skijor

Too much? But lower psi = more give in sidewalls. I'd expect more psi or a different tire choice would help limit energy loss. And yes, I realize some pogo-ing is unavoidable on steeper grades.

Cyclist01012

racing fat in N.E. Ohio 9 degrees at the start line.

slowride454

I struggle with bouncing sometimes when pedaling hard on pavement. Concentrating on spinning instead of mashing smooths it out.

Jseis 

Clipless and a smooth stroke eliminate pogo. But..steaming up hill in low at 70 rpm with low psi will make you bounce no matter how smooth you think you are. I roll low pressure (3-5 psi) and pogo like hell on flat hard sand if I get lazy and don't smooth out the stroke. I can grab higher gears to reduce pogo but then...FTP!

dminor 

Fatbike steez - -

https://vimeo.com/120566398

bicyclelove

How was the race? I'm doing my first fat race on Saturday in Wisconsin!

slowride454

I'll see you there. Look for the fat guy on a Mongoose Vinson. I'm only doing the 20K.

Cyclist01012

Race went pretty good, not first not last. It was an event that was thrown together in about 3 days by a local shop/trail group. Ahh the power of social media!! When you can get about 60 riders to show up on that short of notice.

bicyclelove

Cool! I am also doing the 20k, I'm so NOT ready for 47K. I couldn't get anyone to come with me so I will be alone. Look for me on my Framed MN 3.0. I will be wearing a black and red Framed jacket. If I see you I will definitely say hi Slowride! Here is a pic of my bike. I have a front fender on it now, I just had to figure out how to attach it to the Bluto fork.

bicyclelove

That is so cool! I want to get a local group together for fat biking. We have some pretty good trails nearby. Maybe next year......

bruised

Good luck to those of you heading north for the Birkie event this weekend. I wish I could make it but I can't.

I'm thinking of heading up to Ashland next week to try the Camba trails while they still have snow. I'd love to hear from anyone who has ridden these trails who might have some suggestions on routes or other information.

I'm not really into the fast sweeping groomed rides, more interested in single-track and rough terrain.

Happy Friday!

bruised

Just a quick share of a ride report from yesterday's trek around Newport State Park on the Salsa Beargrease.

I'm feeling like it's almost over, winter that is. In years gone by I would be chomping at the bit to get outdoors and enjoy the snow-free spring weather. Now, as a new fat bike owner, I'm actually sad to think about the snow being gone....

Anyway, if anyone ever makes it to northern WI during the winter months, I can highly recommend spending a day or two moving between Peninsula State Park and Newport State Park on the Door Peninsula. They each have some pretty awesome trails, some are off the beaten path and others are more easily accessible and rideable.

Here goes One Last Hoorah?

And here's a sample pic from yesterday's ride, more on the blog:

slowride454

i switched my registration to do the 47K tomorrow!

intransit1217

I hope to be better prepared and a stronger rider for my f/b next year. Now that I've had an "education".

slowride454

my bike performed well, but the engine failed. I missed the cutoff time. my quads were cramping like crazy. I spent too much time kneeling on the trail trying to prevent my legs from locking straight. Also, I hate clipless pedals in the snow, especially with how much hike-a-bike was involved, at least for me. Next year I will use platforms. Next year I will figure out the cramping. I usually cramp in my hamstrings and hands.

bicyclelove

Sorry to hear that. There is always next year. My ride went very well, I only crashed once! I made most of the hills but had to walk the steep ones. I think some better tires would help. I'm thinking Bud and Lou....

intransit1217

I took mine for a noodle 'round the 'hood. At the first sign of resistance, I downshifted. It performed admirably at crawl speeds.

Jseis 

But can it climb kelp?

Standalone 

FBSO.



It was $199 at Target. You may throw your tomatoes now.

bicyclelove

Well I found out Lou won't fit on the rear of my Minnesota 3.0. That's a bummer because I bought this bike for the 190 rear spacing thinking I could put on any tire. So now I'm looking at 45NRTH Flowbeist and Dunderbeist. They look pretty wicked!

unterhausen

I finally got my Bluto for my Mukluk to replace the fork that was recalled. Haven't had a chance to ride it on anything, trails are still ice-covered and will be muddy for a while

SHOFINE

Weather has been great for Spring break!

