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24.01.2022 Fatbikes are exempt from N+1 classification, not a fad and when you want to go further, go longer and carry stuff - fatbikes deliver on the promise. Brandon lives on the Sunny coast and has bush and beach for days, only a short distance from home. Bikepacking is the destiny for his new Bigfoot, with his experience as an outdoor guide I'm sure he'll be furthering, longering and carrying the essentials to his next camp site this very weekend. Fatbikes are like that - once you see where they can take you, you see the potential for trips and terrain you may not have considered before - they open your world and your mind right up!

23.01.2022 Update from Mcgrath... The time difference is killing me... but I have finished chatting to Troy all be it skpe. He has limited resources so he is leaving it to me to embelish the story. He arrived into Nikolai a litle brusied and battered, like all of the racers may I say. There was no trail ahead and more snow moving in, and reports of broken bikes were flowing in (mainly Georges and Robertos) that needed attention. So decided to sit in Nikolai, dry out his feet and eat as ...much as he liked. George was happy to see Troy. Troy was prepared at this point to give George his hub parts and scratch if it was required. Troy has seen the trail and didnt want George to miss out. Glad to say that he was able to mcgyver a solution for George until he can get to Mcgrath and order parts and get Robertos bike rolling better. They seem to be travelling well down the trail. Fortunately the trail breakers moved through whilst he was working on Georges bike. It was time to get a move on. Troy arrived into Mcgrath in the wee hours. Plan from here now is rest a bit longer. Trail breakers moved out this morning from Mcgrath. You will notice the the others have moved out with them. Troy's food drop was not at Mcgrath so he will have to purchase stuff and maybe raid a few bags of scratched racers. He is a bit annoyed but adapt! Jay scratched early and he always has yummies in his drops. Bin chicken is what we Aussies call it and Troy has perfected it. Change of pace now. Shit gets real from here and its been just terrible so far. Troy will launch out of Mcgrath in the early morning and will be charging to get to Carlsons crossing in one effort. He has done it before in other years. He just has to balance his feet and knee niggles correctly. Hopefully the pushing for miles and miles is done and dusted early this year. More snow is moving in on Wednesday so the closer to Ruby he gets the better. From Ruby is the Yukon and when Troy can ride we all know how fast he can smash out the Yukon. Everyone in front has had 30 hrs rest so he needs to be rested to chase. I get nervous with the long rest breaks but I have to remember that we are only at mile 350. Plenty of time for stuff to happen and it will. Everyone cheer George in when he arrives in Mcgrath. Run rabbit, run rabbit, run run run......

23.01.2022 Now some cooler weather is here, it's the perfect time to hit the beaches on a fatbike! Happiness isn't real unless shared, right? Best way to get your partner out with you is with a bit of powered assistance. Norco have the best solution I've seen, with their Bigfoot VLT e-fatbike. Or maybe you're wanting one for yourself? These e-fats are the real deal and get my stamp of approval. An awesome package for the $$ and you can literally ride any terrain you choose with power ...and range to spare. I have limited stocks of the Bigfoot VLT 2 in medium and large - message me for more details. RRP $4999, discounts for active FAT-bikes down-under and Southeast Qld Fatbike Riders group members. Troy.

22.01.2022 TRAIL UPDATE Despite a foot of new snow reported in some places along the trail, the athletes are making good progress up the trail. The lead is especially mov...ing fast, with defending champion Tyson Flaharty, from Fairbanks progressing along the Trail with Clinton Hodges and Kurt Refsnider. ITI veteran Clinton, from Anchorage, has placed second and third in previous years. New to the ITI, Kurt Refsnider is an accomplished endurance cyclist in many other events. They are followed by rookie Kate Coward and 6-time champ Peter Basinger. The weather is challenging our athletes and we had a few scratches so far: Bob Ostrom, Steve Cannon, Mike Wallace, are currently riding back to Knik Lake, and both Brian Marang, Paul Schlagel, currently in Yentna Station. No injuries. Two athletes did not start: Donald Wood, Judd Rohwer and Stefan Chmel is 2 hours from Yentna Station. His tracker was reset but is not working. Our race co-director Kyle Durand is moving through the field reporting that the amount of snow is making it even hard progress on the snowmobile for him this morning. #ITI2020

