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Bike Touring Equipment Handlebar Bag Other Touring Bike Pedals Touring Bike Tires

New Partnerships, New Products!

While the Bike Hermit and Sky King are gallavanting around Mexico drinking beer and camping under the stars, there has been a lot going on around Bike Touring News HQ!   We’re constantly on the lookout for components and accessories to enhance your experience, help you ride more and have more fun doing it.  To that end, we’ve brought in some new products that you’re going to want to check out.

Saddles, Tires, Rims from WTB

We’re super excited to announce our partnership with Wilderness Trail Bikes!  WTB has been at the cutting edge of mountain bike equipment since 1982 and that depth of experience shows through in their products.  Most recently, they’ve done a great job creating components that are ideal for bikepacking and dirt touring.  Bike Touring News will be stocking a hand-picked range of their tires, saddles, rims and other gear for adventures that take you to the end of the pavement and beyond.

“What?  Bike Touring News is selling plastic saddles?”  I know, this is kind of a big deal as we have always been known for our devotion to leather saddles.  We’ll continue to stock top-quality leather saddles from Gilles Berthoud, Rivet, Brooks and others but there are certain applications where a high-quality plastic saddle just makes sense. WTB’s saddle designs have been refined over many years to provide a comfortable, supportive perch for all-day comfort on any bike.  Most of their saddles are also available in a range of widths, allowing you to choose a shape and level of padding that suits your riding style and a width that fits your anatomy.

We’re particularly excited about the WTB Koda – a saddle WTB describes as being “female focused, rather than women’s specific” and designed with input from a multitude of female riders including Idaho resident and legendary endurance rider, Rebecca Rusch.  Check out the video on the product page for Rebecca’s take on the saddle.  In addition to the Koda, we’re stocking the Volt, Rocket and Silverado.  We also have the complete Test Ride Kit, making it even easier to try a saddle before you buy.  Like all the saddles we sell, we back these with our 90-day Saddle Comfort Guarantee.

WTB’s focus on bikepacking, dirt touring and other more adventurous riding is especially evident in their tire lineup.  They have fully embraced the full 3-inch “plus-size” tire platform and offer a handful of tread and casing options for any plus bike, such as Surly’s Karate Monkey, Krampus or ECR.  The Trail Boss and Ranger are both solid, do-it-all tires for a broad range of conditions.  I (Ryan) rode a set of Trail Boss 27.5 x 3.0 tires on the Colorado Trail Race this past summer, in addition to all the preparatory rides before and plenty of miles since.  They’re showing some tread wear but have been completely trouble free.  Excellent tubeless setup and no flats, just smiles for miles!

In addition, WTB offers a range of highly versatile, genre-bending tires for your cyclocross, gravel or dirt touring bike.  In widths up to 45mm for 700c and 47mm in 650b, these casings will provide a smooth, comfortable ride and plenty of traction.  For example, the 700×45 Riddler is a perfect fit for your Cross-Check, Straggler or Trucker and will show you what those bikes are capable of in the dirt without sacrificing pace on the pavement.  Many of these tires are also available with a classic tan sidewall, as shown on the 650×47 Byway below.

New Chainrings, Cold-Weather Clothing and Beverage Accessories from Surly

Ready to ditch the front derailleur on your ECR, Ice Cream Truck or any other bike with a Surly Offset Double crankset?  Here ya go, sweet cheeks!  The 28t chainring bolts on the inner chainring position and features SRAM’s X-Sync narrow-wide tooth profiles for rock-solid chain retention.  This thing is machined from durable and oh-so-shiny stainless steel for long life and corrosion resistance.  The matching alloy chainring guard fits the four spider arms (skips the threaded hole in back of the crank arm) on your crankset.  It protects your chain and chainring from trauma and gives those lonely spider arms a purpose in life.

