Salsa Mukluk 2 - My first impression

There is a new monster truck of bikes hitting Tranquility trails and it's called the Salsa Mukluk 2. It's like an object of curiosity, a Frankenstein of a bike frame and huge tires, a beautiful work of art with red accents on a black matte frame. Whatever you want to call it, the bike is a blast to ride!

Picture from Paul. On my first ever fat bike ride

I picked up the new steed on Friday evening. The good guys at Xtreme Wheels called me while I was at work. Hey Mike, we have the bike ready for you. And Salsa was nice enough to send us two mediums and a large, so you can actually take your pick. You get first dibs. I couldn't get out of work fast enough! I had a feeling towards the end of the week that the bikes would be in. You know you want something bad when you are checking your phone a few times a day just for that one missed phone call. I had first read about the Mukluk last year. But supply was short and I wasn't really in the market for a new bike. Just kind of a curiosity. I inquired at the two local Salsa dealers here in town back in March. Hard to get or we carried one but nobody was buying it. Missed my chance. But...there was rumor that they would be updating the line with a lighter, better spec'd model towards the end of the year. So began the wait...

The 26 X 4.0 Endomorph next to the 26 X 2.2 Race King

Bigger is better? Maybe I need to step it up to the 4.7 inch Big Fat Larry?

I didn't realize until tonight that the top tube and the gate angle were so similar. Total coincidence

Why I chose the Mukluk 2 over the Pugsley, Fatback, 9Zero7, Mukluk 3, etc? A lot of it came down to convenience of the test ride. The Bike Way only had Pugsleys in a large frame built up. Rode it around the parking lot and it seemed fine. But I couldn't really tell. I didn't feel super comfortable on it. Almost awkward and the white paint was just kind of plain for me. I've heard that the Pugsley and the Mukluk ride completely different. The Mukluk is more upright, maybe more for touring and long distance rides. But I actually needed to ride a fat tired bike in my size before buying. I wanted to buy from a LBS and not from Alaska or mail order. So the Fatback, Sandman, and 9Zero7 were unfortunately out of the question. Although, after waiting for months, the 9Zero7 frames were starting to look enticing. The top tube has a sweeping bend to it and is very appealing to the eye. Anyway, Xtreme ended up with a Mukluk 3 in my size. It had just arrived in a box when I had inquired. Blaine said he would have it built up for me the next day and I could give it a ride. Once I sat on the Salsa. It's like the planets aligned. It was fun to ride, comfortable, and handled a lot better than I had thought.

New this year is the gusset behind the head tube for added strength. I've heard stories about aluminum fat bikes doing crazy bends and breaks after taking huge air. 

Love that chili pepper on the seat!

I could have been happy just going home with the blue Mukluk 3 that day. I really like that blue color. But one of the first things that I would have changed were the tires and rims. After consulting the forums on MTBR, the upgraded drilled rims, 120tpi tires, brakes, e13 cranks, black anodized aluminum, x9 rear der., and cane creek headset were enough to make up the difference in price. The weight savings would be huge. The Muk 2 weighed in at 32.6 lbs stock. Not too shabby for a fat tired bike with full 3X9 gearing.

Drilled out Handspun Rolling Darryls

Fast forward seven months from my first inquiry and today I found myself rolling through Hillsborough on my way to Standing Bear and then to Tranquility to meet up with Paul on my new bike.  Mother Nature wasn't cooperating yesterday. I had started a ride on Saturday before the Husker game but ended up turning around once the rain had started. I couldn't feed that need. But today, the skies were sunny. My carb heavy pancakes and turkey sausage breakfast filled my stomach. I was ready for my first inaugural ride that consisted of more than a blocks worth of pedaling in circles. Will I like it? Was this a big mistake?

The colors on the bike are sharp! Kudos to Salsa for choosing the color combo. I was afraid that the color would be too similar to my Trek. 

As soon as I was heading down the street in Hillsborough, I knew that I would be a happy camper! How I knew right away? The tires rolling on pavement and even the trail make this sound that I've heard about. Once you get up to a certain speed, there is this intoxicating sound of a low hum, like a woahhhhhh (have to make the sound nasally). Similar to when you hear a semi on the road. That's the sound of the 26 X 3.8 Larry up front and the bigger 26 X 4.0 Endomorph in the rear. And yes, the sound is loud enough to make people turn their heads.

Got to Standing Bear. Avoided the poop all over the trail. Seriously people, clean up after your dog. I would have been angry if I would have rolled over some. I've got a funny/disgusting story to tell sometime. Took a few pics because I knew that this would be the cleanest that the bike will ever be. Riding through, I kept hearing, "Whoa. Look at those tires!"

Finally made it to Tranquility and was heading on the newer north side towards the Fort Street bridge. Jump that first dirt mound like I always do. Almost got bucked off the bike. Wow, I've been riding my full squish way too long. Forgot how to use the body to actually take in the bumps and secure a landing position. This was going to be a fun and interesting ride!

17 degree bend on the Salsa Bend 2 handlebar

I let some air out of the tires. Actually twice today and once yesterday. Max psi is 30. Xtreme had them at 25. I was at 20 when I first started riding at Tranquility. Probably got down to 12-15 by the time I had finished. Going to be some trial and error to find what I like for Tranquility. So how does it ride and handle? Despite having Avid BB7s, it takes longer to stop. Not sure if it is because they are mechanical disc brakes compared to the Juicys that I'm use to? Or also because of the bigger tire/rim combo that makes it harder to stop? That was very apparent today on the trail. Even noticed it on the test rides. Also the ride is bouncy! Almost like a bounce house. Dale and the teens did some trailwork this past week at Tranquility (thanks Dale and teens for your hard work!). It was easy to find those spots because I was bouncing around on those. The turning radius when up to speed is a little bit wider. I almost hit two trees that I've never had problems with before. I guess I'm use to braking a little bit and just turning sharper on the Trek. I guess there is a little bit of an adjustment in riding style to be made. Also, it's been such a long time since I've ridden a full rigid (yeah I know, the tires will act as my suspension) that my arms were getting tired by the end of the ride. I felt like I had just finished blasting the tri's at the gym for two hours straight. Just have to tweak the tire pressure and I should be good to go. That being said, the bike is a blast to ride! Those bumpy sections? I was laughing the whole time. The bike actually gets up to speed fairly quickly and seems to roll pretty easily. Not sure if somehow it picks up and retains momentum easier? Lastly, people definitely notice the bike. If you are one who doesn't like the attention and getting stopped to answer questions about the bike. Then a fatbike is definitely not for you. I've had at least 3 old grandmas with their grandkids stop me and want to poke the tires with their fingers. After a very patient wait, the bike of my dreams (even my sis had a dream that she was riding one) is finally in my hands and ready for winter! Look for lots of winter pics and stories this next coming year.