Review & Photo: Scott Schekman

This is a continuation of my earlier review of the Salsa Mamasita …  or perhaps just another step forward in my quest for the ideal single speed (for the way I ride).  After I bought a  2009 Salsa Dos Niner frame and built it up as my regular-rider 29er trail bike,  I decided to convert the Mama to a one gear bike to see how it would do.  After several weeks of riding it, I believe I’d summarize it in two words – RACE BIKE.

"Race Bike!" The Mama drops some gears to show off its true lightness of being.

I borrowed all the components from my Redline Flight rigid SS, and then I installed an 80mm Rock Shox Reba up front.

At one time, Salsa did offer this frame as a dedicated single speed frame and called it the Selma. However, it was discontinued along with the Mamasita. Rumor has it Salsa is bringing back a version of the Mamasita, maybe the Selma will make a reappearance too.
The first ride of this frame built in this configuration was destined to be at the Candlers/Liberty Mountain trail system, my local playground. Candlers has almost everything you could want except large rock gardens.

My very first impression was that I under geared it even though I used the same ratio. It is that responsive to pedal input. When I pedal, it leaps forward. This frame puts the power to the ground and that trait is even more noticeable when it’s set up as a SS. No wasted effort here! I think the only thing that might be better is a full carbon frame.

If this might appeal to your inner racer or you are just desiring a responsive single speed it seems eBay or Craigslist  might be your only choice in building up a mean SS race machine from the Salsa Mamasita.

© 2011 Big Mountain Riding

Number 9, Number 9 – Fuel EX 9 is Another Soldier in Trek’s Quiet Revolution

Review: Randy King
Photo: Trek Bicycle Co.

MORE PHOTOS COMING SOON

I have a new squeeze.  It wasn’t my choice to move on, but sometimes one member of the relationship just wants out, and the other half is left to pick up the pieces. That’s where I was when my 2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe broke in three places. Trek and my LBS, Bikes Unlimited in Lynchburg, promised to replace it under warranty. While this took longer than expected – more than two months – I won in the end, getting a 2011 Trek Fuel EX 9 frame.

Pretty to look at, fun to ride: 2011 Fuel EX 9. Photo courtesy of Trek

Onto the frame went my Fox TALAS fork, XT rear derailleur, LX front derailleur, Avid Juicy 5 brakes, Thomson seat post, Bontrager Race riser bar and stem and wheels, SPD pedals, and a new Shimano SLX crankset and arms and new Aheadset. Built up so, the bike tips the scales right at 30 pounds (13.6 KG). I would guess that in its from-the-factory kit, the Fuel EX 9 weighs around 27-28 pounds.

I was excited to get the Fuel EX 9, with its Fox DRCV RP-23 shock, which I first had ridden on a 2010 Fuel EX 9.9 and loved. The 9’s “nude aluminum” finish also hooked me.  For the first time in a long time, I started dreaming about color-matching parts and how to bling out my bike. The days drug out while I waited for the word that it had arrived and been rebuilt.

Finally I got the newbie’s tires onto the trail.  Bikes Unlimited, with the on-again-off-again style that plagues their work, had put the wrong air pressure in the shock, and had not test rode the bike, so the cables were not tight. My first ride was like cruising on a barcolounger. So much plush! Unfortunately it did not shift or climb so well.

I looked up the owners manual online and got the air pressure closer on the shock. Now it was an efficient climber, but some of the fun was gone. After a few rides, I left for a week in Moab, where I rode a Giant Reign 7 with the Fox DHX Air shock. I came back East, took off on my Fuel EX 9 (back from the Bike Medic shop with all the cables tightened and the bolts wrenched) and felt like I was aboard a rigid – on a 5″ travel bike.  Time to use all of those knobs that festooned both my TALAS RLC and the DRCV RP-23 with Boost Valve.  After fiddling with compression and slow rebound and the boost valve, I came up  with settings I liked better.

It’s winter now, and my riding is more about getting outdoors and having fun, versus about training or the sheer miles. So, I like the softer settings. I took the Trek Fuel EX 9 to Lynchburg’s Peaks View Park to ride the improved trails. The plusher suspension setting survived casing the landing on Dusty Bottoms, the 32″ vertical ramp that is one of the the park’s Three Amigos (a 12″, 22″ and 32″ set of well-built ramps), and made the three-foot drop-off on Gorilla Soap trail easy to digest.

