| 2015 Bonne Annee...

-38°C this morning and it hurts! the Florida trip seems like it was only a vague dream.

real mermaids...

I wish y'all a Happy New Year 2015 and more PEACE and WISDOM in this broken world!

| Check mon rack!...

Since we need to keep enough space inside the van to sleep i finally assembled the North Shore Racks NSR-2 which arrived 2 weeks ago. It wasn't that easy (make sure to read the assembly note thoroughly), especially the hitch part but it is now ready for our trip and works perfectly with the ICT.

I'm glad that i mounted the rack on the middle holes of the hitch bar and not the most forward ones as indicated, a van has a very straight rear body and the Surly has larger tires than regular mountain bikes, so it needs more clearance. This rack is awesome and very solid... meaning very heavy too. The ergonomics is really well thought out, very simple and easy to use, the only detail that you may want to improve is the middle pin, it needs to be covered in order to protect your bottom-bracket paint. Usually the mountain bike's BB are narrower but the fat bike ones come very close to the main tube and may touch the pin. The rest works like a charm, not surprising that NSR has such a good reputation (great service too). Note that it's also made in B.C, Canada ;-)

simple design, efficient and functional!

P.S: We have recently started a fat bike Quebec G+ group so please come join us!

| Auvent en emporte le temps...

Le van est maintenant equipe d'un auvent lateral tout neuf et ca va nous etre fortement utile pendant les prochaines vacances... dans les Keys (Florida)! c'est un peu le chaos en ce moment entre l'image que je dois finir pour le prochain bouquin Nuthin but Mech 3 et les preparatifs du road-trip. J'ai 2 milliards de trucs a faire et si peu de temps, je sens que nous allons partir avec un manque de sommeil evident.

L'equipe de New-West a ete encore une fois formidable pour mettre en place cet auvent (de type ShadyBoy) rapidement mais surtout pour changer notre batterie auxiliaire reliee au panneau solaire, l'originale vient de rendre l'ame et c'etait un peu difficile d'envisager partir en camping sans electricite. Almost ready!

| Ice Cream Truck...

Yesterday we drove back to Burlington to get my bike. Harris at Old Spokes had just finished working on a few modifications i asked for and it was worth the wait :) The now 1x10 drivetrain has been improved with a sturdy Race Face Turbine crankset and a new single chainring narrow/wide 30T. We added some 45NRTH pedals and the tires are now mounted tubeless. I'm pretty excited about this setup and i'll write a review of the bike soon enough. Thank you guys for the business and outstanding service!

simple is better!

We then parked in downtown for some food and sightseeing, it was humid and cold (reminded me of UK's horrible winter) but it is a pretty little town and we'll certainly come back in summer to visit more of the lake and the surroundings... and of course to get some of the renowned local (and real) ice creams.

Except for a little incident before leaving (hmm yes i may have locked ourselves out of the van, thanks CAA for saving us), it was a fun day and there is a new shiny member in my sport quiver!

#OldSpokes

| Marde blanche...

Et c'est reparti... ca fait 2 jours qu'il neige non-stop et ce n'est pas fini. Ca nous a pris une heure pour deneiger le camion hier soir, juste pour changer de trottoir! je ne suis pas du tout dans le trip hiver encore et c'est plutot rare a cette periode de l'annee ou mon esprit est souvent omnibule par le snowskate. J'ai hate d'aller chercher mon fat-bike ce WE et de partir au soleil pour Noel.

Les chats s'amusent bien et grandissent super vite, Banh Mi connait ses 1eres chaleurs et de fait se frotte partout, on attend que ca passe et apres hop c'est l'operation! Quant a sa Majeste Dim Sum le petit Prince, il commence a avoir (enfin) un peu plus de poils sur le dos et parle tout le temps. Bon, au moins il vient se blottir contre nous a la moindre occasion et reste tres calin, c'est cute!

le Prince Relou!

| Old spokes, new wheels...

Yesterday Yan and i drove to Burlington, VT, the customs were packed and it took a bit more than 2 boring hours to cross the border. It's funny how the service is always very bad along the lines, take for instance any other professional fields and imagine the same level of motivation, efficiency and courtesy as most custom officers provide. How would it work for restaurants, shops or administrations? simple... it wouldn't, employees would all be fired on their very 1st day!

Anyways, we eventually reached our destination: Old Spokes a nice little local bike shop i've contacted a few days ago for a test ride. They do have an amazing selection of fat bikes for such a small place with Surly, Salsa, Borealis and 9:Zero:7. After relentlessly searching for information about "fatties" I've narrowed it down to 2 similar mid-range models which seem to offer the best bangs for the bucks, the 2015 Ice Cream Truck and Mukluk 2.

Great service and charming shop, check Harris' customized ICT

so here are the 2 beautiful models we tested!

we took the bikes for a ride around the block, going through the cemetery and we had a blast rolling through the blocks of ice and snow, going up and down the hill and smiling like kids on acid! nothing but yourself can stop these beasts.

On paper i gave the Mukluk an advantage for it has a suspended Bluto fork and appears to be lighter, both bikes are made by some of the most dedicated companies in this field, they have very good reviews, as well as comparable basic equipment/parts. The best solution is to try them and see which one fits the best right? 

Yes indeed and now i know that the trail-oriented geometry of the ICT has definitely a more familiar vibe, i like downhill/dirt jumping and on top of that it confirmed my slight preference for steel frames VS Aluminium. If you feel concerned by the weight of those excellent products, don't be, they ride well, are easy to maneuver and feel surprisingly agile. 

there is a bike museum upstairs too with unbelievable showpieces... it's really worth it!

Before heading back to Canada, we stopped at the Our House Bistro to enjoy some Mac 'n Cheese specialties (they have a lot of choice actually). Yan insisted on buying some fuel at the Beverage Warehouse after what we left with some rare beers and Vermont ciders, what a great day!

oOohh... did i say we are going back soon to pick up some Ice Cream, glitter blue flavor if possible ;-)

#OldSpokes

| Winter and "fat bikes"...

So now i have to accept it, winter is here and it's getting really cold! fortunately we've changed the tires of the van the week before the 1st snowfall and i didn't miss the opening at St-Bruno despite being completely sick (which explains the donuts for moral support and my zombie face).

Yesterday I had the chance to try Sylvain's fat bikes, this is something i was eager to test for a while and it was the perfect day in Beauharnois to do so. We took a ride on the banks of the river where there is enough snow to give me a good impression of the "fat" experience. Honestly the 1st time i saw one of this bike, it didn't seem to be legit, i thought it would be another expensive gadget for a very niche activity. Two years later, the trend is on fire, big companies are starting to join the bandwagon and they are not one-season bikes anymore, you can actually use them as your primary vehicle, especially in cold countries like Canada.

I had to try because it could potentially replace our 2 folders which sleep all winter long in our living room, it'd be the perfect bike to bring on camping trips because it works on any terrains; sand, mud, snow, rocks and of course flat clean urban trails. Sylvain took his Surly Moonlander and i rode his GF's KHS 1000 (entry-level bike), the temperature was averaging -8°C, sunny and windy.

Just looking at the size of the tires makes you laugh, you would expect them to be very heavy but in fact the bikes are surprisingly light, they handle well, of course they are not as nimble as a regular mountain bike but it is as close as you can be considering the volume of the wheels.

Simply put, it's a BLAST!!! it's fun and makes the simplest trail look like an adventure, the tires can swallow every chunk of obstacles you throw at them, just look at the field of rocks below and it gives you a good idea... i need one.

the ultimate adventure bikes have fun anywhere!!!

thanks for the ride!