest that Garbaruk will keep making them. Let go your ego, I have met plenty of single-speed interested folks who would be more likely to entertain jumping on board with #1FG if they could find the right {easier} gear to start out or find the right cog without also having to pay to change out their chainring.
In our case, Claire will be going back and fourth between an 11spd SRAM drivetrain and her one-speed setup. I’ll set up the Garbaruk cog that works the best on my spare wheel, so we’ll just be executing a wheel swap and then hanging a pre-adjusted derailleur and shifter {thank you, external routing}.
{Above Photo: Garbaruk
It’s still Friday night as I’m having a sip and punching in the last few words here, but I still need to dump some photos in. Between the cold wet Fromme Friday ride and spending my afternoon sitting in a freezing arena, I’m zonked. Just a little acknowledgment of the “Is it SBTISAOAFriday if it’s always live on Saturday?” crowd.
Oh, and a little shout-out here to Dave McInnes {yes, BicycleHub Dave McInnes} for an awesome chat on the phone this afternoon. Dave is now one of the owners of District Bicycle Co. and if you’re in Kamloops and have a bicycle need – service or sales – then I’d recommend checking him out.
Larry Talker Tunes for the Week
Despite putting himself into the ground, Model-T still managed to hit us with some guitar forward flare for the last Friday in January.
Here are Terry’s Notes:
Closing out the first month of 2025 with yet another new album from last year.
Sweet performed at Rock Ambleside in 2018 and played all the hits (come on who didn’t like Ballroom Blitz). Other than the two original members (Andy Scott), I can’t recall what version of the band was onstage.
Andy is back and this new album (and apparently the last one for any version of the band) has only recently crossed my radar. With subtle hints of the 70s “Glam” Sweet (quick guitar solo near the end of Defender will take you back in time), it is defiantly not Ballroom Blitz, this a full-on rock and roll album.
The production is very well done, the vocals and band are tight and sharp. Right from the opener, Circus, you’re in for a rockin’ treat. Enjoy.
{Drewitors Note: ‘Rising Up’ and ‘Full Circle’ remind me of every awful ’80s movie that I love, in the best way.}
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