Compared to the Gary Fisher HiFi, which excelled as an epic race bike, the Fuel EX 9 has a more active suspension. A glance at their linkage designs highlights the differences. In fact, it’s marvelous how efficient the Fuel EX 9 is on climbs, given a linkage design that looks like a Kona. The extra plush and activeness in the suspension works for me, as it unleashes a bolder, more aggressive riding style. A good big mountain riding bike should act as an extension of the rider, and the less that it causes the rider to hesitate before tackling a line – whether tech climb or gnarly descent – the better the bike. Another piece of technology that works well on the Fuel EX 9 – along with the Fox DRCV shock – is the ABP, Trek’s floating pivot aimed at reducing brake jack. Brake jack was something I only noticed in its absence. I had read about it without understanding it, yet flying down rooty descents at Danville, VA’s Angler’s Ridge park, I can tell the difference in the rear suspension not stacking up under braking. It is just another piece of R&D that pays its way by not seeming to be there at all on the Fuel EX 9.

I’m looking forward to getting my style dialed-in on this new squeeze in time for May’s Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race. I think the Fuel EX 9 will take the edge off the miles and bring grins on epic descents. The bike is trail-oriented. By that I mean that it is an efficient climber with suspension enough to take the edge off roots and rocks and mix it up on small drops and jumps. It is not an all-out XC race machine – a few extra pounds and the more relaxed angles would grow tiresome while sprinting or on competitive climbs.  Nor would I have wanted to trade it for the Giant Reign 7 I rode in Moab – which felt so solid and confident as I dead-sailored it off of rock ledges and powered through rock gardens.

So, what’s the verdict? This is another expensive bit of fun from Trek. Like the Fuel EX 9.9 and the Remedy 8 we reviewed earlier, the Trek Fuel EX 9 rides like cheap fun, belying the science and craftsmanship that it takes to turn out a bike that can do so much so well. A complete bike is priced at more than $3,500.  The technology mostly works in harmony, and gives the rider options to tune the bike to suit several styles – efficient epic racer, or plusher rough-and-ready trail bike, etc.  It is definitely a big mountain riding bike, as well as being just plain fun to ride.

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

A bike for the season

Review and photos: Randy King

Click on any image in this story to see a larger version

Every dog has its day, and there is no mountain bike perfect for all trails. Yet sometimes you end up on the right trail with the right bike and it’s like puzzle pieces clicking together.  Aha! That’s why they added that component … I see why they made the frame like that … Railing the Giant Trance X4 down the natural sandstone stairs of Phoenix’s National Trail, the bike’s seemingly odd set up and parts mix worked together and shone in operation.

On those sandstone stairs the Giant Trance X4’s Marzocchi Bomber 33R coil fork, eThirteen bash guard, 2.35″ (60MM) tires, 7″ (180MM) front brake rotor and beefy WTB Devo Team saddle all made sense. I was glad they were there for me as I tried to gauge grip, depth, speed and flex on the fly and on less than four hours of sleep.

Giant made waves when it introduced its Maestro suspension design in 2005. Bike magazines raved about the Trance and Reign models, the 100MM (4″) and 140MM (5.5″) travel trail models. I rode the original Trance while shopping for my next big mountain bike. It did everything it was supposed to, but did not inspire. Big Mountain Riding contributor “Dig” King bought a used Reign. He loves the beefy, rough and ready frame and components that handle his rough riding style. It rocked on Porcupine Rim Trail in Moab.  However, he is not a fan of pedaling +30 pounds (13.6 KG) of bike up hills.

Enter the Trance X. It’s sort of an in-between one, as DMB would say, and is a case for 5″ (125 MM) as the best all-around suspension length.  The bike handles itself well on climbs, although it is on the heavy side of 30 pounds.  But this is a time to trust Boris “The Blade” from Snatch, when he said “Heavy is good. Heavy is sign of reliability.”  Heavily built is what you want when picking your way through a gauntlet of sharp-edged rocks and very prickly vegetation. This was my first time riding a legendary Marzocchi fork. The coil 33R felt rock solid, though it shared other characteristics with a rock too. At just over 5 pounds (2.3 KG), the fork adds a lot to the Trance X4’s overall portliness.  It made the bike feel a bit front-heavy. Wheelie drops were not easy for my jet-lagged and sleep-deprived body with 5 pounds of fork and big tires up front. Fortunately, the coil “Zoke” could handle any fudged drop ins.

