First Fat-Bike Weekend
While the previous weekend was spent single-speeding, last weekend was all about exploring the first snow on my fat-bike. What both weekends had in common was a short drive to get me closer to the Chasseral. From home, this favorite peak of mine is now a 7-hour loop away. While that's doable, I can currently not be away from home for such a long time. For the two single-speed rides, I started in Frinvillier on Saturday and just above Biel on Sunday. For the two fat-bike rides, my point of departure was Les Prés d'Orvin.
On Saturday's fat-bike ride, I was blown away by the amount of snow. The ground was frozen and fully covered in snow. Trees were white like in the deepest of winter. I stayed mostly off-trail to make my way to the Petit Chasseral, which I made my turnaround point. The legs felt good enough for more, but I didn't want to be out for even more time. I enjoyed the sunny weather and made my way back across the Place Centrale.
Sunday's fat-bike loop followed my traces left the day before for the most part. Due to the reduced amount of snow, I looped around the Petit Chasseral differently by climbing along the northern slope where the sun wasn't able to melt away the snow. Because I had started my ride past noon, I kept it shorter. All the slopes facing to the south were brown again and quite muddy, too. By the time I got to the car, the tires of my fatty were loaded up with a thick layer of mud. Thankfully, my 44 Snakedriver always travels in bike jackets. They got a bit dirty, but my car didn't.
It was sweet to rediscover my Snakedriver after it's been sitting in the basement since the end of last winter. That bike puts a huge grin on my face. This will be the next bike to undergo a few upgrades. Now that Chris King is bringing gold back for 2021, it'll be time to replace the black T47 bottom bracket with a golden one. I would also love to replace the SRAM cranks with gold anodized Cane Creek titanium cranks. If they'd be available in 175mm length, I would have set things in motion already. Now I'm thinking of waiting until the bottom bracket is available to have a set of titanium cranks color-matched as well as possible.
You should also read:
First 200km On My Gestalt X12
With a fleet of six bikes, of which three are surface-agnostic SUBs, commonly better known as gravel, all-road, or adventure bikes, I didn’t need another one this year. But when I first spotted the Marin Gestalt X10 last November, I knew I had to get one. The bike is slacker than my FortyFour mountain bikes, with a 67.5º head angle. Reach is 63mm longer than my Nordest Albarda and 68mm longer than my Volagi Viaje. The Gestalt’s wheelbase is 95mm greater than the Nordest and an enormous 124mm more than the Volagi. It’s a massively different bike. And that’s the reason I bought one. Some time down the road, I’d love to design the perfect SUB frame for myself. It only makes sense to go down that path with years of cycling under one’s belt, which I have, and countless hours spent on a wide range of bikes. And that one can never have enough.
Continue reading...
New Fat-Bike Helmet
When I first started fat-biking in March of 2013, I grabbed one of my Giro Aeon road/MTB helmets and slipped on a winter cycling cap when my head felt too cold. On cold days, I took off for rides wearing a Bern Brentwood helmet that I had bought for my daily commute. Soon, it became the helmet I wore for fat-biking exclusively. For very cold or snowy days, I bought a Smith Vantage, a goggle-friendly ski helmet with ear pads and adjustable vents. The Brentwood is now ten years old. Safe for the visor, which forms one piece with the liner, it held up amazingly well. But after ten years, even a sturdy helmet such as the Brentwood should be replaced.
Continue reading...
First 160km On My Stooge MK5
Cycling hasn’t been the same for me for the last three years. From 2016 through 2018, I used to ride over 8’000 kilometers. When we moved in 2019, my mileage dropped considerably before, during, and after the move. In 2020, and 2021, my riding dropped even further. Not because of the pandemic, but because one of our kitties was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Her sister’s kidneys were in slightly better shape. This dramatically changed our lives. From then on, at least one of us had to be home. Taking care of our cats to provide them with the best possible quality of life became a 24/7 job. My wife usually worked the late-night shift, and we would switch around 3-4 AM. Our palliative care included feeding both kitties every two hours or more frequently if they didn’t eat well enough. Cats with chronic kidney disease lose appetite. The sicker of the two, Chic Chic, was also given sub-Qs by us once a week. Besides both of us working full-time jobs, such care-taking left both of us often exhausted. I tried to maintain a regular riding schedule but rode locally and much shorter. In 2020, I managed to ride over 5’200, mostly road kilometers. In 2021, that dropped to 4’200 km. Our Chic Chic was a brave cookie. She got weaker, but she was happy that we were taking care of her. She far outlived our vet’s prognosis but sadly had to be euthanized in the afternoon of Friday, March 11th. She had been with us for 17 years. Palliative care now continues for her smaller sister, Chou Chou. She is still stronger than her sister was, but she may not be the fighter that her sister was.
Continue reading...
Comments