Beargrease Thoughts by Jill Martindale

I received a prototype of the new Beargrease two winters ago, just in time for the 2025 Polar Roll Ultra in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I built the frame up with 27.5″ HED rims laced to Velocity hubs with 45NRTH Dillinger 5 studded tires, plus the TRP mechanical brakes, Paul Love Levers, and SRAM X0 drivetrain pulled over from my Mukluk. The prototype had clearance for 27.5 x 5″ tires and this was the first winter ultra in 10+ years that I felt confident in the unknown on something other than a 26″ wheel platform. That itself speaks volumes about the new generation of this bike! Let me expand on this:

It might not sound super exciting to you, but if you’re 5′2″ (and half an inch) like I am, the new features on the updated Beargrease are pretty awesome! I started racing my first Salsa fat-tire bike in 2013, and I’ve got many snowy miles and memories to look back on with different generations of this bike. This new rendition is my favorite Beargrease yet.

I’m no stranger to setting up the Beargrease with different wheel sizes. Starting in 2014, I used my Beargrease with 29+ wheels as a backup bike at 12-hour mountain bike races. I looked back on some old blog notes to see what my initial thoughts were on that first Beargrease with both fat- and plus-sized wheels, and it made me smile to read, “This thing is lightweight and fast!” and “I’m seriously so in love with the Beargrease!” I love that past me had no idea how much better the bike could get.

One of my favorite things to do on a ride is to look back and remember where the journey has taken me and to really admire where the route has been. The newest Beargrease geometry really gives me a whole new appreciation for where this bike has taken me. I didn’t know what I wanted until this bike showed me that I wanted it, and I didn’t know I was missing key features that this frame has until they appeared. Spoiler alert: this Beargrease solves some short-rider challenges and is a joy to ride.

It can be difficult to load bikepacking gear in any season on an XS fat-tire bike. One thing not many people realize is that shorter riders have to get creative to fit the same amount of gear on their bikes as taller riders. It takes talent to pack winter apparel, a regular-sized negative-degree sleeping bag, and a bivy on a smaller-than-average fat-tire bike, and it changes how the bike handles. When the Beargrease frame adopted rear rack mounts many iterations ago, I thought that was the best the bike was going to get, and I was THRILLED with it. It was the best fat-tire bike I’d ever ridden, and it was perfect.

Over the last ten years, my favorite fat-tire size for unknown conditions has been 26 x 5″ because it gives me ample float in the soft stuff. If conditions are nice, putting more PSI in the tires gets me moving faster through the snow or on harder-packed terrain. Older generations of the Beargrease frame had clearance for 4″ tires. More recent versions accepted 26 x 5″, but the XS frames didn’t quite accept the taller 27.5 x 5″ tire platform in the rear. This current model handles to my liking with 27.5 x 5″ tires, and I’m eating my words that 26 x 5″ is the ultimate winter ultra tire size. Now 27.5 x 5″ is perfect.

After riding the Polar Roll Ultra in snowy conditions with 27.5″ fat wheels, I haven’t looked back! I’ve had the bike spec’d out for winter overnighters through two seasons of riding and really enjoy the larger rolling diameter. I was starting to get nervous about my decision to ride the larger wheels at the start of the 2025 Polar Roll Ultra and nearly swapped back to the trusty 26″ when snow dumped on the course prior to the race start. But the larger rolling diameter felt speedy on snowmobile trail and camp roads, and I was still able to ride the singletrack quite well. On the brink of riding faster than I was normally comfortable with chasing pals, I really felt like the geometry changes to the frame helped the wheel size feel comfortable and confident.

This last winter, I raced the 30-mile Polar Stroll on the new Beargrease without the rear rack and bikepacking gear. It was light, it was confidence-inspiring, and it was sporty! I love that this bike can perform well whether it’s loaded to the gills with gear or streamlined and fast.

Don’t even get me started on the frame triangle. I have had custom Beargrease frame bags made over the years and typically fit about one water bottle and some snacks in them. There wasn’t a lot of room for my things, and I looked at larger bikes’ frame bags with envy. Evan Simula, a 45NRTH teammate, has even traveled with a small cast iron skillet in his frame bag before. I haven’t specifically tried to pack something like that in the larger triangle on this current geometry, BUT I bet I could! This is such a small change with such a large impact for riders like me. I had Morrow Packs make a custom bag to fit this bike before I had even finished building it up, utilizing the direct-mount holes, and that bag has lived on this frame since. It’s aesthetically so clean and pretty.

Of course, the other frame features are also nice, such as UDH compatibility and lighter weight. The longer top tube, reach, and wheelbase make the bike feel more stable whether loaded or not, and lower standover height means that swinging my leg over the frame feels less awkward in otherwise awkward situations.

I’ve loved the Beargrease fat-tire bike for its ability to handle snow, dirt, gravel, and whatever terrain or task you throw at it, and being able to ride this current generation has been such a treat! This thing is lightweight and fast! I’m seriously so in love with this Beargrease.