Fatbike ride #2 — wow that was fun!

Yesterday’s dirt[mud/ice/snow]road ride wasn’t super exciting (Ride #1 on a fatbike).

Today, I rode in my back yard. And it was awesome.

50mm stem, slammed seat and Saint flat pedals: ready for action.

I live on two very steep acres. Other than the pump track, which was carved into the hillside by hand, the yard has proven too steep and loose for me to ride. My last experiment ended butt-first in a tangle of cactus, with The Wife on tweezer duty and my stepson Ian holding the flashlight.

When the fatbike thing entered my noggin I started wondering, can I ride one right here? How cool would that be? Ride 100 feet up the road, dive down the hill, rail the pump track then go up for another lap. That would be rad!

Drop the tire pressure, slam the seat and roll into the pump track …

Slow … wallowy … but I’m riding right over the snow patches … and I’m laying into the berms … and it’s different, but I’m still on the bike … and it’s fun!

Whoa! It worked.

A couple of those laps and it was time. I rolled to the street, climbed to the top of the property and … dropped in.

Tentative at first … foot out for no reason … then starting to trust … feet up, traversing off-camber frost … and the bike is sticking! Hauling ass, point it down the fall line and catch myself like I’m skiing … edging … drifting … but holding in a predictably unpredictable way.

Next thing I know, I’m dropping into the pump track.

After a few of these laps, I feel myself getting out of the way. Sprinting across the road, hopping over the snowbank and diving in with full impunity. Pumping the transitions, unloading between corners, braking hard and basically doing things I shouldn’t be able to do … and doing them so hard the rear wheel came out of the dropout.

This should be impossible. Impossible I tell you.

This feels so good!

That, right there, is the fatbike promise. Not to ride icy roads that are better on cross bikes. Heck no: To ride stuff you can’t ride otherwise.

Ha! That’s a new line into this berm.

Stoked on this adventure. Looking forward to seeing what’s possible.

Lee

Thanks to Lester Pardoe for loaning me his Salsa Mukluk.

Know more. Have more fun!

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