In the end, the question is would you buy this bike? My answer, your hard-earned bones may be better spent on a higher-model, even if it’s a used one. The Trance X4 is fun, but the weight would get old soon on prolonged climb. I know from my own Fox TALAS fork that lighter air forks can dish up just as much beef as this coil ‘Zoke.  In short, I like it … but it can be even better.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

The Ten Day Training Plan for an Epic Mountain Bike Race



Story and photos: Randy King

The plan is to get ready for the epic Wild 100 mountain bike race in less than 2-weeks. While I was trained and in good condition in the spring, but after a month and a a half of piloting the desk much more than my bike, I’m caught in that classic weekend warrior conundrum: I want to do more than I am prepared for. I’ve called this the Weekend Warrior 101 because it is is a crash course in getting back in shape for a big event and because I plan on riding 101 miles in the next ten days.

Off to a challenging start

Day 1 - Exercise: 10 mile ride, 4 on pavement (roads and bike path) 6 off road on singletrack. Ride brought up majorly short by catastrophic frame failure on my Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe. Sheared in three places. A less than stellar start to the training plan, yet just the type of obstacle that so often stops a weekend warrior.

Food: B – 2 scrambled eggs, 3 toast PB&J, 3 cups of tea, multivitamin; L: Roasted chicken with flat bread and cheese and mustard, glass of whole milk, 5 olives; D: Grilled chicken, green beans, 2 frosty beverages.

Day 2 – Exercise: 2 mile morning trail run on singletrack.

Food: B – cereal with blue berries and whole milk, glass O.J., multivitamin, 2 cups of coffee; L – Grilled chicken sandwhich on toast with Swiss cheese, tomato, green onion and mustard, 5 olives and a glass of whole milk; D – Fish curry (salmon), white rice, yogurt, sauteed okra, 2 frosty beverages.

Day 3 – Dusted off and reassembled Pistol Pete, my Klein frankenbike. Exercise: 4 mile morning ride on singletrack, loose rear triangle needs adjusted -ride cut short. 12 mile evening ride on singletrack, after tightening up the rear triangle. Rode until dark and into the night. No lights, many moving things unseen in the dark, but heard.

Food: B – Raisin bran with whole milk, 2 cups O.J., multivitamin; L – 6 inch Subway club, chips, 3 iced beverages; D – Fish curry (salmon), white rice, yogurt, sauteed okra, 2 frosty beverages.

Day 4 – Exercise: The Klein frankenbike is back on the trail. 7 miles of singletrack in the evening, riding in the heat after our town had hit a heat index of 114. Finishing up in the dark again – the days definitely seem shorter. Lots of deer, three other riders encountered. Soaked with sweat.

Food: B – Raisin Bran with whole milk. 1 cup O.J., multivitamin; L – Whopper value meal at BK (bad idea – felt it all day); D – Pasta with alfredo sauce, three carrots and Ranch dip, water.

Day 5 – Exercise: Rest day. Food: B – Shredded wheat cereal with whole milk, 1 cup O.J., multivitamin; L – Subway 6″ club with 20 0z Mountain Dew; D – Chicken fajitas, tortilla chips and salsa, water.

Day 6 – Exercise: Rest day – wasn’t supposed to be, but I decided to sleep in a bit. Food: B – Shredded wheat with 2% milk, 2 cups O.J. and multivitamins; L – Pasta with alfredo sauce, two carrots with Ranch dressing, water and 20 oz Mountain Dew; 20 oz Cherry Coke; D – Beef curry, rice, flat bread, yogurt, red wine.

Day 7 – Exercise: Back in the saddle. 24 miles of singletrack, 3.5 hours of riding. Sudden pinch flat on a rocky creek crossing.  Encountered many deer, even though it was in broad daylight. Saw doe with twin fawns, two bucks with velvet-covered antlers. Had a close encounter with  suicidal squirrel that almost ended up as trail kill. Food: B – 2 eggs scrambled with ’shrooms, tomatoes, onions. 2 toast with PB&J, 2 glasses of O.J. 2 cups of tea; L – a few ounces of mixed nuts and a 100 calorie Clif bar. D – Seafood boil, corn, water.

