Ride Stats |
Distance:
5.79 miles
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Route:
Hopkins Park
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Time: 00:58:31
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Avg Speed:
5.94 mph
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Max Speed:
13.60 mph
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Calories Burned: 0
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Weight:
200
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Altitude Gain:
0 ft
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Terrain: Off: XC
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Bike: Salsa Mukluk Fat
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Club: Ice Bike |
Weather Conditions: Sunny. Cold. 20°. |
Ride Description: Faturday Demo Ride in Dekalb.
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Today, I learned a few things at a Fat Bike demo day... North Central Cyclery in Dekalb, Illinois, sponsored a Faturday in the Park Demo day, and brought a bunch of Mukluk's, Pugsley's and even a brand new Surly Moonlander for people to test ride.
My Mukluk came with Larry 3.8 tires, front and back. I'd heard that the Endomorph 3.7 tire has a flatter profile and is a very good tire on packed snow and in the sand. So I put one on the back of my new wheels. That same flat profile that makes it excel in snow and sand, is not as desirable on pavement or the dirt. When leaning in a turn and you reach the side knobs, the transition is not smooth and rather abruptly causes the bike to pitch a bit. Feels really weird, kinda squirrelly. It is very noticeable on pavement, but is slightly less obvious on singletrack. I may go back to a Larry or Nate in the rear for Summer riding. It should be fine in the snow. But it does not handle like the same bike I'm used to right now.
I rode a bike with Nate 3.8 tires, Surly's new monster knobby, and it was awesome. Might be my next set of tires. And they didn't seem as slow rolling on pavement as I've heard they would be.
I also finally got the chance to ride a 15" (Small) Mukluk, and it had a MUCH smaller feel to it than my 17" (Medium), It felt like a 16" Pugsley. And it had a "tighter" more solid feel. It felt more like regular mountain bike geometry (like a Pugsley, but with more standover height) than my more upright, tall and big feeling Mukluk. But I still love my medium, it's the most comfy bike I've ever ridden.
I also rode a Surly Moonlander. Even though it was a 20", it wasn't as huge as I thought it would be. It felt very similar to my 17" Mukluk. There was only a little bit of icy snow on the trails, so conditions weren't as advantageous for the 4.7" Big Fat Larry tires mounted on 100mm wide Clownshoe rims. This bike was designed to keep you pedaling when conditions are soft enough to get you off the bike and walking your "skinny" Fat Bike sporting 3.7 & 3.8 tires. It did have a solid feel and fit, and the wide, swept back handlebars were comfy. I heard that it is lighter than a Pugsley too! And like most Fat Bikes, it rode much lighter than it looks. A very nice bike for the money. ($2350)
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Sue and her dad got me a new wheelset for xmas! It's got the new red Salsa Mukluk 2 hubs and Rolling Darryl rims (with holes) This wheelset is 2.2 pounds lighter than my stock wheels. Sweet. Red hubs on a blue bike you ask? Yes, let me explain my decision. 1. Red hubs make any bike look better, period. 2. I'm not a big fan of blue. 3. The low end 2012 Mukluk 3 comes with blue hubs. I didn't want anyone to confuse my bike with the Mukluk 3.
As the Demo Day came to a close, Chad (on the Moonlander) and his friend (on a Mukluk) put on a trials riding clinic. That was pretty cool! They were doing things on a bike that did not seem possible.
More pictures here... Note - there's over 1000 pictures, put the slideshow speed on Fast. www.flickr.com/photos/deanfrieders/sets/72157628363450785/
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