Nov

After ChattaJack, my last paddling race, I shifted more towards hiking and biking. I’ve got a new toy: a fat bike, 2017 Salsa Mukluk GX1, ordered online from REI. It is my first bike with a carbon frame. As expected, it’s a lot of fun to ride that monster.
I started riding my fat bike in lower trails of Lory State Park and Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. Then, I continued to explore Red Mountain Open Space and Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.
More pictures and, probably, video clips will come, but here are 10 images from my first 2 weeks of fat biking in northern Colorado. All pictures were shot with Sony A7R2 camera on a tripod.For selfies I use that camera with time lapse application.

First ride in Lory State Park – Hogback Overview trail

A little weight lifting for cross training

Mahogany Loop in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area

Sunset over prairie foothills from Mahogany Loop in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

Crossing a cattle fence on Cheyenne Rim trail in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

Patches of snow on the Cheyenne Rim in Red Mountain Open Space

Cheyenee Rim Trail requires some climbing, but offers magnificent views of the Big Hole. It is difficult to be there around sunrise or sunset for the best photography light.

Ruby Wash in Red Mountain Open Space

Contemplating a tough and long ride through deep gravel on the Big Hole Wash Trail in Red Mountain Open Space

These fat tires really attract cactus needles …
I have not been riding the Soapstone for a couple of years. Recently, I revisited Mahogany and Pronghorn Loops, and Cheyenne Rim Trail. There are some new features. (1) The lower, 3 mile portion of the Cheyenne Rim trail was rerouted to make room for bisons. Now, it is all a single track, a little bumpy due to rocks and cattle footprints. (2) Most of numerous gates are now equipped with cattle guards, so you don’t need to stop.
Red Mountain and Soapstone will be closed December-February, so I hope to get a few more rides there in November.
Soapstone is my favorite location for mountain biking nowadays. Red Mountain offers betters photography opportunities. I love trails in the Horsetooth area, but somehow, they became steeper and more rocky than they used to be 25 years ago …
I’ve found REI MTB Project a very useful resource for planning biking trips. I added a few pictures from my recent riding to their gallery.
Are you riding a fat bike in Fort Collins area? What are your favorite trail in northern Colorado?
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- Tagged: bike, fat bike, Horsetooth, Lory State Park, Red Mountain, Soapstone
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