Category: Bikes and biking
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Red Rab-off
We outdorks all have our pet gear obsessions. I like to think that mine (packs, shoes, windshirts) are especially practical. Windshirts are important because it’s windy a lot around here, and because I put out a lot of heat and thus try to avoid wearing a waterproof-breathable jacket at almost all costs. Weatherproofing and breathability…
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Julbo Sniper: a goggle for us
The fat bike summit last month provided a mass case study in how neither goggles nor sunglasses work well for aerobic activities in especially snowy conditions. It was close to freezing, snowing hard, and there was only modest wind. Goggles fogged due to exertion, as did sunglasses, but squinting into the face of the blizzard…
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Six frozen chickens for enlightenment
Almost two full weeks ago now, I rolled out of town in the middle of yet another crystal afternoon, grabbed supplies in West Glacier, and headed over the Continental Divide at cruising speed. Destination, the St. Mary valley. A headwind out of Browning threatened to kill momentum, but 107.5 KBWG spins some ridiculous dancehall mashups…
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The packbike
This past weekend Jason, Casey and I talked about talking about a packbike, but never got around to actually talking about it. So now I’m writing (and drawing, badly) instead. A packbike is a bike purpose-built for trips which will involve carrying the bike for significant distances on a pack. Bikes like this one; trips…
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The Fat Bike Summit
Chad heads into dusk. According to presenters from QBP, this weekend at the second annual Fat Bike Summit, there are around 10,000 fat bikes out in the world today. They expect it to double in the next twelve months. Where will they be used? What is the future of fatbiking? The organizers of the summit,…
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Bob Open update
Interested parties should note that I’ve updated the Bob Open page, both with a link in the comments to a discussion thread on BPL and with some speculative hints at the events future. My intentions are to, possibly as early as next year, move it beyond the Bob complex to other places in the Northern…
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Winter tech thus far
The winter feels like it has barely gotten started, what with the holidays, travel, and illness, but the snowpack is in good shape and the stack of memorable trips is already fat. Earlier this evening I threw together a list for Backpacking Light, and the memories evoked moved me to comment in greater detail. You…
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Hill People Gear Runner’s Kit bag review
I’d love to see a historical accounting of when outdoor recreation became, in the first world, bifurcated as it is today. My research indicates that by the mid 70s the effete world of hiking/backpacking/skiing/etc was well separated (in, among other places, ads) from that of hook and bullet. Cultural distinctions between these two have only…
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