Wow the McCandless bus. Must be interesting there for sure. Read the story in Men's Journal, then watched most of the movie....Interesting story there!
The ExPo Mountain Bike Photo Thread
- Thread starter Christophe Noel
- Start date
Wow the McCandless bus. Must be interesting there for sure. Read the story in Men's Journal, then watched most of the movie....Interesting story there!
Co-opski
Expedition Leader
That was a good ride. It took 2 full days. One day to drive up and camp in the trailhead parking so I could get an alpine start, full day of riding and driving back to Girdwood. March is the best time to get out as the rivers have plenty of snow bridges to cross and the dog sled tours have put a nice trail in. The Alaska militia has trashed the place pretty good, it is a shame because his sisters have done a lot of work to make it a memorial and safety shelter for travelers in need. Not sure how to share a KML file for Google Earth but here is the screen shot of the area north of the Denali National Park on Stampede Trail.
Here are some from biking out to Spencer Glacier, we were some of the first to make the trip this winter and we had a lot of hike-a-bike sections. 8 hours round trip. Now the trial is set great and half of Anchorage's fat bikers are making the journey every weekend. Last two winters in Southcentral AK were non-existent and this trail never opened, so people are getting after it. We don't know if we will get this chance again.
We had the Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) and Fur Rondvue-Fat Bike ride with some Slow-Roll races.
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Co-opski
Expedition Leader
Nice Surly KM! SSBP=Single Speed Bike Packing
Nice. I came second in the winter MTN bike race in Yellowknife the year I was up there. I was riding all winter. Besides the Freakin cold it was really fun. Had an unusually warm spring too. by may month it was 15 deg and all trails were clear! The old specialized took some miles that year. I have to get my two bikes rigged up bad!
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
Mukluk with 27+ wheels. A pretty formidable touring platform.
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
Mountain biking. Sorta.
What tires are those? They look like WTB 3.0 Rangers. If so, what are your impressions?
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
That they are. 3.0 Rangers on 45mm Scrapers. I dig 'em. Nice rounded profile for good corner transitions and the uniformity of the knobs also gives a good upright to leaning transitional feel. They roll quickly but I can't speak much to durability as they only have about 250 miles on them, albeit in some pretty rough terrain. The floatation at lower psi is great and when jacked up they cruise on hardpack and tarmac. Awesome adventure wheel setup.
Cool, good to know. What's your knob-to-knob measurement on the i45s? I am building up a set of 27.5+ wheels and want to find a full 3.0-width tire. Thinking either these, Schwalbe Rocket Rons, Maxxis Chronicles, Specialized Purgatorys or Bontrager Chupas. I don't ride where I will need the heavy chunk of something like a Surly Dirt Wizard or other big-knob tire. Any thoughts (or maybe I should start a different thread?)
Thanks Co-opski! :bike_rider:
Co-opski
Expedition Leader
In the spring as the mountain snow goes isothermic with deep rotten snow thaws in the late afternoon and then at night we have cold temps in the teens and low twenties that sets the snow up for a solid block of crust ice. This is what us skate skiers and fat bikers dream about. Crust biking. Turnagain Pass was a wintery Moab for the last few days. You have between 7 am and 11 am to get your riding in before the snow becomes a mash potato mess. It may not last past this weekend with rain in the forecast.
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Hello Christophe:
I'm vacillating between 27.5+ and 29+ as a second wheel set for my 2017 carbon Mukluk. Looking to wander remote desert country and want something more agile that the 26 x 4.0 Jumbo Jims I'm running now (will keep JJs for winter and really sandy stuff). Any thoughts on 27.5+ versus 29+?
Thanks,
Howard L. Snell
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
Really good question. My primary experience with 29+ was on the Salsa Deadwood and the huge diameter and moderately low gearing kicked my butt on long climbs and even short punchy climbs. I felt like I just couldn't get geared low enough. I don't seem to suffer those problems with 27+ but still enjoy all of the big wheel benefits. I think I like my choice of 27+.
It's a tough question and I'd say go with your gut. On the upside, I don't think either choice will ever be cause for regret. I do REALLY love the Muk with those 27+ wheels. So fun.
mathers420
Observer
Crust riding has become my favorite type of riding, we had a couple of thaw-freezes this winter which left the snowpack rideable for a few weeks at a time.
here's a pic of my bike at a local golf course.
