Fatty McFat Fat

Finally, I have the makings of a fatbike going on! It all started with an email to my friend Barney who had found some fat rims on his local (Maine) Craigslist. Didn't think much more about it than the usual intrigue. Then one day I shot him an email asking if he'd consider selling them to me. I was a bit surprised that he said yes right away. He sold them to me for what he got them for which was a considerable savings over retail.

Vicious Cycles Graceful Fat Sheba 80mm rims

 They are both drilled offset for a typical setup on a Pugsley. Since I plan on running an IGH, one of them would be fine but the other would need some mods for the front.

 Barney also had one tire that I got from him as well. Half way there!

 A rim that is drilled offset is perfect for an offset drivetrain. However, not so much for a symmetric front wheel. Therefore I laid out to drill some more spoke holes on the opposite side.

committed

 I was able to get a promo deal on Sapim Super Spokes so I thought that I would use them in this wheel build. They are so thin yet super strong. They will do their part to keep the wheels as light as they can be giving the components chosen.

now drilled for a symmetric wheel

 Drilling the extra 32 spoke holes went well. I did the layout with a rule and square and got them looking good. Then I used an automatic center punch on the marks and drilled them with sequential sized bits on the drill press. Good to go!

The frame. Surly Necromancer or Neck Romancer, formally Black Ops Pug

 I plan on building a frame. I have a lot of plans like that. In the meantime I bought this frame so that I can get out there and finally play in the snow like I want to. I really look forward to riding this bike. It should be a blast.

The rear dropouts. Decent setup for an IGH

Looks like I got broadsided by a car!

current weight of the GFS rims

 I have laid out for 1.25" holes to pull some weight off of the rims. Plus, you gotta show off the rim tape. I think it looks wicked with all the holes in the rims. If they fall apart, I will start over.

change my mind and stop now or go for it?

FAT Goodness

 The latest score was an incredible deal on a Enabler fork and Salsa front hub. What I love the most is that it is drilled for Anything Cages so I can use my PR bags on the fork. Time to start putting it all together.

For what it's worth

I reset the Tour Divide counter to the right. We'll see!

letting the cat out of the bag

I've been avoiding this post for a bit too long now. I originally was going to post it on the first day of the new year. Furthermore, I was going to have already told my friends. I didn't do any of that and here I am.

I will NOT be at the start line of Tour Divide 2013.

Oh, there is so much pain in seeing those words. It has been hard enough finally saying it out loud to myself and my wife. For many reasons which add up against me, I have to only hope that I will make it for 2014. Instead of actually making that claim, I am going to continue with forward momentum to make it happen. The "when" will work itself out.

To satisfy my desire for adventure, my wife came up with the clever idea that I should plan a small New England tour for next Spring. It would allow me to still have a trip and help with shaking out the kit and making sure everything is in order.

With that said, I leave it behind me and move forward. I have great plans for 2013 and I will now focus on making those work out the best they can.

last day of the year commute

So, I managed to ride to work today on the Voodoo for what was virtually the only ride I've done in the month of December aside from the S24O I did on the 1st with my friend Joe. I did get out last night for an urban assault on Essex Junction to try out the new winter boots. I have to say that I am glad that I finally got them. It is nice to know that you can walk through a section of snow without your booties pulling up and letting snow all over your shoes that will melt and get you feet wet. Not to mention that they are very comfortable.

In other news, I just ordered and Surly Necromancer frame that I will build up in short order (hopefully) so that I can finally get in some fatbiking. I am looking forward to it. I have a couple of friends that have been at it a couple years and I have just been dreaming about it. +Mike Beganyi is my local authority on the subject and I look forward to finally sharing in the bounty.

Stay tuned for writeups on that build. I will be starting with a wheel build as soon as I gather the rest of the parts.

December (nearly winter) S24O

There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this trip. It wasn't terribly certain that it was going to happen until a couple days before and then the day of seemed to have some events that compromised the departure. In the end my friend Joe and I left his house at about 3pm for the ~30 mile trip to Little River State Park for an overnight at a leanto.

out for another bout

Joe had recently purchased and put together a Taut Terrain Amber Road. It is one fine rig I might add. Dyno light, Alfine IGH, belt drive, integrated rear rack, kickstand! That's right, I am finally old enough that a kickstand is cool again.

the rigs

We rode into the evening on some really nice dirt that I have never been on. That helped make the trip more mystic. The route was off the beaten path but for some reason, the night we were out there, the traffic was pretty dense. We ended up riding out into a valley with some nice expansive views. It was actually bouncing around between cold/windy to warm/breezy. It was on Nashville Rd. in Jericho/Bolton that I was thinking how nice it would be to be on a fatbike. Later on the ride I thought the same thing again when we got to the park. After an incredible and sometimes sketchy downhill on Stage Rd. we ended up at Route 2 in Jonesville, a community of Richmond. We proceeded to follow Duxbury Rd. along the river into Waterbury. Blustery gusts of wind and long stretches of road bring you to realize that you are out there because you love it. Why else would you leave the comfort of your warm home and Netflix to spend a potentially dreadful night in the woods.

