Flat Tire Bikes

Friday night called for rain overnight and then wind and chilly temps for Saturday but despite Mother Natures best attempts to thwart the SMNDFBR, we still managed a really good turn out.





The plan was to ride out to Wilderness Park and get in a little single track so we headed down the N Street Cycle Track. Things were moving smoothly, maybe too smoothly; catching all the greens, birds chirping, people waving and smiling, rainbows and unicorns everywhere but then we promptly ran into a road block at 10th street. No detour, no signs previous about it being closed, just blocked off and closed because riding down 10th street in traffic seems like a perfectly safe place to play in traffic on a bicycle. Probably best to avoid that section for now, although you can get around it fairly easily since the entire road is closed as well but you have to cut through their road blocks.


Just a slight detour and we were back on track and heading toward the Park.








Wilderness was in perfect shape, running really smooth and fast. Love that first section, it's one of my personal favorites.




Bridge stops are always a must and they did not disappoint.


Because things were going too well, Dave decided to get a flat on his Mukluk and changing those tubes aren't exactly quick or easy.




Once we were back up and rolling again we decided to high tail it down the Jamaica Trail on the way back.




The plan was to head over the Blue Blood for a little lunch stop but then they got caught over there and I got caught on the right side of the train.




Eventually we were reunited and it really did feel so good, I guess Peaches & Herb knew what they were talking about the whole time.



We made it to Blue Blood, they even had the place all spruced up for the holidays outside, had some food and barley pops.


Once outside we unlocked our bikes before calling an end to another Saturday Morning No Drop Fat Bike Ride and separated in the direction of home. Thanks to everyone who came out, there will probably be a ride next Saturday so if you're in town for Thanksgiving and looking for a ride, stay tuned.

Moloko Handlebar Bag

A few months back I picked up a set of the highly sought after Surly Moloko Handlebars for the Pugsley and then shortly after that I ordered the even more highly sought after Moloko Handlebar Bag or as Surly refers to it the Moloko Adjunct Personal Effects Receptacle.  The bags weren't available so I had to wait on it for about a month and a half before it showed up but I figured if it was as good as the bars were then it would be worth the wait. This is not meant to be a technical review but more my initial thought on the Moloko Handlebar Bag, the interwebs are full of technical specs if that's your thing.

As you might have picked up on already, the bag fits perfectly in the opening in the middle of the crazy looking Moloko Handlebars. The bars certainly have a look that is a bit unusual but so far they have been super comfortable when paired with the ESI Super Chunky grips. This setup replaced my flat bar and Ergon grip setup that I was running since I got the Pugsley a few years back, so far I haven't noticed any more numbness in my hands than I did with the Ergon grips so that is saying something right there. The angle on the bars is slightly more than the Jones and to me it just seems to be a good natural grip angle.


I didn't have the Moloko bag for Gravel Worlds ( if I did maybe I wouldn't have forgotten my tunes and food) but I was riding the Moloko bars for it, so I did spend a good 14 hours and 150 miles straight on the bars and never felt any worse for wear and the nubs out front came in pretty handy for stretching out and cruising; something you won't get with Jones bars if you're at all interested in a more road bike position while out on gravel or dirt.


Back to the bag though, the bag comes with 4 straps that can be attached in almost limitless positions thanks to the multiple attachment loops on the bag. That feature comes in handy when you are using the bag in conjunction with a feed bag or other bag/device that attaches to the bars because of course they will naturally want to strap to the bar in the same exact spot. The straps themselves are rubberized on one side and a fabric type material on the other side, so far they have stayed where you put them and haven't come unfastened while riding, which is pretty important for a strap to be functional.




The bag sits pretty low in the handlebars so it is nice that Surly put large zipper tabs on the bag, so far they have been easy to find and operate even with full finger gloves. Since it's just now beginning to get colder I don't have any experience with winter gloves but I suspect it won't be an issue with those either, now if you're a mitten or lobster glove wearer your experience might vary. One thing to keep in mind is if you wrap the bars as I did with a thicker tape, it will make the opening a little tighter than it would be on unwrapped bars so depending on how much you plan to carry in the bag you may want to leave the bars unwrapped around the opening to maximize the space available. Realistically the only part of the bar that benefits from being wrapped are the "horns" out front just as a little padding and added grip when your hands or bars are wet IMO, the rest if more for aesthetics.


The outside of the bag might be black but the inside is lined with a neon green fabric, this comes in really handy at night or low light to help find dark items against the lighter back ground. The stretch pocket on the top flap perfectly fits a cell phone and a Ziploc with a license, credit card (or cash) and Chap-stick in it. As a bonus the heft of those items helps to keep the bag closed while riding in case you forget to fully zip the zipper before taking off. Given what you might stash in the bag, credit cards, license, keys, wallet, etc. making sure those items don't fall out is pretty important.



Another great feature that I didn't initially notice is that there is an opening at the front of the bag that allows you to feed ear phones or power cables through so that you can listen to music or recharge your cycling computer, lights or whatever other electronic gizmo you ride with without exposing your MP3 player of choice or your external battery to the elements. Even though the opening is at the font of the bag farthest away from you, there is still plenty of headphone cable left to make it to your ears or ample charging cable to make it to your cycling computer or other device although a cable at least 4 feet in length might be best for charging. In the picture I show a pair of dual headphones but when riding I opt for a set of headphones with only one earbud so that I can still hear what it going on around me, there are several companies that make them now or you can do as I did for my first pair and just cut off one of the headphones from a regular pair and then use something like liquid electrical tape to close the end off.


