The Meca of Fat-Biking

Stopped by my LBS this evening to pick up a few miscellaneous parts for my Travelers-Check build.
The pit in my stomach after paying far too much for cones and bearings to rebuild some old Shimano hubs was quickly abated at the sight of a shiny Ti fat-bike rolling through the door.

The pilot of this lust-worthy machine is Troy, who had recently arrived from sunny Australia on a fat-bike pilgrimage to the frozen white north.  Troy came to Alaska to give his new Muru  frame a full shake down and hone his own winter fat-biking skills at the 5 day ITI "Training Camp", learning the requisite skills to survive on a multi-day winter bike-packing excursion.  

This Bike was a beauty. The titanium frame from Muru Cycles was barely visible under a full kit from Revelate Designs, and had a top shelf build: Hope hubs, DuskerDu 120 tpi tires, XO drive train, Surly MWOD cranks.   The frame-set had super-clean welds and I was told it had ben made in China along side other notable titanium bike manufacturers. 

First of its kind, adventure ready titanium fork with six brazons to accommodate the Salsa 'everything cage': 

170mm symmetrical rear with ample clearance for bigger tires...  

It was refreshing to stand around and geek out on a bike like a bunch of kids; just getting excited about how FUN it is to ride a bike in the snow!  A stark contrast to this week's resurgence in all the Lance Armstrong hoopla.  Also great to see the developing ingenuity in the fat-bike niche and the growing world community of fat-bikers.  Hearing Troy's tales of urban adventures in biking around Anchorage since his arrival, gave some some perspective to the logistical intensity of winter-biking that has become part of daily routine.   I wish Troy all the best on his Alaskan adventure!

Ménage à trois

After enduring 2 years ridicule by the "purist" backcountry skiers, my efforts to utilize fatbikes as a method of backcountry transportation have proven successful given the right conditions. 

This is the holy grail of combining the only two winter sports worth leaving the house for.

Transporting a snowboard on a fatbike can be achieved one of three ways in my experience, two of which involve a splitboard.   

As splitboarding is clearly the answer to most of life's woes, the latter two methods offer potential epic trips... biking out a valley or basin, then exploring the surrounding peaks, trees, and couloirs via the splitboard.  Traveling by bike in many instances is faster and more efficient than skinning or hiking depending on the terrain. 

Option one: A snowboard can easily be secured to any standard rear bicycle rack via two attachment points using bungies, webbing straps, or ski straps which work best (like those from Black Diamond or Volie) 

Having a second person hold the board in place, as you secure the straps makes life easier.  

The top strap should be 'woven' through the rack tubing to prevent the straps from slipping down.

The lower strap is best placed below the binding to offer some vertical support

Be mindful of heal strike.  The top of the rack and right side remain open for panniers or other bags.  

Baller. 

 Option 2:

 Step one: Cut your board in half                                                    (or get a splitboard)

Step 2: Attach each half of the board to either side of your racks  at the high and low attachment points as described in Option 1, just do it twice for each half of the board. 

Tie the tips of the boards together to make a big "A" because you are clearly awesome. 

This is a great option for multi-day trips, as you can then attach panniers and other baggage to the racks and a backpack easily attaches to the vertical attachment points created by the splitboard A-frame.  

With all these extra points of attachment, you can loop and strap all kinds of crap to your bike.  

Soon your bike will weigh upwards of 50 or 60 pounds depending on how much whiskey you need  

Option 3 is for all the weight weenies out there and works exclusively with the Revelate Designs Viscacha tail bag , and is really quite simple.  The vertical straps of the Viscacha that suspend it from the saddle rails create  nice little hammocks of reinforced nylon at the bottom edge of the bag, one for each half of your board. 

- All you need is another strap looped around each half of the board, near the junction of the seat tube/ top tube/ seatstay.  Create a sandwich of the board on either side of the bike frame.  Looping the strap through the top tube and pulling it tight as possible.  

This serves three purposes: 1. brings the two halves together a narrow as possible so you can actually peddle, 2. stabilizes the lateral motion and flex of the board for more stable riding, and 3. keeps the board at an upward sloping angle to the rear of the bike.   

 ENJoy. and Remember Avalanches can still get you on a bike.  

Missing the Sun

My special lady is down in New Mexico waiting out the dark frigid weeks of mid-December, filling her days with sunshine, spicy food, lazy bike rides in the Gila Wilderness, and quality time with family and friends.

Along with the requisite 5 pounds of green chilli and fresh made tamales, she will be returning to Alaska with a lovely dark blue 43 cm Surly Traveler's Check frameset. The venerable Cross Check frame with the addition of S and S couplers allowing easy air travel sans oversize luggage fees. 

Surly Travelers Check Bicycle Frame with S and ... - S and S Machine

This will serve as great winter build project to piece together a trusty steed for commuting, fall cyclocross races, light bike-packing, and bike touring.  First tentative trip will be through France, Spain, and possibly Portugal as time allows  with a route focused on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.