Jseis 

After 2 months, and about 60 hours on the FB I'd figure to give an update, particularly for the viewers wondering about what it's like riding the FB.

I mostly ride the beach but have gradually started moving to single track. The slacker geometry and low pressure (~5 psi) result in serious self steer. I've kicked the pressure up a few pounds and the FB is very finicky about pressure. 1 psi can make a huge difference in feel and "suspension feel" because as a non suspension front, that 40mm of "tire travel" is variable depending on your weight/pressure and terrain. I bought a 15psi gauge to noodle around with that but I'm likely nearing an ideal range of around 5-6 psi back and 4 psi front for beach riding. Single track can handle more psi as I don't need nearly the float.


I prefer 1 x 10. Not really happy with the SRAM X7 rear D. I suspect gritty sand is messing with shifting precision. I'm running 22 front with 11-34 rear cassette. I'll probably end up with 28 front and 11-42 rear. On the beach I rarely get above 15 mph... But...have sprinted to 18 which is a trick with 22-32!!!


But as my legs got stronger and I messed with tire pressure I'm getting smarter on picking where I ride for speed or ride for slow fun (soft sand). More pressure in soft sand makes for a much more unstable ride and slower ride. If 1-2 psi makes a difference, then quickness of air up/down is an interesting problem that might be handled by a quick 4-second dump or fast 1 psi inflate. I've purchased a variety of pool toy air pumps to experiment.


Maintenance means adding never-seize to all threads and a lot of chain cleaning, bike washing as I ride ocean beach and I'm already seeing corrosion. Just have to stay on top of that. I'll add rear guard & front guard to keep tire sand off BB, front cog & front portion of chain which should keep 99% off chain and rear cassette though rear D is getting nailed.

Very serious exercise at low pressure on the beach. Much harder than anticipated. Took 2 months before I really felt comfortable but now it's a blast and I'm nearly 10 lbs lighter!

I've heard "I love your bike" from every x-section of America. Doesn't matter what I'm wearing (Lycra/gloves/helmet or jeans & t-shirt); beer gulping good old boys, red neck backwoods hunters, dads, moms, stoners, drifters, tweakers, retired vets, mill workers, teenagers.. they all want me to stop and talk or they wave and its a thumbs up. An hour ride can turn into a two hour Fatbike ambassador session about "sand tires", "monster truck bike", "just look at that thing", "is that hard to ride?" and..."I love your bike!".

SHOFINE

Just having a blast riding the beaches ...spring break....weather has been Awesome!

40dollarfatty

I just realized that i'd never posted pictures of my $40 Fatty setup. as I posted last fall, I picked up a Walmart Mongoose Beast fatbike from a local who'd tired of the novelty for a low low $40 ( his wife really really wanted it gone). it was a little rusty from being outside in some rain, and the bearings were all bone dry (to be expected from Walmart). here's what it looked like after I picked it up:





I then stripped it down and used Rustoleum Satin Lagoon to paint the frame, and drilled and painted the rims, adding some colorful Duct Tape lining, and it ended looking pretty:



unfortunately, with the bike at a hefty 48 pounds, it was woefully slow, and way too heavy to have fun off-road. I switched things up with a smaller 32T front ring and a 22T rear along with a new BB cup and bearing set for smoother pedaling, and now I can spin it out on pavement, and off-road is doable, though still slow and ponderous. this spring I replaced the bars with a new threadless stem adapter and bullhorns, which lightened the steering and make it look pretty unique:





it's the perfect Urban crawler for the bike paths while towing my kids around, and my goal is to ride it enough ( in between training for a century on my road bike) that I'm forced to replace the god awful tires with a set that will drop the bike down by 6 pounds and allow more fun this winter. for an overall investment of less than $200, its definitely been a source of stupid grins.