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With the ever-increasing popularity of fatbikes, I enjoy seeing how shops display these beastly bikes. Most just lean them against something, or make a custom stand for their wide wheels. The Feedback Sports FATT RAKK operates like their standard racks, but for fattys.
Say goodbye to the bike shop fatbike lean…
Warning: this post contains the bane of everyone’s existence this winter – snow. I apologize and promise to bring warm vibes from here on out. Seriously.
I absolutely love riding my Pugsley around Austin. Both on and off-road, it’s been a blast and the number one question I get is: “what’s that bike for?”. My answer “snow”… This causes a look of puzzlement on their faces. There’s no snow in Texas! Naturally, but it’s still fun to motor around town and hit some trails.
Riding a fatbike in the snow is something I’ve yet to do, so when Jeff told me to stay a few days longer after Frostbike, I brought my Pugs and threw on some platform pedals. Our first stop (and as it turns out, only stop) was the River Bottoms. Kyle and I had been there before with Jeff, in the summer months and I was eager to see how much it had changed after the all snow and freezing temps.
We kitted up in waterproof fabrics and wool, set our PSI to around 8 and 10, brought some snacks and of course, Baroo, Jeff’s Basenji / Red Heeler mix trail dog… What happened next was a mix of riding and an “Adventure by Hike”.
I’m really stoked on the newest issue from Bunyan Velo, partially because Jeff from All-City wrote an article on the Riverbottoms and used some photos from our ride last summer. Other reasons to check it out: holy roadscapes, a sick Search and State ad and more.
View Bunyan Velo Issue 04 above, or buy a PDF copy at Bunyan Velo!
Man, two weeks ago I was riding in sunny Los Angeles, then sunny Austin and now, I’m in the single digits, wrapped up in warm clothes and finally, riding my fatbike in its natural habitat. Today we rode the riverbottoms (again) but this time, there was a bit more #AdventurebyHike. More to come but I just wanted to gloat about being cold…
Adopting the 5″ fat platform, the Surly Ice Cream Truck fatbike was the prize of their booth at Frostbike this year. Dubbed the ICT, this symmetrical fatbike just looks mean. But it’s got more than enough elegant details to soften that tank-like aesthetic.
Oversized tubing, tighter wheelbase, pressfit 30 bottom bracket and an insane sparkly paint job makes this bike stand out from the rest of their lineup. The hub spacing is determined by the new MDS dropouts. These allow for either 197mm 12mm thru-axle or 190mm quick-release.
When asked to describe the ride characteristics of the Ice Cream Truck, Tyler from Surly said “you have to use your whole body to move the bike, but it’s an incredibly stable ride”. The wheelbase is tighter than the Moonlander for a zippier ride and while I didn’t get the chance to shred it, I look forward to the day…
The ICT will come as a complete or frameset in XS – XXL. If I recall correctly, the MSRP will be around $2400 with an Ops version for around $2700 and the frameset will retail for $850.
See more in the Gallery!
Minus the drinking and parties, I’m pretty sure this sums up Frostbike!
We all have “roll models”. You know, people who ride that we either know or don’t know but for some reason, we look up to them and aspire to one day tap into their radness. Maybe we follow them on Instagram, or witness their riding on a website…
Over the years I’ve gotten to spend some time getting to know Ty Hathaway, co-owner of Golden Saddle Cyclery. His past exploits include finishing the Tour Divide, being a general ripper on anything with two wheels and exploiting his spontaneity through planning (or not planning) some pretty incredible rides.
Last year Ty bought a Surly Pugsley and started riding the shit out of it. After doing a few small excursions, he called up one of his best friends, Moi Medina to go on a two day ride in Arizona. The story and Guest Gallery inclosed below is all from Ty directly, in his words…
Read on below for what I consider one of the raddest Guest Galleries ever to grace this site!
Japanese painter Swamp did some incredible work on a Surly Pugsley for Above Bike Store. I love all these custom fatbikes in Japan!
The ever popular and sportier version of the Brooks Flyer, the Brooks Conquest is back. Meant for a touring, mountain, klunker or fatbike, these saddles are a bit longer, like a racing saddle, but offer a little more compliance for distance. Check out more information at Brooks!
That bike looks so good! Our friends at Blue Lug went on a little weekend excursion to seek out snow to ride their fat bikes on and shot some photos at their Flickr. Aside from all the snow riding photos, this one Pugsley in particular looks amazing. I want to see more photos of that stem!
