Utah Day 3 & 4....Snowbasin here I come!

Cool trail signs...but they don't make riding to the top any eaiser! The peaks of Snowbasis in the background. Time to climb for the next 90 minutes. 

After a 2 great days in the Park City area it was time for Peter and I to make the transfer to Ogden, Utah and get to the meat of our trip, "Saddledrive". The next two days would be spent checking out the 2016 bikes lines from Salsa, Surly, Foundry, All City and other new bike things for 2016.  Even though we were staying in Ogden the majority of our time would be spent at Snowbasin and riding their great trail system.  Snowbasin is a hidden gem of a resort, it does not get the press like the other resorts in the Wasatch Mountains but is an awesome place to bike or play in the snow.

Peter, hitting the final turn to our top out point...Dinner would be
served later that night at the lake in bottom of the Valley.

Most of the exciting news was coming out of the Salsa presentation, they have some new bikes for 2016 that looked good and rode even better. The hardest bike to sneak out for a ride was the Pony Rustler, a great combination of travel and plus size tires.  Unlike a lot of the trails in Utah the stash at Snowbasin has plenty of rocks to test this new bike, making for a great Harrisonburg testing ground...it passed with flying colors!

The new Vaya line...beautiful!

SBC's hotest Salsa bike bike has always been the Vayas and they look even better for 2016. To add even more touring options Salsa brought in a new bike to the line, the Merrekesh. The Merrekesh is coming with both drop and flat bar options, rear rack and a stronger frame set for full touring needs.

Even thought the Horsethief has been around for a while it rides even better for 2016. The added stiffness of the boost wheels and the return of the split pivot made this bike a blast, especially for the rocky trails that we explored on the mountain. 

Of course no adventures with Salsa or Surly would be complete without sometime on fat bikes. Never has a bigger selection of fat bikes been assembled then what we say the past two days.

Harry from Freeze Thaw Cycles in State College, felt at home
on the fat bike!

As I drove back from the airport last night it felt great to be welcomed by Signal Knob and the green lush mountains edging out the Valley floor.  Trust me...we have it good here!

-Thomas

The Karate Monkey, a fun and solid steel ride!