Day 8 – Exercise: Rest day. Reapplied LocTite to the bolts on the Klein’s Maverick dogbone.  Food: B – 2 eggs scrambled, 3 toast with PB&J, O.J. 2 cups tea; L – Beef curry, rice, veggies, water. D – Pasta with veggie ‘meat’ sauce, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, water and red wine.

Day 9 – Exercise: 5 miles of singletrack in the morning, clearing the spider webs as I went. Chased down a loose dog – the hunter becomes the hunted. Chain suck on a middle-ring grinding climb about claimed my teeth. Food: B – Raisin bran with 2 percent milk, O.J., 1 cup coffee. L – Past with veggie ‘meat’ sauce, Italian sausage and water. Snacks - Banana, two candy bars and two sodas. D – Sweet corn on the cob, beef stew with veggies, pita and hummus, red wine.

T-4. Goals: cut soda for remainder of week. Get in another 20-mile day. Reality check = it’s gonna be hard to hit my 101 mile goal without burning out this week. 36 miles to go if I count my day of trail running toward the mileage. I think I can get in 20 miles either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Day 10 – Exercise: 5 miles of singletrack in the morning, clearing the spider webs off the trail as the first one through. Pistol Pete, the Klein Frankenbike, struggled on its old chain and wiggling bottom bracket. I dropped it off at the Bicycle Medic, but a real fix would take days. I almost bought a Redline Monocog 29er rigid single speed he had there, but he talked me into thinking it through. At dusk I put on another 4 miles of single track on the Klein. Food: B – Life cereal with banana, 2 percent milk and O.J., multivitamins, coffee. L – Subway 6″ club, water. Snack – 1 Cherry Coke, 3 cookies. D – Vegetarian pasta, broccoli and cauliflower.

Day 11 – Exercise: 20 miles of singletrack, rode until dark, thunderstorm approaching lit up the cloud banks that glowered and brought an earlier dusk. Had to bail out mid loop loop on the second 12 mile lap, after a few scrapes with hitting things I could not see.

Food: B – Frosted wheat with banana, 2 percent milk, O.J., multivitamins and coffee. L – Chicken Fajitas, chips and salsa and Mountain Dew. D – Beef stew, egg noodles, Gatorade.

T – 2: 94 miles toward my 101 goal. Think I’m gonna back off and take two rest days. Maybe get a little riding in if I get up to Slatyfork, WV before dark, to make sure Jack Rabbit Slim, the HiFi, is patched back in good order.

Goals for the 2010 Wild 100 – Finish, injury-free, finish in top 5, finish in the prizes.

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

Riding All-Mountain on Niner’s XC Race Bike, the Air 9

The Atomic Blue color stands out, as does the Air 9's responsive frame

Review & Photos by: Randy King

Video by: Randy Lewis

Climbing toward the sharp, steep switchback, I grinned in anticipation. With only 20-minutes of saddle time on the Niner Air 9, I already knew that I had a shot at making this challenge – one of those hiking trail switchbacks that cut back on themselves like barely-open scissors. This bike was made for just this type of momentum- and traction-defying situation.

I rode straight at the dirt bank that signaled the end of my current wheel path, running wide at the outside edge of the trail. At the last second, I let off the power and the bike slowed almost to a stop. Now! I turned the bars just as the front wheel contacted the steep benched bank, cranking once to power the front wheel in a nearly 90° slice across the bank. Pivoting with the front wheel, I was almost pointed back down the trail before I could straighten out enough to apply real power. Now the bike threatened to go off the inside corner of the switchback. I spun away at the pedals, rolling the front tire right along the edge of the trail and back on track as I climbed through the eroded heart of the switchback. The Niner Air 9 straightened out and I climbed onward.

The Niner Air 9 rewards riders who have the vision and the ability to leverage its considerable powers. Its Easton GX2 Scandium/Aluminum frame is responsive and lightweight. Although the Air 9 I rode had been kitted out with a mediocre parts spec, its race breeding shone through.