22.01.2022 Second episode, enjoy!

21.01.2022 Trail Update: Heavy snowfall is slowing down all our athletes today. Most of the bike racers have been pushing their bikes for miles as the weather conditions a...re making the Trail very difficult for them to cycle. On our first picture, you can see athlete Greg Martin moving towards Flathorn Lake. #ITI2020

21.01.2022 With a few ultras coming up, I spent some time on the weekend tinkering in the Area54 cabin with a dyno setup that's lit my life for 35+ years. The Sanyo Dynapower was the best in class 6V 3W dynamo and these have done some miles. With no viable options to suit my lefty, I love a bit of DIY #builtnotbought action. The bike is my old beater, a Muru Cycles Witjira V1, shod in 29+. ... I'll feed that juice into a kLite.com.au Ultra head unit and USB charger.

20.01.2022 Last day on the BVRT 3 day supported tour, the big one of 67km from Esk to Wulkuraka. Kick off with a big brekky at Nash Cafe in Esk, smoko and a tour at the historic Bellevue House in Coominya and lunch at Tree change in Fernvale. Despite the amount of eating, we also did some great riding! Another great trip with a fabulous bunch of people, its such a great trail and I thank the bvrt users association for inviting me to support this event - also a great op for loaded base miles on the fatbike :)

20.01.2022 Here's your Sunday morning isolation read, first episode of my 2020 Iditarod Trail Invitational race on the blog:

19.01.2022 Oilslick decals! Its like a sunrise, sunset and aurora all in one :)

19.01.2022 Share a little bit of fatbike stoke with you! The Rubicon trail has long been a yearning of mine, the history of 4 wheeling there goes back a long ways and I've always wanted to drive it, just like Moab. In '17 I got to ride my bike around Moab for a few days and the Rubicon is next on that list of places to ride my fatbike... https://www.facebook.com/FirstTracksProductions/videos/1077030905785195/

16.01.2022 Road trip! Off to deliver a monster project fatbike to the customer...1400km away! Full bike spec in a day or so. #builtnotbought #fatbikesforlife ... Muru Cycles Dillenger Electric Bikes Revelate Designs

16.01.2022 Snowy Sunday. This is biking in Anchorage, I wish I was out of our QLD heat and there now riding in the powder! T.

15.01.2022 Proven! The RideFarr Aero Clip On V2 bar gets the tick from Area54 after I used it this year racing the Iditarod. At just under 100g, it provided the extra hand position I needed when using flatbars, looking forward to using it on my other bikes for some local ultras. ... Not designed for cargo loading, but it has a clamp area out front for lights or GPS. Get them from Area54 and get after it! #RideFarr #getaero

14.01.2022 PSA - Area54 is open and Covid negative. Returning from the US of course requires the 14 days of iso, I've been in for testing and the results came back negative. I'll be on the tools, planning out projects and touching base with people after another race across the great white north of Alaska. ... Make good decisions and remember that life is one big adventure! Troy.

14.01.2022 It's bigger than a quarter horse, electro-metaphorically speaking. Jane grew up in an equestrian lifestyle, with the smell of tack and saddle soap, riding was a passion of hers throughout life. Hubby Mike is an avid biker and 4wder, keen to explore more areas to ride. With roughly 746 watts in a horsepower, and the Norco VLT 1 with it's Shimano E8000 motor unit limited to 250W - it's more than a quarter horse. The E8000 has 3 pedal assist modes - trot, canter and gallop. It'...s an escape machine, with very few limits for day trips and beyond thanks to the large 600Wh battery - 110km+ range! Giddy up! As always, check the pics for some more details on this rig. Troy.

