Which MBC Bike Would We Take to This?

Deep inside, most of us at Ben's Cycle look at a race like The Hilly Billy and cringe.

Others start to grin.

It's 70 miles of gravel, dirt, mud, and some pavement outside of Morgantown, West Virginia. Watch this video from In The Crosshairs.

Here's the description: 
"This course will take you over dirt and paved "State Roads" around Monongalia County in Northern West Virginia. Finish times could be 6 plus hours for some riders. Road conditions may include missing bridges, car-sized potholes, gravel, mud, black top, cow paths,and maybe a piece of road kill or two.That's what we call good riding! Leave your expensive Flux-Capacitors and fancy wheels at home and maybe bring the cross bike. It might be the best tool for the job, but bring whatever you think is best for you. However,if you show up with Zipps on your road bike we may laugh and point at you. This race course has just about everything a cyclist says they want when they're talking it up with their buddies.Now let us see ya ride it! Course will have fully stocked aid stations along the way. "

So we're looking at our schedules and wondering about our sanity.

The race would clearly be a test of bike, rider, and will power. Looks like a boatload of fun.

Fugitive Prototype Keeps Rolling Along

Sunset in the UP

Matt Hewitt, Ben's internet sales guy, is taking the prototype Fugitive on a 650-mile test ride through Wisconsin, around the tip of northern Michigan, then down along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan to Muskegon. He's sending photos and updates along the way.

No hands and bike is steady Eddie.

Fugitive Gravel/Touring Bike on Tour

Our internet sales person, Matt Hewitt, is currently on a tour from Milwaukee north to the tip of Lake Michigan, then down to Muskegon.

His vehicle? The new Milwaukee Bicycle Company Fugitive, a bike engineered for gravel and touring. 

 

The MBC Fugitive on the left. Fully loaded and somewhere in Wisconsin. 

Matt is taking out the prototype, fully loaded for bike camping. He left Saturday and sent us this photo from somewhere in Wisconsin. More details to come as he checks in! 

Don't Tell the Boss: First Look at Fugitive

So the prototype for the Fugitive, Milwaukee Bicycle Company's new gravel bike arrived at the shop yesterday to be built up and tested.



And maybe the boss told me not to take any photos yet. 


But maybe I got too excited about the bike, and maybe walked by when he wasn't around and took a couple of pictures of the Fugitive.

Maybe I was dreaming about long rides on rough roads in comfort with the steel fork, longer chain stays, raised bottom bracket, and disc brakes.


But if the boss sees this post, I'm going to ask forgiveness rather than permission. 



The Fugitive will be worth it.