Sunday 9 February 2014

Back cycling..on the Fatty.


Although my flu has cleared, I'm still feeling exhausted and to add to my woe's, I've pulled a lumber muscle in my back. I was walking like a very grumpy and very decrepit John Wayne for the most of the last week.
The weather was also trying it's best to discourage me with winds gusting to 45mph but I had to get out for a cycle. I built the On-One Fatty for days like this.


I find a lot of solace from life's little tribulations in a long day on the Long Haul Trucker, but when the weather is inclement, it's great to grab the simplicity of the Fatty and go for a blast through the woods. A well lubed and tightly adjusted 1x9 gearing makes for simple cycling.


I just look far enough forward and, as long as I'm pedaling, the Fatty floats over everything. So off into John Muir Country Park with brown bracken against the grey sky and  pine trees providing a welcome belt of green and some much needed shelter from the biting wind.



 
Fly ran alongside and whenever I stopped to take a photo, she took the opportunity to find a fetch-able stick.



And as much as I enjoy fleeing through the woods, bouncing over lumps and roots and floating across ground that would capsize anything other than a fat bike; It's just as important to stop for a few minutes and soak up the peace of the ebbing tide in the estuary.


A couple of hours of play and I returned to the car with a tired dog and a mucky bike.




Plant sprayer to get rid of the worst of the grit and slime, then a quick spray with cheap silicone furniture polish to displace the water and the Fatty is clean enough to load up and head home.




I stopped at the sailing club to put another coat of paint on the Heron's rudder and grab a beer with Stuart. I also had to take a picture of the barometer,...If you sail, you will know that a reading like this thankfully only comes along very rarely.
...the glass is falling, batten the hatches.

5 comments:

  1. I love your argument for having an inclement weather play bike. It takes my mind in new directions, and I'm always looking for ways to overcome obstacles to ride.

    Fly is looking as lovely as ever.

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    1. Yeah, I've somehow constructed an argument that owning a fatbike means I have no excuse for not taking some exercise and thus, El, my wife, has a healthy active husband and a happy, tired out dog. Make sense to me.

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  2. Heading to John Muir after work today with the trailer to look work logs for firewood washed into the bay!, , gotta love fatbikes in this unsettled weather!

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  3. The snow is starting to melt (finally) here in Iowa and that means my bike is often a gross mess. Your idea of using the plant sprayer is brilliant! I couldn't resist sharing....and borrowing. Thanks!!

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    1. Your welcome Melanie, although I can't take all the credit as there are a few others around here who do the same thing. The sprayerers are not very powerful but if you use them with a cheap nylon brush the bike soon cleans up.

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