the sci guy 

how did you mount it? i'd be up for doing something like that on my cross check

GriddleCakes

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):


Non-drive side:


Front side:


Backside (lol):


Puppy side (oh god that sounds terrible, like a poison made specifically for puppies):

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:


But the remaining street mile looks like this pretty much all winter:


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):


Seriously icy:


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.

himespau 

Ah well, at least you'll have them for next winter.

bigbenaugust 

I am pretty sure that is a "CO" on the frame, so this one might be a Norco (he is in Canada, after all). But if you PM Sixty Fiver, he would likely be more than happy to tell you all about that bike. Or he will jump right in here.

But Terry has made many bikes like that over the years also.

RubeRad

Griddlecakes, loved your photojournal there! (I am so jealous of the groomed trail you get to ride every day to work! (And also jealous of those who get to ride MUPs every day to work (but also thankful I'm better off with my ample and clearly-marked bike lanes than so many commuters who have to fight cagers for their few inches of shoulder every day)))

jrickards

Is that a Throne frame/bike? It looks like one (but I don't see the logo on the frame).

GriddleCakes

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.

Nick The Beard

There are a few commercially available options but I grabbed a piece of aluminum tubing (handlebar or seatpost trimmings aren't too hard to find if you ask at an LBS), some bar plugs, a bolt, and a lock washer.

Run the bolt through a lock washer (to keep the mount from spinning) and through one of the bar plugs and then put the tube over that, and the cap on the other end.

AlTheKiller

Back to backpack commuting. Not as bad as I remember, but I'm sure when I really start logging more commute miles and shopping I'll start really figuring out a good commute bike with rear rack.

RubeRad

Haha no, not in San Diego. But I have run over a rattlesnake though (apparently they can only strike from coiled position, so when they're stretched across the trail, no worries). Also I chased a coyote once until he dropped what was in his mouth -- turned out to be the front half of a cat.

Rudz

Wow, it's so beautiful there. I wish I could ride that beastly fat bike through the woods. Idk how well I'd ride on ice though. Lmfao

Huffandstuff

Nope, just your standard Leader 735. Thick tubed aluminum frames are a dime a dozen nowadays.

TrekCommuter

Nothing fancy, but I have been very happy with it. Bought her new in 2011.

Rogan

Is that a Topeak rack on the back ? MTX model ?

TrekCommuter

Yes and the rack and bag work great. Much better than using a backpack for commuting in my opinion.

Sixty Fiver

My wife's Peugeot UE19... I swapped the double for a triple today.

gbcb

You're killing me. I can route part of my ride along a creek that recently became capable of supporting life (hooray!), but it means contending with swarms of honking scooters and aggressive drivers trying to get around said scooters, and inhaling several lungfuls of construction dust along the way. One day I'd like to ride an MUP just to see what it feels like.

Giant Doofus

Gorgeous.

Nutfarmer

My commuter (from the wrong side)

Sixty Fiver

She is... and the bike isn't bad either.



It was nice that this 105 framed Peugeot was B.S.A. and not French / Swiss threaded... it made the crank swap really straightforward and I have been meaning to do this for a while.

RALEIGH_COMP 

just got the fenders and kickstand! Two items that have been long overdue.

noglider 

That's a serious commuting machine, Raleigh Comp. I like the north road bars. Do you use both racks often?

PennyTheDog

Wow!

RALEIGH_COMP 

Yes and no. I use the rear a lot with my daughter, as it receives her kid seat. And when the rear is occupied by her, I keep whatever couple items I have up front. I would make much better use of them if I had a nice set of bags, but that is money to be spent later. I got a couple of plastic bins that I mount on them too, good for small store trips.

Sixty Fiver

Thanks.

My wife wanted a lighter and faster bike and back in 2007 I found this Peugeot in bone stock condition, (which was okay), but she likes a very upright and laid back position so the stem and bars had to be changed, she only rides on Brooks saddles, and I upgraded the wheels to 700c with a dynohub and fitted a NOS Sachs 7 speed (index) system as she does not like friction shifting.

I also built the custom rack to accommodate her Carradice shopper which is a larger bag and this provides for better heel clearance.

She owned a Peugeot like this when she was younger and it was the same colour... I plan to strip it down in the fall and powdercoat it as the frame needs a refresh and she has asked that it becomes sage green.

I will also build a new rear rack and integrate that with the frame before it gets new powder.

I work for smoochies here...