I've been riding an OG green Sam H. with Hetres on all sorts of stuff including single track (unloaded) with sharp rocks and have had no problems off road. With Jan's recent showing on the OO I would be fine taking it as is on the OO. However, I would consider packing light as that's what Jan did. Also, I wouldn't be opposed to putting a stouter tire on.
If your fit is comfortable on your Sam H. and you really like riding it, I would recommend that over getting a different bike that you may or may not like as much. Especially for a long ride where comfort is key. As far as studded tires, I rode year round for 4 years in Rochester, NY which has much more snow the E. Washington and in the winter I never used studded tires. My wheels were 27" so I put some small-studded cyclocross tires on for winter time (I searched for, but did not find studded tires in that size) and unless there was a literal sheet of ice it was just fine. Even with studs you aren't guaranteed not crashing on ice. The key is ride slow and be careful. I do admit I fell twice during those 4 years, but never was injured. Lucky, I guess. Those Cazadero's look awesome though. I may have to check them out. Thanks, Chris. Might be good for snow, too. Sorry, I don't have other tire recommendations. Good luck! Hope to see you on the Outback next year (I hope to go). -Aaron Young The Dalles, OR On Sun, Nov 16, 2014 at 3:13 PM, Chris Chen <[email protected]> wrote: > Interesting: I figured a tire like the new Cazadero would be just about > perfect for most of the outback. I guess you'd need to walk a little but I > don't figure that's too bad. > > Of course I have a 650b x 55 truck so... > > On Sun, Nov 16, 2014 at 2:33 PM, Mike S <[email protected]> wrote: > >> So I currently have my Sam Hillborne as my only bike, though I was >> considering adding a front suspension/disc-brake mountain bike to the >> stable. There's a deal for a Jamis 650B dragon pro on the interwebs now for >> $1400, but I'm thinking I could rather add a second set of very nice wheels >> with fatter tires instead. My main reason to do this is so that first of >> all, I can have a set of slicks and a set of studded tires in the winter, >> as I live in a very icy/snowy area and am bummed out by having just studded >> tank tires to ride in winter. Beyond that, I want to have a set of wheels >> with a 55mm-ish tire that can handle most gravel/firetrail/light >> singletrack in a ride like the Oregon Outback, as I am hoping to actually >> do that ride this summer. It would also just be nice to have this set of >> wheels that can handle more aggressive off-road riding to go explore >> different areas where I'm at (Eastern Washington). >> >> So, I guess the question I pose to the group is: better to have a second, >> cheap-ish mountain bike or a second set of really nice wheels to maximize >> the All-Rounderness of a Hillborne? I've been thinking also about Jan >> Heine's opinion that a rigid all-road bike with fat tires is the "Porsche >> 911" of a gravel-orientated ride, and I want to stick with that plan. Also, >> what are some ideas about the best tire model to do this kind of riding? I >> think that 50-54mm with a moderately aggressive tread would be perfect, but >> I'm wondering if there is something better than the Smart Sam? >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > "I want the kind of six pack you can't drink." -- Micah > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
