Mike, The question that comes to my mind regarding the OO is how do you want to ride it?
Fast like Jan Heine or taking your time and camping along the way? If you plan on riding in like under 30 hours than a 42 mm tire like the Grand Bois Hetre's would be sufficient with next to no load (as Aaron mentioned). http://velodirt.com/the-oregon-outback-2014-in-aggregate/ If your not a speed demon and enjoy the pleasure of experiencing your natural surroundings and camping along the way than again the Hillborne should suffice with either the BG rocking roads in 700c and soon in 650b/43mm or the Soma Cazadero also in 700c & 650b. Weight wise I know the Hillborne can carry a sufficient load so I see no need for a more dedicated MTB hardtail with front supension for the OO. The Jamis Dragon would also be excellent on the OO but not mandatory. If you plan on riding aggressive downhill single track than the Dragon will outshine the Sam. I agree that two bikes are more versatile (as Eric mentioned ). I'm an advocate for n+1. Perhaps a fat tire bike would be worth acquiring with studded tires in the winter and those fat tires can come in handy in Sandy & muddy conditions that the Sam might not excel. Anyway my .02. -Hugh Los Angeles, CA On Sunday, November 16, 2014 2:33:17 PM UTC-8, Mike S 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
