Trail Conditions for Calgarians

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Trail Conditions for Calgarians
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flag leftypumpkin
O+
Posted: Oct 25, 2020 at 18:44 Quote
Did a couple of Husky laps today - Aunt Flo & Shoulda. Top part of Aunt Flo was a pretty narrow groove so hard to ride without bouncing off the edges. Bottom was better and easy to rip. Shoulda was pretty good top to bottom until you hit elbow valley - not packed very well and pretty dodgy down to the road and across the road down to Ing's Mine, front tire got dragged all over the place leading to much to'ing and fro'ing in an effort to not get bucked off.
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Oct 28, 2020 at 21:56 Quote
2.1 mud spikes......point it steep and point it deep....

CM!
flag jerome
O+
Posted: Oct 29, 2020 at 5:43 Quote
Cro-Mag wrote:
2.1 mud spikes......point it steep and point it deep....

CM!
are you still running Evil twins?
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Oct 30, 2020 at 21:56 Quote
jerome wrote:
Cro-Mag wrote:
2.1 mud spikes......point it steep and point it deep....

CM!
are you still running Evil twins?

Either those or some maxxis that are a little wider and stiffer......bites good deep and helps you turn on the steep. Those floaty fat tires are for touring around the mountain.

CM!
flag shlotch
O+
Posted: Nov 1, 2020 at 14:59 Quote
R-M-R wrote:
Sounds like 2.8" would be too limiting. I'd forgotten about tire size restrictions. I'm not keen on sinking into snow or mud, so I wouldn't ride in soft conditions, but I also don't want to be that jerk who interprets the rules for himself.

I've been "fat curious" for a few years and have hit almost every demo event in that time (particular thanks to Bow Cycle, Rebound Cycle, and Ridley's!). My experience has been:

• I'm very XC when fat biking. Soft snow is a chore, unpredictable crowns make me mad, and crashing every few minutes just isn't my thing.
• Frames that accommodate very fat tires often interfered with my calves and always had a wider stance than I prefer.
• 4.5" tires (Bontrager Gnarwhal, studded) added modest control and flotation, but were incredibly slow rolling. Would prefer to avoid this, if doing so would not be too limiting. Maybe narrower on the rear and wider front?
• 3.8" tires (Dillinger 4, studded) rolled like summer tires at the Nordic Centre and West Bragg in nicely packed conditions. Fat biking would be great if it could be like that most of the time.

How limiting in days and trail selection is are ~3.8" - 4" tires? i.e. How much of the time is a heavily lugged, 4.5" tire significantly advantageous, given that I'd be content to ride the most popular trails on soft days? And what are your thoughts on running said monster truck tire on the front with a racier tire on the rear?

Thank you!

Given that you're "very XC" when fat biking, then a fat bike is probably a decent choice. Honestly, my experience with fat bikes is that the only time they are more useful than a normal bike is in situations where you aren't allowed to ride a normal bike... like groomed trails with tire restrictions. If you're going to do a lot of that, then you'll have a great time. I don't think a 4" or 5" tire is going to make a huge difference on most days - it will occasionally, but most of the time you're just trying to churn through shitty, soft snow and going nowhere regardless of what you're on (check out the Kona Wozo for a narrower rear end).

Don't get me wrong, riding a fat bike can be a hoot, but the novelty wears off if you're looking for something other than weekly laps at WBC or the Nordic Center. Maybe Fish Creek on a Thursday to get out of the house. Fat bike advocates will preach about floatation and how you *neeeed* big tires to ride at all. But those conditions are so situational that you'll encounter them on 5% of your rides out on un-groomed trails and the rest of the time you'll be pushing most of the time anyways. Like most things, it all comes down to the type of riding you want to do and your personal expectations.

My own fat bike journey lasted a handful of years. It started with the local-ish XC trails and then progressed into more proper back-country adventures. Once I got into the latter, the fat bike got somewhat meaningless. More often than not, heading out to a location meant finding conditions that were mostly unrideable. What you'd end up doing is carrying/pushing your bike to the top of something that's steep enough that the snow accumulation no longer matters. And at that point, having a fat bike also no longer matters.

