2021 MTB Log

[Cannonballer 666]

So 2020 was a crazy year in the MTB world. All of those people cooped up due to Covid decided to buy bikes and get out there. Bike prices skyrocketed, parts were hard to come by, shops were only taking 'existing clients', and the trails were packed.  It's going to be interesting to see what happens next. Will it continue on the same trajectory or will there suddenly be a flood of slightly used bikes for sale?

I got out for my first ride of the year on 1/8/2021. We started the morning snowboarding at Cannon with @Puck it. After a bunch of uninspiring groomer runs in the low viz of Cannon's snowmaking cloud I convinced my nephew that we should bail to seek some sun and change of pace. We packed up the fat bikes and hit PRKR in Littleton. It was his first time riding snow so we targeted some of the easier stuff (which is PRKR's best anyway).  Conditions were as good as it gets. They had laid down a nice narrow grooming through the fluff. No ice, no getting bogged down in deep stuff.  At 23 degrees and sunny the temps were just about perfect for dressing light without freezing or overheating. 

So excited to be back in saddle in 2021!

 

[Cannonballer 666]

Hit PRKR again today. Conditions are too good to pass up. 6 miles today, which normally seems like nothing on a bike but felt like a lot in the snow. 

 

[StraightSkis 9]

@CannonballerI am new to fat biking. What tire pressure would you have on a trail like the pictures above?

[Cannonballer 666]

49 minutes ago, StraightSkis said:

@CannonballerI am new to fat biking. What tire pressure would you have on a trail like the pictures above?

Welcome to it, you'll love it!  I ran ~5-6 psi front and back on that groomed trail.  It felt just right.  I rode today on a trail that wasn't groomed and only packed out by snowshoes. So it was rougher and softer. I ran 4psi for that and liked it.  It's pretty hard to run less than that. 

I definitely recommend getting a good low pressure gauge that reads less than 15psi.  Normal gauges don't have enough accuracy at the low end help you make those fine adjustments that make a big difference. 

[StraightSkis 9]

Thank you for your help.

[Cannonballer 666]

I rode Loon's XC ski network today.  I ride this a lot in the summer as a good workout even though it's pretty boring. I usually stay off of it in the winter because they charge for trail access and there is very limited parking.  This winter they aren't charging and they generally don't plan to maintain it, but it's not off limits.  So I went over to see what kind of shape it was in. With the snow and other precip coming tonight I figure that riding may be off the table for a few days at least.

As it turns out, they did in fact groom the main loop into a nice wide double track. Quite a few dog walkers were out taking advantage of that. The riding on that was nice and easy. Then I turned off onto one of the steeper climbs. This trail is already a long uphill slog in summer.  Today it was ungroomed except for a single snowmobile track. That made for soft, uneven, focused climbing.  At the top I peeled off to take on of the steeper downhill 'bypass' trails.  This was basically untracked except for some boot packing and offered some untouched ~6” snow for the descent. This was the deepest and steepest I've ever descended on my bike. It was terrifying...and a blast!  I took a few good falls.  If the climb wasn't so brutal I would have done more laps.  I finished with a 2nd lap on the lower loop to get the mileage up. Hoping that they continue to partially maintain it as the season goes on.