Originally Posted by gbcb (Post 16658580)

Stolen today :(

Originally Posted by GriddleCakes (Post 16629802)

RubeRad, MUPs are mixed blessing. All winter traffic is sparse, mostly skiers either plodding along in the classic tracks or skating hard down the main lane, with enough room for all; but come summer it gets crowded enough that the ride can be joyless, with more time spent braking than pedaling. Sunny summer afternoons I often opt for the road route. Unfortunately all of the cross-town roads in Anch are 45 mph with no bike lane and often no shoulder, just sidewalk; so I'm stuck stitching together a ride from neighborhood to neighborhood, hitting sidewalks where I must, and stopping (or at least slowing) at all the stop signs and lights involved in a cross-town commute. However, in the early morning MUP traffic is light, and usually it's just me, the trees, ducks, moose, ravens, and occasional cyclist or runner; frequently I can forget that I'm riding through the middle of a city.

I would love to see bike lanes on every street in Anch, and would happily use them, to garner a bit more reliability in my commute time (ever been stuck behind a moose on a MUP?) and to help combat the "bikes belong on the path or the sidewalk, not on the road" mentality that is so pervasive in this town. But I would definitely miss the quiet and peaceful feeling of riding a nearly empty trail through the woods, creek running beside me, ravens quorking overhead, or along the coastal trail, with the sound of the inlet waters lapping the beach at high tide.



This is Alaska, winter ain't over yet. I mean, I could really use them right now, but we'll probably get more snow come late April, or early May.

Originally Posted by GriddleCakes (Post 16627119)

Puppy side (oh god that sounds terrible, like a poison made specifically for puppies):
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0804.jpg
See how nicely they're sitting? That's because this is at mile 5 of the 6 miles of single track that we run or bike every day out to the dog park and back. You want obedient dogs, you gotta wear the SOBs down (or DOB, in the black dog's case).

Originally Posted by gbcb (Post 16658580)

Stolen today :(

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/bikephotos/tnt2.jpg

I hadn't been using it as a commuter for a while, but my fiancée -- who's much better sized for the bike than I am -- adopted it and customized it with a front basket, loved it. Stupid thieves.

Originally Posted by FedericoMena (Post 16663349)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=374145






























My LBS-built beauty. It had flat bars, but I couldn't get really comfortable on them. Switched it to drop bars and the Tektro brake levers that let you use V-brakes, and it's great!

Originally Posted by bigbenaugust (Post 16661834)

I would send you my mini-velo, but you can probably get one quicker there.

Originally Posted by GriddleCakes (Post 16627119)

Well, it finally happened: I jumped aboard the fat bike bandwagon. Surly Necromancer, limited edition yellow Rolling Darryl rims, Alfine 8 hub, 45 North Dillinger tires.

Drive side (pannier set as far back as possible because of serious heel strike):
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0878.jpg

Non-drive side:
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0872.jpg

Front side:
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0887.jpg

Backside (lol):
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0869.jpg

Puppy side (oh god that sounds terrible, like a poison made specifically for puppies):
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0804.jpg
See how nicely they're sitting? That's because this is at mile 5 of the 6 miles of single track that we run or bike every day out to the dog park and back. You want obedient dogs, you gotta wear the SOBs down (or DOB, in the black dog's case).

I've gotten by for over a decade now riding all winter with studded mountain bike tires and studded 'cross tires, opting to ski or take the bus on snow days, but this summer my commute went from 2 miles to 7 miles, which is farther than I'm willing to ski to work, my bus ride went from 10 minutes to 50 minutes, and 45 North (go Canada!) released a studded fat tire this season, the lack of which had been a deal breaker for me when considering a fat bike as a commuter. I'm incredibly lucky in that 6 miles of my route is on groomed ski trail, like this:
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0813.jpg

But the remaining street mile looks like this pretty much all winter:
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0832.jpg

Not to mention spring daytime melt/nighttime freeze conditions in the tunnels and underpasses (if it isn't obvious, that tunnel is solid, smooth, skate-able ice):
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0830.jpg

Seriously icy:
http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/y...y/IMG_0822.jpg

So yeah, studs are a must for me, and now they come in fat! This bike is so much fun, and there's loads of winter only single track around my end of town, so this has become one of my favorite winter toys as well as my daily beast of burden. The only thing it's missing is full wrap fenders, which is why it's so dirty; we're in full breakup here, 40's during the day and single digits at night, so it's a frozen ride to work in the morning and a slushy ride home in the afternoon. I tried the SKS grandmom and granddad clip on fenders, but they sucked, so I've got a set of full wraps on order from MK Fenders. He's really backed up though, 8 to 12 weeks for production and delivery, and it's been 9 weeks since I ordered; at this rate, they'll arrive just in time for the road bike to come out.

Originally Posted by gbcb (Post 16663756)

Ha, thanks! Yeah, I'm already considering new minivelo options. A new colleague of mine is actually a BF member too, and a minivelo enthusiast!

Originally Posted by gbcb (Post 16658580)

Stolen today :(

http://www.brezhnev.net/bikeforums/bikephotos/tnt2.jpg

I hadn't been using it as a commuter for a while, but my fiancée -- who's much better sized for the bike than I am -- adopted it and customized it with a front basket, loved it. Stupid thieves.

Originally Posted by pdthiem (Post 16654724)

A few more pics.

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/x...psmb1s5wzj.jpg

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/x...pskzhhmthf.jpg

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/x...pseloj6azl.jpg

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/x...psu07jhalc.jpg

Originally Posted by Medic Zero (Post 16665643)

That's a real shame. I'm sorry. :(

Originally Posted by DiegoFrogs (Post 16664178)

As the woman who sold it to me in the new shop here in my neighborhood said: "looks like crap, but rides okay."

Originally Posted by awfulwaffle (Post 16663463)

That is pretty sweet.

Originally Posted by brita (Post 16661142)

Loved the photos, the adorable puppies (what breed or mix is the black pup? So cute!) and the bike. I'm a transplant to Anchorage and I've noticed how treacherous it can be to bike (and walk, but that's another story) in my area. I am building up my commuter bike as we speak, hope to have it done for Bike Month, and plan to go a bit out of the way to stay on the most MUPs.

Originally Posted by deeth82 (Post 16661342)

Late to the party here, but that bike is dead-sexy, and those are two good-lookin' pups!! I know they love running with ya!

Originally Posted by Lug (Post 16664908)

Will be real glad when breakup finishes up as I am tired of Cambell Creek Trail being almost unrideable due to the slush in the afternoons. And the road dust is killer everywhere else.