Fatbiking and Other Junk

Riding Lots.

Just looking over my posts from last season and the season before and I have ridden about three times as far as those two seasons.  In 2014-2015 I went on three rides and so far this season (2015-2016) I have been on six rides plus a few grooming hikes.  Amazing how a small weight loss can re-ignite biking interest.

Current Conditions.

I rode up Cache Creek road and down Hagen this afternoon and it was good.  The road was firm and fast of course.  Couldn't be otherwise after five or six days of little snow.  Hagen trail from the fifth bridge on down was in good shape but it was a bit dished out from the fifth bridge down to the third.  The small connector trail Sidewalk from the third bridge to the second bridge was a bit narrow and dished out.  All of Hagen and Sidewalk could use a grooming to widen and get rid of the dishing.  And I have the tool to do it.  Thursday I'll head out and see what I can do.

Cache Creek Rocks!

The riding up Cache Creek has been great for the last couple of weeks: just enough snow so a fatbike is a good option (but not so deep - a normal mountain bike with wide 3" tires would work) but not so much so if you dab and have to get started again you don't sink up to your hips in snow (thereby making it almost impossible to get going again on singletrack), the uphills aren't icy  (but the main roads are so studs are a must), and someone has been grooming the singletrack.  I certainly plan to go out each week (time and job permitting) to keep the trails in good condition.  We did have a significant warm up recently with a dash of new snow but that may have been a blessing.  The warmer weather may have tamped down and helped settle the snow along the singletrack.

Fatbikes and Dirt.

I had the chance this summer to ride several fatbikes at Saddledrive held at Snowbasin and sponsored by Quality Bike Products.  It was a fun time but I never gave much thought to using my Moonlander in the summer mostly because it weighs over 35 pounds and I have several nice bikes weighing much less so no riding the fatbike on dirt.  I also was concerned about tearing up the tires since the rubber for the fatbikes seems to be a lower durometer and hence easier to wear out on harder surfaces.  Lower durometer tires are great for snow and ice where the softer rubber grips easier but wears out fast on dirt and pavement.  Anyway, I didn't ride it at all this summer but this past Sunday my boss had a demo day for fatbikes during the last cyclocross race at the King and he borrowed my Moonlander for display and after I picked it up I thought why not go for a ride?  Especially since it was a gorgeous sunny blue day and the weather was supposed to turn to crap that afternoon (and it did as my post from October 29 on Real Life in Jackson, Wyoming discusses) off I went up Cache Creek with the big black beastie.  It was actually a ton of fun and it made Tiny Hagen and Putt-Putt interesting again and despite several somewhat damp spots (and one truly muddy spot) it was easy to ride.  I found the super wide 4.7" tires floating over damp spots and it didn't feel like I was sinking in and leaving a significant track.  I still wouldn't condone riding in serious mud as that is bad for the trails but it was nice to know the wider tires cause less harm to the trail.