14.01.2022 Happy wife, happy life. Words from my mate Barry. For years, he and his wife Sharon would ride at different speeds, the speed disparity was the cause of friction and less motivation for Sharon to ride. No more. ... They needed a quality bike for their adventures, something for everything - bush/beach/singletrack/path - when they hitch up the camper and head out, this was for Sharon to close the gap and overtake Barry, adding more distance and variety to the rides they could do. There has been significant research into e-bike usage, the figures suggest that e-bikers are motivated to ride more, than if they were on a regular non-motorised bike. Horses for courses, I just think its great that more people can get out and have more adventures on a bike. For years I've watched the e-bike market, especially the e-fatbike options. Felt were the first to come out with a polished package but it never made it to our shores. Bafang have an excellent fatbike specific, open architecture mid-drive kit that I've retrofitted to many bikes. Finally, we have a quality e-fatbike option on our doorstep, thanks to Norco. This Bigfoot VLT 1 has the E8000 motor/drive unit from Shimano and the bigger 600W battery neatly stowed in the downtube. No more tantrums or voluntary tourettes from Sharon. Barry's words, not mine... Check the pics for more deets!

13.01.2022 TRAIL UPDATE Kiwi Nina Stupples and Cheryl Wallace, from Colorado, have arrived at Winterlake. They met at the camp and finished the race together last year. We... like seeing athletes bonding and sharing the ITI experience. Kurt Refsnider has taken the lead. He has fuelled up in Nikolai and volunteers at the checkpoint reported he was in a winning mindset and ready to lead the race. There are 26 scratches so far, latest athletes to end the race today are Italian Max Marta, currently at Winterlake and Rob Henderson, at Rainy Pass Lodge. Rob is dealing with Achilles injury. #ITI2020

13.01.2022 Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue... This project was always going to be a great marriage of components. Although, it wasn't always a happy story. Sadly, Adam managed to snap his black gen1 Bigfoot a while back on GFBD - that bike had taken him many places while following the sun. But with a warranty replacement frame direct from Canada, it was an opportunity to tailor the build somewhat with some new goodies and re-use some from the old bike. ... Naturally, the mods won't stop there - already discussing a few upgrades, but hey, I'll keep the lips sealed on them! The brief of the build revolved around bikepacking reliability and keeping running costs low. Have a looksee on the pics for notes on parts choices. Nuptials exchanged, the cake has been eaten, bouquet has been tossed - last thing to do is throw a leg over honeymoon style...

13.01.2022 When a national time trial champion comes to me looking for a bike to race the Simpson Desert Challenge, the design brief is pretty straightforward. Build something that can go fast. When your mates call you Gwynncelara, Pistol and G train, you need to be on a bike that will match your engine and won't hold you back. ... Build something that has race pedigree. Fatback have notched up more fatbike race wins in both short course and ultra distance races, than any other brand. Lauf forks are ummatched in the task of fatigue reduction. HED carbon rims are the lightest available and built on some Industry 9 Hydra for instantaneous power transfer. So with that chassis and race wheel combo, the secret sauce is to keep the rest of the bike on track with sensible components. Sure, I can gram count more if I think it's absolutely necessary, but we're not at that point where I think it would make a difference. Responsible design specification. There is ALWAYS a way to get lighter... I've put some more words with the pics, detailing this build and the components. One thing's for sure, I'm looking forward to seeing this chassis and engine combo hit the desert sand of the Simmo in 2021! Troy.

