But 26" wheels with FAT tires just look so right!


I'm a convert to fat tires but even for me it boils down to the right tire for the right job. My 700c bike has 32mm Vittoria Hypers and even at my weight of 400 lbs, as long as the pavement is smooth, they are plenty of tire. On the other hand, 99% of my rides take place within a mile or so of my home and even though it's a new subdivision, the pavement is anything but smooth. I think they used the cheapest grade of asphalt installed by the absolute lowest bidder.....the number of potholes and sections where the entire road has collapsed in 1-2" lines stretching from curb-to-curb is inexcusable but it's what I've got. For these rides, I prefer a 26" wheel bike with 55mm Big Apples. I can also get 50mm Schwalbe Kojaks, 50mm Supremes and now the Rat Trap Pass tires are welcome addition.

I created my own Ravn by converting a mid-90's hybrid to a 26" bike. Since I rarely exceed the low teens in speed, I installed a fork from an MTB on my 700c bike so I at least have a front brake. The difference between this bike and a 90's MTB is that my bike has a much shorter top-tube and more imporantly, a much lower bottom bracket. In fact, my bike has 65mm of BB drop, the same as the Ravn. It's high trail but that's not a problem because it's what I'm used to and the heavier tubing of a hybrid is more appropriate for my weight. The Ravn would probably feel like a wet noodle under me.

This bike is a blast to ride and it feels significantly different from my MTB's from the 80's and 90's. I only periodically build it up and ride it for awhile and then I go back to my modern 700c bike and build up another of the MTB frames I've got hanging in the garage.

Here's the pix of one of the tires right after they arrived.

I'm quite happy with mine, RB!
(Still) no fenders, but they'll fit no problem.

Thanks, they look like a decent set of tires. I might have to try them.

I pretty much agree with what you said, Spoonrobot. I get sick of all the zippity doo-dah labels of the latest riding fad and all the hoop-la that goes along with it. 29er's, 650B's, Fixies, "Real World", Gravel Grinders, "All-Road Enduro", etc. Kriminies, with all the cycling equipment available to us today we can put whatever the heck we want to on our bikes and ride them wherever/however we want without all the fancy labels.

I'm definitely not against sensible innovation, I welcome it. But I don't want it shoved down my throat like I'm not a real rider if I don't get into the latest trend. I was wondering how Bicycle Quarterly and Compass Bicycles were going to co-exist when they became 'sisters'. I have pro and con feelings about it. I will always look to Jan Heine's opinions before any other magazine's, but I'm starting to get the feeling BQ is becoming a bit more like other bike magazines in some areas. And I have every issue of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly and BQ.

Apologies extended for my rant. Didn't get to ride today.

I've been using an 90ies hardtail MTB with 47mm slicks (Paselas) as a commuter and city-bike for the last decade. I'm glad i have now confirmed scientifically that i'm not completely bonkers.

Martl, on the race bikes still with 20mm and 23mm...

Hi [MENTION=344594]trailmix[/MENTION]

I had completely forgotten about this- I can't think of any other time that I was asked for pix and wasn't falling over myself to try to do so... I apologize.

I have the tires mounted on some Super Champion (I assume Modele 58) rims- and for comparison porpoises, a Pasela PT or TG or whatever on a Wolber Model 58:

oooh... I have some unattractive fingers...

I put Jan H. In a pile with Trek , Specislized & that Bridgestone guy.

J H is a marketing machine alright.

Still putzing around some with the build, but here's what the Rat Trap Pass look like.

That was beyond harsh. Seems to reflect significant ignorance, jmo, but you are of course very much entitled to your opinion and may change it as you like.

If you were a reader of Bicycle Quarterly, I'd say it might be you that is off the deep end, but I am assuming that you are not a reader of Bicycle Quarterly.

No worries, better late than never. I really appreciate the comparison to the Paselas as I have 2 bikes with Wolber 58s and Paselas. These will be my next set of tires. Thank you!!!

Great googie-ooglie! Now THAT'S FAT! I've got an old Skunkhumper in the garage, maybe 6 years since it's been ridden, stolen parts...might get me some of those and built it back up.

