Finding Freshies at Kenosha Pass

I heard a rumor of Kenosha Pass being ridable by Fat Bike just a few short weeks ago...



What we discovered yesterday was a fresh blanket of 3-6 inches and fresh tracks to made



Kenosha Pass but so much different then remembered...

 



and then the views started getting big





and bigger





Then Huge!









Then we lost the trail due to snow drifts and unpacked snow....



So we headed back East



















A final Guacamole got of me launching the rocks...such a Fat Bike Moment



Weeeeeeeee!!!!

Self Portrait at 13 degrees

Hooked on a Fatty

So let's recap the past 2 months in a brief summary...
 My last ride before I stopped was somewhere around November 25th.
 My fork started leaking negative air pressure, DU bushings in the rear shock were shot
I bought a house. The sewer line collapsed. I had to pay mucho dollars to have it repaired...blah...blah...blah..

Fast forward to December 30th. The local Annual Beerd Belly Ride was on January 1st and I wanted in. So I rented a Salsa Beargrease..a fat bike and it was tons of fun...

So if you don't understand Fat Bikes...here's a quick idea of it.. Fat bikes have specially made frames and forks to run 3.7 inch wide tires or larger. These tires are generally held by rims in the 47mm-100mm width but 65mm and wider are generally the rule of thumb for winter riding.



What's the point? Well those wider tires do something special. Most normal mountain bike tires run anywhere from 20psi to 35psi. I usually run 22-25 psi myself. Those huge fat tires on a fat bike though. Well on dirt they can run 9-11psi comfortably for my weight. These huge tires have so much volume that they act like a sort of suspension in themselves. But the real idea behind these tires is snow. Drop the air pressure to say 4-6 psi and these tires flatten and widen their footprint and snow that would be difficult on a normal mountain bike becomes easily doable on the Fat bike.

The Fat Bike and its tires do have their limitations though. Riding uphill or even flat through deep powder is near impossible but get the right conditions or even a powdery downhill, they are bliss. Perfect for whats needed to continue riding in the Front Range and beyond of Colorado.



So my wife saw how much fun I had on the fat bike and said," Lets see what we can do about getting you one." I though she was crazy at 1st. We had just spent mucho dollars on a new home and on a new sewer line. But we have a rule around here that we don't spend received christmas money on bills. I found a 2011 Salsa Mukluk frame and fork cheap at Treefortbikes.com and that bought that. But I still needed parts. I had a few odds n ends but still needed wheels, tires, Fatbike specific crankset since these run a 100mm wide bottom bracket with a specific chainline, in my case 67.5mm for my Salsa Mukluk.

 To fund this I'm selling my Road Bike which is a Salsa Podio, full Dura Ace 10 speed and all kinds of Goodies. If your interested email me at: jeremyarnold33 at gmail dot com. I'm looking for $1600 but am willing to negotiate a bit.



I talked to Golden Bike Shop which used to be the regular shop but in my humble opinion as well as many that I've talked to, is that Golden's Rep as a shop has gone down since their General Manager Adam left them for Rocky Mountain Bicycles. Their attitude about building wheels and buying parts from them left me feel wanting so my buddy Greg turned me onto Pedal of Littleton.

 The owners of Pedal of Littleton just moved to town from Georgia about a year ago and the head honcho, Andy has owned a Surly Pugsley (fat bike) since they came out. They are super excited about Fat Bikes and have tons of stock. I got them to build my wheels, and then ordered everything I needed from them.

So here it is...In it's glory and all done.



