Another year, another Global Fat Bike Day.  This one was special for me as it was my first ride back on the mountain bike (expect for a couple of very painful rides I gave up on in the summer) since my accident.  It was also the first ride out on my resurrected fat bike. 

The bike was everything that I hoped it would be when done.   Fully rigid on 4" rubber, 1 x 10 driveline, loaded with simple and reliable components.  It doesn't get much simpler than this when it comes to mountain biking, and its just what I needed.  A reliable machine to get me back on the trails.  Full spec below...

• Nashbar Big Ol' Fatbike frame and fork
• Cane Creek S3 headset
• Origin8 / Weinnman wheelset (72mm rims, 170 / 135 hubs)
• Surly Nate Skinwall tires
• Avid BB7 brakes with FR5 levers and Goodridge compression-less cables and housings.
• Shimano SLX rear derailleur and shifter
• Sram 10 speed cassette (with OneUp 42t adapter) and chain
• Race Face Atlas handlebar
• Race Face Chester stem
• Race Face Ride seatpost
• Race Face Ride crankset with 30t OneUp narrow-wide ring
• Specialized Phenom 155 saddle
• Oury grips

Feast your eyes.....

My good riding partner, Wide Open Willie, and I set out to do our own little ride at Turkey Point.  We kept to the trails within the Provincial Park and did a nice loop that reversed back on a few trails.  A great day to get out there.  The resurrected fat bike did well, very well.  It took everything in stride and kept me grinning ear to ear.  I think its safe to say that I'm back in the saddle again and I can't wait to put more miles on.

Its been far too long and I've missed the sound of my huge tires humming along in the dirt, with the occasional click of the shifter or squeak from the brakes.  Carving up the winding trails and attacking the short climbs put me back into my Happy Place that I've missed for months.  

​See you on the trails...

Cyclists are a diverse crowd of people usually from many different walks of life but brought together by the perfect creation known as the bicycle.  While out on the trail or road you will run into many unique characters who can usually fit into a specific cycling sub-culture.  At the risk of stereotyping and being boarder line racist, I bring you "The Eight Mountain Bikers You Will Meet".  Remember, its just for fun.

Usually when you come across this cyclist its a middle aged white male sporting a full on lycra race team kit who dosen't have the time or courtesy to say hello as he passes you.  It seems he always has a serious or nearly pissed off look on his face as his rides are always spent "training"  and most likely rides a carbon 29er with 2.1" tires.  His GPS and power meter are beeping as he passes by, and when he gets home he has to enter all his ride details into a complex spreadsheet.  He spends alot of time searching for the lightest carbon bits for his bike and categorizes meals as good or bad carbs.  The Racer's main concern is getting on the podium at the local weeknight race series, and talking shit with all the other racer types on the regional cycling forum.

You've seen this rider.  He blasts by you riding a mid 90's hardtail, bouncing down the trail on the edge of control with equipment like cantilever brakes, 8 speed drivetrain, vintage Panaracer tires, and a Rock Shox Judy fork to boot.  His equipment is well worn but dialled in and he scoffs at the idea of buying a new bike from this century.  He will argue that his clapped out bike with 120mm stem and 400mm bars is the pinnacle of bike technology and all subsequent bike related inventions are redundant.  He rarely visits a bike shop as he buys all his replacement parts used from eBay.  When he does visit a bike shop you can usually see him bitching about why cables cost so much and why can't he buy a new Panaracer Smoke tire?

Easily summed up as the douchebag of cycling, this early 20's adrenaline seeker is kitted out with a long travel suspension bike bought with his parent's money and a full kit of Troy-Lee Designs gear.  He's always looking to "shred the gnar" and ride the "sickest" lines.  He is always the guy who laughs at other riders when they go down and offers no assistance.  He never brings any spares and can be seen walking his bike out of the woods every once in a while because of it.  If you don't give him your spare tube when he flats you are usually "harshing the buzz" of the ride in his eyes.  Sometimes the Bro Rider can be of benefit to everyone else because they usually give up on mountain biking after two seasons and move onto something like cliff diving or parkour while selling their top shelf enduro bike for peanuts to free up space for their new juicer.

This rider loves their 29er/650b/fat/plus/whatever bike and won't shut the hell up about it.  They usually are of the opinion that their chosen wheel size is best and you are inferior for riding anything else than what they deem proper.  They can usually be seen handing out unsolicited advice about how you could benefit from riding a 29er/650b/etc like they do and that they are the best thing since sliced bread.  These guys are usually good for some entertainment value, its great to tell them that you don't think you would need an XXer to ride a particular trail feature and watch their head explode.

This rider usually has no idea about anything to do with cycling but can ride like a son of a bitch.  Nearly always on a department store bike or an entry level Specialized he got from a garage sale, he will ride past you like you are standing still.  You can usually hear them coming because their derailleur is so far out of adjustment that the squeaky dry chain is clanging and trying to shift gears while he rides along.  This rider could benefit from a solid bike and some knowledge in the area of chainging gears and fixing flat tires but will argue that they are perfectly happy with what they have.  Riding with this guy will frustrate the hell out of you as he will pass you on your carbon 29er at the base of the climb and leave you in the dust while mashing the pedals on his 60 pound department store special.

This guy always seems to be out in a particular trail when you are.  He can always be seen helping other riders who are lost or need some recommendations on what trails to ride.  He knows the name of every trail in the system and always seems to know what the conditions are like at any given time.  He also knows about each and every downed tree or debris blocking a trail and will give you a heads up.  He will offer his spare tube or chain link to help a stuck rider and accept nothing in return.  He is always smiling and makes time to stop and chat with anyone that feels the urge.  He is usually an older gent with a beard who you would swear must live out in these woods somewhere.  He is a wealth of knowledge and usually well respected by the local riders.

This rider is easily spotted by their shiny new bikes with all the flashy bits you could ever imagine bolted to it.  This is a money-is-no-object type of person who has no issue in slamming down $7000 every year on a new bike with full XTR and carbon everything.  Their bike and gear is always so new that you wonder if they even ride much.  Every trailside water break with them turns into a discussion about why their gold plated chain works so much better than your good old half worn out nickel plated chain at twenty times the cost.  Their garage is usually full of top of the line "spares" as they spend all their free time and money shopping online for the latest and greatest in bike parts.  No matter what cool new piece of gear you get, they have something better and aren't afriad to tell you about it.  This rider is not humble by any means and is the one-upper of the bike world.

This is an odd one.  The Stravasshole is usually a sub-category of The Racer, taking his need for data collection and training even further while giving up on the racing part.  They chase things called KOM's in a virtual online time trail against other Stravassholes, all while giving kudos to eachother in an online circle jerk.  They spend alot of time checking their performance on the Strava website and looking at flyby and heatmap info, looking for the perfect segment to score their next KOM.  They usually cry like little bitches when they lose their hard earned KOM to someone faster.  The Stravasshole is a serious beast, always having their game face on and ready to cuss you out if you get in their way, costing them valuable seconds in their KOM attempts.  This rider can usually be seen only riding on days when conditions are best (to increase their odds of going faster) and usually cutting corners and technical features to gain precious milliseconds.  During the winter months, the Stravasshole goes into hibernation and transforms beautifully, just like a butterfly, into a Zwiftard until the next spring.  If I ever hear someone come up behind me yelling "Strava" they are going to get my four inch wide tire shoved right up their ass.