Fat Bikes Winter Rides 2021/2022

[Tom K.]

First sorta kinda real snow ride yesterday.

There's a ski hill hiding behind the cloud!

I know, an often-posted vantage point, but it's all I got!

 

[firebanex]

Bridges and bikes just go together. I feel like I also take pictures at the same spots on rides, they are just good spots though!

 

[Ron]

expecting winter to show up here tonight, Will get the bike back into the snow! I've been on my Wahoo trainer, did 85 miles last week.

 

[Tom K.]

Similar ride, but with a LONGGGG time friend from MN. Through the twists of fate, we are now living about 2 hours apart. Fun times, and we're able to schedule what our wives call regular play dates.

 

[Ron]

I attempted a ride yesterday but the climb at the start which is 14% was too loose and slippery. I emailed Mike Curiak for another Cake Eater . I am hoping the town grooms the access road today. I rode around my neighborhood on the roads which weren't plowed. It was good to be pedaling in the snow. I put a Terrene Cake Eater on the front and that tire is really nice! The side lugs bite well making turning much more stable and predictable. It has a great balance of grip with respectable rolling resistance I have some Gnarwhals so I might swap out the cake eater to the back and a Gnar up front. the Gnars are good but they really are pigs.

 

[Tom K.]

@Ron, it Christmas time, so yippee-ki-yay you know who?!

New goods from Terrene:

Yippee Ki Yay

Mixed surface studdable fat bike tires, plus tires, fat bike tires, winter tires, studded bike tires.

www.terrenetires.com

 

[Ron]

@Tom K. have you ridden this^. Mikes currently on some trip so Im willing to give that tire a shot if you like it on loose steep trails.

Mike suggested the Cake Eater in the back and Gnar up front. thats a pretty solid combo but I find that Gnar to be like pushing concrete up steeper, longer ascents. My friend here uses the Cake Eater F/R on the same trails and loves them

I was thinking about putting a Gnar on the back and leaving the Cake eater upfront for better RR???

 

[Tom K.]

@Tom K. have you ridden this^. Mikes currently on some trip so Im willing to give that tire a shot if you like it on loose steep trails.

Mike suggested the Cake Eater in the back and Gnar up front. thats a pretty solid combo but I find that Gnar to be like pushing concrete up steeper, longer ascents. My friend here uses the Cake Eater F/R on the same trails and loves them

I was thinking about putting a Gnar on the back and leaving the Cake eater upfront for better RR???

Have not ridden the Yips yet. Late January delivery estimated: https://www.terrenetires.com/pages/availability

I'm mostly interested in them because it at least sounds like they will slot right in between my current Dillinger 4s and the too-big-for-my-bike 5s, so I could get a wee bit more float. I'm thinking next year, and these guys are right down the street, so it's pretty easy to get "on the list".

I haven't ridden the Gnars. Everybody seems to agree that they hold like tiger claws and roll like a square box. No free lunch, I guess!

Most RR comes from the rear tire (I've heard 60/40 splits bandied about) so if speed matters, I'd go with the faster tire in back, partly because my winter riding involves little or no steep climbing.

 

[Ron]

Gotcha'. so here's a quote on the Yippee's. they may be a great tire for you but I dont think they will work up here at least in the early season before they start compacting and grooming.

"Said CEO Tim Krueger. “For those reasons, we designed Yipee Ki Yay—a medium-width aggressive tire made for riding on packed or groomed snow, but with excellent cornering and propulsion traction, as well as a large stud count to ride throughout all conditions.”

Yeah, more weight on the tire = more downward forces= slower. Speed isn't really the issue, its reduced resistance on steep climbs (I consider anything over 7% steep, but thats all relative) However, its a compromise of grip vs lower resistance. Im being a little lazy since its a PITA to mount the Cake eaters on my rims but I guess I should just bite the bullet and move the cake eater to the rear and put the Gnar on the front. There are no Cake eaters (27.5x 4.5 light) to be found anywhere. But Terrene is saying on their site they are due to be back in stock on the 17th.

 

[firebanex]

My LBS has a set of white Cake Eaters mounted up, looks like a pretty aggressive tire. I'm not typically a fan of anything but a black tire on a bike but those looked niceee. I really enjoy my studded Dillinger 5s (which only measure 4.2" on my rims and pressures) especially on the rear. That chevron seems to work like a paddle blade for getting up climbs when it gets lose. I could see myself using a different front tire sometimes, but considering how much a good studded fatbike tire costs.. I'm not swapping till I wear out the casings.

Most of the riding that we do in the Interior of Alaska is more on the endurance side of things, it's too damn cold to go down hill for long. There is a priority given to low rolling resistance and float in loose conditions for our trails. We see lots of 45nrth Dillinger 4/5s and Cake Eaters on people who care about their tires. For everyone else it's whatever Trek, 9Zero7, and Fatback/Corvus spec on their bikes that is out there.