This year I actually sold the fat bike and am spending the winter on a do-it-all hardtail. I have the option to use normal tires or do the whole studded/plus thing for times when that helps. And, in both cases, it has the advantage of actually riding like a mountain bike. That said, it's a fun thing to try out and see if it's a fit. If it is, that's great! If not, just sell it before fat eTrikes, or whatever, become all the rage.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Nov 1, 2020 at 19:59 Quote
shlotch,

Thank you; interesting perspective!

A fat bike wouldn't be my only winter sport and I'm tolerant of repetition if the few trails are good ones - i.e laps of popular trails at West Bragg and the Nordic Centre would fine, when mixed with other sports. Happy to be a fairweather fatbiker!

Fish Creek has been mentioned being better than one might expect. Not my end of town, but still closer than the mountains.
flag shlotch
O+
Posted: Nov 2, 2020 at 7:45 Quote
R-M-R wrote:
shlotch,

Thank you; interesting perspective!

A fat bike wouldn't be my only winter sport and I'm tolerant of repetition if the few trails are good ones - i.e laps of popular trails at West Bragg and the Nordic Centre would fine, when mixed with other sports. Happy to be a fairweather fatbiker!

Fish Creek has been mentioned being better than one might expect. Not my end of town, but still closer than the mountains.

In that case, you seem to represent the ideal use case for a fat bike Wink .
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Nov 3, 2020 at 22:22 Quote
[Quote="shlotch"]
R-M-R wrote:
.

My own fat bike journey lasted a handful of years. It started with the local-ish XC trails and then progressed into more proper back-country adventures. Once I got into the latter, the fat bike got somewhat meaningless. More often than not, heading out to a location meant finding conditions that were mostly unrideable. What you'd end up doing is carrying/pushing your bike to the top of something that's steep enough that the snow accumulation no longer matters. And at that point, having a fat bike also no longer matters.

Glad someone sees the light on the fat bike brigade.......this is where those skinny spikers excel.....steep and hub deep after that its time to give up on trying to be a mountain biker and have fun doing other things in the hills. But as always.....to each their own.

CM!
flag R-M-R
Posted: Nov 4, 2020 at 19:54 Quote
2020 11 04 Fullerton area on the summer bike: Generally good.

• Elbow Valley: Ice, mud, and damp dirt. Approach the bridge cautiously.
• Sugar Mama: Greasy at the bottom, mostly dry above the middle.
• Ranger Summit from Snakes to Strange Brew: Good.
• Snakes: Really good, but many berms have puddles at the apexes. Dig one out as you go!
• Strange Brew: Mostly dry with a section of soft ice halfway between Baruch's and Sugar Daddy.
• Sugar Daddy: Mostly dry with a short section of ice that's easily seen before hitting it.

Please take a moment to dig out a puddle with a stick. If everyone did one or two, they would soon be gone. I did four, so now it's your turn!
flag shlotch
O+
Posted: Nov 5, 2020 at 7:28 Quote
Prairie Mtn trails are full-on summer-bike approved at the moment. At least for the next 24-48 hours? Even the highest trails became completely free of snow over the last couple of days. I'm not sure the trails were running better at any point over the summer. Amazing what a bit of moisture can do.

Summertime crowds in effect too, as one would expect. As a generally antisocial rider, my strategy has long been to take time off work in the middle of the week for my rides in order to maintain a bit of solitude. Obviously that's off the table in 2020 as time itself has become a meaningless metric.
flag diamondback1x9
Posted: Nov 10, 2020 at 15:34 Quote
Watching. I have nothing to give right now.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Nov 10, 2020 at 15:35 Quote
You can subscribe without posting.
flag diamondback1x9
Posted: Nov 10, 2020 at 15:36 Quote
R-M-R wrote:
You can subscribe without posting.
Do i need to go into desktop mode?
flag R-M-R
Posted: Nov 10, 2020 at 15:37 Quote
Ah, maybe. It definitely works in Desktop. Look to the top left of the thread posts.
flag diamondback1x9
Posted: Nov 10, 2020 at 15:38 Quote
Not there on mobile. Will just go to desktop mode for a minute. Its there on desktop

 


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