Chasing Chubby is a full time job!

The Night Ride

I love autumn.  The weather means I can bust out my classy flannel shirts, my beard doesn't look like a desperate attempt to hide my neck waddle, and riding bikes is so much more fun.  The cool, (not cold) weather is refreshing at mile 15, and the landscapes inspire longer rides and bigger grins.

But this beauty comes at a price, and we all know that price is the shorter days.  But this too, can make mountain biking a whole new adventure.  Isn't that why we do what we do?  To find adventure? Fall provides that adventure in the form of a night ride.  I love night riding because as the days get shorter, it is a great way to extend your season, and with fat bikes it is like a never ending season!  But you have to have the right equipment.  Here is my equipment list for those new to this:

1. Helmet, bike, gloves, water, bike...basics you would have on any ride

2. Lights.  I like to have a light on my handlebar, and one mounted on my helmet.  The handlebar light is a given, but the helmet mount gives the advantage of being able to look further ahead and around corners.  My handlebar light is a pro series NiteRider light.  Powerful with a long lasting battery.  The light I mount on my helmet is a Stella Light & Motion, though it is an older model, it has stood the test of time and it is equally bright with a super fast charge time and a long lasting battery.  There are tons of quality light companies out there, but these two are tops in my books because they last, and you can find them at your local bike shop.  #supportlbs
3. Friends who are as crazy as you are.  Seriously, it is nice to have friends on night rides.  I go alone all the time because I enjoy the comfort of solitude.  But it can be scary out there.

So go ride your bike...longer too.

The Tour de Laramie, a non-sanctioned sport.

Greetings friends, this blog begins like all good blogs,...with cheap wine.  Last night Jessica and I decided to examine the world around us.  What was around us?  The Tour de Laramie.  It is a grand event, similar to the Marine Corp Ball.  What follows, isn't for the faint of heart.  It is only for the strong, the ideologically profound.  The geeks.  It is bicyclists depraved and acting like children.  And after all, isn't that why we love bicycles.  At the end of a long day, a long week, a long month, a long semester,....bikes remind us of our first freedom.  That first pedal stroke without training wheels, when we ride away from our parents, and into the open spaces where we learn to be the person they taught us we could become.  We ride bikes because it is fun.  I saw some some fun, and I am so excited about the coming season.  Let's go ride.  Because bikes.

1st street, in all its glory.

Winter and Loni! 

Jeff loves love.  

I love Wyoming

Jeff has a pink collar.  So what. 

The Bicycle knows

Security is important, that is why we have superheroes.  I see a superhero, but a name escapes me. 

  That is right, because bikes.

Making Dreams come true.

"Making dreams come true."  We take great pride in that idea.  

We have all seen, and been affected by the smile of someone who buys a new bike.  For me, it stirs up the sense of adventure I feel every time I move at a speed that I create making me a part of a symphony of symbiosis. It is a big part of working in a bicycle shop, and it feels pretty good. 

But the reason being a mechanic is special is because of the other part of the job.

"Making dreams come true."  It has a deep meaning to me because I am fortunate enough to work with people who have been well educated in the craft of making broken things work very well again.  If it can be fixed, or made to work, then it is with these hands that it will happen. That is the true meaning of the words; "Making dreams come true."

When there is desperation in the eyes of someone who is afraid they have wounded an old friend beyond repair, my mind searches desperately for a solution. I know what it is like to lose a bicycle to the destructive nature of the universe.  These moments, when we have the opportunity to keep someone on a bicycle they love, they are the reason this job is special to me.

Recently I was presented with something that made me smile:

The Bike: 2011 Brougham by Felt Cycles.

The Job: Add a FreeRadical by Xtracycle

The Problem - Without a chainstay bridge the Xtracycle will float from side to side with a fixed gear.

The chainstay bridge isn't necessary for the Xtracycle to work.  In fact, in their directions, they have a handy dandy way to solve this problem.  But...when using a fixed gear bicycle like Felt's Brougham, there are some extra factors to keep in context.  Chain tension and chain line are extremely important.  If they are off, say because the Xtracycle floats between the stays, then parts could be damaged, and the bike is in the shop.  So it needs to be perfect.

The solution: Make a brace to fill the space.  (Formerly a top tube from a steel bicycle frame.)

Powder Coat it!

Make sure it looks good!

Assemble the contraption!

Make sure it works!

Make dreams come true. 

I really enjoyed this project.  Recycling the world one discarded part from our basement at a time.   I was happy to help make an old bicycle feel brand new.  Thanks Gus, Jackie and Axle.  Happy Trails from the Pedal House.

A Visit to The Fat Bike Company in Colorado Springs, CO

Pedar Knows Best!  Seriously! 

Pedar returned from Interbike with tales of a new bike; spinning a story about the Borealis frame (Carbon and ridiculously light), Carbondale Rims (more carbon) and a 190mm spaced rear hub...ohhh, it sounded too good to be true. A few months later he returned from Jackson, WY with a bicycle that was too light to be a traditional fat bike, but too fat to be a normal high performance mountain bike. And yet, it was both. Borealis!  Pedar picked up and built his new Custom Dream Fattie, courtesy of The Hub.

