Osprey Viper 9

Let me explain something about myself. I love my Camelbak Mule. You can almost never catch me without it. Water, tools, tubes, food. It carries everything. And is comfortable and has handled years of abuse. So with that being said, it was hard for me when an Osprey Viper 9 pack showed up at the shop with my name on it. But hey, gotta make changes every now and then right?! So I filled it with three liters of water, and set out to see how much nine liters of storage can actually hold.

The short answer, more than you might think. The long answer? Shorts, chamois, jersey, socks, gloves, hammock with straps, first aid kit, granola bars, Cliff Blocks, lighter, multi-tool, hand/CO2 pump, tube, shock pump, knife, headlamp, keys, and a wallet. And that's just inside of the pack. The Lid Lock does a great job holding your half shell and my SixSixOne knee pads strap onto the side of the bag very easily. All this means that this pack is big enough to do an overnight trip if you really wanted to.

Carrying a lot of stuff isn't useful though if you don't like riding with the pack on. So with all this stuff still there, I threw the bag on and hit the trails at FATS (see last post). Once I had the straps set how I wanted, the bag was extremely comfortable. It sits well and never moves. I was really impressed with how stable it feels, even loaded down. It has yet to rub me in any funny way or make me feel constricted. Even on my first ride with it loaded down, I put in around 40 miles and not once was upset that I had it on. It also is extremely breathable. There is a mesh back with cut outs to help airflow and keep you cooler. Even on days with a heat index well over 100 degrees, I felt just fine. 

The Osprey pack has great durability so far as well. It has seen a couple hundred miles of riding, a few falls, 115 degrees, heavy rain, and the Chomolungma Challenge (30,000 feet of descending!). No strap has moved, or started to fray, or anything along those lines. Buckles all engage still, the bite valve still works flawlessly, and the Lid Lock system still holds your helmet securely to the outside of the pack. And to make it better, this pack full of awesomeness is backed up by Osprey's All Mighty Gurantee. What they say is that any reason, any product, any era. If it breaks, they fix it. 

"Osprey will repair for any reason, free of charge, any damage or defect in our product – whether it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday." - ospreypacks.com

Overall, I like this pack a lot. A whole lot. I would recommend it to anyone. Whether you are doing XC rides or going on two day bike camp trips, and everything in between. And if you need even more storage and space, they also make a Viper 13. And if THAT isn't enough, they make all the way up to a 36 liter pack with the Manta line up.  All of which are available with 1.5-3 liter Hydraulics Reservoir. 

So load up your pack and grab your bike! It's time to ride all this way!

That's FAT...S

I realized the other day that I am a terrible person. I have traveled the country, ridden dozens of places, and written about every single one. But I haven't written about the places here at home! And the first experience at FATS seems like a perfect excuse for me to give a shorty write up! So what's FATS? It's an IMBA epic ride. It's been featured in multiple articles and magazines. It was the host site of the IMBA World Mountain Bike Summit. And it's 37 miles of fast, flows XC trails. The Forks Area Trail System is a Sorba built place  just outside of Augusta, SC and only an hour drive from me. So the other day I decided to overpack my new bag (hint hint next review), and head down to put in some miles.

I went down with my new Fuel. I know, my 29er would probably be a better bike there, but I want to keep putting miles on the new girl! I ended up riding all but one trail, and once I factored in connection trails and the gravel road ride to get to the second group of trails, I ended up right around 40 miles worth of riding! The riding here certainly is not difficult. Even the most technical areas seemed a mere hiccup to the Fuel. But where it lacks in technicality it makes up for in speed and flow. You have to pedal to go fast, but that's expected in this fairly flat area. But when you do push the pedals, the flow is super fun. The few real descents are Mach 2 speeds with no brakes all the way down, and even the climbs scream by quickly. Deep Step was certainly my favorite trail, with the most "terrain" at the south trailhead. Brown Wave was fantastic as well, acting basically as a 5 mile pump track through the woods!

Overall, my first ride at FATS was well worth the trip. I am absolutely positive I'll go back! Really anyone in the area should look into making a trip. It's fun, fast, and smooth for miles and miles.

