Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:18 — 6.9MB)
This week’s FitLabPGH Podcast release is a video podcast: Bearclaw Bicycle Co. Tōwmak Review
We encourage everyone to make movement a lifestyle…one of the ways we make movement a lifestyle is by obtaining the tools and toys to allow us to Move More year-round. Ben’s goal in purchasing the Tōwmak titanium drop-bar fat bike from Bearclaw Bicycle Co. was to get a bike that he could ride anywhere he’d ride a gravel bike…plus places he would be nervous to ride a gravel bike…also, he wanted a bike that would put a smile on his face. Specifically, he was looking for a bike to ride on farm roads, gravel roads, single-track trails, and horse trails (many of which have been torn up by the horses). We recorded this video after Ben spent 6 weeks with the Tōwmak; he likes it even more a month later.
Listen to the audio, or watch the video below to get a good look at the Tōwmak.
About the bike: The frame is the titanium Tōwmak frame from Bearclaw Bicycle Co. (www.BearclawBicycleCo.com). After speaking with Dustin at Bearclaw, Ben used www.BikeInsights.com to choose the correct frame size (55.5cm). For reference purposes: Ben’s Salsa Cycles bikes have 57cm frames. The drop-bar handlebars are the Redshift Kitchen Sink Handlebar. (www.RedShiftSports.com) and the bar-end shifter is the GX 1×12 shifter from Gevenalle (www.gevenalle.com) Ben contacted Mike Curiak of Lace Mine 29 (www.LaceMine29.com) to build the wheelset: Bontrager Jackalope 26” Fat Rims; DT Swiss Big Ride 6-bolt disc hubs; DT Swiss SuperComp triple butted spokes; and DT Swiss Prolock nips. Ben sourced the Schwalbe Jumbo Jim tires, which are set up as tubeless. The fork is a titanium form from Bearclaw Bicycle Co. The saddle is a Brooks C15, which Ben uses on all of his bikes…because it’s comfortable. The top cap cage mount and the bottle cages are from King Cage (www.kingcage.com) made in the USA in Durango, CO. The brakes are Yokozuna Ultimo cable-activated hydraulic brakes…in part because they were available…in part because cables are a lot easier to repair in the middle of a bikepacking trip than hydraulic. Last, but not least, the flat pedals are the Catalyst Pedal from Pedaling Innovations, and are ready for winter riding in mtb shoes or boots. Come summer, Ben will switch to clipless pedals and Lake Cycling shoes.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for a reliable bike that you can ride anywhere…with a smile on your face…the Tōwmak by Bearclaw Bicycle Co. may be the bike for you. It’s a gravel bike that you can ride like a mountain bike…and it’s forgiving if / when you pick a bad line. Most important: Ben loves to ride it.
Find tools (and toys) that allow you to just move…and to move more…year-round. Then visit www.FitLabPGH.com for tips, hacks, and podcasts to help you keep moving throughout 2022.
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