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Author Archive | Ken Blakey-Shell

Comparison of Four 29×2.6″ Tires

If you follow bike media you will know that at one point not that long ago 2.8-3″ plus tires were the greatest thing ever. Now the talk is that they are too squishy and vague but 2.6″ tires are the goldilocks size, splitting the difference between traditional MTB tires and “full” plus tires. Personally, 2.6″ […]

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Fat Camp Podcast Show #31/32

It’s been a couple months since Ken and Andy sat down and did some blah, blah, blah.  And for this show, there’s quite a bit. 1.5 hours of it. So hit play or download it for later but whatever you do, make sure to give #31 a listen.   Here’s what’s happening for this show: What […]

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Lake MXZ 400 Out of the Box

A pair of Lake MXZ 400 boots, size 50 recently arrived on my doorstep. Many fat bikers are familiar with their MXZ 300 line (the current version is the MXZ 303) because it has been the go to winter cycling boot for as long as I can remember (well over a decade now). The MXZ […]

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Fat Camp #30

  It’s Fat Camp time again and it’s show #30.  In the midst of the deep freeze, Ken and Andy chat with Nate Phelps, race promoter of the Winter Rush fat bike race at Big M in Wellston, Michigan, about the nitty gritty of the race and what racers and fans should expect.   What’s […]

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Fat Camp Show #29

Welcome to Fat Camp show #29, just in time for the holiday season and hopefully some gosh darn snow in the land of the hand.   Here’s what’s on tap for this most recent episode: Need warm feet? flats pedals and boots or spend the dough for 45 NRTH Lake Cold Cycling Shoes ESI grip […]

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Fat Camp #28: Are Plus Tires Overrated?

Andy gets a Salsa Deadwood! Ken rides Marji Gesick 100, or at least part of it… Moral of the story, don’t skimp on tires for this race; ride burly tires. Over a Beer: 5 Reasons Why Plus-Size Tires Are Overrated We discuss some of the different fat bike fork options and who should consider each […]

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Fat Camp Show #24

Ken and Andy are back from spring hiatus for episode 24 of FatCamp Podcast.  For this 24th edition of the camp the guys keep it moving straight forward and rarely veer off topic.  Let’s face it, life gets complicated and practical reality slaps us in the face every once in a bit.  Luckily, the dynamic […]

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Mid-Term Review – Terrene Wazia 4.6

This has been one of those winters where I have been pretty darned stoked to be testing studded tires. It seems like every other weekend has been “studded tire only” conditions due to a big melt and freeze cycle. During this time the 4.6″ studded Terrene Wazia tires have become my best friend because they […]

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First Look – Otso Voytek

It is kind of funny, last year/season we saw a flood of similar “me-to” fat bikes from manufacturers trying to jump on the fat bike bandwagon. Everyone seemed to want to pile on the fat bike craze. From those heady times, we have seen some really interesting and fresh bikes emerge for the 2017 season. […]

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Terrene Wazia – First Look!

Terrene is a new name on the fat bike block but is a company that brings some street cred to the neighborhood. Terrene is managed by Tim Krueger who previously worked as a brand manager for Salsa Cycles and is the founder of Advocate Cycles. Terrene recently came out with three tires: the Wazia which […]

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Vittoria Cannoli – First Look!

Uncle Gomez and the folks from Vittoria Tire recently helped Christmas come a bit early and sent me a pair of Vittoria Cannoli 26 x 4.8″ tires to test out. This is a tire I am pretty darned stoked about. The Surly Bud and Lou’s have been the king of the hill for all around […]

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Product Spotlight – Bontrager Chupacabra 29×3.0

Luckily, after a long drought of alternatives in 29er+ tires, there has started to be a flood of options being introduced. Bontrager is the latest company to send us tires to test and it looks to be a super solid contender. Named after a mythical blood sucking creature, I can already tell you there is nothing sucky about this […]

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Fatty Quiring Tandem

I recently had the pleasure of stopping by Quiring Cycles World Headquarters in Freesoil, MI and picking up our new fat tandem. We asked Scott to build up the frame to fit the widest tires and rims available because Wifey and I are planning to play on this beasty during all four seasons. On a […]

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Be Careful When You Follow the Judas Goat

Back in December I wrote about my new Quiring fat bike (Achieving Fat-Bike Versatility). That article got into how the bike can switch geometry to suit different riding conditions such as summer and winter fat biking. This summer I have been exploring another aspect of the bike: A summer fat bike setup versus a 29er+ […]

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What is Good Fat-Bike Trail Grooming?

Ed: One of the main topics at the Global Fatbike Summit happening in Ogden, Utah this weekend, as well as the just concluded Midwest Fatbike Summit in Cable, WI, is the topic of Grooming Trails for Fatbikes. We are fortunate to have Ken Blakey-Shell’s experience grooming snow trails for various uses to give us a primer. […]

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