Out for a Niner field day, Randy Lewis (on his Niner E.M.D. 9) and I covered much of the varied terrain of Roanoke, VA’s huge Carvin’s Cove trail system. Temps surged past 90 and then cooled later as a big T-storm rumbled threateningly and stacked up against the nearby Blue Ridge. We ended the day racing the impending rain back to the parking lot.

Here the Niner Air 9 showed off the racing genes of its stiff frame and aggressive, forward-leaning cockpit set-up. Although at low speeds I could really feel the drag of the heavy wheel set, once I powered up the Air 9, I found myself pushing the big chain ring uphill, going faster and faster. What a joy to climb on this bike!

Read the rest of the review in Part 2 …

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

This review is sponsored by Just the Right Gear
bike shop, Salem, VA.

Continued from Part 1 …

However, I got to see the Niner Air 9 handle a lot of terrain between that tech-rider’s dream of a switchback and the final race against the rain. Once we attained the ridge via Buck, we rode up the double track and then down. Here I experienced firsthand the effect of inertia on those big wheels. We had to stop mid-thrill ride though, to peel off the fire road for the sketchy descent on the narrow, hoof-pocked singletrack of Hemlock Tunnel.

Descending did not seem deadly on the Niner Air 9 thanks largely to the wide Ritchey bar and the capable WTB Moto Raptor tires. However, the bike is a stiff-riding hardtail with an 80MM travel RockShox Reba SL fork, and unless you are Jedi enough to descend sans brakes, you will probably agree that the Air 9’s forte is climbing. I don’t know if it would have handled descents better with hydraulic brakes or not, but I felt that the ride grew very harsh when I tried to scrub speed on the rough downhill runs of Hemlock Tunnel and Comet. Yet when I let off the Avid BB7 stoppies, the Air 9 flowed over the chatter bumps and rock bars like art in motion. It made me wish I had the Force at my ready disposal.

Along the bottom we tackled the log piles of Enchanted Forest, and the Niner Air 9 proved a well-balanced machine, predictable at low speeds and over obstacles. On Little Bell and Schoolhouse, I loved the way the bike carved turns. The WTB Moto Raptor tires were reliable and gripped the trail more fiercely than an overeager car salesman’s handshake. The same applied to climbing, I don’t think I ever broke traction on the rear wheel, even standing up with my head way in front of the bars on steep climbs. If I could put power to the pedals, the Moto Raptors kept climbing. Great big mountain riding tires!

On the return leg via Arrowhead and Songbird, the Air 9 rocked and rolled over the small jumps and log rides, without the skittishness of some high-strung racing bikes. It rode like a play bike on these fun trails.

The atmosphere altered as we started up Brushy Mountain. The wind pushed and pulled meaningfully, making the leaves show their light underbellies in a clear warning to us. We turned onto Four Gorges trail and put the hammer down on our two Niners. Yeah, the storm was coming fast … but I was riding an Atomic Blue Niner Air 9 and it was just the right bike for what needed doing. I pushed into the big chain ring and powered up those big wheels.

Parting thoughts:
The Air 9 frame retails for $799. Give it the parts build it deserves. The bike I rode weighed a portly 28-lbs. The same shop had a Medium frame Air 9 built to 24-lbs. Mine did not feel heavy other than in the wheels, so I shudder to think how fast this racer would feel with a much lighter wheelset. Spend wisely, young Skywalker!

Most of my complaints about the Niner Air 9 that I rode stem from either the fact that is a hardtail – something that cannot be changed – or its mediocre parts spec – something easily changed; I had no complaints with the essence of the bike (a race-oriented hardtail). In fact, I thought it performed well in the more all-mountain conditions of our ride. However, efficient suspension designs have led to +5” travel bikes that climb well and spare spines. For those who have ridden double-squish for a long time it hurts to go back to a hardtail bike. With today’s technology, the question comes down to what type of riding makes you smile the most.  If you are comfortable on descents, but light up when mastering a technical or prolonged climb and your spine can put up with long miles on a hardtail (‘cause you ride like water), the Niner Air 9 may be the bike to help you speed to the finish of your next big mountain riding event.

Now to clarify a misunderstanding: 29” wheels do not equal an inch of suspension. A 29” hardtail rides like a hardtail bike. The wheels do not suck up bumps, or smooth over the vagaries of the trail. However, big wheels do roll over obstacles and square-edged bumps better than an inch or so of suspension on a 26” wheeled bike.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

This review is sponsored by Just the Right Gear
bike shop, Salem, VA.

