QC Fat Bike Ride: Enjoying the Muk!

A few weeks ago I participated in a local mountain bike club's group fat bike ride on the banks of the Mississippi River.  I am a fairly anti-social and typically don't join these clubs or participate in these activities.  I would like to say however, that this particular group is nice, unlike some others I have tried to ride with in the past.  It is not that I don't like people or their club activities (most of the time), it is mostly due to time constraints like work and family.  In this case the club is very welcoming, I just don't have the time to meet regularly and therefore I don't make a lot of friends. 

 

 

Anyway, I felt compelled to go on this ride and since it was a federal holiday weekend (four days off at home) my wife would quickly grow tired of me pestering her.  She is a good wife, she understands me and forced me to go.  The Mississippi River has been very low this year due to the drought which makes fat biking down the banks of the river a lot of fun.  

 

The idea behind this ride was to start in downtown Davenport, ride down the river bank, go around Credit Island, then cross a fancy bike bridge, and ride a mile or so down to a cozy little establishment called Dee's Enchanted Inn to eat and consume alcohol before returning.  It had about 70 people in attendance.  Not all of them were on fat bikes, but I would say the vast majority were.

 

Over all the ride was nice.  It was fun to see so many fat bikes and while I don't drink alcohol, I was mostly interested in the group ride.  So, when we stopped an hour or so into the ride (which was not a long way) for a beer break I was reminded of why I usually dislike group rides.  You are kind of stuck conforming to the group agenda.  It was about 25 degrees with a little wind and I was growing tired of standing around and happy to get rolling again.  I am not sure how some of them were able to ride home.     

 

One of the great things about fat bikes is how "easily" they roll through crazy terrain.   

 

 

No trails.....No problem. 

Big sticks, small logs, and random holes.....No Problem!!!

The conservationist in me was not fond of 70 people riding willy nilly through this area, however, this is not an overly fragile environment. After the river rises this spring it will wash away any trace of our presence. 

 

Fat Bikes everywhere!!!

 

Even more fat bikes.  I have loved 29ers since I got my first one.  I thought they were big.  Then I see a 29er parked next to a group of fat bikes and it looks skinny!  Clearly a 26 inch or 29er can and did ride over this terrain but I guarantee there is a clear difference in how they (both the bike and rider) feel while bush whacking.

Things started to get a little rowdy at Dee's so I packed up and headed back solo.  I found this to be the most enjoyable part of the ride.  I continued the ride around Credit Island.     

Long Shadows!

It was nice and sunny though the temperature did not warm up which made the ride back a little easier. 

As I rode through this channel I was suprised.  At first glance it appeared that life was going to get muddy but the water was frozen and mud was firm even though it looked like it was liquid. 

With low pressure, these tires are amazing on this type of terrain.  Logs, mud, and ice are much "easier" with fat tires.



Stern Wheeler on the Mississippi.  

I like the Endomorph tire and I am sad to see it go.  It does very well on terrain like this and I am not sure why Surly is ending production.

At the end of the day there was a little more partying than riding, that can be the danger of a group ride.  It was also advertised as that, so I am glad I took off early and returned solo.  I enjoy the peace that comes from riding.  The river is very high now, all of these places are now underwater and it could be years before the river is this low again.  I doubt I will ever ride it like this again.  I am grateful for the opportunity to get out and ride something different.

Christmas Ride and Doing Stuff with Some Success.

I am an active person.  I have a hard time sitting and doing nothing.  The other day I decided that I wanted to make top tube bag that I could put some quick access items in.  I pulled out an old uniform top and pulled the zipper, cut out the back, and went to work designing.  All in all it was a fairly smooth project for a hack and it only occupied a few hours of my life. 

The pattern worked out well and the pieces went together as designed.  

The zipper is a little off center but I can put stuff in it and it zips shut.  That is about where the functional aspect of it ends.  Christmas Day I decided to get out and enjoy the balmy 19 degrees and sun on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi.  The day was great but the top tub bag was a flop.....literally.  As I rode it flopped to the side.  I need to beef up the Velcro and make it so I can tighten it better.  Hopefully I can retro-fit this otherwise it will serve some other function.  Not an epic failure, but a failure just the same.

Aside from my flopping top tube bag, the remainder of the ride was amazing.  I have not lived in the Quad-City area for a long time so I don't know what the usual river levels are but there is no doubt that the summer drought has left it pretty low.  This allowed for a wide range of riding opportunities and the Salsa Mukluk has far exceeded my expectations.

I dropped onto the river bank below the old railroad swing bridge and rode most of the way around Credit Island.  There was a wide range of riding conditions from drifting snow to ice, sand, and larger rocks and boulders.  The width of these tires provide a lot of stability in all of those conditions.  I am particularly surprised with how they handle on the baseball size rocks, these wheels eat them up versus sliding off the side of the rock.  While my 29ers would handle it but it would be rough.   

I found the ice on the rocks and logs to be very interesting.  I am not sure what would cause ice to freeze like this, but the banks were lined with it and it was beautiful.

The top tube pack was not my only failure of the day.  As I rode around Credit Island I came upon a fallen tree with root ball.  I was presented with three options; left through the water, right through the snow, or over.  The water was clearly out of the question and the snow looked to be deep enough to cause problems.  Since the tree was only waist high I decided to lift the bike over.      

As I lifted my 35 pound Panzer over the tree I suddenly found myself in desperate need of traction.  I don't know if the ice broke and then I slipped or I slipped and fell breaking the ice under me.  Either way, I found myself lying on the ground trying to brace an awkward bike and get up off the frozen ground.  This was an epic failure. 

I decided on the return that I would ride around the tree and had far greater success.  Over all it was a great way to enjoy a quiet Christmas afternoon.  Much better than laying on the couch feasting on left overs.