MNR - Not just about the biking

Three riders and two snowshoers...That was all it took to make a fun MNO - Monday Night Outing. Chris, Dale and I on bikes, Dave N and Paul on snowshoes. Good times and I think we all got a hefty workout in. We had a few inches of new snow and it was enough to make things slick on the bikes. You would slide on the fresh powder right into the hardpack edges of the old snow trail and end up off your bike. I actually lost count of the number times that I found myself with my bike sideways on the ground and I'm running alongside the trail after getting thrown off. While this doesn't sound like that much of a good time, it was.

 

Chris and Dale making their way back to the parking lot

I forgot one piece of mount for the GoPro, so I was video less for the night snow ride. It would have been a good one to record as many times as I fell and saw Chris just topple sideways while still clipped in. I really don't remember Dale falling at all, or even having that much trouble at all for that matter. For once, the skinny prevailed over the fatties!

 

Stomp stomp stomp

For my second lap, I aired down the tires a bit and suddenly the Endos and the Larrys were grabbing the trail much better. What a big difference a few psi can make! Dave and Paul helped to pack down the trail, and we ended up making a full loop on the north side of Fort Street, including the wetlands and behind the houses. Thanks guys for helping us two wheeled addicts out!

 

Chris' custom made jacket. Half snow, half dry.

 Chris was making snow angels everywhere

It just occurred to me, what if we didn't have that part of Tranquility to ride? Where would we have ridden and snowshoed all winter long? The older north side is sometimes impassable because of the heavy snow sitting on the pine trees. And the southside would be terrible with the wind and amount of snow in the fields. We did a snowride around the creek leading to the kiosk. But the sectioned loop is so short (basically from the kiosk to the gravel road and back along the creek) that after awhile and much difficulty, it gets kind of boring.

 

I had forgotten that I put this sticker on my seatpost. Appropriate for snowbiking, this end up!

For those of you who have never tried snowbiking or didn't get out on the bike this winter, you don't know what you're missing! While cruising along and trying to catch Chris last Monday, I realized just how much fun I was having and how I wished we could snowbike year round. It's true that you won't be getting a ton of miles in. Heck, we were doing about 4 miles total in about 2 hours. Does that seem slow on paper? Yes! But on the trail, fumbling around on the snow makes time fly. There is a lot of pushing with your foot. Lots of balancing acts and trackstands. There is a lot of sweat and hard work to get from point A to point B where your friends are waiting for you. Call us crazy if you want, but we're out having a blast in the snow while most people are sitting inside on their couches with the heat turned up.

Snowy MNR

This week's MNR was a totally different story from the 60 degree one that we experienced last week. Snow left over from the weekend. Still lots of it. The riding was fun, seemed a lot easier than Saturday and Sunday's riding. You could actually get around in it. Still deep in parts, still falling down and giggling. But it actually started to feel like riding. By 7:30pm, the trail was beginning to refreeze and traction was becoming excellent. We rode both sides that were packed down over the weekend. The strangest fog rolled in during the ride. Something I've never seen or experienced before. Like a textbook movie fog during a werewolf scene. Out were Michael M, Chris P, Dale, and Steve on skis with Cody.

The 5 ft tall fog that rolled in from the creek. Dale taking a break to check it out

 You thought night riding was hard, this is what snow night riding looks like!

Sunday Funday snowday riding!

It was my goal to head out to Mt. Crescent to get some snowboarding in. Spent much of Saturday night waxing my board and trying to figure out a tether system to keep my GoPro from being lost on the slope. I'm attaching the camera directly to the snowboard behind the nose, and while that isn't recommended, they suggest using a tether system "just in case". Found some camera wriststraps, got some keychain holders things from Home Depot, and i was good to go!

One handed snowbiking and taking pictures at its best!