Long Term Review of Salsa’s super-fast 29er hard tail, the Mamasita

The Salsa Mamasita is a capable back country explorer and XC racer

Review by:

Scott Schekman

Photos by: Scott Schekman and Randy King

Now that I have been riding my Salsa Mamasita for more than a year, it is time for a long term review. My Mamasita is built up pretty much as a race/play 29er hard tail with a ROCK SHOX REBA Race 29″ fork, RACE FACE Deus crankset, Stan’s 355 rims laced to a DT Swiss 240 front & Stans ZTR rear hub, Easton Monkeylite XC bar, SRAM X-9 triggers and rear derailleur and Hope Mini disc brakes. This build is average in weight at 24.5 lbs, but that works for me and I didn’t have to cash in my IRA to build it. New Mamasita frames are available online for about $750; complete bikes for less than $2,000.

This size small frame is made of Scandium/aluminum alloy with carbon seat stays. I have read of various advantages of Scandium alloys, but not being a metalurgist, I don’t actually know what is fact or not.  The Mamasita’s geometry is fairly standard for a 29er hardtail frame [See chart].

The Salsa Mamasita features clean lines and rider-friendly geometry

So far I have raced the Mamasita in two mountain-X races and the epic Shenandoah 100. All my other rides have been local trail rides at Candlers/Liberty mountain, Danville, VA’s Anglers Ridge, Bedford, VA’s Falling Creek Park or Roanoke, VA’s Carvins Cove. The Mamasita rock ‘n’ rolled through all of this terrain variety that included log hopping, rock gardens, swoopy smooth singletrack and typical east coast-roots, rocks, tree limbs, technical climbs and fast descents.

Riding this bike is like riding a small self-powered rocket. All the pedaling energy seems to transform immediately into forward motion. This bike will climb like a scared cat! I seem to favor technical difficult climbs, especially the kind most people only like to ride down. [Editor's note: He's not kidding!] The “Mama” excels at this.  I do run the Reba at 100mm travel which means I have to keep some weight forward on steeps to keep the front end down, but like on any bike, the rider has to learn how to distribute his weight to the bike’s advantage.

Descending is a flat out rush; this bike will go faster than my brain will let it. I have never yet missed full suspension on the downhills. It might be the combination of wagon wheels and carbon stays or just the geometry, but this is the fastest XC bike I have ridden yet. The only time I notice any limitations is when I am trying to keep a smooth cadence on choppy (roots and small rocks) flat ground. This is probably a disadvantage of any 29er hard tail. It tends to kick me off the saddle some, which disrupts my pedaling so I installed a USE suspension seat post which helps – but is still no substitute for rear suspension.

The carbon seatstays and big wheels soften up the ride a bit on this rocket-fast hard tail

All in all, the Salsa Mamasita is a blast to ride or race. It is a screaming fast descender, a mountain goat climber, nimble and quick without any twitchiness in steering control. The Mamasita rider feels confident and in control climbing up or blazing down the mountain. The Salsa Mamasita is definitely worth a closer look for XC and epic racers and big mountain riders – as long as you’re not a downhill-only rider, or into frequent jumping or drops bigger than two feet.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

Attack of the 650B-wheeled Carver Killer B

Compiled from the Dirt Rag Blog, twentynineinches.com and MTBR.com

Oddball bike sets the big wheel world abuzz

Think Goldilocks and the Three Bears: 650B wheels may be "Just right." - from twentynineinches.com

Talk about trial by fire: Dirt Rag’s Karen Brooks rolled her test bike directly out of the office and up to the starting line of the brawny Shenandoah 100, lingering only long enough to swap out a few components on the demo for more familiar ones. Luckily, the Killer B from Carver Bikes is an adaptable rig that lends itself to easy transitions for riders of 26″ or 29″ wheels – the 650MM wheel diameter translates to roughly 27.5″. Speaking of adaptability: following the Shenandoah 100, the Dirt Rag stripped the Killer B down and headed west for the Single Speed World Championships (SSWC) in Durango.