I don’t know why, but I love seeing how different builders tackle these beasts. 44 Bikes even went so far as to shoot photos of their newest creation with both 26″ full fat and 29+ half fat wheels. Personally, I love the reinforcement at the seat stays.
Check out more photos at the 44 Bikes Flickr!
When it comes to Los Angeles mountain biking, Brown is one of the most common trails. On the weekend, it’ll be packed with people climbing up the fire road and then bombing down El Prieto, a technical trail, best described as having lots of consequences.
Drop-offs down ravines, sharp turns, protruding rocks, slippery descents. It’s a blast. One morning Moi, Sean, Kyle, Ty and I headed to do a quick 14 miles and 2,000′ before Golden Saddle Cyclery opened for the day.
Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 / Fuji Neopan 400
One person that’s constantly inspiring me in life is Ty from Golden Saddle Cyclery. From crushing the Tour Divide, to riding his fatbike to the top of Baldy (10,000′) in the middle of winter and just general radness. Ty’s always got a camera on him when he seeks out one of his epic rides and I’ve rarely seen any of the photos.
Now he’s got a Tumblr called Tytanium Life. Head over, follow him and stay tuned. I’m sure you’ll see some familiar faces in the mix.
I don’t know how many of you have been paying attention to the Cold Rolled series, but here’s the culmination of all the edits, wrapped into one. I still think that singletrack shred footage is the best!
“Cold Rolled: Marquette Michigan’s Snow Bike Route, is a quirky action documentary from Clear & Cold Cinema, Salsa Cycles and TravelMarquetteMichigan.com that explores the history and progression of winter cycling culture in this small Lake Superior harbor town.
Marquette, Michigan’s Noquemanon Trails Network has nearly perfected equipment and techniques used to launch its Snow Bike Route, a 15-mile winter singletrack developed for fat tire bikes. The fast narrow trail features flowy terrain, steep descents and large bermed turns. It’s believed to be the first trail of its kind–but more importantly, it’s pretty fun.”
Here’s the fifth and final chapter in the Cold Rolled series. All I have to say is this looks like so much fun!
Previously:
Cold Rolled Chapter 04
Cold Rolled Chapter 03
Cold Rolled Chapter 02
Cold Rolled Chapter 01
The holidaze got the best of me and I slipped on posting the latest Cold Rolled videos. Here’s chapter 04, which I might add, is pretty damn rad:
“Chapter Four is a humorous documentary segment featuring Noquemanon Trails Network lead trailbuilders Mike Brunet and Matt Belic that traces the thought process behind creating dedicated snow singletrack and the physical process of fabricating a special groomer to keep Marquette’s abundant snowfall ridable.”
I wonder how much of this has changed with the onset of the Polar Vortex?
Previously:
Cold Rolled Chapter 03
Cold Rolled Chapter 02
Cold Rolled Chapter 01
I am in no shape for racing. Well, that’s not completely true. It’s actually my cross bike that is out of shape. Bent rings, stretched cables, broken levers. My poor Geekhouse is in major need of some TLC. So when the Texas State Cyclocross Championships popped up this weekend, I decided to take the Pugsley out for some fun.
The short of it is: yes, that bike is heavy but it ate the sand pits alive, cornered exceptionally well, tackled all of the technical sections and as this photo shows, made barriers disappear. Then the head winds on the straight aways ate all speed… and the beer handups. Then the weed handups. Anyway, I had fun and it was a perfect way to end the season.
More to come, I just had so much fun riding this bike today that I wanted to share a photo!
I have to admit, it was a little weird traveling with my Santa Cruz Tallboy LTC instead of a cross bike this last trip to Los Angeles. Riding mountain takes it out of you. There isn’t the same kind of physical recovery or relaxation that you get on a road bike. No zoning out. You’ve gotta be there 100% of the time, or there are consequences and I knew we’d be hitting it hard every day.
Apprehension aside, the first ride we took on was Upper Chilao in the Angeles Forest, off the 2. I’d been up in this neck of the woods before on my road and cross bikes, but never on a mountain bike. I knew what to expect for the most part: upper altitude desert / arid riding. There would be no mud, but rather rocks, sandy switchbacks and fast, technical descents.
On the ride was Brandon, Sean from Team Dream, Kyle, Ty from GSC and Lyle from Mission Workshop. That’s three cross country bikes, a fatbike and two Tallboy LTCs. We were prepared, already hitting the flask and ready to roll, but first, a small climb up to the Rosenita Saddle…
Check out more in the Gallery!
