Bicycle boondocking

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blizzardmk

New member
Went for a little bike ride in the woods between South Range and Painesdale yesterday morning. The temperature dropped down into the mid 20's on Saturday night, so the snow set up like concrete. My buddy and I were on "fat bikes" with 4" wide tires. We were able to go anywhere through the woods, up and down hills, over streams, everywhere. We both ride snowmobiles as well, and with conditions like they were yesterday, biking felt a lot like boondocking on a snowmobile. It was super fun. Too bad we only get conditions like this a couple days each year.

photo 2.jpg photo 1.jpg CrustCrash.jpg
 
jd

jd

Administrator
Staff member
Looks like fun!

I would imagine there is a little bit of worry as you get more and more off trail and the sun starts to get higher and the threat of mashed potatoes grows greater!

-John
 
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blizzardmk

New member
Administrator said:
I would imagine there is a little bit of worry as you get more and more off trail and the sun starts to get higher and the threat of mashed potatoes grows greater!

-John
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For sure! We made sure to have an exit plan, and by the time we finished riding at 10am the stuff in the sun was starting to soften up. Getting lost might have meant a miserable hike out.
 
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ranlam

New member
Cool pictures man. That really looks fun. The dogs love it when its like that to. Great for snowshoeing.
 
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scott_l

Member
the last pic is great :)

I have never ridden a bike like this.........is it like riding a traditional bike in a very low gear (lots of leg movement but hardly going no where) or more like riding a traditional bike down the road?
 
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blizzardmk

New member
scott_l said:
I have never ridden a bike like this.........is it like riding a traditional bike in a very low gear (lots of leg movement but hardly going no where) or more like riding a traditional bike down the road?
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In general, the fat tires have a little more rolling resistance than a regular mountain bike tire. Rolling resistance on snow depends a lot on the type of snow. The snow in the pictures was a little bit slow, but super grippy. We were able to climb some pretty steep hills, and could get a lot of speed going down.
 
indy_500

indy_500

Well-known member
I saw 2 guys heading north out of mass city on trail 3 this year in similar bikes. Looks like a blast.
 
SledTL

SledTL

Active member
I'm so jealous of people who ride these, if they didn't cost 5k I would have one because I love to go out and explore areas when they are snow covered.
 
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blizzardmk

New member
SledTL said:
I'm so jealous of people who ride these, if they didn't cost 5k I would have one because I love to go out and explore areas when they are snow covered.
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Prices are creeping down a little as these bikes become more popular. I paid $900 for a slightly used one. You could spend $5K if you needed the lightest bike with carbon fiber frame, carbon fiber wheels, and top end components.
 
jd

jd

Administrator
Staff member
blizzardmk said:
Prices are creeping down a little as these bikes become more popular. I paid $900 for a slightly used one. You could spend $5K if you needed the lightest bike with carbon fiber frame, carbon fiber wheels, and top end components.
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How much for the Pulse Jet model? :)

Just kidding, of course. I wish sleds were as quiet as those fat bikes. Maybe some day.

-John
 
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Deleted member 10829

Guest
That looks like a ton of fun! You must have hit it just right to get conditions like that! I think this is a growing sport for sure.
 
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kwikgren

Member
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Crust biking! What will they think of next. I've been crust cruising on skating skis for 30 years now in the Keweenaw. Today the off trail skate skiing was closed out because of deep snow and breakable crust, so I skied the snowmachine trail from Resolute up to the summit of Brockway Mountain and back.
 
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