13.01.2022 1st day down with the 3day bvrt tour, due to weather the route was swapped around to better suit trail surface and safety should the storms have hit us. Today - Moore to Esk. Kicked off with morning snack at the old church gallery in Moore, fabulous lunch at the Condensery in toogoolawah with dinner soon at Nash Cafe in Esk. If you go hungry it's your own fault :) ... Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Cycling

13.01.2022 Jeff Price steps up to the mic and addresses the question. "Why Fatbike?" https://fat-bike.com//fat-video-tuesday-why-fat-bike-by-j/

12.01.2022 For those wondering why racers are going in different directions: Unlike other ultra races, the rule of ITI is that athletes can choose their route to each chec...kpoint. It is what makes the race even more challenging: you have to own your choices. Checking-in at each checkpoint is however mandatory. As athletes follow the Trail by either foot, bike or ski, each racer decides what works best for them. A shorter distance is not always the fastest route. Apart from mental strength and endurance, moving fast on the ITI depends on the terrain, the conditions and the discipline. You will notice that routes converge a lot on the Trail, making the dot watching a rather entertaining experience! Race update: Snow is falling so progress is slow before nighttime. #ITI2020

12.01.2022 Dave's into some solid core pursuits, a bit of downhill here and there and he likes to get physical on the bike. Part of the upgrade process for his Norco Bigfoot 1 (a very capable platform) were some Raceface NEXT G5 cranks, and now these killer wheels! A pair of premium Xiphias rims from my good pals at NEXTIE, 85mm wide, matte clear coat, single red-to-orange fade decal on a UD carbon laminate. Hook them up to some Industry 9 Hydra hubs, cue the 'angry bees' in the freeh...ub with an oil tune, laced up with triple butted Pillar racing spokes. Treated with corrosion inhibitor, quad tape layers and tubeless ready. Ready to hit town or trail! Neopro powered by Dawson Sports Group NEXTIE Dirt Works Australia - ride with us.

10.01.2022 Could it really be..YESSSS!! It's Fatbike Friday, albeit a teensy weensy bit belated. So this build, I completed before several of us headed over to the big white North. George is no stranger to the fat scene, he's played around plenty in the sand around his home of Adelaide and the red stuff of the Simmo, and the snow of Idaho, Colorado and Alasko, racing the Fat Pursuit in '18 and the ITI350 in '19. ... 2020 was the big one, his dream to conquer the 1000 miler to Nome with his best mate Graham and he needed a proven pedigree to do it on. We chatted for ages and this was the racehorse we came up with, custom Muru Cycles Canning. George had a few components of his own to add for the trip, as many racers have their own way of setting up the final bike to race on. Expedition bikes always look better with their clothes on... Wade through the pics for a few more details on this rig.

10.01.2022 Day 2 of the BVRT supported 3 day ride (Yarraman to Moore), today we rode the day 1 section we were supposed to do yesterday, but instead we rode the day 2 section yesterday. Confused? Don't be, its still 2020 and we've all got plenty to adapt to... :) Bit of MacGyvering needed on a crunched gear cable on a tour riders bike, fabulous lunch in Moore and some arvo solitude on the ride back to Esk in the golden light. Weather is mint and looking forward to the ride tomorrow!

09.01.2022 Time passes, winter arrives, Iditarod invites go out and the circle is complete - commit to another 1000 mile race in Alaska. I'll also be instructing at #iticamp again in 2021, preparing Iditarod hopefuls ready for the life changing experience that the Iditarod Trail Invitational delivers.

