Fatty, Fatty, 2X4...

It's a gorgeous summer afternoon (OK, late morning), and I am about to go for another ride.  This time on my newest addition to the stable, the 2013 Salsa Mukluk 2.  A fat bike.  What an adventure...

I first tried one of these a year and a half ago.  The shop has had a demo fleet for a couple of seasons now, and on the afternoon of New Year's Eve a few of us grabbed our bikes and headed north to Port Sheldon.  We hit the beach by Roy's house and headed south to the Holland State Park.  Even managed a walk on the pier!  In what was a complete anomaly for December weather in west Michigan, we ended up with a south wind pushing us back to the north.  It was also about 40 degrees that day, so we enjoyed some good weather!

"Where can you ride that thing?" is a frequent question I get from folks.  "Anywhere I want..."
 - Trails
 - Gravel
 - The beach
 - Snow
 - "Bushwhacking" (this is on the Salsa website.  Not sure I know...)

These machines have been used extensively in adventure racing, specifically the Iditabike race in Alaska.  An adventurous ride from the Hamilton, MI food store a couple winters ago still lives on in legend and lore around the shop: riders left in a snow storm and returned in a blizzard, averaging around 3-5 MPH as they slogged through fields and trails in the Allegan County backroads.

I prefer less adventure.  There are some great trails down near Saugatuck, and they lead directly to the Lake Michigan beach.  That is the plan for this afternoon, as a matter of fact - the water is said to be around 70 degrees, so I may dip a toe or two in!  There's something very cool about pedaling along the beach, the water lapping at your tires, the stares from people who have never experienced such a sight (the bike, not me in spandex...  though that is traumatic as well, I suppose...) as this.  As you can see, shorts and T-shirts are the outfit for this thus far.

 Here are some shots from last time.  You can look at these while I grab some lunch and get ready to go!