Salsa Mukluk Frame 19"

Wheels
Hope Pro 2 EVO Fatsno Hubs, Blue
Salsa Blue Skewers
Surly Holy Rolling Darryl Rims, Silver
DT Swiss Double Butted Competition Spokes
DT Swiss Brass Nipples
Surly RimStrip
Q SL Tubes

Tires

45NRTH Husker Du 90 tpi front/rear

Brakes
Avid BB7
Avid Ultimate Brake Levers, Silver
Alligator 160mm rotors
Jagwire Reinforced Kevlar Braided Brake Housing, Sterling Silver
Jagwire Teflon Coated Brake Cable

Components
Sram XO Shifters
Sram X9 Rear Derailleur
Sram X7 Front Derailleur
XTR 12-34 Cassette
45Nrth Willful Neglect chain
Jagwire Steel Braided Shift Housing, Sterling Silver
RaceFace Turbine Cranks 175mm/RaceFace 36/22 T, Gray
RaceFace Team XC BB
Shimano XT Pedals
Chris King Silver Headset with blue top bearing race
Kona 90mm, -6 degree stem, silver
RaceFace Atlas Bars, 740mm, Blue
Ergon GP1 grips
Salsa Seat post 27.2-330mm
WTB Pure V
Salsa Lip Lock Collar, Blue


It's 1st voyage was dry dirt during the local night ride. It was an awesome experience but this bike was built with snow in mind and snow it had.

I talked my buddy Torkima into riding Georgetown. I had no idea what the snow conditions were but I was hoping for something on the ground that was rideable.

We found what we were looking for and more...



I'm faster then a train...whoo...whoo



Same idea as in the summer. It ain't Fat Biking without a little hike a biking









at 10,000 ft it was decision time. head down some sweet singletrack I know of back into Georgetown or head up to Waldorf Mine. We headed up.











At 11,200 we started to run into some really loose sugar snow. We were both getting whooped and kept going to 11,400 before time finally got us and we had to head down.





Riding down from 11,400 ft





Looks like winter just got a little less depressing and a whole lot more fun! Weeeee!!

Getting in the last High Country rides before winter hits...

Just before the Goat's Fall Tour last weekend I hit Meadow Mtn and Son of Middle Creek in a cold, light drizzle on that Thursday Last Wednesday it was Fantastic Lenawee..I got to chase Snow Clouds at 12,500 ft and had a rippin Fast descent down Lenawee into the small village of Montezuma. I finished just as it was getting dusk and I was ready to strap on my lights and start the 5 mile or so climb up US6 when I heard someone calling my name in the distance, "Goat....Goat...Goat" Why its Full Trucker calling my name with a beer in hand and offers of a shuttle. I thought it'd be rude to turn him down. =) Then on Saturday a weather front was settled in over the Denver Metro area. 30 degrees or so and a freezing rain was dropping. That's ok though because I went to Vail, about 60 miles or so to the west and found blue skies and highs in the 50's. Perfect! What I discovered there was Nirvana

The 2nd Annual Goat's Fall Tour

Looks like my big ol fall loop is becoming a tradition. I didn't do as well this year as I did last but I finished and had a small group of happy survivors who were all delirious about the amount of fantastic singletrack. For a recap, check out the MTBR Thread.

Scarp's Ridge Super Loop

It's my favorite time of the year. Fall. The riding temperature is just right, a crisp edge to the air that feels cleansing. The Aspens and the high country foliage are turning shades of deep gold, reds, and oranges. So I took advantage of a quick weekend getaway at Crested Butte and what I rode astounded and mesmerized me as the Butte usually does. Check out all the photos and words on MTBR

Wheeler Pass to Miner's Creek

There are a few that have said that Miner's Creek, a section of the Colorado Trail between Breckenridge and Copper is a Novelty. Best done once to say you have done it, but otherwise not very enjoyable.

I have determined these people have:

A. No sense of adventure, grandeur or sense of appreciating the beauty that surrounds us

B. No downhilling, technical, or other skills that would help one enjoy the awesomeness of such a spectacular downhill

C. Hates hike a bikes. If you've ridden with me, you know I enjoy them almost as much as I enjoy riding. Thankfully, I had two others who enjoy it almost as much as I do.

For a full write up...see Trucker's scribing and my photos on MTBR