Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Hey, why would I need a bike with such wide tires?” Here’s why: with a larger surface area and lower pressure than standard tires, the 3.8in wide tires allow for more flotation, grip, and suspension. When riding on slick snowy trails these tires hug the terrain better than a narrower tire would, and provide for a plusher ride.

For my Mukluk ride, I opted to cruise the spiderweb network of trails on Emerald Mountain. I have a pretty standard loop that I like to ride and I wanted to see how this Salsa would compare to my personal bike. What a striking contrast! The Mukluk floated over muddy sections with ease and offered a much smoother ride. The trail condition was nice hardpack, though slick in some spots. Lupine, Larry’s, and MGM rode like they do in the summertime (just with a bit of snow on ‘em).

All together a really fun bike! I chose to size down from the 17” (which I would buy) to the 15” (for a more playful feel). But the fact of the matter is that while this bike performs great on any surface, it really, really excels on soft surfaces.

Snow bike rentals start at $17 for a half day, and if you’re thinking of getting one for yourself, stop by OP and we can certainly fill you in on the 3 build levels for the Mukluk!

What a FrosTi evening here in Steamboat Springs!

This Moots FrosTi was designed to our customer’s specifications with Fatback carbon fork and wheelset, SRAM X0 kit (grip-shift, for mittens), ENVE carbon handlebar, Gravity Dropper seatpost, and Chris King headset. This beautiful build was accented nicely with blue rimtape (so you don’t lose your wheels in the pow)!

This bike is a true specimen of domestic engineering and manufacturing:

Moots FrosTi 17″ Frame by Moots- based in Steamboat Springs, CO.
Wheelset and fork by Fatback- based in Anchorage, AK.
Handlebar by ENVE Composites- based in Ogden, UT.
Headset by Chris King- based in Portland, OR.
Seatpost by Gravity Dropper- based in Polson, MT.

Stay fresh & keep ridin’,

Danny Lynn, Big Time

P.S. If you really, REALLY love Chris King Hubs, they have a new “Angry Bee” ringtone!

Carbon fork! Blue rimtape!Svelty!

Just applying some finishing touches...

Tasty!

Orange Peeler Brock hangs out in an orange grove.

The crew at Orange Peel wants to invite any and all of you to swing by the shop on Monday May 9th, to check out the awesome Pivot factory demo tour rig. The guys from Pivot are doing the rounds in Colorado this week, showing the love at various shops around the state. They are rolling into Steamboat, and even though our trails are covered under a record amount of snow, we plan on giving it our best. If enough people show interest, we plan on loading up and heading south to Burns to test the new Pivot bike models on some of that nice, red dirt.

So…. come on by Orange Peel, Monday May 9th!

Steamboat Springs CO – Mar. 18, 2011 – There is a certain amount of cool that comes from being in the right place and carrying on the traditions that came before you. Such is the case with Orange Peel Bicycle Service. A few of you may realize that our shop at 1136 Yampa was previously the Sore Saddle Cyclery. Cool enough in itself, as the location has been a bike shop for decades. But do you also realize that the very first Moots frame was also built here?

A few Fridays ago we received an awesome gift from Moots bringing the circle full round: the first production frame for the Mooto X RSL, the brand spanking new cross country 29er race frame from Moots. It is absolutely gorgeous. This from the Moots blog:

On Friday March 18^th, 2011 Moots delivered the very first production Mooto X RSL frame to Orange Peel Bicycle Service here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The history of this shop and location of the shop as the birthplace of Moots is a huge part of Moots.  You see, back in 1981 when Moots built it’s very first frame, it was inside the historic “dome” of Sore Saddle Cyclery on 1136 Yampa Ave.  Flash forward to 2011 and you will find Brock Webster (proprietor of Orange Peel Bicycle Service) and his crew of top self staff occupying the same location, carrying the Moots torch onward.

This is the beauty of owning a bike shop in Steamboat Springs CO, and carrying on the tradition. We are totally psyched. Thanks to the fine folks at Moots. We are honored to carry the torch forward. Cheers!

Orange Peel owner Brock gets his mits on the freshest Ti in Steamboat

The smell of spring is in the air and it smells like new bike tires, new saddle leather, fresh bar tape and chain lube. Spring cleaning and new inventory is coming into Orange Peel Bikes. We are putting up a tasty overhaul on our web site as well. Stay tuned for details. Meanwhile, get your bike into the shop for a tune-up before we are swamped and you have to wait in line.

Moots party @ Orange Peel. Check the full line-up of Moots offerings. Insanely awesome.

Sram XX DT Swiss 17″ 24.2lbs!

Rumors abound that on Thursday nights a strange caterpillar of light snakes its way through the forest above town. Participate by speaking with Essam or simply arriving at 8:30pm at Little Toots (across from Orange Peel).  Departure soon thereafter.  Free bike light demo each Thursday – first come first serve. Ride sign-up starts the week before during the ride.  Bring your Mountain Bike. Cool.

Ellsworth Truth 20″ Large

Pivot Mach 429 20″ Large; Awesome 29″ suspension!

Ellsworth Truth 14″  Small – demo ride!

Ellsworth Epiphany 19″ Large; Benchmark trail performance

Pivot's all mountain offering. Come and ride this great bike!

Fast, all day riding steed.

Come and check out the Fulcrum Red Carbon Wheels and Troy Lee Designed Saddle!

Magic Link!

Orbea Alma 18″ Absalon Edition Sram XX

Transition Bottlerocket Large