It's here!

[ridebikeme]

Well, my new Fatbike (Charge) arrived and I assembled it yesterday YIPEE! I only had time for a short ride, but fell in love just the same:) Now I'm looking at new shoes for it....ummm

Pics to follow... SHEFLY did you receive your bikes?

[SheFly]

Yippee!

Yes, we got ours. In fact, we took them out to CX practice last night :D (we're a little crazy) and riding in the sand was SO MUCH EASIER! The corners were a bit sketchy (riding it feels like a car that is out of alignment until you get used to it), but it could actually get moving pretty well (22+ mph) in a straight line. Oh - and you can ride over pretty much ANYTHING with it - one of our friends had his light die last night, so I loaned him mine. The moon was bright, so I was riding in a small area when BOOM! - I didn't see the cement parking curb. The bike rode right over it without issue (the bruising on my torso will be from hitting the bars/shifters ;)).

We're bringing ours up to Bethel the week of Thanksgiving - we should try to get together!

Here are some pics of ours:

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SheFly

p.s.
Did you hear there is a Fat Bike race in Gorham, NH on Jan 26?????

[Veronica]

Yes, you guys are crazy! :D

Veronica

[SheFly]

Yes, you guys are crazy! :D

Veronica

Yes, Pot. Love, Kettle :D

[Veronica]

Too funny! That's one of my favorite sayings. Alas, I can't use it in the classroom, so I have resorted to glass houses and stones. :D

Common Core wants students identifying and explaining proverbs, adages and idioms. All my colleagues want to know - what's the difference between a proverb and an adage? :rolleyes:

Don't forget those picture ridebikeme!


Veronica

[OakLeaf]

I think a proverb is one we agree with and an adage is one we don't. :p


Yep, pictures needed for sure! SheFly, beauty! :D

[ridebikeme]

I laughed pretty hard at your explanation of hitting the curb, Shefly HA! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the bikes, let me know when you get to Bethel over Thanksgiving and maybe we can get together! And to answer your question, "NO" I didn't know about the race in Gorham. Could you send me more info, please?

Veronica: I have the exact same bike as SHEFLY, so I'll give her credit for the photos.

[Veronica]

But I want to see them in action, out in the wild.

Veronica

[Owlie]

I, uh, might need one of these.

Glad you like them! They look like a lot of fun.

[ridebikeme]

Veronica... I wish that I could say that I was able to ride today, you know out in the wilds, but alas works calls for the next couple of days HA! I will be riding on Sunday, so I''ll try and capture some pics. Although perhaps Shefly can beat me to it...

Have a good weekend everyone, hopefully we'll all come back with some great stories and pics!

[SheFly]

LOL! My torso isn't bruised (yet), but is SO SORE! :D

Here's the link to the registration for the race: https://www.bikereg.com/Net/moose-brook-fat-bike-race. DH and I are DEFINITELY IN. We'll be up for most of the week of Thanksgiving, so I'll be sure to ping you. Keeping fingers crossed that there may be some snow.

Enjoy the bike! It's happiest riding through things like deep sand and wood chips :D.

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

Hopefully there won't be any bruising, although some of my friends would remind me that it is part of the adventure....not sure what I think about that HA!

Thanks for the link; I'll definitelly check it out... hopefully I'll have time to truly get on the bike and make adjustments etc.... fun so far though:)

Have a good weekend!

[Crankin]

One of my of favorite Italian restaurants is in Gorham, NH.
It sounds like fun, guys, but since I have an innate fear of hurting myself (and the only fat bikes I've seen are not for someone as short as me), I will live vicariously through you all.
And I don't think you are crazy at all.

[ridebikeme]

Had a great ride yesterday, back into the little slice of Paradise here in town :) Trails were covered in ice where the 4 wheelers share the trail, so opted for some dirt roads with climbing and great views...

Crankin: I'll have to check out your restaurant, next time I get over there... thanks for the mention.

Any adventures over the weekend Shefly?

[SheFly]

Did two back-to-back cross races in CT on Saturday - one on the SS, and the other in the Women's A race. Had good performances in both, and loved the course. Someone actually raced a fat bike in the SSCX race - he was moving pretty well, and managed to beat me!

Yesterday we went and cheered friends and teammates at another local race. By the time we got home, it started raining, so we went out on the Charges in the rain... Did about 1:15 on the local Battle Road loop here. Ate lots of winter moths and dirt for dinner! I discovered last night that when riding fat tire bikes in the wet, you either need good fenders, or glasses! Lots of sand in my eyes, and COVERED in dirt when I got home.

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like you had a good weekend!

I agree with you on the fenders, in fact have some coming in later today. I may opt to buy some tires with a bit deeper knobs as well, but we'll see how we do on these as well. I'm still playing back asnd forth with air pressure at this point as well...

Wish that I wasn't working today, it's gorgeous out... but I'm at the ski shop today, so another day....

