Winter Update

We've got a Med in this color...

Winter is nigh upon us at Europa Cycle and Ski, and we have some updates concerning winter stuff for ya'all.

...plus this Large Beargrease....

XC skis are in along with boots, bindings,  and poles. Come in and check out the stuff and get ready for the XC skiing season. Plus, we just got in a shipment of Easton snow shoes for those who would like to enjoy walking through the woods in that way. Snow shoes and XC skies are also available for rent. just give the shop a call for details.

Trek and Raleigh 2013 bikes grace the floor. We've sold a few Trek Domanes already, and again I will say it- this is going to be the hot road rocket sled for 2013. I am betting these will sell through quickly, so come on in and check out these comfortable yet fast road machines.

Raleigh sent us a cool commuter rig that features a Nexus internal 8spd hub and a Patterson 2 speed crank set. So.......what does that mean? It means sixteen speeds of goodness without a single derailleur, that's what it means. You have an internally geared hub mated to an internally geared crank set. one big, meaty single speed type chain, and two cogs. That's it! Plus it is easy to shift. Come on in and check it out soon.

...and we have tires!

We've been seeing a lot of interest in the fat bikes too. We have already sold some, a few sets of tires, and we would love to get some more bikes and tires out there as well. Check out our Muk 3, Beargrease, or our special Muk 2 frame/fork for your own customized build. We also have a set of 120TPI Nate tires, a couple sets of Big Fat Larry tires, and more cold weather cycling gear as well.

Finally, there is some planning to have a Film Night at Europa. We are planning to show two short films. One will be a film by Salsa Cycles called "So far To Go" which is a film about a couple of guys that did the Tour Divide and how they managed that. We'll also show the film "300 Miles Of Gravel", which is a documentary on Trans Iowa V7. This film recently won an Emmy in the Chicago Region for Best Sports Programming: One Time Event. Come and see a rare public showing of this flick and find out more about Trans Iowa, and about Tour Divide.

More details on the Film Night soon.

Greased Lightning! Salsa Cycles Beargrease

Large sized Beargrease

Europa Cycle and Ski now has in stock a Beargrease in size Large. This is Salsa Cycles premier fat bike offering for 2013.

The Beargrease differs significantly from Salsa's other fat bikes- the Mukluks. For instance, the Beargrease features a hydroformed aluminum frame with main tubes borrowed from Salsa's XC hard tail weapon, the Mamasita. A tapered head tube holds a Beargrease fork, which is a tapered, 1 1/8th- 1 1/2" steer tube aluminum constructed fork. This fork does not feature the braze ons seen on Salsa's Enabler fork used on the Mukluk. The Beargrease fork is also anodized to save even more weight. In fact, the uncut fork with a crown race mounted weighed 760 grams for this bike. Pretty awesome.

The frame is also anodized, again saving weight over a painted frame. The frame does not feature rack braze ons, but it does have two water bottle mounting positions, one on the down tube, one on the seat tube.

The components are worthy of such a light, high tech frame. SRAM provides the derailleurs, shifters, and Avid Elixir hydraulic brakes with a 160mm frt and 140mm rear rotor. The crank set is a special, exclusive to Salsa Cycles model from e-13 which has a fat bike optimized chain line and improved seals on the outboard bearing cups. Husker Du 26 X 4.0 tires are mounted on specially colored Rolling Darryl rims with cut outs for lightening the ride even further. Salsa stem, seat post, and a WTB saddle with some Salsa lock on grips steering a Salsa bar round out the components here.

The Beargrease isn't a cheap bike, but it is the lightest production series fat bike out now, and our size Large example tips the scales at well under 30lbs. This is far lighter than most any other fat bike currently offered as a complete bike. Salsa Cycles sold out their entire production of this bike to dealers and many of those bikes will be out on trails by the time you read this. Get this while you can, because their won't be many available, and none from Salsa until they introduce 2014 product next summer.

Tires: We also have fat bike tires and tubes in stock including Big Fat Larrys and  the Husker Du. Don't forget our size large Muk 2 and Medium Muk 3 as well. See ya soon.

We've got the coffee on waiting for ya!

Mukluk 2 Frame Fork!

Mukluk 2 in Medium

The shop just took delivery of this awesome Mukluk 2 frame and fork today. The complete Mukluk 2 is White/Green, but Salsa Cycles decided the frame only option would be this awesome black with Purple decals and seat collar.

Dubbed "Grape Ape", this frame and fork are a Medium/17" in size and would make a great upgrade from an older Salsa Mukluk, or something to base your special build on.

The frame is the same as all the other Mukluks for 2013- Slightly higher bottom bracket, shorter chain stay length, and a different head tube from previous years. The frame takes a 44mm compatible head set and can accept tapered steer tube forks as well as straight 1 1/8th inch.

