What drew me originally to this bike were a few key attributes: first was the geometry. The bike falls nicely in line with a design that can double both as a fun, singletrack ripping machine, while still offering the mount points, steeper seat tube angle, and utilitarian build kit associated with fatbikes destined for long distance touring. Second was the nice combo of budget components with an eye for best-bang-for-the-buck philosophy. Finally, as silly as this sounds, it's nice to have something new at the trailhead--something not seen before. Oh, and the color sure isn't bad either.

As anyone can glean from the photos, I elected to make a few changes out of the gate. While I do enjoy Ritchey components, putting a narrow 710mm bar and 90mm stem on a 19" frame seems a bit strange to me. I fitted a shorter 60mm stem with a 750mm bar to round out the cockpit. Next, I took off the front shifter and derailleur, opting for the simplicity of a 1x system and a 26t chainring. Lastly, I kept the rigid fork for the inevitable touring days, but put on a Rockshox Bluto with 120mm travel to land at a 68-degree head tube angle and enough cushion up front for a little rowdier ride. 

What does this all net? Fortunately we received a fresh blanket of snow the day after pickup, thus providing a perfect backdrop for a quick singletrack session on my local circuit. Right away it was apparent that the Kenda Juggernaut 4.5 tires weren't made for any sort of pavement. After ditching the sidewalks for some dirt roads to the trailhead, the sheer grip and momentum these tires carry is astounding. Although I was impressed at first, I would hesitate to call them a true snow tire. There were many quick turns and descents that left me wanting a little extra security. Secondly, I immediately noticed my pedaling position and overall upright body. At first, I thought "Oh no, this won't do", but that quickly faded as I found climbing up the bigger, steeper ascents came with relative ease. Unfortunately, I may have been too optimistic in my gearing choice, finding 26t pretty difficult in a few locations, although with a fresh 4-6" on mud, maybe the conditions were partly to blame. Sure, I'll take that excuse.