[SheFly]

If you want to do the Fat Bike race in Gorham, you need to register - it's about to sell out! I'm doing the long version...

https://www.bikereg.com/net/moose-brook-fat-bike-race

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

Thanks for the headups SHEFLY! I had nor registered yet because of injury, but registered now. The registration process seemed to get a hickup half way through, so I emailed Bike-Reg to make sure that I'm in.... I signed up for the long one as well. I do have one question for you though: as you go by me could you please give me a BIG push? HA!

[SheFly]

AWESOME! So glad you registered! I'll definitely message you when we are in Bethel next week - maybe we can connect for a ride somewhere. Can't WAIT to be able to ride the fat bikes on the snow!

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

I've been playing with air pressure a bit... have you settled on a definite number yet? I rode app 5PSI over the weekend, and it seemed a bit harsh over the rough stuff.... might think about some more agressive tires as well.... ah it's fun! Thanks again for the heads up about registration!!

[SheFly]

Psst - we found snow tonight :) Took the fat bikes out on the Gould MTB trails.

SheFly

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16814

[ridebikeme]

Ahhh looks like fun!! How do you like the stock V rubber tires? Other than commuting, I haven't been out this week, although I did ride in a bit of ice last weekend,, of course with a big crash HA!

Have a great Thanksgiving!! Hopefully this rain will not be here as long as predicted..

[SheFly]

Here's what DH has to say about the stock tires:


Also figured out what the Vee tires "8" stands for on the fat bike. Very likely that you will hit the deck at least 8 times in the first 50 meters of a slushy off-road ride

We're getting new tires for sure. When we rode in the snow on Tues, the tires packed in pretty well, and were slippy. DH also changed out my drive train, and put SRAM grip shifters on it. Much better feeling than what came stock. He rode in the pouring rain on Weds, and despite sealed housings, everything was frozen pretty solid when we tried to ride last night (the bikes get stored in the shed outside in ME). We did ride the Gould trails, as well as some of the local snowmobile trails over the week. Gorham and Jefferson both have snow if you are looking for some to try it out a bit more.

We're back in MA for more racing (CX) this weekend, but we'll definitely connect next time we are up.

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

Thanks for your opinion on the tires! Although I haven't had a chance to ride ina lot of snow, I felt the same thing with what I have had a chance to ride in. Now I'm just trying to decide what to get.... ummm. I'm also looking for winter shoes, mine are fairly old. I ordered some from Louis Garneau, but will send those back on Monday. Although I have a fair amount of winter clothing, I'm definitely looking for a few pieces.

Have fun this weekend! I work tomorrow, but hope to get out some on Sunday along with all sorts of chores. HA! PS I'm planning on moving to grip shift as well; I've been riding with it since the 90s's, so thought I would give this a shot... not bad, but definitely will change.

[SheFly]

DH said the new tires we are getting are still made by V - the Mission. They are also 1400g and they are available through QBP for a reasonable price. The 8's were ok on dry, frozen ground, but once the snow started, they weren't as good. We'll try the Missions and see how they work.

We have some winter shoes from Garneau, but they are really only good to moderate temps. We had some great Pearl Izumi winter shoes, but they don't make them anymore. We are also looking for new footwear, so keep me posted on what you find ;). We're having trouble with hands, but we put bar mitts on the fat bikes this week, and those definitely helped! We didn't buy bike-specific - ours are made for snowmobiles, and I think we got them at ShadeTree.

I have some heavy PI Elite bib tights that I LOVE for winter riding (http://shop.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&pc_id=107&product_id=1903861&outlet=&color_code=021). I also just recommended them to another friend who loves them. They are drop tail, which is great for urgent nature calls :).

Let me know how you make out on Sunday! And you will love the grip shift - it made a BIG difference.

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

Thanks for the imput! I've heard great things about the Mission tires, and they are definitely one of my choices. I also think that I will make a set of studded tires, as it tends to get pretty icey here. I've already taken a pretty good fall on it and lost a helmet, but at least it saved my head:)

Funny that you should mention the Garneau shoes, I have a set here waiting to go back. I was hoping to get a pair of tthe Northwave shoes, but it seems that they are having issues with shipping and my distributor is dropping them. I know that QBP has the best choices, but I have issues with companies telling me that if I don't hit a certain amount in my order then they are going to add a fee. Almost like me telling a customer that I can't change a flat because it isn't enough money.... umm. But we'll see what happens there.

I think I'm all set with tights, I have several weights and have found that I like the Swix pants better. I've been wearing the Universal pant now for 3-4 years, layer underneath, full length zipper and easy... Perhaps not conventional, but they work and are comfortable. In fact, I would highly recommend Swix/Toko for clothing, I have several of their gloves and unfortunately like them better than all of my cycling specific ones. (especially the Garneau ones)

Grip shift, yes I've always preferred it, although I can't complain about shifting issues with the X5... although I definitely will be changing.

Have a good weekend, keep me posted as to how your racing is going!