After a quick stop at the store for a warm up and a few supplies, including a flask of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and apple cider, we continued on to Little River Rd. It eventually kicks up and takes you around the edge of the dam and into the park. We embarked on some unplowed roads, snagged a couple chunks of firewood and rode on to our camp. We setup before too long, changed out of our riding clothes and worked on warming up. I was pretty determined to have a fire this time after missing out on one last trip. With a bit of luck and help from Joe, we got something going and it was, if nothing else, spirit lifting to prepare for the cold night's sleep. Oh, and let's not forget the enjoyment of some spiked cider.

I wasn't properly prepared for what was to come so I had a rough night. I ended up leaving the interior of my tent and jumping up in the leanto with one last attempt to get some solid rest. I have learned quite a bit on this trip and will know better next time I attempt a winter S24O. And yes, there will be more! I still had a blast.

We finally saw morning light, got up and prepared some breakfast. Sitting there enjoying our meal, we got some morning sun coming up and life, at least for me, sprung back. We packed up camp and hit the road. It was decided that we would just hit Route 2 back into Richmond and then Cochran Rd. for a bit. The temps creeped up enough to stop and strip off some layers. We continued to ride in towards home and we split off from each other on River Rd. where Joe turned up to his house and I continue on to mine.

Very nice trip, all things considered. I look forward to doing more of these winter trips in the future and definitely a ton of them next Spring.

my body imprint - not all that insulated

packing up for the ride home

Joe's Taut Terrain

top of the Waterbury Dam

bike route from November S24O

Recent happenings

There are a few events that have happened on the bike and I never got around to writing about them. One of them was an alley cat race called the Great Turkey Chase. I did it with my friend Joe, who turned me on to it. It was our third time in a row. It is a benefit for the VT Foodbank. The just of it is you race around Burlington from store to store following a map and buying items that they request. It's somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 miles worth of riding all the while the bag on your back is getting heavier with the food you collect for the finish. There is time bonuses for bagging a turkey before the finish. We don't ride fast enough to be in contention for a win so you just do it for the sport of it.

This year we did quite well, getting in way better than half the field. We rode strong and ride pretty well paced to each other. The start is downtown at Maglianero cafe. From there you work your way downtown with a few stops before heading out to North Ave to the Hannaford and then back. This time the route went into Winooski which was very nicely laid out.

It is an exiting time and I will continue to do it each year. It's for a good cause as well. This year the weather was very nice. The most interesting thing that happened to me this year was leaving my bike in a bad spot while I went in a store to come out and find that it was backed over by a SUV. The bike was not hurt but the saddle took a good beating. It bent the seat rails which I worked back the best I could. Only thing that hurts from that is the $170 price tag if I care to replace it. I don't!

Another, and even more exciting, event I did was a fall (read: early winter) S24O similar to the one I did 13 months ago. I spent the night at a leanto but I got to sleep in my new Tarptent Moment. I will do a review on that in the near future. I have only camped in it twice so I would like to get a few more trips in it first. I also got to try out my bikepacking setup which includes my new bags from Scott Felter of the Porcelain Rocket. I have to say that these bags are fracking awesome and are premium quality. I knew that they would be great even before I got to use them. I will also do a write up on them soon as well.

On this trip I went solo. I had plans to get out with Mike but he feel sick a few days before the trip. It was not good weather but the foulness was a good personal test so I took the challenge. I set up an impromptu route that maximized dirt roads. This is the map:

I went through Westford, Essex, Jericho, Richmond, Waterbury. I worked my way up through Cottonbrook into Little River State Park just in time for dinner. After night fell I had a bit of rain that turned into a snow squal that lasted about 45 minutes. I was afraid that this was going to last all night but it actually tapered off before I hit camp. When I got there I tried to get a fire going and was successful at first but I couldn't find a way to keep it going with nothing but wet wood all around me. I decided to eat dinner and setup my tent. After I ate, I changed and hit the bag. It turns out that I got a lot of sleep. I did get up one time for the bathroom and I woke up a few times during the night either slightly uncomfortable or cold. I think the overnight low was around 28 degrees. I was using a 20 degree bag but I think that it has lost a bit of its insulating value to age.

When I woke in the morning, I was cold enough to want nothing more than to pack camp and hit the road. I did just that and came down the front of the park to route 2 and headed for Richmond. It was there I stopped at a cafe to warm up and get a bite to eat and some much needed coffee. After hanging out for a bit, I hit the road and finished the ride to my house. I made it back 23 hours after I left for the trip. The ride out was ~60 miles and the return trip was ~30 miles. Good time and I felt pretty good in the process. The bike was flawless.

Will I make it out again before the snow flies!?

Here is a photo dump from my S24O: (phone pics)

Lost Nation Rd.

old Vermont charm

more

new Vermont charm

nothing beats Vermont dirt

lunch break

VT art

the rig

there's snow up there

hey wait, i'm going up there

flat in Waterbury

Cottonbrook just at dark

morning after a cold night