No. I'm not really killing myself off. And I have learned there's a big difference between road riding and trail riding. Ya gotta be in a lot better shape to trail ride than to road ride. For a young guy that likes to whindoner then the bike is easy pie. For us older guys. Well, its work. But. And this is worth the whole shebang for me. My knees have recovered from the injuries that had me on crutches earlier this year. Really not fun. Pedaling my bicycle had a lot to do with that. Low impact, high cardio workout. And I got to see some country I wouldn't have had I been in a gym or walking. I Hate walking!! And my knees couldn't take much of it whereas I could pedal away for 45 minutes or more with NO PAIN. In fact it makes my knees feel good.

BTW. It was 30 below at the cabin this morning. :-)

And I hate gyms even more than walking!

The bike for hunters is really the Design Logic, Da Phat. It comes with a built on rear rack that is spaced for 150 lbs. If you put a Surly Ice Cream Truck front fork on you can put a good rack on to carry your rifle and shotgun vertically just infront of the handle bar. . The frame can be ordered speced for the 2XL Vee Snowshoe tires which are over 5" wide and are a real game changer in terms of traction and stability!! The frames can be ordered in the color of your choice. . My choice is a dull tan/brown color. . The problem with them is you can't buy entire bikes from Design Logic. Complete frames and trailer hitches only. You need to do your own tires+wheels, chain, crank, bottom bracket , seat post+seat, handle bars, brakes ect. A good bike shop can assemble all the parts. If you set it up 1×9 with a 26 tooth front chain ring and 42 tooth rear large ring. Then you will have all the low gears you need to spin along. It won't be a high speed road bike. But, so. .
The other option until Surly comes out with the Big FAT Dummy. Is the Surly Ice Cream Truck. But it will need a paint job as it comes in a blue color that game will be able to see a few miles away. . Just like all rifles aren't created equal. Not all fat bikes are created equal. . The ICT comes with brazeons for mounting good front and rear racks and is a complete bike for $2,700 or less it is a better deal than the Cogburn CB4. . Which is what I got. When I get my next bike I'll keep the CB4 in case a friend wants to go riding or hunting with me.

They are quiet by motorized standards , but not totally silent much of the time.

Thanks for posting, I have been reading about them. I had my tailbone cut out about 3 years ago and am just now to the point where I can ride a bike again.

I had several iterations of 3 wheeled tadpoles. They all suck and are slow as hell.

For hunting you want a fatty that has a 22 tooth small Chain ring. And a 36 tooth large ring in the rear . Plus all the other Chain rings in the cassette. . For the most part a guy will be riding on bare grounds having your tires aired up to at least 15psi is good. I'm kinda heavy so I go closer to 20 psi. Alot of bike riders are serious cyclists who are as a.retentive about bikes as many on here are about rifles . If I had the time and money I would built a Design Logic Da Phat. With the integral rear rack . An Ice Cream Truck fork and 2XL Vee Snowshoes.

I am thinking about getting a surly ice cream truck to use to ride on cocoa beach.

But it is $2k - i only spend that kind of money on guns, scopes, hunting trips and now fishing trips.

I saw a mongoose malus for $199 at academy http://www.academy.com/webapp/...5248619-adType%5EPLA

thinking of getting it - just to see if i like riding on the beach and to see how it handles rust.

I dont want to spend $2k on a bike and have it trust out on me in a few weeks.

Mike

Ya, No , imo you DON'T want a Surly for beach riding. . A Salas Blackbarrow, RSD Mayor ect. You want aluminum frame and forks or Carbon fork. Surly's are steel frame. Awesome bikes, but, steel rusts . ;-) . My Cogburn is aluminum and it comes in camo!! .
There are lots of good used fat bikes on Craigs List usually. At least around here.
The BikesDirect fat bikes are mostly aluminum framed. Actually the majority of fat bikes are aluminum framed.