Surly has been quietly expanding their range of clothing recently.  Merino wool is the material of choice for much of the lineup, including the new wool beanies and neck gaiters.  The beanies are soft, snug and warm – perfect dome coverings on or off the bike – and come in basic black or a purple/gray stripe.  Get yours unadorned with only a small Surly label or with the “Omniterra” or “Split-Season” embroidered patch for extra style.

The neck gaiter is a multifunctional cold-weather essential and a perfect lightweight, packable layer to help fight the chill.  Surly’s are double-layered with finer, softer merino on the inside and thicker, coarser material on the outside to balance comfort, breathability and windproofing.  They’re quite nice, actually.  Choose black with a black/grey striped inside or the earthy yellow/brown combo.  Either one will make you warmer and more attractive than you were before.

Surly’s wool blend socks are a perennial favorite.  They’re made in the USA by DeFeet with a proprietary wool blend for warmth, stink resistance and durability with just the right amount of stretch.  We have a couple of new patterns in addition to the old standbys.  Stars, Stripes, Surly.  Grab a pair for you and a pair for someone you like.

For the traveling imbiber of beverages, we offer Surly’s Silicone Pint Glasses.  We still call it a “glass” even though it is made of food grade silicone. They’re virtually indestructible, thick enough to provide some insulation for cold or hot liquids and dishwasher safe.  Ride your bike and transport yourself.  If you can’t be bothered to pour your beverage in a glass, pick up a handy Insulating Sheath.  They’re a perfect fit for tall cans but work with short cans or bottles also.  They’re also quite useful as packing aids, providing lightweight, stretchy, rattle-free padding for anything you stuff inside.  Use them for your tools and spares, camera lenses, camp stove, pieces of fruit or even cans of beer!

Ostrich F-516 Handlebar Bag

This fine handlebar bag incorporates a feature we’ve wanted to see from Ostrich for some time: a rider facing lid opening!  This simple difference makes accessing the bag’s contents while on the bike or in motion much easier and safer.  The lid flap is secured by velcro tape for easy, one-handed opening and closing.  The clear, integrated map case is also secured by a small velcro flap to prevent contents from escaping.  There is a flat front pocket with a velcro flap closure that is perfect for phone, wallet, compact camera or other flattish items.  There is also a zippered pocket in the flap for small items like keys.  Overall, this is a clean, minimal handlebar bag perfect for long day rides on its own or for easy-access items on your fully-loaded touring rig.

Chromag Pedals

Flat pedals are a natural choice for bike travel over any terrain and the benefits are numerous.  I could fill an entire blog post extolling their virtues (come to think of it, maybe I will…) but let’s focus on these particular pedals.  Chromag’s Scarab and Contact pedals provide the best combination of comfort, tuneable traction, durability and serviceability we’ve found.  Both models have thin, wide, concave platforms with adjustable-height pins, multiple pin placement options and durable, ultra-smooth bearings.  The Scarab offers a few more pin placement options, more finely machined contours and a finely polished finish to justify the extra cost.  Either one is available in a variety of colors to complement any bike.

Wow, that’s a ton of cool stuff!  Get some for yourself, or someone else, or you and someone else!  What other products should Bike Touring News carry?  Sound off in the comments below and let us know what we’re missing!

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Baja Divide Our Trips

News from the Bike Hermit and Sky King in Mexico!

As you may already know, the Bike Hermit and Sky King have pedaled into retirement from bike shop life and are currently making their way south along the Baja Divide.  As of this writing, they’ve completed the first five segments of the route and are currently resting up in Vicente Guerrero in preparation for what lies ahead.  Here’s a link to the description of this first stretch of the route on the Baja Divide website.