190mm Rear Hub

Borealis Bikes have infiltrated the fat bike market with an incredibly high quality product which gives fat biking a technological jolt in the pants. The most amazing thing we noticed, right off the bat, was the workmanship.  This bike was the product of some serious thought, both in design, and concept.  For one, the 190mm rear hub made it so wheel spoking did not have to be offset. Stylistically speaking, it looks incredibly clean.  But was it worth it?  That was the burning question.  A question that was probably asked when the first upgrades were made on the original wheel....

Enter Ogden, Utah and the first ever Global Fat Bike Summit, a simple test ride at the demo show changed everything.  On the uphill, the Borealis was comfortable and easy to push as it glided up hills.  What goes up must come down, thus, Dewey entered the steep slopes of a monstrous molehill....at the local golf course, staging area for the demo rides.  After returning to his stomping grounds, Happy Jack, Dewey expressed utter amazement at the way the Borealis made it feel like he was mountain biking, in the middle of winter....sheer JOY!! He was stable and in control at speeds he never would have attempted on the bicycle he rode to the Demo. Very impressive.

The Pedal House was in!

As we entered the building and walked upstairs, what did our eyes see? A sweet Kegerator! Our people, for sure! It was like we had never left the Pedal House, instantly feeling "at home".

Steve showed us around the space and grounds known as The Fat Bike Company. Yampa frames were being outfitted with the best parts by precision laborers. Turnagain Rims were being trued. Demo bikes were being prepped for travel. New Borealis dealers were being set up with accounts and we were privileged to see it all first-hand and up close. As we strolled through the building, work areas and lounge, we asked questions, learned new details about the operation and discovered the origins of names associated with The Fat Bike Company products. Borealis Bikes is named after the well-known Aurora Borealis, a natural light display in the sky particularly in high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitudes of the atmosphere (according to Wikipedia). Yampa frames are named after the Yampa River in northwest Colorado.

Carbondale Rims share a name with Carbondale, CO, a small town of 6,400 in the northwest portion of the CO Rocky Mountains with a number of fabulous mountain bike trails.

Turnagain Rims pay homage to the beauty of the Turnagain Arm, Alaska, 
home to the Bore Tide and incredible vistas.

It's clear to see that The Fat Bike Company and Borealis Bikes are the premiere fat bike manufacturers. We were welcomed with open arms from the moment we entered the parking lot. We greatly appreciated their hospitality, welcoming nature, inside perspective on the scene and cold beers from tap. We are very excited to be a Borealis Authorized Dealer!

An Inside look at Borealis Bikes...

Rims anyone?

Serious amounts of Stock!

Large amounts of fat tires and tubes.

Steve and Dewey loading up!
We needed a small yield sign for the window with a picture of a Borealis Fat Bike
 that said "Precious Cargo on Board". 

Thanks for the tour! We look forward to seeing you out on the trails.

2014 Snowy Range Snowbike Challenge

I have always had a tumultuous relationship with the season known as, "winter".  Though I love Laramie, and Wyoming is the only home for me, I have always hated the crystal flakes that cover our mountains, and make the skiers in our region gleam with joy.  I even wrote a editorial for Dirt Rag one time that was a full page with pictures concerning my hate for winter...and they published it.  (Dirt Rag issue 143)

But this year something changed.  In the past, riding my bicycle in the winter was a challenge.  I would ride to work, smiling at the passing cars, rushing to get indoors and brag about how hardcore I was.  That was the extent of my winter riding. But this year, something just clicked.  I think it was my even deeper hate for riding a trainer inside.  So, I got on my fat bike and rode in the mountains, deciding that I wasn't going to let the cold keep me off of the trails, and after a couple rides it just became fun to be outside, in the cold, suffering, thinking about snow conditions, building groomers and seeing the mountains in a different way.  It is crazy.  

Last night, was the 2014 Snowy Range Snowbike Challenge, and even though I am still not a racer myself, I love being around bike races.  This race was no different.  Despite my lack of abilities, Evan and Nat let me "help" set up the course, and I got to see how much work they actually put into making races run smoothly.

It is a lot of work, and those guys deserve a ton of respect.  Thanks fellas!  

Here are some shots from the race, enjoy, and I hope to see you out there.   

Pre Race Socialization.  It was good to see everyone on Pedal House bikes. 

Snow started coming down pretty hard right before the race.

Fat Tires on a Big Boned Bike.

Get lined up!

Evan gives instructions. 

And they are off.

So graceful, like a cheetah. 

One of my favorite pictures of the night. 

Grrrrrrrrr.

Fat Biking with the Pedal House

Greetings All, I hope you survived the holiday season with relative sanity...(double meaning???) Anyway, on Christmas day Jeff and I went for a ride.

Jeff and I at the end of Roger Canyon. 

We had fun on that Surly Pugsly.  Jessica brought the Moonlander out a little later and she, her brother Jason and I had a pretty good time breaking trails and riding some BLM land.  I was beat up...but I was also hooked on fat biking.  It was like my cycling heart grew two sizes too big....

I am loving Fat Biking.  Nat took me out to Happy Jack and tried to kill poor Ali and I.  Erwin and Brian were there too.  Overall, a pretty darn good first time out for Ali.

Then Erwin took a group of us out for another ride in the hills.   This was a Fantastic ride.  I was dressed right, which helps, and we had a good three hours in the saddle.  Today Miguel and I rode and had another three + hours on the trails.  Check out the two rides here: