December 7 is also known throughout the entire world as "Global Fat Bike Day." It's true. Perhaps you remember this post from last June, in which I extolled the virtues of owning a 2013 Salsa Mukluk "fat bike." 4" wide low-pressure tires float on top of sand, snow, and mud (well, usually...). Today was no exception as a couple of acquaintances and I took to the trails in the Allegan Forest near Fennville for 11.5 miles.
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| Here we are preparing for departure |
Lots of pretty stuff in the forest: rivers, trees, you know, the usual stuff. The blanket of new-fallen snow made it quite exceptional.
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| Around a bend in the trail as it follows the river |
- Regular bib cycling shorts
- Base layer long-sleeve jersey
- Winter-weight thermal tights
- Fall/spring-weight jacket
- Winter-weight jacket
- "The Blaze" wool cycling socks
- Toe warmers in the shoes
- Cycling shoes
- Winter shoe covers
- Winter-weight cycling gloves
Overall I stayed much more comfortable than I figured I would. My toes got a little numb by the end (it took us almost two hours), and occasionally I had cold fingers, but everything else was fine. Actually managed to break a sweat, sort of...
Some big differences between this style of riding and others? Mostly the constant pedaling; there's no coasting on these things, especially in the snow or sand. Downhills are an obvious exception to this, but for the most part it was constant spinning. Annnnd... It weighs about twice as much as my road bike. But that's not the point of the Mukluk. Nope. Blast through anything. Kind of like driving a Hummer!
Here are some more pics...
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| This is me, looking like a boss... |
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| We thought we should stop and take a picture of our bikes... |
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| Really not sure about the calorie burn, but here's a report of our route, anyway. |
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| This was AFTER the ride. I think it warmed up! |
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