So, winter seems to be hanging on, unwilling to loosen its grip and blossum into spring, but, that has not stopped a few of us from taking on the 30 dayas of biking challenge.

Check out some of the action so far....

Don't let this ever changing April weather derail you, keep it up and if it gets hard, reach out and lets get out together.

Lastly, to those taking the challenge in secret.... stay motivated and stay focused on your personal goals.

See you all at the end!

(Evils words.... not mine)
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Road trippin’, turn slashin’, side-hit-jibbin’, nose-bonkin’, sprint-climbin’ attitude, that’s the Calling. It’s anti-serious technology guarantees good times 69% of the time (the other 31% you’re climbing). With 130mm Delta delivered travel through our finest formed carbon tubing, 27.5" wheels, and trunnion-mounted-super-deluxe-rear-shock, your only decision is which colour. Push the button.

Have you ever wanted a bike that wasn’t like a bike at all? More like your favourite snowboard, or your funnest surfboard, the one that catches all the waves or trashes [pillow] lines faster than Kate Moss in the '90s. The Calling is your answer. This bike-shaped-skateboard has enough travel to keep you honest, while encouraging you to irresponsibly hit every extra-credit line on the trail.
At this juncture most bike companies would drive in some high-scoring-scrabble words like optimized, nimble or anti-squat technology. But we won’t insult you with that nonsense. The Calling has all the bits and bobs you have come to expect from Evil, and water bottle mounts.
The Calling is the Following's delinquent little brother that left on a road trip and never returned, that pedaled into the night in search of more, then woke for the sunrise mission to the summit.
The Calling is the trails, it’s the road trips, it’s the little side hits on the way, it’s the all-day pedal-fests, the backyard pallet sessions, the pre-work rip, the “I’ll get it this time”, the stories told later in the bar with your best mates, it’s 130mm travel, it’s Super Deluxe, it’s 27.5 or 26+, it’s boost and it’s as stiff as Ron Jeremy.

Evils "THe Following" has the potential to be two very different, but equally awesome trail bikes. 
Build it one way for a 26lbs XC ripper, swap a few items and it becomes a All Mountain and Gravity fun trail monster.
Check out the video below to see how it was built into a tough 26lbs XC bike, and how it will morphe into its alternate persona!

Watch for ride and review videos as the ride season rolls into Souther Ontario.
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2017 Saw Michelin start releasing a line of revamped Mountain Bike Tires.... the Force XC, Force AM and Wild AM. Now, as many know, I (Inception Cyclery) prefer the try it before I recommend it, and I am pleased to say that 2018 will see a new tire offering in the shop.

Next to my love affair with Maxxis, Michelin is going to be a silent Mistress who will see more action on my bikes and the Shops demo bikes (Evil Following, Calling and Wreckoning and the Four5Bikes LuckyNo5 TItanium).

I spent a good deal of the summer riding the Force AM front and rear on the LuckyNo5 Titanium hardtail and briefly on the Evil Wreckoning. While it was not the best match for how the Evil rode, the Titanium Hardtail was completely different. I found the tires hooked up well enough as an aggressive hardtail tire yet rolled fast enough to not cause me to keep looking down thinking the tires were flat. I also dropped the pressure down to my preferred 23ish psi range, lower then the recommended 26psi minimum (Shush!... don't tell the Michelin Man). I found the grip better and  the overall ride better as well.
I had them on the Evil Wreckoning during the 24hrs of summer solstice and ran them at the minimum recommended pressure of 26psi. Yes I know that the bike is overkill for the event, but I was getting ready to ride the Aspen EWS and I wanted as much time on the Wreckoning that I could. With the tires at recommended 26psi all of a sudden it felt like the bike was missing several inches of travel. Obviously it wasn't, however the additional psi over what I was accustomed to had a significant impact on the tires performance for me. Dropping it back down eliminated the issues and the tire performed exceptionally well for hard pack and slightly loose over hard pack. Surprisingly, it also worked ok in our Southern Ontario sand corners too.
Grip is left wanting on the front when you really hammer corners when the terrain is loose, but I suspect the Wild AM will alleviate this. This coming season I will run the combo so see how different it is. Hopefully I notice an increase in corner confidence along with a slight to un-noticeable increase in rolling resistance.
My only other issue, partly due to low pressure and square edge hitting a rock on "damn drop in," was a slight side wall tear right at the rim/tire interface. I could not get it to seal up, however it did sort itself out when I switched to American Classic hoops. I was planning to install them on the new wheels, figure out where the slice was and patch it, however it never showed up and the tires have been holding air all fall/winter.

So, for our Ontario trails I can certainly recommend the tires and plan to offer them as product in the store, for custom builds and for upgrades during repairs.

See you out there!
​#itsabouttheride

Send someone special the gift of bike monies. Give them permission to feed their cycling habit...

Now you can keep tabs on their habit... and help them to feed it! It could be worse.... they could be addicted to cute cat videos on youtube!

January 11th was a pretty devastating day for me, and while the process of recovery is far from over, one thing I lost that day has been replaced.
An old 80's Bianchi, probably my favorite riding bike to date suffered ill fate due to the fire. But, with the help of a client and a buddy a replacement has been found and the Be.A.Bike process can begin.

It is time to put in time.... issuing a get your ass going Cycling Militia Strava challenge.
While there may be a little rain next week, the temps tell you to get out and go ride. So here it is....

For the week of: April 24th to April 30th
Put in over: 10hrs on a bike (OUTSIDE)

Reward.... PITSTOP TUNE-UP on your bike.

So, when the week is over, screen shot me your weekly totals and then you can drop in to collect your tune-up.

Head to Strava.... join the Inception Cyclery Cycling Militia and get going.

The Militia: Want to join my Strava c? https://www.strava.com/clubs/inception-cyclery

Spring ride temps are here, road bikes are coming out to ride but are your tires ready?
Even though you have no rips, holes or visual damage, they may still need to be replaced. Here is a visual Que to when they may need to be replaced.