Framed Minnesota 2.0 Fat Bike White/Red Sz 20" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O...cp_apa_DBeGybG2HBNDA

This Framed is a good entry level fatty.

quote:

Originally posted by Cold Trigger Finger:
Ya, No , imo you DON'T want a Surly for beach riding. . A Salas Blackbarrow, RSD Mayor ect. You want aluminum frame and forks or Carbon fork. Surly's are steel frame. Awesome bikes, but, steel rusts . ;-) . My Cogburn is aluminum and it comes in camo!! .
There are lots of good used fat bikes on Craigs List usually. At least around here.
The BikesDirect fat bikes are mostly aluminum framed. Actually the majority of fat bikes are aluminum framed.

Framed Minnesota 2.0 Fat Bike White/Red Sz 20" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O...cp_apa_DBeGybG2HBNDA

This Framed is a good entry level fatty.

I bought a $200 mongoose just to try out a fat bike.

Lot of fun riding on the beach in low tide. Mongoose is a heavy bike. Some metal rusted out and I got a flat tire after 3 miles. Swapped it out for another mongoose at academy.

I will be now shopping for a proper fat tire beach bike. Mongoose will become the guest bike.

Mike

I had a book about traveling in AK around 1900 bikes were popular even in the winter.

I'll get a link to the ITI, Iditarod Trail Invatational race. It's not a strictly fat bike race. Competitors can walk or ski. Why someone would want to walk to None is beyond me. Seems most of the walkers get all tore up and destroy their feet. The bikers seem to get there in much better health.

A few years ago the bikers screamed along the trail which was hard and fast. Some serious athletes. I've done a race up here where you could bike, run or ski and there are animals that ran a marathon length trail with plenty of hills - on a snowy trail! I've always biked and only run under duress. The fat tire bikes are a great way to get out and keep the blood moving in winter.

Like CTF says, studded tires will keep you upright even on ice (still have to be careful). And big 5 inch tires, at lower pressures, will float well on un groomed trails. They can be big, heavy bikes, so if you can afford it, buy an aluminum frame or even carbon ($$$). If you like bicycling and your bike goes into the garage for the winter, get one, you'll love it.

Well , the ITI " Iditarod Trail Invatational
It is a people powered race. Them people just enjoy working way too hard for my taste. This year is very different than last year. The snow and trail conditions are alot worse. And the riders have had to push their bikes up over Rainy Pass. Making about 1mph for long stretches of time. I haven't been able to find the Spot Tracker link. Hopefully I'll be able to today.

http://trackleaders.com/iti17


Hopefully this is the link to the ITI racers position and progress.
The trail has been blown over and real tough pedaling and pushing. On top of that it's been blowing and temps are running around 20-30 below so the wind chill is down in the 50-70 below range.
Glad I ain't out there.
Standing on sled runners and taking care of a dog team is one thing . Pedalling a bike in crappy weather? No thanks.
I couldn't even put it down as type 2 fun.

https://craigmedred.news/2017/03/03/a-survivors-tale/

This is worth the read.

Later this year Bugatti will introduce a bicycle which weighs only 11 pounds !!

Road ? Or Fatty ?

Put a set of Swalbe, Jumbo Jim , Snake Skin tires on my bike on Saturday. Really nice , easy to mount of my rims . great looking summer tires . Tho they would also work in the snow , with 2 sets plus a new spare , studded tires . We don't need them for winter riding . I wanted to start riding to work . But, I may need to rethink that. Had an 11 1/2 hour day at work . About 130 round trips into the cab of the Kenworth I drive.
But the Jumbo Jim Snake Skins are a very nice tire that is supposed to be very puncture resistant.

A friend of mine bought a khs for getting to his bow stand quietly and he loves it. He likes it so much he rides it a lot in the off season.

Khs makes some Nice fatty's.
There has been some kind of bike thing going on on the Richardson highway this week. People , many wearing normal looking clothes riding mt bikes along the highway. Problem is , they are scared to get off the pavement. If they were riding fatty's they would just be rolling along no problem. And they are creating something of a problem.
Everyone should ride a fat bike. Skinny tires are just dumb in Alaska.