09.01.2022 'We've come a long long way together, through the hard times and the good' Hey partygoers, as private dancer Nyree noted in a previous post, right about now the... funk soul brother decided to complete his raving in McGrath. Okay okay, not all of you know Fat Boy Slim lyrics. Either way, rest assured the vibe is still positive. Over the next few days I want to detail the race report, while it's still fresh for me and to keep the party rolling a bit longer for ya'll. It was a tough call and a hard one to understand without some context, which I'll detail in the reports. In short through, I had to make a decision to keep the chase on, or help a mate. Needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. George and Graham were in their rookie year to Nome and I know how much work goes into a Nome attempt, having successfully completed 4 trips to Nome in consecutive years myself. This year was to be my 5th in a row and would be a new record. I had 2 time delays, the 1st in Nikolai as I waited for George to push his bike in, the 2nd for the replacement parts to arrive in McGrath and to fit them. During that time my body recovered a little from the harsh racing it had done for me up to that point (knees were still a bit ragged but functional, I didn't care so much about the foot damage) so it was still able to charge forward. But where the biggest change for me was in my perspective. It was an immense feeling of enlightenment, a sense of wonderment of all the beautiful things around me. Maybe its the feeling people get when they drop a pinger at a rave, dunno, but I had this feeling like whatever I did from McGrath onwards for myself alone, was inconsequential to what I could do for somebody else to better the outcome for them. The adventure for two people was at stake here. The experience of the veteran knows whats up the trail - the good and the bad - but for rookies it's the big unknown, that's part of the appeal. I didn't want to deny big G and Bush that experience, by chasing my own selfish dream. Nyree, pet monkey, my family and friends, have all felt the selfish tip of the whip when it came to my priorities of prep and training for this race. Sure, this race is an opportunity to prove to yourself and to the world what you are made of, by making good decisions, strategizing, having integrity. In that split second when I heard that big G had an issue with his bike, the only thing I could think of was getting him going again. So in the context of outcome of this race (I'm not talking podium placing or FKT here, I'm talking self development) I felt I'd passed under the Burled Arch in Nome and achieved my true goal and purpose. If any of you have watched Cars the movie, you'll know about the Piston Cup, the famous car race in the film and the prize in the same shape of a piston. The Iditarod, like many races, is similar in that how you play the game can determine the outcome, but the memories of how you race will remain with you forever. If you have good memories, then your life is full, but if you don't, well, it's just an empty cup. Troy.

09.01.2022 'Just waiting for a mate' Kicking back on the bvrt, running support for the 3 day group ride. Its a great way to give back to the cycling community, meet new cycling friends and share this fantastic rail trail asset in our backyard. Racked out last night in the hammock under stars just north of Linville. Rain today...apparently...

09.01.2022 This is a monster build for monster adventures. Rob is into many adventure sports, he needed a vehicle to cart many of the tools needed deep into the wilderness - and back again. This build needed some custom fabrication, with an eye to maintain storage/luggage capacity for rope and racks of pro, canyoning gear, as well as battery capacity for long hauls up the steep stuff and into the white fluff. ... A build like this - I wasn't going to box up and put on a truck, then let someone else re-assemble at the other end, and have my workmanship be altered by a 3rd party. It needed a hands on approach. Plus a hard border with Victoria due to Covid, we met in Wagga Wagga for the changeover. There's a lot to take in on this build and a lot of hours went into the design and fabrication, so sit back with a brew and go through the pics, for the whys and the hows of it all. Troy.

09.01.2022 Only a ginger, can call another ginger, ginger...as Tim Minchin sings. I'll get to the meaning of the metaphor in a minutiae (malapropisms notwithstanding), lets talk about these wheels. Troy likes a bit of downhill and wanted some sweet wheels for his Bigfoot 3. The colour scheme of the 'foot is grey frame with orange decals, with a light pearl metal fleck in the orange. ... Rims are Nextie Xiphias, 27.5 and 70mm wide. DT Swiss Competition spokes with brass nipples, the Van Helgas 4.0 are a chunky 120TPI tyre with bouquets of grip, setup tubeless. So, back to the sidestroy. I boxed up the wheels, took them to my shipping guy - who is also a Troy - to be shipped to (seeing the pattern now?) Troy. When you've grown up with Troy as a name, you can appreciate how big of a deal this can be. Mind. Blown. But the hubs and decals are orange, I hear you say, doesn't that relate to the ginger metaphor? Check your colourism at the door, son, we fatbike for love!