They have been posting photos to Instagram (@stacy_king_powers and @bikehermit) and updating their Crazy Guy on a Bike journal (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Bajadivide).  It sounds like the going has been tougher than expected but that the pace of Mexican life seems to be agreeing with them!  Follow along, put your support and encouragement in the comments and enjoy their adventure vicariously.  Here are a few favorite photos from their journey so far:

We’ll continue to share occasional updates from Bike Touring News’ Owners Emeriti as they continue their adventure, so keep your eye on the blog.  Keep up the good work, have fun and stay safe out there, you two!  In the meantime, we have some updates from BTN Headquarters to share, so stay tuned…

Categories
Fenders Front Racks Surly Bikes

Photo Gallery: Micah’s Tricked-Out Surly Straggler

It is no secret that Surly builds versatile, durable bikes that are adaptable to a wide range of uses and conditions.  They also deliver bang for the buck that is pretty darn hard to beat.  When Micah started thinking about a new city bike, there were tons of options on the table.  After much deliberation, the Straggler rose to the top of the pile.

It is sometimes difficult to swallow the expense of a frame-up build, especially when talking about a city bike that is going to see tough conditions; this bike is going to be ridden hard, locked up, knocked around and put away wet.  The Straggler comes out of the box with a solid build that leaves plenty of room for add-ons but little need for upgrades.

Like most quality completes, Surly bikes don’t come with pedals.  Chromag’s Contact platforms provide all-condition traction, customizable grip, rock-solid durability and foot-cradling comfort.  Platforms are especially sensible for a city bike, allowing the rider to choose footwear based weather, comfort and style rather than being stuck in cycling shoes.

Proper, full-coverage fenders were a must.  However, the stock 700×41 Knards were just a little too wide to fit cleanly with the SKS Longboards.  Micah also wanted something a little faster rolling, with excellent tubeless performance.  Schwalbe G-Ones in 700×38 snapped onto the Alex rims securely and really make this bike fly on dirt or pavement.

Front and rear dynamo lighting were also a priority.  We’ve been really impressed with the Kasai dynamos and expect to build many more wheels around them.  There are less expensive headlight options out there (the B+M Eyc is a favorite for city bikes) but the bright beam and good looks of the B+M Lumotec IQ-X won out, despite the higher price.  The B+M Secula taillight is no more expensive than a battery taillight and the full-length brake housing along the top tube provided a clean path to route the wire.

Of course, what good is a dedicated city bike if you’re stuck carrying your cargo on your back?  Surly’s 8-Pack Rack mounts up cleanly to nearly any Surly fork and provides a solid platform for a wide variety of bags.  Micah’s Lone Peak Rack Pack Deluxe fits like a glove.  While we’ve sometimes been frustrated by the lack of light mounting options on the Surly racks, the crown mount included with the IQ-X bolted straight into one of the M5 barrels and provides a solid perch.  We prefer to mount headlights underneath or on the side of a front rack for better protection but the 8-Pack doesn’t make that easy.  Micah likes his headlight to stand up “loud and proud” anyway, so who are we to argue?

Scroll through the gallery and check out the build!  The “Blueberry Muffin Top” powdercoat really sparkles in the sun!  How would you build your Straggler?  Post your photos or ideas in the comments!

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Other

Special Thanksgiving Hours: CLOSED 11/22 – 11/24

At Bike Touring News, we believe that holidays are times to spend with family and friends, sharing experiences and creating memories.  We’ve never really gone in for the whole “Black Friday” concept.  We’d much rather celebrate with a good bike ride, a home-cooked meal and a tasty beverage than a melee of consumerist excess.

In keeping with this belief, Bike Touring News HQ will be closed Wednesday, November 22 through Friday, November 24.  Of course, you can shop the web store 24/7 but the closure will impact shipping timetables.  All orders placed before 4pm on Tuesday, November 21st will be shipped as usual.  Orders placed after 4pm, Tuesday the 21st will ship the following Monday, November 27.

Please email [email protected] or call 866-936-3176 (toll free) / 208-806-2111 (local) if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help!  We appreciate your flexibility and hope you’ll be outside also, spending time on your bike and enjoying the company of those you love!

Thanksgiving Hours

CLOSED  Wednesday, 11/22 – Friday, 11/24

LAST CALL for same-day shipping:  4pm, Tuesday 11/21

Orders placed after Last Call will ship Monday, 11/27