Tuesday, 31 January 2012 20:23

Testing Bikes—So You Don’t Have To

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The Mountain Swami and a select group of his gear minions just got back from testing fat tire bikes in the mountains of Tucson.

 

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The Mountain Swami and a select group of his gear minions just got back from testing fat tire bikes in the mountains of Tucson. Actually the venue and logistics were handled by our friends at Outside magazine. (Thanks to Aaron Gulley for inviting us.) We just showed up to ride, fill out test cards, and drink bourbon.

 

And ride we did. Coming from the heart of ski season in Colorado, we suddenly found ourselves cranking out five to six hours a day on rough and rocky track in saguaro and cholla desert. It was a perfect locale to put the latest crop of cross-country and trail (26ers and 29ers) through their paces. We even had the luck to get shown around by World Cup XC racer Krista Park (Cannondale). She's fast. So fast, in fact, that one of the minions ate dirt trying to keep up and had to have a two-inch long cactus spine retracted from his trembling triceps.

 

As for the bikes, look for the full reviews in our Spring 2012 issue, as well as page after page of photography by Jen Judge. For the moment, check out the attached shots by Mountain tester Johnny Greenham.

 

And imagine that, as soon as we got back it started dumping snow around the country again. —Marc Peruzzi

Last modified on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 21:37
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// SWAMI SAYS

Swami won't take offense if you mount tele/touring skis with AT bindings, but the easy flex makes tele-turning most joyful.
Time for Swami to trade in his String Cheese Incident rucksack and acquire a modern pack with adjustable straps, back vents, and such.
When seeking frontside skis, look for damp skis with ungodly edge penetration.
For all-mountain skis you seeketh a balance of powder flotation and hard-snow guts.
Big Mountain ski buyers: Meditate on tip rocker if you crave the pow. Ex racers go traditional.
Using AT boots? Swami sees 90 to 100 millimeter crossover skis in your future Facebook postings.
Swami sayeth: Choose a mountain bike with a blend of climbing and descending performance for the exigencies of the mountain trail near you.
What's with all the skiers passing us in the powder, you snowboarders ask? Rocker lets you float without effort. It's pay-to-play Zen.