Mid Summer Rains, Pugsley Tyre Prices, and Nate tastic trails.... and a look at the future...29+...

After all the heavy showers this week, which i am happy to say clears the muggy air, and is good for the Golf Course at work, making my life easier to keep turf grown at a very low height alive!,   the rain also softens up the local trails that have become as hard as concrete.

Ah i here you say - you have a Fatbike that is ace on regular trails, you been reading that everywhere on the Internet... yeah they are, and fun too...
But Fatbikes do not have controlled rebound in there big squishy tyres. This is something many owners do not talk about here in the UK and rave on about them being amazing or even better than regular MTBs on trails and trail centres. Believe me if you ride a 4" fatbike down the trail centres of Glentress Black or Innerliethen XC etc flat out you will go way out of control as the back end bounces out of control. If it does not you are not riding them  fast enough!

29ers nearly do it perfect but it is still a bit of a harsh ride. A regular 29er bike with 50mm wide rims and 2.25 tyres is close as you can ride them as low as 20 PSI on trails and get superb grip and comfort to speed ratio...
If you own a SURLY Krampus with it`s 29er 50mm wide rims and 3"  (termed 29+)  Knard tyres, or have built a set for your Fatbike - Pugsley etc,  then you know these are near perfect...

I class 29+ as a Fatbike as you can ride them at tyre pessures at half of regular 2.25 tyres,  ie 15 PSI on the Krampus wheelset compared to 30 PSI on a regular 29er...

Except that the 29x3" SURLY Knard tyre is no use in UK mud, it clogs instantly and becomes useless, fair enough for a dry loose dirt spec tyre. But hey we did have 6 weeks of Utah type weather to enjoy them!,
Now it has rained big time in the last 5 days some trails are wet again and so i refitted my 4" Nates to my Pugsley as the rear Larry tyre on it is now slick after over 3000 miles riding...
-:)

Fatbike tyre prices...

Along with a few friends i do not moan about the average £85 price for a 120 TPI (Threads Per Inch - thats the tyres sidewall weave) as they last a long time compared to many regular MTB tyres that cost half their price, and as i have found the SURLY Larry has lasted more than twice as long. And if you ride a regular MTB i bet you have a few different tyres, which all adds up... you see FatBikes are not as much as you imagine to buy/run once you put things into perspective...

Nearly 6 years old now , my original 36 spoke twin wall SURLY `Large Marges` wheel set rims  are Iron Man rims compared to new Fatbike offerings but still going strong after over 10,000 miles - alot of that is on the coast and often submerged in salt water.
The  `Fatbike Haterz` said on UK Singletrack Forum 5 years back that Fatbikes would never last cycling on the coast, you cannot ride in salt water, blah blah blah...
Haterz Love to Hate... I love to beach ride...
And still am... -:)

On with the Nates, these are folding Nates i bought for last again winter, and came into there own last summer during the wettest UK summer on record.
Being folding tyres i ride them a bit firmer than the old Larry tyres at 9.5 psi  front, 10 psi rear to prevent pinch flats on rocks on the coast...

These tyres are ideal for regular sitting down type XC riding here in the UK on a Fatbike.
The comfort of 4" tyres and the grip of the Nates make them a great set up no matter how light or heavy your Fatbike is...
I mention the weight as folk are nuts on the weight of there Fatbike, yet the tyre drag is as much influential on how a bicycle rides than its overall weight.  Look at existing Iditabike records set with old Fatbikes...

29+...

For out of the saddle riding a 3" tyre provides less uncontrollable rebound and bob while climbing and as said here for the UK we need a chunkier  29x3" SURLY Nate tyre for the new wider 29er concept.
I thought SURLY would do this, but they are going to release this new tyre in September, posted on Facebook this week by UK SURLY confederate Charlie The Bikemonger it is called the Dirt Wizard,

Folks this is the future for FatBike XC in the UK...

They will be available in September, just in time for Autumn here in the UK,
Telling  you its the future if you don`t ride on the coast... -:)

UK forums like Singletrack have regular threads on Fatbikes now daily,  3 years a go they would have burnt you at the stake or the usual small minded assholes on there would have slated you... now there on it wanting to get fat -:)
In about a year they will be telling you 29+ is the latest way to go... you watch.. -:)

Never underestimate the power of the Fat Side...resistance is futile...

-:)


Meanwhile on 4"...

For sitting down XC riding the regular 4" Fatbikes still are good fitted with Nates in the gloop, Only long hills are a drain on the legs, though i did once do 53 miles on the Cheviot Hills  on my Pugsley, so everything in reason is possible...

The other evening i did a ride inland to the river Tyne trail along to East Linton, fitted with Nates the Pugsley is still easier with less drag to cycle on tarmac than the bigger 5" tyre Moonlander, as expected,  but re fitting the chunky Nates makes the bike ride through anything, the grip is amazing, again another avenue of a 4" Fatbike  makes a regular XC ride more comfortable and keep on rolling through wet soft flooded terrain that would be slow and harder going in these conditions than on a regular bicycle......
My Karate Monkey is the bike for trails like this, esp with mud tyres fitted, but the Pug is just so much fun to ride, which is what it is all about...


Big skies again in East Lothian...

Down some Agri trails...

And along the Tyne trails, watching our for wash outs after the previous days storms...

Nates rolling along through wet sandy silt...

Hailes Castle...

Linn Falls at East Linton on spate...

This bike is frigging amazing!, think i have already mentioned that on this blog...

A chilled out cycle film. Not always about the rider and the bike, but where they are...
Check out the thickness of the walls of Hailes Castle!  -:)
Song is `Time Baby III` by Medicine Band,  as Featured in the film `The Crow`
Click on the cog icon to view in HD




From Little Acorns Grow Mighty Oaks...
I pass this old Oak tree on the way home often from bike rides... wonder how old it is, and what it has all seen pass under it...

Another storm blowing in down the coast...

Happy Smiley People...

Harvest - my favourite time here in East Lothian will start soon in the next few weeks...