Look S-Track

Although they weren't truly the first company to make a clipless pedal, Look was the first company to successfully mass produce them. In 1984 Look first released their clipless design. A design that has hardly changed since then. Their road pedals from 1984 and 2014 don't look all that much different. I guess when you do something right, you shouldn't change it. 28 years after the original release of their road pedals, Look dove head first into the mountain clipless scene with the S-Track design. Since then I have been wanting to try them because, well, they are new. A few months ago I finally decided my old pedals had seen their last ride, so I grabbed myself a pair of the S-Tracks and slapped them on a bike. Here is what I (and Look) have to say about them

THE SPECS
Composite body and deflectors
2 sealed bearings with 1 IGUS bushing
2 seals and 1 elastomer plug to keep the elements out
3 deg float
15 deg release
320 grams with cleats

Those are the basic specs for the entry level S-Track pedals.  Look also claims to have the largest cleat/pedal/shoe interface on the market of 460 mm^2. What that means for you is a solid engagement, more pedal power, and more comfort. The DCS (Dynamic Cleat System) is designed to efficiently shed mud, water, sand, and just about any other element you will run into on the trail (even horse dung depending on where you are...). That means long cleat life, because who actually wants to change cleats? All of this not enduro enough for you? Don't stress it, Look has an app for that! Ok so it isn't an app, but they do have you covered with the S-Track CAGE. The cage is a simple install that bumps your foot contact area to 870 mm^2. This is going to give even more confidence and comfort in your feet. But enough with the technical mumbo jumbo! I got these pedals to test them, not rewrite the specs.

These pedals have now been on 2 shred sleds, a road bike, and a fixie (yes a fixie). The cleats are fixed to carbon soled Specialized Expert mountain shoes. I have been on them for a while now and the first thing I have to say is that the cleats last a long time. I can honestly say that the cleats hardly look used! The pedals and cages also seem to be holding up well. Both have hit their share of rocks and roots and other than minor scuffs there seems to be no damage. From the very beginning, the pedals gave a reassuring click when they engage, and that same click still happens every time. Engaging and disengaging the pedals isn't difficult either. Harder than Crankbrothers, but nothing extreme.

I do have to say that the power transfer is good. With the cage on, you get a solid foot feel no matter how hard you are pushing, even if you have to start out unclipped on a hill. You can always be sure that you're going to get the most power possible in just about any position. That all adds up to less fatigue in your feet and legs because there is no wasted pedaling. And the control is great. There is just enough float to allow the bike to move underneath you while barreling down the steep, technical trails without your feet coming undone. This means you can go faster, stay on longer, and be sure that when you mash the pedals, the bike will accelerate.

Overall I have become a big fan of the pedals. I once was a Crankbrothers guy. Used their pedals for years. But I have to say I've grown fond of how secure these Looks feel. They give great feedback and solid, confident pedaling and foot engagement that certainly stands up to the name Look has in road clipless designs. If you are just getting into clipless or are in the market for a new pair, don't hesitate to look at Look. I think anyone from XC to enduro would like these pedals and at right around $100 they aren't the most expensive ones out.

So if anyone has any comments or questions on the review feel free to ask me. I am more than happy to voice any other opinion on them and open to feedback!

Thanks for reading, and remember. The trail goes on forever, and the fun never ends!

317

That's how many days it's been since I posted. Thats roughly 7608 hours or 456,480 minutes or 27,388,800 seconds. That's a long time huh? A lot has happened since I last posted anything. Miley Cyrus made twerking famous. Selfie, twerk, and derp got added to the Oxford Dictionary. There was a $1.5 million medical grant to study why lesbians are fat (seriously, look it up...). The United States government decided to not do anything for over 2 weeks. A man bought a house next to his ex wife just to put a statue of a middle finger up. And most importantly, I got myself a fancy new bicycle. Yes I finally switched sides. I am the proud new owner of a Trek Fuel EX 9. 650b wheels, a great geometry, and the new RE:aktiv rear shock. She's purdy...

But come on. What's the point of being so pretty if she doesn't perform? Well it does. Really freaking well. It climbs great, and the new RE:aktiv shock impressed me both up and down. The bike sticks to the ground. You let go of the brakes and it goes. FAST. I not once felt like the bike was out of its comfort zone, and don't know that I would have wanted to go too much faster on some of the trails I've ridden. I have to say that Trek really knocked it out of the park with this one.

But I didn't start writing again just to tell you about my new bike. I've decided that I'm going to try my hand at some product reviews. Not the stuff where a company sends parts and pays people to write good things. This is going to be reviews of parts I go out and buy because I want to try them. Hopefully all this will work out well and if nothing else ,I hope that someone gets help making decisions because of this. Got one in the works right now, so look to hear from me in a couple of days!

Thanks for reading! And remember. The trail goes on forever, and the fun never ends.