07.01.2022 I was honoured with a very special bike to work on this week. A bike with lessons to impart. A bike with it's own stories of adventure. A bike that wears it's markings of travel not as a brand, or tribal belonging, or as a badge. A bike that is a travel companion to Jin Jeong, a true world traveller who has been on the road since 2011. I encourage you to read the stories of her adventures on her bike.... https://www.facebook.com/universewithme https://www.universewithme.com/ When you look at this simple bike, look deep into the soul of it and reference the stories of where it has been, you'll start to see this bike is made of the most precious element in the world - potential. I believe a bike makes the best travel companion, they help us through sunny days, lonely nights and they show us how to laugh and cry. Whether it's solo or with friends, a bicycle will unlock your own potential. Amazing where riding a bike will take you...

06.01.2022 Fresian crap wrap :)

06.01.2022 Here is something close to home! Pump tracks are a great skill builder for riders of all ages, strengthens coordination and track feel.

05.01.2022 Exclusive new fatbike product at Area54! Tannus Armour fatbike tyre liners might not replace your tubeless, but for certain applications these will be a better solution. So what are they? They are a foam tyre liner, to use with traditional tubes and they fit between the tyre and tube. Seamless, so a lot simpler to fit than other tyre liners and they stay in place, with no hard edges to rub thin or pinch the tube. The design of them allows for around 15mm of foam thickness in... the tread area to protect against long thorn or stick intrusions, with a tapered thinner section to protect the sidewalls. I'll be fitting up a pair of these to my Moonlander with 5.05 snowshoes, and then my Fat CAAD with a Lou and JJ - not to test the puncture concept, but to see how much it affects rolling resistance and low pressure flotation. Size range is 4.0-4.8, 26 only, but I'll be expanding the range into plus sizes as soon as testing is complete. In theory they look the goods. Like I say, they won't replace tubeless in most applications, but they certainly augment the simplicity of tubes.

04.01.2022 Here's your wallpaper Wednesday shot...fatbike lean or a lean fatbike? Muru Canning, HED BFD, Revelate, Syntace and Area54 customisation. @murucycles @revelatedesigns @eightyonespices

04.01.2022 I love the smell of titanium in the morning...said no-one ever. Mike is a fellow 4x4'er and can appreciate this saying though and the association of it to motorised/non-motorised pursuits and adventure. A retired panelbeater by trade, Mike loves the many aspects of titanium. Coupled with the Rohloff and Mastodon, this bike has some serious offroad clout. The Muru Canning SWB is a special run frame - the proven geometry of the Tanami, hybridised with rocker dropouts and bel...t drive frame joiner, with a 197mm back end. Mikes Muru is now going to share the stable with Janes Norco VLT1 e-fatbike (search for it in the albums) - two very capable bikes for their owners and sure to get them out riding further together! I look forward to hearing the stories :) As always, check the pics for more details on this bike. Troy.

03.01.2022 How was your fatbike weekend? Something we already know about hey Tony Kofakis :) Fattys rule!!

03.01.2022 Sunday work, measure and prep for build, these are destined for a fast Munda Biddi ride. Rims are 46mm for 29+ app, chrome decal, Hope Fatsnos going into a Witjira with Eyre fork.

02.01.2022 A few weeks before I left for Alaska in February, I completed this highly desirable build for Suzanne. The design brief: it was a milestone birthday present, with the need for certain components so her bike could be many things - daily commuter; weekend pleasure bike; long distance/multiday, unlimited terrain bikepacking buddy. Feedback after the first ride was quite emotional - Suzanne loves her new bike!... For me, speccing and building a bike isn't about throwing a heap of parts together and hoping they do the job, it's delving deep into the needs and usage case(s), then adding in the wants and desires of the client, building it with care and attention to detail, ensuring each step will achieve the best outcome for the application. That's the science. But it's also about my love of bicycles, how they can shape the adventures you have in life, where you can go and what you share with them. They will share your sunsets, sunrises, auroras, highs and lows. That's the art. Have a peek at the photos for more insight into this build. Troy.