What's Slowing You Down?

I was going to name this post, "Only in Minnesota!" or something of the likes. Oh yet alas we change perceptions. So today was a tid 10 degrees high temp. Still, I saw many people on lakes fishing, skiing, skating, wind skate'n and walking. Yeah, a dad walking his infant in a front infant carry pack too "on the lake" (10 degrees outside!). Huh~ It's cold with slight chill wind too boot, but people OUTSIDE. You?

Nice ride from my house through brownie trail, up to the parkway then back down onto brownie lake, across cedar, to Calhoun across Calhoun and back across again all three. Scary, ice was 10 inches min thick but such a trip crossing a lake over ice. Cracks, air bubbles, clear ice, cloudy ice, deep lake under. Just weird....but intriguing and very enjoyable. I'm not an ice guy like all the peep out there today.

Nice ride to flush out what I've been asking of the legs. Wind in face a treat hammering across Calhoun. I finally have helmet vented right, also face mask situated for face and ears proper. Before my forehead would get sweaty. Ears would get cold at speed or below 15 degrees. No more. Pics tell equipment story better..

so exciting i know

What's slowing you down?

Fatbike Race / Gear

Why not a post about some fat bike gear and chime in new year with 2013 Race#1? Hillside Sunday was fun. It's been a while since doing the race pace thing. Finished 4th of 37. My goal was top5. Feeling my age but not bad. I've been enjoying the Fatbike much this season. I built a second fatbike. That way Amy can use my 2007. She's been out and it's fun to bike with momma sqrl. No, no, how dare you say I built a second bike to have one bike for deep snow, tom foolery likes of this and other bike for racing. Why would you say that! :)

Ok it's true. Two fatbikes is awesome. My second bike is a surly necromancer. I wasn't going to spend top dollar like my summer carbon machine. I did get the bike under 30lbs which isn't bad. 5lbs lighter than my old pug. I kept the big bash guard and until I get the new clutch style derailleur system I used my summer SS chain keeper in a creative way. No issues at Hillside or any other day, chain trapped btwn bash and keep. See pic.

Additionally on bike to note is lighter Nate up front and Escalator rear. With Nate's only on other bike I sorta took a chance w/Escalator. Nates work, period. Who cares about drag, Nates work. I must admit. The Escalator has not let me down. Soft lugs are a little trickier to get pressure right, but they work well for the race situation at 90% of the Winter races. What else. White Industry hubs of course. Carbon bar from crank bros works. I agree with B Moore. Fat rims are not better for any condition for winter xc. At my weight, 65mm is fine. Why plow? Fatbike pizza cutter!! The marge lites are the 4th set of rims I've been on. Original marge 65mm, speedway 70mm, darryl 82mm and now marge lites 65mm. But skinnier yet would be cheating right?? Oh yeah, 1by9 32x11/34 works great. My deep snow/tree bike will keep the granny gear.

The race was fun. Course was packed and quite predicable. It was fun to see Dave Oachs, Tom Miller and the masses finally getting on Fatbikes!! Chris Fisher is biting. Everyone who doesn't is saying they will. It's over folks, everyone will have one. Wait til they figure out the fat bike game.... Winter will be Summer. Rumor has it, and I won't name names, big brands are coming. Standard bb, carbon, ti and never ending options. More tires. Again, just like Summer, you never have the right gear cause it just keeps getting better. I'm done typing. Guess I won't talk much about the race. 

Ok a few bullet points about the race:

• bmx course through parking lot for prologue and each lap
• powerline climb each lap
• Colbert thru bmx then I led in woods for most of first lap
• Legs worked ok but racing is hard (I forgot how!)
• Catfish team mate Dominic won
• 1:40min with p-lot prolouge and two powerline climbs
• bonfire, beverage, relaxing outside in the sun with racers

See you at Murphy race, maybe.

The Local Line Tree 2 Tree

Bummed couldn't make southern local riddle Sat. Today good day non-the less. Brownie primo now! Forward & backward tree to tree, full on torque slip while burning to tweak. Killer.

Local swamp Amy and I shoe'd bout a mile.

Old secret shoe, now butter. Between local hood1, non-theo theo I find  it.

Anyway after my hood trail it's 1/4 mile to Brownie. In Brownie passed guy not going slow. I climbed up to parkway then returned back down to Brownie to catch him circling for claimed 6th loop!!! Hardcore. I skipped Saturday but did forward and backward today. Forward out and backward after theo riddle. I'm starting to really pce together full theo park experience.

On way South back to Brownie (all woods from here too).
Jack all 3 but we cheat'n not doing table top, over...

Friday after local with Amy did the full to Robinsdale then back home loop.

Amy used my 07' Pug, said it kept making 8's....she had no control!

Other local track news. Leo & I having fun taking up basement. 80+ft.

SEE YOU SOON

Single Track to Scale

Brings back memories......I had 100+ft of track, 15 G+ and 25 regular cars. I'm re-living it again with Leo. This wasn't a Christmas gift just a go to the closet and start building!! Thanks to ebay we have mucho variety of tracks w/conversion connectors. This picture is already dated as we added another 16ft. We have never ending expansion plans.......need more cars!

Fat Winter to Skinny Rag

Got my Ragnarok e-mail, Jacob gots me card. until then....

Is below link accurate. Choices, choices, CHOICES!

MN BIKE TRAIL NAVIGATOR Nice job. That's alot of FAT bike races.

Drew the line XX Leb in/out

Top of the hill XX rock garden clean over one shoe'r tracks. No dab.

I drew the line today through XX. 

Forward xx and backward xx first tracks. Surprised no one but a solo shoe'er went for it.

X + XX + XX = X + 2XX = a really good time.

No entry since storm day

Backwards into my own track. Deeper than it looks. Awesome core work.

Log on Turkey Day

New line just cleaned today. Realize these are really old tall trees, we ride the trunk and down the branches. New one is 60+ft? Crazy fun when Sooooo big and round. Like a road. Ray, Jeremy witness and 1st participants. Now we all ride it like ain't no thang. But it's da shiiiite. Now we scoping log roll on log skinny. Nuts. More vids later. Found a few new lines today. Saw the Swansong ride. Good to see everyone out. Turkey's!!!!