Just like 29″ wheels did, the 650B diameter is sure to draw staunch critics, blind worshipers and a whole host in-between – as well as a lot of “Huh? 650B – what’s that?” And with cycling consumers already primed for the revolution following the rise of the 29-er, the 650B wheel meets both more ready acceptance and more competition for critical comparison.

It seems that much of the reaction to the 650B wheels depends on whether the reviewer is throwing a leg over the Killer B after dismounting from a 26″ or a 29″ bike. To draw on Karen Brook’s Goldilocks analogy – whether the 650B porridge is warmer or cooler depends on which porridge dish you last sampled. Regardless, it seems for a swath of both wheel-size-camps, the 650B may be “just right.”

For those tuned to the 29″ style, the 650B opens dialogue on where “smaller” big wheels might fit in. Karen Brooks was happy with the way the Killer B snapped about in the brutally tight and twisty SSWC course and in the narrow, tree-lined singletrack of Shenandoah Mountain.

“I might choose something like this for an ultra tight, technical course with a fair amount of climbing,” allowed Guitar Ted, from twentynineinches.com.

Killer B's drop-outs come with a d-hanger or slotted for SS

Testers liked: the Killer B’s fast handling in tight turns and technical sections. This from 29-er folks, giving the mid-sized wheels their due. Meanwhile, a shorter reviewer, coming from 26″-wheels, liked the way the bigger wheels hooked up and stayed connected in corners and climbs without overwhelming their bike’s small frame. “[The Killer B] Climbs like a demon on steroids,” enthused a reviewer on MTBR.com. The smooth, stiff ride of the titanium frame and the no-charge customized sizing options also drew praise. “Out on the trail I thought, ‘Gee, this feels pretty good.’ in that fast, nimble sort of way,” said the reviewer for twentynineinches.com

Testers disliked: That 650B wheels rode a bit harsher, and struggled for traction more than 29″ wheels would in the same situations. Guitar Ted felt that that 650B wheels do not generate the momentum and the roll-over capabilities that converts so many to the big wheel faithful. “On wet roots, I still might prefer to go big (in wheel size, that is),” said Karen Brooks. Currently, there are not many options for off road tires and wheels, meaning no narrow knobbies for purchasing traction in the snow or the mud.

Indie bike, Indie attitude: Killer B rocking the mono-cog

SPECS:

- 3/2.5 Seamless Aerospace Titanium with X-Rayed Welds
- Machined box section head tube gusset
- S-bend chainstays and seat stays for clearance up to 2.6″ tires
- Choice of threaded bottom bracket or EBB, derailleur hanger or single speed dropout
- 27.2 seatpost size and 1 1/4″ front derailleur size
- 13″, 15″, 17″, 19″. 21″ and 23″ sizes
- Custom sizing at no extra cost
- 6 mm. water cut dropouts with rack mounts

Cost –

Frame: $1099.95 Full-Build: +/- $2000

Read the full Dirt Rag Review.

© 2009 Big Mountain Riding

Review: Scott Schekman

Photos: Scott Schekman & Randy King

This is a review of a 2008 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe 29. (The newer, redesigned HiFi’s geometry resembles the Superfly 100 )

The HiFi 29 hooks up well on steep, technical terrain

I had been looking to demo the Gary Fisher HiFi 29 for more than a year. So, I jumped at the chance when one of the guys at a local bike shop was nice enough to let me borrow his for a week.  The HiFi Deluxe 29 features 100MM (4-inches) travel on both ends, courtesy of a Fox RP2 shock and a Fox F29 RLC fork. The rest of the components were a mix: Avid BB7 brakes, Shimano SLX crankset and XTR front derailleur, SRAM X.0 rear derailleur and throwback grip shifters.  I used my own wheels and tires, a Continental Mountain King (front) and Race King (rear) tires mounted on Stan’s arch rims laced to WTB Laserlite hubs. With the light wheelset, the bike weighed in at 26lbs 2oz (11.8KG) including the Eggbeater pedals.  I also set up the 17.5″ (44.45CM) frame tested with an 80MM stem, which worked well for my height.

