We cut through Ft. Snelling to the Long Meadow Lake trail, crossed at Cedar/77 and took the MN Valley Trail back to the Mendota Bridge.
I'm beginning to think I should do some repurposing of bikes... the idea of making the Fisher GED my primary singletrack bike and using the fat front Fargo for adventures like Friday is becoming more and more appealing.
It was an awesome ride. There were some windy road miles involved, but that's alright. I've always wanted to ride the river trails at night, but I'm not too keen on riding in the woods alone at night. Hopefully we'll do it again soon.
I rode my fat front Fargo... decked out in 'adventure mode' with the frame bag and rear rack/trunk. The bike performed better than I expected, although there were one or two spots where the sand was too soft and deep for the rear tire.
I'm beginning to think I should do some repurposing of bikes... the idea of making the Fisher GED my primary singletrack bike and using the fat front Fargo for adventures like Friday is becoming more and more appealing.
One advantage of the GED is that I have a suspension fork for it, which will help with the hand soreness I've been getting after riding the local singletrack. I don't think my hand will ever be back to where it was before I broke it last fall, and even with the fat front on the Fargo I'm still getting too much stress on my hand.
Additionally, the PMP is just too slow and heavy sometimes (and will probably be getting even slower and heavier after this winter), so it might be nice to have a lighter, faster bike for adventures in shallower sand, snow and mud. Of course, when the conditions get really soft, I'll still have my Poor Man's Pug.
The fact that I'm riding the local, purpose-built MTB trails less and less is also influencing my thoughts. My most enjoyable and memorable rides over the last two years have been exploring along the river, not on the local singletrack. And the fat front Fargo seems to work great for the river trails, especially in the fall.
Stopping can be as much fun as riding...
Additionally, the PMP is just too slow and heavy sometimes (and will probably be getting even slower and heavier after this winter), so it might be nice to have a lighter, faster bike for adventures in shallower sand, snow and mud. Of course, when the conditions get really soft, I'll still have my Poor Man's Pug.
The fact that I'm riding the local, purpose-built MTB trails less and less is also influencing my thoughts. My most enjoyable and memorable rides over the last two years have been exploring along the river, not on the local singletrack. And the fat front Fargo seems to work great for the river trails, especially in the fall.
Stopping can be as much fun as riding...
3 comments:
I really like that first image. Excellent feeling of movement.
Really liking the blog. I am shopping for bikes at the moment, debating between a Pugsley and a Fargo, among other bikes, but since you have a fat front Fargo, how do you like it? I know it is apples and oranges, but how would you compare a fat bike to the Fargo? I really like the idea of an enabler fork on the Fargo, just for the SS hub in the front, and the winter fat front option. Very cool.
Thanks Unknown, that's one of my recent favorites.
Cody - Thanks. That's a tough call... they are such different bikes. Both are cool and fun, so I can see how both of 'em would be on the top of people's list when looking for a new bike. It really comes down to what kind of riding you do (or want to do).
Unless you need the flotation of a Pug for soft sand or snow, the fat tires are totally unnecessary (but fun). A fat front will do well on packed sand/snow, but if it is soft (or deep) a true fat bike will be significantly better.
The Fargo will obviously be better if you ride gravel or pavement. Both are going to be fun (in their own way) on singletrack... I think the Pug would handle technical stuff better, while the Fargo will be lighter and faster.
If I were looking for a bike to do everything, I'd buy a Mukluk or Fatback and a set of 29er wheels for it. The offset of the Pug doesn't make running 29er wheels very appealing to me.
All that said, I love the fat front Fargo. But I think it fits the type of riding I do and the terrain where I often ride (not many rocks, but a fair amount of sand and dusty hardpack). At 6'7", the Fargo also fits me better than most bikes (tall front end).
Hope that helps!
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