Close up of the deacal

The fork provided with the frame is color matched and is the Enabler model from Salsa that has braze ons for a front rack and water bottles on each fork leg. Or you can also get two "Anything Cages" and use the triple braze on mount. These cages are larger and are meant to hold things like Nalgene bottles, sleeping bag rolls, or whatever object you can think of that fits the cage.

The fork also has fender mounts, and the forward facing drop outs help prevent wheel ejection under hard disc brake use. The fork is disc brake only.

Alternator Drop Outs

The big difference with the 2013 frames is the Alternator rear drop outs. These are "swinger" type rear modular drop outs that allow for a rider to adjust the wheel base, or to set up the bike as a single speed.

These drop outs are burly and a proven design, having been ridden to finishes by several riders on the grueling Tour Divide, a 2500-plus mile off road event in the Rocky Mountains.

Other features include improved full run cable housing runs for brakes and derailleurs. An included Direct Mount front derailleur perch that attaches to the seat tube, if a front derailleur is used is also included.

The Mukluk 2 frame set has a 170mm rear drop out spacing and uses a 135mm spaced front fork for the best strength and for maximum clearances around tires while retaining the possibility to run a full 3 X 9 or 3 X 10 mtb drive train.

So, come on in and check this out, or the Muk 2 complete we have along with the Mukluk 3 we just got built up. Good times are waiting for you on a fat bike!

Some More New Rigs!

New Salsa Vaya 3

The shop keeps getting more new rad rigs in, and this may be the prettiest Salsa Cycles bike we've seen yet.

It's the new Vaya 3 for 2013 in a luscious red hue with gold-ish anodized hubs and brown accents. The Vaya is Salsa Cycles versatile "touring" bike with plenty of braze ons, disc brakes, and a triple crank set with a wide range gear cluster.

I like to think of it as one of the best "all-road" bikes around. Gravel? Yes- most definitely. Rough roads? Sure- bring it on. Fast, spirited pavement riding? Not a problem. Take the Vaya down a dirt minimum maintenance road or buff single track too. It can go a lot of places an ordinary road bike couldn't do well in. 

The graphics and the deep, rich red color are very well and tastefully done. You would be hard pressed to find a sexier looking rig with the class this bike has.

The components are solid. Bar end shifters are dead reliable, simple to operate, and easily upgraded to a new system when the time comes. The wheels feature Sun Ringle' rims which are designed for 29"ers, so you know they are burly enough for loaded touring, or rough housing on a country road. The rims are laced to nice Salsa 3 hubs, and despite these being Salsa's entry level hubs, they are incredibly smooth. Salsa branded seat post, stem, and excellent Cowbell 3 handle bar round out the components here.

From the Salsa demo in August

We have already sold the awesome orange Mukluk 3 we had, and to replace it, we are now stocking a green Mukluk 3.

I think I like the green one better, actually! It has killer pewter anodized hubs and seat collar, and the matte green color is sweet.

It is a size Medium, so come on down and check this one out before it goes bye-bye like the orange one did.

Also- we are stocking some tires and will be getting some other fat bike related gear to support your corpulent steed in the future. Check it out soon!

Finally, the incredible Trek Domane has arrived. We have a few on hand including a Di2 equipped Project 1 version. These are going to be super popular items in 2013, and we even sold one of our nicer ones before I ever got it built up a week or so ago! You won't believe how the ride is so smooth on these. Check one out and see for yourself.

Mukluks Are In!

2013 Mukluk 2

We received a couple of our Mukluks while I was away at Interbike last week. I assembled both of them today.

First up we have the Mukluk 2, white and green, in a size Large. I will say I wasn't to hip on this color combo when I first saw the renderings, but in person, this thing is awesome.

The Mukluk 2 has some real cool details that I want to cover here. But first, there are a few major changes from last year's models that I will go over again here.

The Mukluk line up consists of a titanium frame, and two aluminum models, the Mukluk 3 and Mukluk 2. These comments only refer to the aluminum models.

The Muk 2 comes as a complete in the white/green shown, and has the Altenator rear drop outs now. This allows you to adjust your chain stay length, or to run the Mukluk as a single speed. Not only that, but this new frame has shorter chain stays anyway, making the bike easier to trail ride. Salsa also added a 44mm head tube, which would allow you to get a tapered steer tube fork, or to use an angle set head set. Not only this, but the head tube was shortened slightly as well. This makes the frame gusset look more normal than it used to last year. Finally, the bottom bracket height was raised 3mm from last year's Mukluk 2 and 3.

Rolling Daryls, Nate 3.8"ers, and X-9

Not quite so obvious changes included are the E-13 crank set which is exclusive to Salsa Cycles this year. It makes the drive train work in all combinations of gear choices with no chain rub on the 127TPI Nate 3.8"ers mounted on the 82mm Rolling Daryl rims, (with cut outs, mind you). Another one is the MRP bash guard on the under side of the crank set.

