Me and the Moonlander!

[XploreBaja]

You INSPIRED the hell out of me with your local ride and trip report threads that I followed up on...so I went and bought a Moonlander this afternoon! They didn't have the 20" frame I was looking for the right fit, but it'll only take a couple days to make that happen. It'll be here when I get back from LA Bay next week.

Great meeting you and next time you see me I hope I'm trimming down and have some of my own ride reports to share with you!

Thanks!

Tim

 

[nwoods]

Unless I missed it, I don't think I read a comment on what its like to actually ride one of these fatties. Is the rotational mass and tire weight as challenging as it looks like it would be?

 

[Gear]

That 18" Miraco is actually a pretty darn nice bike. Compare it to last years offerings, this 2012 model is a major improvement. It's got the cassette driver system, the ratio is about right, the aluminum frame looks to be super light. It's drilled for a Gyro should want to upgrade the headset with one. Oddessy grips are very popular, as is the pivotal style seat. The white half-link chain is the bomb these days, so that is very cool. Black Label is Miraco's parts brand, so not great, but appear to be serviceable. The single wall rims sound light to me, but your son is probably a fraction of the weight my teen is, and likely not to be casing stair jumps and bending rims for a year or two

You might consider getting fiberglass pegs, that will save a couple more pounds, and slide well on rails and so forth. Duro is not very popular, so the tires might be a cosmetic upgrade at some point, and maybe the pedals too. Oddessy is all the rage. The handlebars are a little on the small size, but probably fine for now. I'll bet he'll want a 20" bike before he needs to upgrade the bars.

All in all, I think that REDUX is a pretty nice ride, and the weight can't be beat without going into a BMX race bike, and those are fragile and ill suited for street use. Compare with the FIT 18'': http://fitbikeco.com/18-inch-black/

Thanks again Nathan. I think my little guy has picked out a bike. I will post up when it arrives.

You INSPIRED the hell out of me with your local ride and trip report threads that I followed up on...so I went and bought a Moonlander this afternoon! They didn't have the 20" frame I was looking for the right fit, but it'll only take a couple days to make that happen. It'll be here when I get back from LA Bay next week.

Great meeting you and next time you see me I hope I'm trimming down and have some of my own ride reports to share with you!

Thanks!

Tim

Wow!!! How cool is this. All I can say is I can't wait to see where you take your Moonlander. Please post up as soon as it becomes available. Will have to plan an Expo Fat Bike Trip. Maybe I can pull some strings and get Overland Gourmet to follow us and pass the Grey Poupon. Welcome to the Fun!!:bike_rider:

Unless I missed it, I don't think I read a comment on what its like to actually ride one of these fatties. Is the rotational mass and tire weight as challenging as it looks like it would be?

I think I am jaded to answer this question but I will give it a try. First off this is the only bike I have ridden in the past 6 months. I know there are lighter, faster, smoother bikes out there. This is not that bike. This is a 40 lb. tractor that I enjoy riding because it brings a smile to my face every time I see/ride it. The handling is different. At low tire pressure say 10 psi the front tire scrubs on hard surfaces. Not a big deal once you are use to it. Again think tractor. If you take the tire pressure up to say 18 psi it handles like a normal bike of the same weight. At this point you are really only riding on the inside 1" of tread. Now because of the tire size the front sprocket has the small and middle ring only. They are simple pushed out where the middle and big ring should be. This means that the top speed going down hill is around 24 mph. The bike is geared for the environment and I have no problem riding up steep grades. Up until recently I have not been able to spin the tire free in these situations. I am just now starting to spin the tire and I believe it is because of the lack of tread left on the rear tire. I am also getting stronger so this might have something to do with it. I would say that 90% of the folks that have tried the bike out say that it is surprisingly easy to pedal. The rotational mass and tire weight are not a big factor if you go back to the idea that it is a tractor and not a race bike. Someone had a good analogy. It is like riding a 3 wheel ATC. I guess I am still impressed with were it has let me go. I mean there is no way I would have taken a normal mountain bike up the side of a dune. It simple opens up a whole new set of places to ride a bike. Or if anything else it gives me the mindset that I could ride a bike there. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore specific questions. I am sure our paths will meet again and you are more then welcome to give it a go. Bike rides are free, smiles are extra!

 

[Gear]

Cast Off/ Day Off - March 28, 2012

Took the day off. My legs are toast and really need a break. On the upside Nathan had his cast removed today! Looks like they put the funny back in that bone.

 

[Sloan]

I have a Salsa Mukluk, which is aluminum instead of steel, I have three chain rings up front instead of two and I have 3.8 tires instead of the 4.7s. I secretly covet the Moonlander for it's wider tires and extra floatation in the sand. There is nowhere it won't go, your lungs will be its limiting factor.

 

[XploreBaja]

I have a Salsa Mukluk, which is aluminum instead of steel, I have three chain rings up front instead of two and I have 3.8 tires instead of the 4.7s. I secretly covet the Moonlander for it's wider tires and extra floatation in the sand. There is nowhere it won't go, your lungs will be its limiting factor.

And once again you guys amaze me. I rode both the Moonlander and Mukluk today before pulling the trigger and I knew I would be always coveting the Moonlander if I chose the Mukluk, plus I witnessed first hand where Justin rode his bike at last weekend's Desert Rendevous and it was fairly amazing. Everyone that rode it said the same, it will go anywhere. Having turned 50 this year and feeling like I got to do something this is my chance ( excuse) to get fit. It's gonna be a long road but ya gotta start somewhere!

Sloan and Justin have nailed it about the Moonlander going anywhere...I don't even have my bike yet, but my friends wanna plan a all dirt trail trip from Tecate to Cabo...gnarly!

Thanks again for the inspiration guys!

