Bushpilot profile

I recently put on fresh Magic Marys in Super Gravity casing.  I'm using the purple Ultra Soft compound both front and rear in 29x2.35 (with cushcore on both ends).  They're definitely heavier and slower to climb but the grip and damp / comfortable ride are mind boggling.  While it takes more energy to move them, the extra grip does help with those steep tricky climbs this time of year.  I will definitely switch to a faster rolling rear tire when the days (and rides) start to get longer in April / May.  But for a winter slip 'n slide season dedicated setup this is the most sure-footed combo I've tried to date.  FWIW my winter rides are mainly Fromme and Seymour.

Also, this tire combo can be had for dirt cheap if you're willing to order from overseas and wait a couple weeks.

Looks like that's the Canadian price on their website, which is on par with ($29 more than) a Rootdown.

Glad to see a nice short seat tube on the large.

FWIW the 29x2.4 TRS A/T MOPO tire weighs 1068g on my digital kitchen scale (rather than the 1015 claimed by E13).

Are these tram bars available somewhere in the lower mainland?  Would like to try.  Great list BTW.

I have a Shift LT I use for ski touring. I also use it riding but, admittedly, the fit is a bit baggy on me for that purpose. But if you bought one with the intention of making it a dedicated riding jacket, you might be able to size down accordingly and get the right fit. Overall I am quite impressed with the jacket and use it for all but the nastiest days.  323 grams for a size large BTW.

For Neoshell, try the Westcomb Shift LT jacket.  Best dwr in the business, light weight and local.  You can even pick them up direct from their factory in East Van.

I've used the Nikwax and Grangers stuff, both spray on and wash in.  I've found the spray on stuff better than the wash in but not sure I've noticed much of a difference between the two brands.

Agreed.  I'm not aware of any company making a cycling specific product that is waterproof to the same extent as my backpacking / ski touring gear (other than 7mesh and Gore Bike Wear).  The fit of Gore brand shorts I had before I owned the Revos left much to be desired.  For pants, it must be possible to make a bike-specific pant in a full gore-tex active or pro fabric but maybe the market is just too small for anyone to make such a product that fits really well for trail riding.  I've never encountered a proper waterproof fabric that had any stretch so maybe the difficulty is that the tailoring that would be required to make a proper trail pant from gore-tex would be too difficult or too expensive.  As mentioned above, the Agents are very good in that respect.

Maybe adding more dwr to the Agents will help keep them dry a bit longer for my commute.  I'll try that this week.

I found the water protection of these quite underwhelming.  I've been wearing them for my short bike commute to work (haven't used on dirt yet).  Commute is usually about 14 minutes each way.  Used the pants 6 or so days in the last two weeks, including today.  They are pretty much brand new so they should be performing at their best.  I start to notice wetness on my shins and thighs in 5 to 10 minutes if the rain is moderate or worse (as we've had here in Vancouver the last week or two).  Today my shins and thighs were soaked by about the 10 minute mark of my ride.  It wasn't from sweat.  Granted it was raining hard this morning.  For reference, I also have a pair of 7mesh Revo shorts which offer outstanding protection.  In similar conditions the parts of me covered by the Revos stay much, much drier.  The face fabric of the Revos does wet out after some time in hard rain (not as fast as the Agents though) but the interior stays dry.  The downside of the Revos is obviously that there is no coverage of your lower legs and your feet end up wetter.  But, the counterpoint to that is my shins dry a lot quicker than the Agent pants do (which will still be damp when I put them on to ride home tonight).  IMO these are yet another example of a bike apparel company producing a sub-par product for wet weather.  If you want something moderately priced that works "okay" for moderate weather, these may be for you.  If you want a product that works much better and are willing to pay for it, then stick with 7mesh or non-cycling companies that specialize in proper outdoor apparel.  Now if 7mesh made a pant version of the Revos...

To be fair, Raceface did well with the cut and comfort of these.  The fabric just isn't a winner in terms of staying dry when the weather is gross, even for a short ride.

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

Posted by: craw

A couple of the switchbacks on GSM need some extra precision but they're totally doable.

How about those three consecutive switchbacks on R&R? I find those much more difficult on long bikes than the ones on GSM.

Lol...these are exactly the switchbacks I have in mind when marinating on whether a G1 might be a bit too much...

Plenty of trails in the Robert's Creek area fit that description.  Pinkbike did a complete guide to riding on the Sunshine Coast in May of this year.  Check that out.

Posted by: Xorrox

Has anyone run into the new E*thirteen 2.4" TRS A/T Race MOPO tires for sale anywhere locally (North Van / Van) or online? I'd really like to try the 29" version on the front. 

Otherwise maybe I'll try the wide and sticky DHF instead of my usual wet weather go to, the Magic Mary Snakeskin Soft TLE Soft.

I ordered mine direct from e13 and had them shipped to Point Roberts. Arrived in two days and I don't think I paid for shipping.

I rode the Rock Razor in 29 speedgrip but I shredded the sidewall in about 5 rides.    I love the way that tire rode. I could only find that size in the snakeskin casing.  Way too thin for me.   Unfortunately they don’t seem to make the rock razor in a 29 in the supergravity casing.

Dear Maxxis,

Please make the Minion SS in a 29x2.5 wide trail in Exo or DD.  That is all.

-Summer

Renthal Apex stem has rise and is available in 35mm. Also, Renthal Fatbar Carbon is available in rise up to 40mm and Chromag BZA goes up to 35mm rise.  Those options should tick all the boxes in your post.

Posted by: grambo

Posted by: Bushpilot

Thanks for the comments!  I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride.  Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.

Are you guys going with Tyax or just getting a float plane drop? If you go with Tyax they shuttle you back to the lodge at the end of Gun creek if you want... we took it, lazy/spoiled city slickers wanting to get back to apres sooner :).

We're getting the float plan drop at Warner and our ride is unsupported / self-guided so we'll have to grind up the road at the end.  We may just leave a couple trucks at the bottom of the road the night before if there's space to park so we can avoid the slog.  Anyone know if / where we can leave our trucks so we can self-shuttle back to the lodge?

Thanks for the comments!  I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride.  Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.

I'm doing the Warner Lake to Tyax ride in a few weeks and am wondering about tire choice.  I'm on a 150mm travel 29er and currently ride a DHF 2.5 WT in Exo (front) and an Aggressor 2.5 WT in Double Down (rear).  I haven't been to the Chilcotins before and suspect my current setup might be heavy / overkill / make me work harder than I should for this 45km ride.  Internal rim width is 30mm.  Thoughts / suggestions from those who've done this ride much appreciated.

I'm after a tubeless plug kit.  Dynaplug, Genuine Innovations, or the new Oneup plug and plyers kit.  Anyone know if these are stocked anywhere in Vancouver or North Van.  I tried MEC, Dunbar and another shop or two in Vancouver but no one seems to stock plug kits.