Despite it's smallish appearance the Moloko Handlebar bag is deceptively roomy inside, you can fit two 12 oz beer cans inside there and still have room for your phone, wallet, keys, etc.... not that I would know that since beer is yucky, in addition to the inside storage there is also draw string on top of the bag, while I haven't used it yet I do think it will come in handy for carrying items that might be too bulky to fit inside the bag yet still keep them secure on the outside of the bag with the ability to tightly cinch them down. In the spring or fall when layering is key, I can see rolling up a wind jacket or vest and stowing it there once the layers start coming off and since the bag is on the front you also have to worry less about those layers falling of unnoticed while riding. Nothing is worse than getting done with a ride only to find out something fell off the bike and you either have to go back and look for it or spend your hard earned cash to replace it. If you're like me I am really digging all of the bags that they now have that attach to the bike so you can keep the bulk of the weight off you and on the bike. I suppose one drawback to the Moloko bag is that you have to have the Moloko bar first to get the most out of the bag... it might fit in a Jones bar and work just fine but since there is already a bag out there designed specifically for the opening in a Jones bar I don't see the reasoning of using this one for those bars.

Well, that's the quick run down on the bag, I'll try to get another post up in a few months when I've have more experience using the bag.

Traditionally Traditional

Yesterday was Saturday, which of course meant that it was time for the Saturday Morning No Drop Fat Bike Ride. Cooler temps seemed to have brought with them bigger crowds, I think this was one of the bigger rides we've had this year... we shall see how those numbers hold once the chill turns into cold here in about a month or less.




With a 2:30 pm home game, we figured it would be safe to cruise through the downtown area, it wasn't too bad but just because it was still 4 hours to kickoff didn't mean it wasn't already teeming with people. Unfortunately we didn't time it optimally and nobody had their tailgating grills going just yet, those smells are pure heaven to ride through when they are up and running.


Ordered a new seat post clamp in lime/sour apple green to offset the purple of the Fargo and it had just come in that morning so I swapped it out quick like before we took off from the shop. Even though I used a piece of electrical tape to mark the seat height before making the change, I must have been off by a few millimeters and had to Todd it at the bridge by Van Dorn as the seat height was just a tad too low. For those not in the know, to "Todd" something means to constantly fidget with it while on a ride, especially seat height, angle or fore/aft position. Love ya Todd!




A quick turn of the wrench and we were back on track, as the weather starts to cool down I have been noticing that the girthy tires are starting to outnumber those more svelte.






The route for Saturday was pretty simple, head out on W. Claire Ave to 40th St and then ride that out to Sprague Road. As a bonus the winds were gentle and the temps mild for a change so it wasn't a bad day to be out in rural Lancaster County spinning on some gravel with friends.


We weren't the only ones having a good time out there though, not exactly sure what these guys were up to but standing on a metal roof with a decent pitch, possibly still covered in morning dew sounds like a heck of a good time to me, what is the worst thing that could happen.




42nd and Saltillo Road is a great place to regroup, grab a refreshing beverage or if you are so inclined, it's also a great place to lose your Lippy's BBQ I found out in August. I wouldn't recommend that last one but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and that day Pablo had to do it.


Big man with a big can.



Generally we turn east on Martell Road and then come into Sprague via S.W. 29th and Sprague Road but Saturday we had a special place we needed to stop first so a slight reroute from the norm was in order. It's the first time I've been out to SW 58th and Sprague Road since that awful day in September and it was a little odd being there. I'm not sure what I expected to see but it remains an unsuspecting intersection on a rather ordinary county road, evil was there on 9/23 but there was nothing of the sort out there Saturday; just a stop sign and a junction box where we left a little something to remind people about Randy. Not that the cycling community will need reminding but maybe, just maybe someone driving will look at the stop sign and think about cyclists on the roads.



Traditions Pub was the next stop on the route, we lost a few for the lunch stop but that seems to be the norm for those without the extra hour to commit to the ride. Food was good and the beer was cold as usual, even if we did get there before the bartender.


Still need to get my thoughts out there about the Fargo but the personalization process has already begun as bits of green start to pop up here and there. Fun bike to ride and a great midwest gravel eating machine, Pugsley might have to be a little worried.



Post lunch ride back is usually a bit slower as everyone is digesting food but that was not the case on Saturday. It took up about an hour and 50 minutes to get out to Sprague but made it back to Lincoln in an hour and 15 minutes, guess there was some extra energy in those drinks but we aren't quite at the end of the tale just yet.





Bennet Road is one of my favorite parts about heading out to Sprague, it's a little dicey at the east end but it's almost perfect dirt on the west end.



Took the Jamaica Trail and then the N Street Cycle Track back into Lincoln ending the official portion of the SMNDFBR.



A few of us not quite ready to head home just yet ended up at Method, where I spotted what has to be one of the most grotesque contraptions I've seen as of late. A blue box for collecting cigarette butts, a clear box that is with a blue frame, so that you can see the nasty little things hiding out in there... eww.


Much less gross and more interesting was this couple on a side by side tandem complete with the larges bike horn I've ever seen.


We didn't stick around all that long though, definitely wanted to get out of dodge before the flood gates down the road let loose and all those people started filing out. 11:50 left in the game with the Huskers up 21-17 seemed like a great time to call it a day.


Joe and I were the last two remaining souls heading back to Cycle Works. Thankfully football minutes aren't anywhere near normal minutes, I was able to load the bike up and get back to Omaha before the overtime kicked off so even I was not spared from the OT debacle.

No ride next weekend but look for us to return the following week and as always, thanks to all who made it out.