Tim

 

[Gear]

I have a Salsa Mukluk, which is aluminum instead of steel, I have three chain rings up front instead of two and I have 3.8 tires instead of the 4.7s. I secretly covet the Moonlander for it's wider tires and extra floatation in the sand. There is nowhere it won't go, your lungs will be its limiting factor.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Pushing the Big Fat Larry(tire 4.7) up the hills I wouldn't mind your 3.8's or going down hill it would be nice to have an extra set of gears. It is all good. Get out and explore.

And once again you guys amaze me. I rode both the Moonlander and Mukluk today before pulling the trigger and I knew I would be always coveting the Moonlander if I chose the Mukluk, plus I witnessed first hand where Justin rode his bike at last weekend's Desert Rendevous and it was fairly amazing. Everyone that rode it said the same, it will go anywhere. Having turned 50 this year and feeling like I got to do something this is my chance ( excuse) to get fit. It's gonna be a long road but ya gotta start somewhere!

Sloan and Justin have nailed it about the Moonlander going anywhere...I don't even have my bike yet, but my friends wanna plan a all dirt trail trip from Tecate to Cabo...gnarly!

Thanks again for the inspiration guys!

Tim

Tecate to Cabo, I think you have set the bar a little to high. Out of curiosity where are you located and what shop had these bikes in stock?

 

[Gear]

Numbers - March 29, 2012

A cool foggy day and I had some numbers to hit. More on this in the next post. Up at the top of Double Peak.

Down the backside to Discovery Lake and right back up the hill to Triple Peak(Mt. Whitney?).

Then over to Franks Peak and home.

Distance 14.7 miles
Elevation 2666 feet
Moving Average 7.9 mph

 

[Gear]

67 days of documenting my rides on the Moonlander

March 29, 2012 -
67 days on the Moonlander
7 rest days
1003.5 miles
100,037 feet of elevation

Mechanical issues -

1 flat tire.
1 loose rear hub.
1 squeaky pedal.

 

[nwoods]

March 29, 2012 -
67 days on the Moonlander
7 rest days
1003.5 miles
100,037 feet of elevation

Mechanical issues -

1 flat tire.
1 loose rear hub.
1 squeaky pedal.

How many photos? LOL!

I love that you are taking the time to dismount, stage the camera, and make a second approach. These images are coming out great! I think you could win some of self-portrait award for these images. Keep it up!

 

[Sloan]

Thnaks for getting me off my butt today and out the door! I made it all the way across the soft stuff to the surf today, which doesn't sound like much of a feat until you try it. The deciding factor for me was frame size, I fall between Surly frame sizes and it sucks. Their 20 inch frame fits me, but it's like a road bike fit which I would never want to take off road.

 

[Sloan]

I talked to the guys at Xtracycle today, they're working on a longtail conversion for the fatbikes.

 

[njtacoma]

Gear,
I realize it is not California, but here in Colorado I was in two different bike shops this week that had moonlanders in stock. The first was in Denver, Campus Cycles (at Evans & Washington), the other was in the town of Crested Butte (town not ski area). I rode the one in Denver and really liked it. I will have one soonish....

I was really glad to get to ride one, I like the 20" frame, I've always gone smaller on frames, but the 20 was a nice fit.

Also here people use them in the snow, apparently you can ride the snowmobile trails.

 

[Gear]

How many photos? LOL!

I love that you are taking the time to dismount, stage the camera, and make a second approach. These images are coming out great! I think you could win some of self-portrait award for these images. Keep it up!

565 photographs are cached so far. As far as staging the camera. I think this is one of the better angles for the GoPro. I am getting a lot better at doing it. For the most part I can predict were I need to get the shot and sometimes simple stop before the action. This allows me to make one pass with two stops. It has its plus and minus, I get to rest if need be, but it definitely slows the rides down. This becomes apparent on the GPS with the stopped time.

Thnaks for getting me off my butt today and out the door! I made it all the way across the soft stuff to the surf today, which doesn't sound like much of a feat until you try it. The deciding factor for me was frame size, I fall between Surly frame sizes and it sucks. Their 20 inch frame fits me, but it's like a road bike fit which I would never want to take off road.

Making it across to the surf zone. Oh I know what you are talking about. It can be a struggle. The key is not to stay in this part but rather to get down to the hard pack. Which you already know. Tide plays a huge roll in this success. High tide is no fun for a beach cruise(think softest sand).

I talked to the guys at Xtracycle today, they're working on a longtail conversion for the fatbikes.

This could be really interesting. All the while making this bike even more bazaar.

Gear,
I realize it is not California, but here in Colorado I was in two different bike shops this week that had moonlanders in stock. The first was in Denver, Campus Cycles (at Evans & Washington), the other was in the town of Crested Butte (town not ski area). I rode the one in Denver and really liked it. I will have one soonish....

I was really glad to get to ride one, I like the 20" frame, I've always gone smaller on frames, but the 20 was a nice fit.

Also here people use them in the snow, apparently you can ride the snowmobile trails.

Thanks for the reply. I was questioning it because I thought he might live in Southern California. From what I can tell there is very few stocking dealers. This bike will be fun in your neck of the woods.

 

[XploreBaja]

Tecate to Cabo, I think you have set the bar a little to high. Out of curiosity where are you located and what shop had these bikes in stock?

I'm in the world famous OC just north of you. A couple shops I called in So Cal had them in different sizes, but The Path in Tustin, CA had the 20" available. And The Path is the closest to me and IS now my home shop. I got these crazy azz friends that race MTB and its them that want to go south cuz they know I tour groups to Baja, but we do it on motos and vehicles, so they are pushing for a full MTB Expedition south...I do about 30K on dirt roads annually in Baja, but in a truck and although its doable, you better be in some bad azz shape to make it to the tip of Baja.