Other changes include the sano cable routing, fully housed front to rear, and the clamp on Salsa grips which match the color scheme.

This is a 2 X 10 drive train set up with Avid BB-7 brakes which I set up and have excellent modulation. Levers are Avid here as well. Salsa components are featured in the stem, handle bar, and seat post, and are all nicely finished. As seen here, this size large with test pedals installed weighs just a shade over 34lbs.

This is a no BS fat bike that you can ride anywhere. Versatile, reasonably light for the category, and good looking to boot.

2013 Muluk 3 in orange.

The 2013 Mukluk 3 in a Medium is next here. Same frame and fork as a Mukluk 2, but the component choices are different.

The major differences are in the wheels here. This Mukluk gets the "Un-Holy" Rolling Darryls, and 27TPI Nate 3.8"ers which are both adding some weight here. Hubs are anodized orange though, which looks fantastic on this rig.

The drive train features SRAM 9 speed, trigger shifting, and a crank set that is a dead ringer for my Origin 8 2X set up, (which is a good thing, mind you), and it also clears all gear combinations with these Nate 3.8"ers on the 82mm rims. Brakes remain Avid's excellent BB-7's but the Avid levers are one step below the Muk 2's and the grips are not lock ons, but are still Salsa branded tacky rubber ones. Good, solid fare that shouldn't let you down, its just heavier, (and less expensive), than the components on the Muk 2.

These bikes represent the cutting edge of fat bike design in their price categories. The frame refinements are big improvements over what was already a very capable fat bike. Just having the Altenator drops is a big deal, but the 44mm head tube, and the new cable routing is really icing on the cake.

We'll be getting in a Beargrease at some point soon, and that one will be the cream of the crop, light, high tech, and racy. But these two represent solid go anywher, do anything rigs that are FUN bikes to own and ride.

The Beargrease will be fantastic though. I can not wait till that one shows up. The Beargrease will definitely blow some minds when it comes to fat bikes and weight.

We'll also be getting in a Mukluk 2 frame set only in black with purple decals. So, if you already have a fat bike, but like the new Muk's feature set, you could buy that and swap over parts and have a killer, up to date fat bike.

Interbike Report

I spent the last week in the outrageous city of Las Vegas, Nevada. I wasn't gambling, going to peep shows, or club hopping either. I was pounding a beat for Twenty Nine Inches, Gravel Grinder News, and representing the shop all at the same time.

Yes- I was busy!

So, I have run down most everything from Trek, Raleigh, and Salsa Cycles for next year already. With all the new stuff revealed, it wasn't that big of a deal from the shop's standpoint.

What will be a big deal is the push with regard to fat bikes. You will see a lot more about these rigs in our area in the coming months and years.

Meet Bud, Lou, Big Fat Larry, Knard, and Nate (L-R)

Surly Bikes, who started the turnkey fat bike craze with the Pugsley and Endomorph tires, has produced a slew of new treads for the category ranging from 3.7" to 4.8" in width. In the image here, you see a bunch of fat bike tires all mounted on 100mm rims for comparison.

Both the shops in the area are going to start pushing these bikes, so be prepared to see these monster-bike tires on appropriate frames soon. We'll have a couple Mukluks built up in the next day or so with the Nate 3.8"ers on them, so please check those out.

Salsa Mukluk 3- We'll have this on the floor soon!

I've been riding fat bikes since January 2011, so I have plenty of experience with the breed now. Check out our stock bikes, or you can ask to see my Mukluk with Big Fat Larrys on it, or my titanium Mukluk with Larry 3.8"ers and see what has been working here for flotation and traction. We welcome any and all questions about these big, fat bikes. But if you want the bottom line here, they are all about one thing: FUN!

2013 Bike Update

2013 Raleigh's are in and getting built up. We have a selection of hybrid, hybrid-dirt, and cyclo cross rigs already built with more hitting the floor all the time. Come in and check out the new rigs from Raleigh. Hurry as they are already selling well! We expect most bikes will be built and reacy to go by the end of next week.

2013 Treks have been on the floor for some time now, with the new Verve models showing up as an early favorite amongst our customers. But we also have several 29"ers, road bikes, and more that you should check out. Look for the high-zoot Project 1 Domane and Madone bikes to show up soon, along with the other Madone and Domane bikes we have on order.

Salsa 2013 bikes are coming. We know some of you are anxious to see these. We've heard some other dealers have just received their shipments, so we expect to see these bikes come in any day now. Mukluks, and Vayas will be hot items. make sure to check these bikes out when they hit our doors, probably sometime in the next few days....

I'll have an update with actual photos soon. Stay tuned!