Photos and Text by Olivier Paradis and Marie-Andrée Fortin
English version to come…
Fin de l’été dans la toundra. On avance lentement sur le chemin du lac Ujarasujjulik, nous on l’appelle le lac Barnoin, vous comprenez pourquoi. Les gens du village y vont surtout pour pêcher, quelques cabanes y sont bien installées, surplombant le lac. On vient de rouler la douzaine de kilomètres qui nous séparent de la petite communauté Inuit où l’on demeure.
C’est le plus loin qu’on peut se rendre, c’est une des seules routes qui relit le village à… À quoi ? Un lac poissonneux ? La toundra ? Quelques vieilles bicoques de tôle ? Ou encore à rien du tout ! Pour se rendre au village voisin, on doit prendre l’avion.
Bref ces routes qui mènent vers nulle part sont à nos yeux, de superbes sentiers de vélo. Une rivière à traverser, quelques belles montées, des courbes serrées dans les descentes abruptes et d’innombrables lacs scintillants.
La toundra, pour ceux qui l’ont apprivoisée, recèle aussi de nombreux trésors. Osez braver les moustiques et vous serez récompensé de gargantuesques talles de bleuets, de camarines noires par milliers, de chicoutés juteuses, sans oublier ces énormes bolets laissés pour contre. Quand on ne marche pas sur des petits fruits murs, on piétine le thé du labrador. Les lacs sont gorgés de truites frémissantes. La baie d’Ungava et les rivières qui s’y jettent débordent d’ombles Chevalier. Des centaines de lagopèdes perchés dans les bouleaux nains. Des lièvres géants immobiles se croyant invisibles. Le territoire Inuit est un véritable garde-manger.
On roule, on s’arrête on cueille et on se gave de petites baies et les mains tachées de jus de bleuets on reprend la route.
* Brand new bike, ready to ride. Few units still available.
The Chic-Chocs has proven its abilities over the past few years in endurance races and winter expeditions. Whether it's for the Raid du Fjord, the Wendigo Ultra, or riding with confidence on groomed trails, the Chic-Chocs delivers.
A stable geometry with a long wheelbase increases traction and flotation on soft surfaces. In addition, the Chic-Chocs is designed with a 205mm q-factor, the narrowest available for use with tires up to 5" wide. Not to be overlooked for an ergonomic position.
Two Shimano drivetrains available with RaceFace cranksets and cockpit. Quality SunRingle rims and hubs (ready for -30degC!), and studdable tires that can be easily converted tubeless complete the package.
Throw on some 29x3" wheels when the snow melts, and you've got a 4-season bike ready for backcountry bikepacking trips!
*2024-01-10: Updated with the 2024 specifications. In stock!''The Taïga is a worthy adventure bike through and through. It is perfectly set up for some trail shredding straight out of the box.''Read the complete review HERE.
In between a trail bike and a multi-day adventure bike, the Taïga has multi purposes. Take it on your local mountain bike trails, or for a bikepacking outing in the more rugged backcountry trails.
Our selection of Reynolds 725 tubing gives this frame just the right amount of suppleness and responsiveness, while keeping the weight reasonable. A 67deg steering angle and 75deg seat angle strike a balance between modern and progressive geometry, without falling into an overly radical design. The 435mm chainstay length offers a centered position on the bike (front-center versus rear-center ratio), and can be increased for even greater stability when a rear rack is used.
* Complete bike (starts at $2949 CAD)
* The frameset (carbon fork) comes with wheel axles, headset installed, seatpost collar and frame protectors. (1649$ CAD)
* The frame only option comes with the rear wheel axle and seatpost collar. (1199$ CAD)
* The Rohloff option comes with the Speedhub 500/14 A12 DB PM black, the 180mm rear disc, the shifter and everything needed to install the hub on the frame. (+1899$ CAD)
Slow Travel is the state of mind we approach during bike journeys. It is taking the time to live each experience in its entirety, focusing on quality rather than quantity.
***Slightly used demo available! Check here for details.
The Chic-Chocs has proven its abilities over the past few years in endurance races and winter expeditions. Whether it's for the Raid du Fjord, the Wendigo Ultra, or riding with confidence on groomed trails, the Chic-Chocs delivers.
A stable geometry with a long wheelbase increases traction and flotation on soft surfaces. In addition, the Chic-Chocs is designed with a 205mm q-factor, the narrowest available for use with tires up to 5" wide. Not to be overlooked for an ergonomic position.
Two Shimano drivetrains available with RaceFace cranksets and cockpit. Quality SunRingle rims and hubs (ready for -30degC!), and studdable tires that can be easily converted tubeless complete the package.
Throw on some 29x3" wheels when the snow melts, and you've got a 4-season bike ready for backcountry bikepacking trips!