I'm abandoning all of you next week, spending the last two weeks of 2021 in Hawaii! I got one more outdoor ride planned for this week if it warms back up again. It's going to be -30 to -40 Monday-Wednesday this week. I don't like to start a ride at those temps as it's starting to just be straight up dangerous to get too far away from a warm location. I'm prepared for it but I really don't want to take the extra risk if it's that cold when we start. You bike starts to do strange things at those temps. I had a freehub decide to fall apart on me last winter after a ride like that, it had barely 500 miles on it. Most commonly shifting gets out of wack from the cable shrinking and brakes don't usually function very well.

 

[Jwrags]

@firebanex I love your posts and pictures. Do you carry survival gear with you when you ride in those temperatures?

 

[firebanex]

At those temps? I'm wearing most of it! For spares I'll have my real winter gloves, another puffy jacket, a hat, more buffs, and more chemical heat packs stashed in my frame bag, saddle bag, or poagies. I have a spare tube, plugs, pump, and tools... but I'm not going to futz around with trying to put a tube in at those temps unless I absolutely have too. No one wants to be touching -30* liquid tubeless sealant, you'll get really bad frostburns from it unless you are careful.

Those -30f rides on my head I'm typically wearing a my helmet, a buff as a headband, a neck buff pulled up over my ears and face/nose. I run fairly warm, so this is sufficient to keep my head and face comfy. That spare buff in my pack is for if I have to hike it out I have a dry layer to put on.

On my top, it's a patagonia mid weight capeline long sleeve, Rab longsleeve hoody, Black Diamond First Light Puffy jacket, and a Patagonia insulated biking vest (totally spacing on whatever it's called). The Rab hoodie is a new one this season, I discovered that it really helps with adding another layer to keep moisture further away from my skin. Usually wearing a pair of Handup Cold Weather Gloves inside of my Dogwood Designs insulated poagies.

On the bottoms, Patagonia mtb liner, Swix insulated shorts, Montane Guide Pro?somethingsomething insulated soft shell pants (these things are discontinued but are a freaking magical layer that works so well for a huge range of temps. I've not found a similar replacement yet). Merino wool socks, chemical toe warmers, and 45nrth wolvhammer boots.

The best thing to do at those temps? Ride with a friend. Picture from last year November, it was -34f when we were out there.

The dog has two coats, booties, and chemical heat packs in hidden pockets of the coats. She's a beast.

 

[Tom K.]

@firebanex that dog needs some kind of video documentary made about her. Beast indeed!

Enjoy the warm getaway. I can tell you from past experience that a given cold temp is going to seem even colder when you get back.

 

[Ron]

Enjoy Hawaii, which island? I love Kauia and the big island,


I think as long as its not steep or loose, my favorite tire is still the Bontrager Barbagazi but we have so much climbing with switchbacks and of course descending, you need a tire with good grip for the climb and stopping. So far, my very limited experience with the Cake Eater is excellent.

 

[firebanex]

Wife and I are going for a week on the big island, staying at a friend's airbnb home in Waikoloa. Then we head to Oahu and meet up with the inlaws for a week there. I'm told that I'm going to become a runner for two weeks as I get a bit stir crazy if I don't get to bike or ski for more than a few days.

Thought about borrowing a bike bag and bringing my gravel bike for the Big Island.. but the logistics of having a giant bag for the second week didn't make sense.

 

[firebanex]

It started snowing just before Thursdays ride.. that half inch of snow made for a very entertaining single track riding. We went up to a set of trails we ride in the summer that have some of my favorite trail names, especially when I go ride them after work. We started on After Hours, then climbed back up Overtime, and then made our once a season adventure down Heart of Darkness. It softened the two climbing trails so much that we ended up pushing our bikes up the second one for about half of a mile. That climb is average of about 7% over 3/4 of a mile but the middle of it is something like 12-14%, it can be rough in the summer not to mention adding soft snow to the mix. Heart of Darkness in the summer time is a rooty mess that loves to toss in sections where you go down hill and immediately turn a 180 and go back up the hill. Try it in the winter and now it's pretty much like riding a mile long skinny, moment your tire gets off the snowshoe track it's going down in the snow. This is why we only do Heart of Darkness a couple times of year, it's only fun when you have forgotten why it's a pain to ride.

Forecast said 2" of snow today, it snowed 6". There is 7" more in the forecast for the next 3 days... we will see what that turns into. It's gonna fill in all the trails and when I get back from my vacation, gonna be some fantastic riding opening up for me! Also the skiing is gonna finally move out of early season conditions.

 

[Ron]

I just ordered a second Cake Eater from Mike Curiak so iI can get traction for those climbs! . Enjoy and have a great vacation.

 

[LowPressureKarl]

A few from Aspen.

 

[Tom K.]

^^^ The pup looks ready to go! Our dog hates it when we stop on the skis or bike. "Let's GO!"

@LowPressureKarl, what's the story with the paragliders?!

 

[Joel]

I just pulled my Farley 5 out to get ready for some riding. Now if it would only snow where I'm at!