The trail was better and easier to ride compared to Saturday

Michael M rounding the bend

Dale and Ginger out, both making tracks of their own

After an hour of packing food, clothing, and my board into my car on Sunday, I got a call from Paul. Don't go. Two hour wait at the lift ticket line. YIKES! Mt. Crescent had done a groupon and a living social deal just recently, and with fresh snow, everyone wanted to get up on the action. Thanks for the call Paul! A bunch of us will most likely be going this Sunday to Crescent if people are interested. Probably get there early to avoid the massive lines. THOR meeting on Saturday with biking and some light trail work at Manawa to follow. See THOR facebook or webpage for details.

Mike, Jorge, and Christian made it out

This is how we clear the trail. Use fatbikes!

I unpacked my car and loaded up the Muk. Time to try some more biking. Satuday was rough. Blowing snow and the snow was too wet and heavy to really get yourself rolling too well. But Sunday was better. We hit up north of Fort street where I met up with Chris P and Michael M. Before long, Christian, Jorge, and a third Mike came rolling up on fatties! It was like a fatbike gathering! Dale was also out with Ginger to test some new snowshoes that he had bought. He was loving it, but he said he was feeling his legs being put to work! I think the snowshoes are pretty hard work actually. Lots of lifting of your leg, higher and harder than you normally would. Especially if snow is on the shoe. It would be like doing high sassy kicks with 2.5lb weights strapped to the top of your feet.

Biking in the deep 4X4 tracks was almost like riding in the gutter of a bowling alley. You just kept bouncing from side to side along the walls of the snow. 

 

Now thats a fat b*tch! 4.7 inch compared to my measly 3.8!!! I almost started feeling insecure about my smaller size. Haha. Just had to throw that joke in there

Jorge on his new rig. Surly Moonlander

Six riders on fatties...it's the most I've ever seen at one time. Two white Pugs, one custom painted green Pugs, a Moonlander (4.7inch tires), my Muk2, and Christian's 9Zero7. Lots of fat toys out that day. And we were all having a blast! We finally cleared the ravine and I looked over and saw that a 4wd truck of sorts had gone through the wetlands. Made a huge loop. How it never got stuck I'm not sure. But it gave us a track to ride in. It was fun. The snow was so deep that your pedals would hit both sides of the snow while your tires just kept rolling along. I was bouncing back and forth in the track like a pinball. It was actually keeping me upright most of the time, like training wheels. I guess think of it as a gutter at the bowling alley. The ball just goes into the sides and keeps rolling.

Michael M was out just as much as I was!

Got in a good 4 something miles on Sunday. That may not sound like much, but I think snowbiking is twice as hard as regular singletrack dirt riding. The controlling of the steering, staying on the trail, and trying not to sink into the snow and doing an endo makes it a lot harder. Not only mentally but also physically. Add to that the bundles of clothing and the tons of snow sticking to the wheels and bike. Awesome workout!

Christian clearing the ravine

We were getting brave in the snow and going over the huge log crossings. After seeing everyone else try, I decided to give my first go at it. For one, the mounds of snow and ice on my pedals made it near impossible to find the pedals when you needed them. Then the fear of getting stopped at the top by the snow and then having to try to find your footing. But in the back of your mind, you know that snow is cuddly soft and that falling won't hurt. Unless your hip hits the log like mine did. Good times. Photos for now, videos eventually.

 

 Photo by Michael M photography. Besides Paul and I, we now have more paparazzi out at Tranquility!

MNR from two weeks ago

MNRs over the past couple of weeks, wow, what a difference! Temps in the 60s, then temps in the 20s. Shorts, then having to ride with layers upon layers of clothing. These posts are out of order, sorry. Two MNRs ago, Chris unveiled his latest addition to Tranquility. They dump dirt on the trail? Might as well use the dirt to our advantage. That first night of trying to ride the hill was difficult. There was a soft layer of silt about 2 or more inches deep everywhere. You put your foot down, you sink. You try to get traction, you spin. Add to the fact that it was dark, tight turns and steep climbs, sounds like a good combination for fun! It's like that menu item at the chinese restaurants...I'll take a A19, combination delight.

