Melrose 2013 Fat Tyre Festival
The annual Fat Tyre Festival at Melrose is like Woodstock for mountain bikers – two wheeled hippies of all ages and skill levels blissing out on peace, love and knobby tires!
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It’s justice. It’s law. It’s the vibe!
The annual Fat Tyre Festival at Melrose is like Woodstock for mountain bikers – two wheeled hippies of all ages and skill levels blissing out on peace, love and knobby tires!
Read MoreIt’s just about time to say goodbye to Melrose again and head back to Central Victoria. It’s been a great few weeks – sweet trails set in a spectacular Oz landscape, a cool new bike from Ibis to roll on, and an epic Fat Tyre Festival. But the heart of this MTB wonderland are the welcoming folk that call this little town nestled at the foot of Mt Remarkable their home.
Rich and Kerri at Over the Edge, what can I say… you guys rock! Afro mechanic Dave, thanks for all your help! And as for Troy the Minister of Awesome… dude that was crazy fun 🙂
Until next time Melrose, rubber side down!
Ibis Mojo HDR at Over the Edge, Melrose
Fitting the 2014 RockShox Pike 27.5 fork on the Ibis Mojo HDR yesterday I was kinda reminded of my first suspension fork – the RockShox Mag 20. With noodle-like 25.4mm stanchions and theoretical 48mm of travel, back in 1992 it was state of the art. Compared to modern forks it didn’t really do much but with the gold magnesium lowers it wasn’t short on bling, but more than that you just knew it symbolized the start of the MTB suspension revolution.
Read MoreWho could resist the _perfect_ opportunity the Ibis Mojo HDR presents to evaluate 650b and 26″ back to back on the same bike setup you know and love? Not me! But I would never have guessed that a few days later I’d be left completely gobsmacked by how things turned out…
Read MoreWhile the Ibis Mojo HDR features the molding technology found in the SL-R (strength of the HD but lighter!) and ISCG compatibility, its neatest trick is its ability to convert from the renowned 160mm 26″ beast that the HD is to a 130mm travel 650b bike with low bottom bracket and a ~67.1 head angle. Ibis have built a new rear triangle with clearance suited for 650b wheels with 27.5″ tires up 2.35″ in size.
Read MoreIt’s about a 12 hour drive to Melrose from Central Victoria but you forget all of that in the final few kilometers as the road swings directly toward the side of Mt Remarkable. Driving fatigue is replaced with a serious hankering to get on the MTB and hit the trails ASAP. So that’s what I did. A quick run down Dodging Bullets and the Northern Mini Super D got the eyes open and blood pumping in no time.
Read MoreLast August I was fortunate to spend a couple of weeks in Melrose South Australia. If you’ve been a good mountain biker I reckon you go to Melrose when you die, to spend eternity riding the flowing trails on the side of Mt Remarkable.
Read MoreJust before we began the rock and roll back country descent during which my XTR Shadow Plus derailleur got ripped in two, Rich put the mozz on me by asking why I’d gone with the long cage due to clearance issues etc. I had intended to get the mid cage version but when it came time to order it wasn’t available… and by that stage I was too hot and sweaty for Shadow Plus to wait any longer. All things considered though it’s been a long time since a rear derailleur got munched so I can’t complain, it’s been a good run.
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