Darby Canyon Ride with Brandon

Darby Canyon on the west side of the Tetons

Winter is slowly starting in Teton Valley.  Even though December is just a few days away, we still haven't gotten much snow on the valley floor.   But Brandon and I had some time off together, so we headed up to Darby Canyon for a fat bike ride with Siena.

Brandon loading up!

The trailhead was empty, which given it was Monday, wasn't really surprising.  Because there hasn't been much snow, the road is still passable to trucks quite a ways up the canyon.  Today, we'd have to follow the truck tracks until they ended then make our own path.  Brandon rode in front and laid down a really nice path for me, so I just rode on his wheel all the way up the canyon.

Brandon riding in front

It snowed this past weekend, so although we started riding in just a few inches of fresh snow, by the time we hit the upper part of the Canyon there was easily 8 to 10 inches of fresh, sugary snow.   Brandon rode until he had to push, just a few yards from the trail's end, and we turned around and coasted back down to the car.

Siena loves Fat Biking

Seat Bags!

I just finished production on two bright red seat bags.   

These are for a customer, Steve, who wanted bungie on the top of the bags to stuff a jacket.   Each bag has a plastic stiffener on the bottom which helps hold it off the wheel.  You'll still need at least 6 inches of clearance between the rails of your saddle and the top of the rear tire (at full compression if you are riding a full squish bike).    

Seat Bag Prototype - Finished

My bike with my new seat bag and gas tank!

Gas Tank

 I've been working on a prototype seat bag for several months now - this is my third version.   Brandon will get to test it out in a couple weeks on an overnight bike packing trip the shop is doing.  Unfortunately I get to drive the SAG vehicle because I recently broke my ankle and I off the bike for at least 5 weeks (hopefully that will give me enough time to train for the Fitz-Barn once I get back in the saddle).

I've also been doing these gas tanks for a bit now as well, but I haven't shared any photos.  So here they are - pretty simple with fully adjustable velcro  so that you can fit the velcro around any frame bag attachments.

Seat Bag - third prototype!

Custom Frame Bag for Katie

Katie's 9 Zero 7 

I just completed a new custom frame bag for Katie's small (or is it an extra small ?) 9 Zero 7.  This is a full featured bag:  it's three inches wide, has a stretch panel on the drive side and slim pocket on the non-drive side and has a carry handle.  I used wide velcro for attaching the bag on the top, seat and down tubes along with 1 inch velcro at the corners.   The bag is made of XPAC Dimension Polyant which is waterproof and extremely durable.  The stretch panel is made of Schoeller Dynamic, a 2-way stretch fabric.  I also used a water resistant zipper so the bag should be  weather resistant.
 

Drive Side:  stretch panel with double zipper pulls.

I decided to make Katie a three inch wide bag with the stretch panel because her frame is so small. This bag should be large enough to carry a puffy, tube, pump, some food and hat and gloves even though the interior size of her frame is very small.  

Non-Drive Side has a slim pocket for bars, maps or  tools.

Custom Frame Bag for Jay P

Jay's 9 Zero 7 Snow Bike Fully Loaded

Jay P asked me to create a custom bag for his new 9 Zero 7.   This will be the second time I have made something for Jay, and I am super excited that he asked me.

Jay's Great Divide Rig Pre-Zipper Blowout

Jay used the first set of bags I made this summer during the Great Divide leg of his No Idle Tour.    Unfortunately they had some serious zipper issues.  Jay basically rode most of the route with blown zippers held together by safety pins.   Lesson learned:  don't use size #5 zippers!

Close up of the Frame Bag

Jay and Tracey came over to my house to give me input on what he wanted in this bag.  Because his new bike is a compact frame, he wanted a wide frame bag with some particular features.   The bag I made for him is 3 inches wide with plastic stiffeners along the width to help give the bag some form.  There is also a stretch panel on the drive side - this should help give a bit more room and hopefully ease a bit of stress off the zippers.  The non-drive side has a flat pocket for small items like maps or bars.  Jay also wanted a carry handle on the top tube velcro straps and very wide velcro on both the top and seat tubes rather than just 2" velcro straps.   He still has access to bottle cage braze-ons on the outside of his down tube if he needs them.

I am really excited on how this bag turned out.  And I am looking forward to hearing how it performs for him in the Arrowhead 135 - his next race.  Go get'um Jay P!

Custom Half-Frame Bag

I just finished this custom half-frame bag for Dave's new Fatback.  The bag is large enough to hold some essentials for a long day ride like food, hat and gloves, and a micro-puff or shell, but also allows him to use his water bottle cage with an insulated water bottle.   

The bag is super simple with just one non-drive side zipper opening.  A stretch panel just below the zipper allows for a bit of give to over-stuff it.   

Enjoy Dave!

Semi-custom Pugsley Framebag

Just finished a semi-custom frame bag for a medium Puglesy for Nikki. She's got an older medium Puglsey (the purple one, hence the purple top stitching) and she carries a battery pack for her lighting system on the top tube. Her frame bag has a compartment for the battery to sit in plus there is room for a tool or bar. A flap over the top tube keeps it all together and shouldn't interfere with the velcro that holds the battery.