Clearing the humps at night on a beautiful 60 degree night in January. It had hit 70 that day

Funny how it says "Fair". It should say SPECTACULAR!

Heading towards the ice rink. One of these nights I'll have to sacrifice the ride and bring out the big camera and tripod

Taking in the city lights

 

Not quite what I expected. The lights are from riders while I had my Stella pointing down on the ground. I was hoping to get streaks of riders going through, but I don't think the little Canon can handle the night shots

I ended up clearing it that next Thursday, and I guess some other fatbiker did also. Turns out that Chris had cleaned up the hill a little bit, which gave it much more traction. Still fun nonetheless. I'm interested to see what the thing would be like with snow on it.

 Chris' new contraption of a hill. Lots of people can't wait to retry it!

 Convoy along the creek

Hanging out. Actually waiting for me the photographer after the south inner loop descent

Can't remember who, but somebody started an email that the MNR should be a celebration of warm temps and good riding weather. So we had a mini potluck over at Paul's afterwards. Hot dogs, desserts, beer, chips and salsa, it was all good times.

 

 It's a celebration b*tches! As Dave Chapelle would say

CHOMP! Hungry Jena. (OH man, she's gonna kill me for posting this picture). Actually I ate four, yes count it four hot doggies that night. I guess I'm the piggy

A word or two about snowbiking

Okay, really behind on posts. MNRs, snowrides, blah blah blah. Been busy. What can I say? It's been a fun couple weeks of biking. Night rides warm enough for shorts. Night rides in the snow. Night rides not only on Mondays but also on Thursday. Riding on the sand. Riding after beers and hamburgers. Just riding in general! We've been lucky to have such nice weather, and also to have such crappy weather.

Chris on his new Pugs and Jena and Paul rockin the snowshoes. They helped us alot by packing down the trail for us.

 Chris' new beast. Love the fade to black paint job

 Chris and Michael M pushing their way through much of the trail

Abominable Snowman was along for the ride

Tonight I realized how addicted I am to snow biking. Just thinking about sliding around in the snow, having to catch yourself with both legs out as you lose control on the white fluffy, and eventually doing an endo over a huge log that you don't dare do on dirt but somehow the snow gives you the courage to attempt it multiple times. Yeah, I'm that dumb guy. That dumb guy who just so happens to have his GoPro mounted to his seat post when he goes over (but you guys will have to wait for the video compilation). Banged my hip on the log and that was about it. Snow softens the fall and makes you laugh like you've heard the best joke in the world.

I think these signs were put in place to warn about the snowy conditions. As in no man (without snowshoes or skinny tired bike) should attempt the trail with that much snow on it.

Chris debuted his green Surly monster this past weekend at Tranquility. What better test ride than to bring it to life in 8 inches of snow. And man is it sweet. I would say well worth the wait, and better than that factory white (no offense Big Mike and other Mike). Yes, the trail was tough to get through, but I could tell that he was having a blast!

Warm mitts? Yes please! I didn't even have gloves on underneath.

Somehow owning or even just riding a fatbike does that to you. It breathes new life into your lungs and the trail where regular riding was just starting to get boring. Two weeks ago on MNR, Eric pointed out to me that the temps were warm and the trail was dry, no need to keep bringing out the Mukluk. Funny thing is that I had contemplated the unleashing of the full suspension and locking up the Mukluk until proper times. But you know what? Every ride whether it be pavement, dirt, sand or snow has been so much fun on the fat tires that I don't care. I don't care that the tires I run are $120 a piece and that I should save them for snow riding. I don't care that the bike is heavy with my clunky pedals, rack on the back, and 82mm wide drilled rims. The point is that we're having fun out there, I'm addicted, and I can't wait for that next text, email, or phone call saying let's hit the snow. Because I'm there...

Jena, if it makes you feel any better. I fell in the same place you did!

Me pushing the Muk out

Paul clearing this same section on a SS skinny bike