Very excited to announce a new horse in the stable: The Tank

---

This bike is a true-blue mountain bike- the Trek X-Caliber 8 and in the last couple of weeks has become my all-weather all-terrain commuting and adventure bike. It eats mud, it eats snow, it eats ice.. this thing goes from A to B, regardless of where A and B are.

I have a few goals for this bike.

1. I want to get into bikepacking. I want to take this bike down to Hocking Hills and not come back for 5-7 days. Or out to the Alaskan Tundra for a week. Goals:

2. I want to try out proper mountain biking. With 29x2.2’s and full disc brakes, this thing will be ready when I am. Looking forward to trying it out once winter ends 🤘🏻

3. I want to ride all year long. I don’t like cycling trainers, indoor mechanisms, or spin classes. I like being outside. I have lots of thermal layers and outdoor clothes. I want a bike that I can ride whether it’s 0℉ or 100℉ ❄️☀️ 😎

4. I want to be able to ride on just about any surface short of spike strips. I don’t want to worry about cutting a hard turn into a wet tarmac or not having traction in fresh powder. Rain or shine with this bike 🌧🌞

5. I want to commute to work and back on this bike. Every day I can all year long. Just under 10 miles each way, between 40 minutes and 1 hour depending on conditions.. just great exercise on a daily basis!

So Far

Five weeks into owning this ride I’ve already logged almost 500 miles 😁 commuting to work every day and riding for leisure on the weekends has been really fun. This bike handles just like a tank. Tons of cargo space, shocks absorbing all the bumps, headlights and taillights keeping everything lit up, and beefy tires sticking deep into snow and ice.. this thing is a good time. It’s no speed demon- my average speed is maybe 12 mph? I’ve definitely come to appreciate the journey far more than the speed.. I’ll save that for the road bike 😁

Here are some of the highlights from the last five weeks