The schwalbe supreme touring 26 x 2.0 tires ride really nice and the weight's not bad at 565 grams. They're also really tough which is not bad for gravel riding. I'm running a pair on my '87 stumpjumper comp which I mainly use for commuting.

It is my opinion. The tests on tires , lights, frames and such in BQ are scientific on one level. Very biased on other levels. JH has his job promoting Compass. It's all
Good.

This is not a very helpful statement. Can you enlighten us with specifics.

I was pretty skeptical about the results of the tire testing at first. What won me over were the details of, and the rationale behind the testing methodology. Still, the proof was in the riding. The Grand Bois tires have been everything they were built up to be. Admittedly, the payment pinches a bit, but the ride does feel pretty magical.

It is considerably harder to quantify performance of frames though. Jan does make as good faith an effort to be scientific as possible in those reviews, but it's an impossible task to keep all subjectivity out of them.

I was skeptical of all JH's testing till I broke down and bought a set of his tires for a couple of bikes.

After riding them this summer, he's won me over for the most part.

They are reliable, comfortable, corner beautifully and roll well at speed.

No bumps, lumps or other oddness.

I would say the biggest plus is the confidence they give me at speed.

On fast descents, especially on a curving downhill stretch the tires don't dish up surprises.

Even on rain slickened surfaces.

I don't like surprises.

I didn't realize my comments would offend people. It was only my openion & I should not have posted that. Sorry.

Although there was an element of snark- I didn't take it as attempting to be offensive. It's an opinion. It just doesn't appear to be shared by a bunch of people here.

I see Petersen and Heine as people who have great ideas about bikes and biking that don't seem to be mainstream ideas anymore. They happen to be businessmen that sell products that revolve around their ideas. They're in a position to advocate in the things they believe in- and it seems that the idea of "enjoying riding a bike" is not preferable to the people that dream of being dominant bike racing champions.

You go right ahead. On almost any subject, there is sharp disagreement in this forum. It is a good way of questioning old truths. Heck if people didn't post their opinions here, we would have run out of things to say a very long time ago.

Anytime anyone suggests that maybe some of the things that Jan Heine writes about should be taken with a grain of salt because he apparently profits (he is the president of Compass Bicycles, https://www.compasscycle.com/about-us/) from the advice he gives out as to tires, components, etc. That doesn't make the advice wrong but it makes me a little skeptical of the advice.

If I'm wrong, I'd love for someone to explain why I'm wrong.

I know there is going to be some blowback on this post. But honestly I've never seen products pushed as hard with so little criticism in bike forums as with Compass Bicycle products.

Call me a little skeptical.

I'll throw my free-and-worth-every-penny opinion behind most of Jan H/Compass's products and writing. I've bought several of the SKF BBs and love them, several sets of various tires and had no issues with them. I even bought a set of the gorgeous but v. expensive RH cranks for my Colnago to allow me the gearing I required to complete L'Eroica. I've beat the stuffing out of them and they're still gorgeous (a nice side benefit of no anodizing), and really give you a huge gear range available.

I don't subscribe to everything he writes, but I think his well-written magazine provides a great balance to the available material out there regarding bikes and the activity of cycling in general. One thing you can't dispute; he "walks the walk" when it comes to bike stuff, anyone with his Rando pedigree has a real basis to create products and comment on bicycle build comparisons.

I still own several skinny tire racing bikes, and really enjoy the experience of going back and forth between a sub-20 lb C'Dale R4000 and my 28mm-shod Rando Vanilla. It's all part of the world of cycling, and I think Jan has really added in a meaningful and lasting way to the tapestry of our sport and the available equipment.

I was once a subscriber to BQ. That was about 10 years ago. No longer having those BQ issues now I can't talk about specifics or points of contention.

Wow, some people have awfully tame ideas of what constitutes 'the deep end'. Imagine, they are tires that dare to be a centimeter or so wider than what is currently considered ok. That is so totally WACKY!!!

I guess the biggest thing is, have you taken and tried out the advice and tried out the products...

It's one thing to be skeptical, it's another to be closed minded and self-important about your opinions.

I haven't used a Compass product- it's a 'someday' thing for me. Judging from what people here, who I'm pretty sure are not shills, have experienced- there's something to a lot of what's advocated.


(BTW- I don't mean "your" opinions, just your opinions)