A fan of big wheels, I currently own two 29er’s, both hardtails- one setup as a rigid single speed. I have owned and ridden 26” full suspensions, including the 26” HiFi.  Alright, enough of the details. I rode this bike at my local trails, Virginia’s Candler’s Mountain (now called Liberty Mountain trails). These are an epic (+/- 60-miles/96.6KM) mix of single track, steep climbs and descents, fast fire road and technical trails. Now, on to the best part- the riding itself.  I found this bike to be pretty responsive to pedaling input even with the rear shock’s Pro Pedal in full open mode – although it is not as responsive as the new Gary Fisher Superfly 100. The ride was good but not plush, similar to the 26” HiFi.  This bike climbs well, whether the rider is seated or standing. It really hooked up on the steep, technical climbs that I seem to search out.

One challenging climb especially surprised me; it’s a steep, rooty climb that I have only cleaned once out of about thirty attempts on my Salsa Mamacita.  I got it on my third try on this bike. I think full suspension with wagon wheels make a great combination in this situation. The steering and handling were very good and predictable at both slow and higher speeds.  Switch backs were not a problem either, whether going up or down. I noticed no flex in the frame, but heavier riders may.

Overall, the longer I rode this bike, the more I enjoyed it.  It does everything well.  If you are looking for a big wheel full suspension bike that you can ride (and race) in most situations, this one is worth looking into. In fact, you may want to start checking eBay and Craig’s List to find a used one for sale.

© Big Mountain Riding

Wagon Wheels and dual suspenders pair well on the HiFi 29

Review and Photos: Randy King

The Remedy eggs you to take the rough route home

Cruising Moab’s main drag for the first time, my brother and I dug all the signs of this vibrant culture we had joined: the Moab Cyclery safari truck with mounts for 20 bikes, the Gonzo Inn, the Poison Spider Bikes mural. One of our favorites was a campground that boasted: Fun Pigs stay at Slickrock. The Trek Remedy 8 is made for those self-same fun pigs. It is a bike that eggs on its rider and will feed your porcine speed-needs until you find yourself hours later, still pushing personal limits and stuttering gibberish like that laughable Looney Tunes porker.

It takes craft to make something that rides like such cheap fun, and this is a well-made all-mountain rig. Trek redesigned the Remedy with matched 150MM (6″) of quality Fox travel front and back, and it rips along the trail. Although it seemed a bit portly on the climbs, I rode a Large frame (not the XL that Trek recommends for my height), and the Remedy is spec’d with a wide, low-rise bar. I think a bit more of a rise on the bars and the correct size frame would make the bike climb better for me. As it was, I felt too low for really efficient climbing – especially in my knees and hands.  The suspension and geometry did not seem to be the culprits in this climbing conundrum.

Yet who are we kidding here, with all this talk about climbing? A bike like this pays its way at high speeds and on the descents. Know that aboard the Remedy you will not have to walk up too many hills, and when you get to the top, you can expect a stable, velvety ride during the gravity-fed madness that awaits.

The Fox Float RP-2 with DRCV shines on the Remedy

Riding the Remedy at Bedford Co’s Falling Creek Park, I instinctively veered toward the rough lines, and flowed over natural obstacles instead of following the path more traveled that swung around them. Indeed, the bike and I both wanted more challenges, although I did not test the Remedy on any drops higher than a couple of feet.

In Big Mountain Riding Review #6, I highlighted Trek’s proprietary Fox Float’s with DRCV. The extra-volume shock shines on the Remedy 8 too, making the back-end feel bottomless during aggressive trail riding over roots, rocks and features. Although I did not drop it off anything of size, the bike’s suspension, solidness and geometry feel like it would handle easily drops of 3-5 feet (0.9 -1.5 M). That’s more than enough for me – as drops above 3-feet make me grow increasingly attached to my front teeth (and to keeping them intact).

Other spec highlights that shone on the $3,700 Remedy 8:
Fox 32 Talas RL fork

Avid Elixir R Carbon disc brakes with 203 MM rotors

The Remedy 8 wears its brawn well, tipping the scales at under 30 pounds (13.6 KG) and rumor has it that a few upgrades can trim off a couple more pounds without removing muscle. Today’s efficient suspension and light weight materials enable all-mountain riding, and when pulled together in bikes like this, they inspire fun pigs everywhere to point their front wheel toward the big mountains and ride a little farther. Go for it; nobody would understand your gibberish back in civilization anyway, Porky.

© Big Mountain Riding

Fun Pigs will find much to like in the Remedy's smooth travel and light weight