Getting Set For Fat Biking Season

The Blackborow DS on my test run.

Well, sooner than later Winter is going to show up. At least for a bit, and I wanted to be ready for it when it does. So, I did some maintenance and tweaking on two of my three fat bikes over the last weekend. 

My dedicated, max-flotation device is the Salsa Blackborow DS. I have essentially done zero maintenance on this bike since I got it in 2014. The one thing I needed to do was to swap out the chain, which had finally worn out and had finally shown signs of rusting. Pretty remarkable seeing as how I almost never rode this bike unless it was going through rain, mud, flooded waters, or snow. 

During my maintenace on the chain, I checked the bottom bracket, (good!), and the rear wheel bearings, (also good!),and did some deep cleaning. The two stainless steel cogs were showing some signs of discoloration, but that is typical of Surly's single speed cogs. The chain rings, also stainless and Surly branded, cleaned up slick as a whistle. 

The original chain was a KMC 99 model, (no onger in production), so I used a new KMC 9 speed chain I had here anyway. Stripped of its shipping lube, which was easy, since it was so light, I then added DuMonde Tech lube. We will see how that fares in the snow!

A better look at those Revelate pogies.

The really cool deal here is that I finally got these rare Revelate Jones H-Bar specific pogies on this bike. These came out in late 2015 but they were insanely expensive and not many people bought them. So they weren't made for very long. 

I got them because they were gifted to me by the former owner of the Ti Muk 2. I promptly stored them and well.....I finally found them again! So on those went and they are fantastic! These are really well made and they should keep the cold out quite nicely. 

They are huge, but they do not impinge on the ability to use all the Jones H-Bar positions. So, that explains their profile. The hand gaskets are a nice touch and very easy to get in and out from. There are even venting zippers in front which are those waterproofed, weather-proofed ones. Expensive stuff here. I can completely see why these are not made anymore.It's definitely a typically well-built and designed Revelate product with zero compromises. But that makes the price sky-high, and added in with the small niche market these would have and well..... Ya know? It's not hard to figure it out. 

But there it is. My Blackborow DS ready for deep Winter and snow. 

The Ti Muk 2

The Ti Muk 2 didn't need much, but I did need to fashion a new rear fender for it. I ended up using a front Mud shovel and with a few minor modifications t went on very nicely. The previously reviewed Old Man Mountain Juniper Trunk bag is on the rack and will serve as a place to stow the ubiquitous mammoth-sized fat bike tube, and maybe some changes of clothes or a hot Thermos of chicken soup.

So, that bike is ready, and it probably will be my main commuter rig, along with being my "normal conditions" fat bike choice. And what of the other fat bike I have? Well, that will be getting a major refresh and you will all just have to sit tight to see what happens there.