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Friday, December 27, 2019
The Observer & Baker City Herald
FAT-TIRED MOUNTAIN BIKES OPEN A NEW WORLD OF RIDING POSSIBILITIES
Big tires help bridge the seasons
The shoulder seasons, between
winter fun and summer splendor,
offer a variety of challenges to those
striving for outdoor adventure. The
unpredictable weather, increased
precipitation and shortened days
set the scene for cyclists to get stuck
in the dark and rut up and destroy
trails with regular mountain bike
riding. The answer to this predica-
ment is simple — discover the fat
bike.
Fat bikes have evolved over time
to address the issue of cycling on a
soft surface. The original two main
areas of innovation for the fat bike
were located in Alaska and New
Mexico. In Alaska, the impetus was
the idea of following the Iditarod
sled race with a 210-mile bicycle
race on the same course. In New
Mexico, the problem to be solved
was for sand dune tours. Both
surfaces required a way to disperse
the weight of the bike and rider in
such a way as to receive suffi cient
traction and fl oat to cover ground
effi ciently. An era of welded frames
and side-by-side tires followed
ending in the early 2000s with the
acceptance of a new bicycle style
sporting a minimum tire width of
3.8 inches — the fat bike.
Since fat bikes became main-
stream in 2005 the research and
development surrounding them has
taken off. The huge tires have been
lightened by strategic cut-outs on
the inner rims and the frame geom-
etry has been redesigned to address
long distant travel or mountain
bike fun. Grooming apparatus to
pack a trail using a snow machine,
snow bike or human powered
skiing and snowshoeing have been
the subject of numerous internet
forums and friendly garage wars.
Ski areas and trail systems have
embraced, rejected, ignored and
fi nally accepted fat bikes are here
to stay.
In Eastern Oregon, the pull
of skiing is strong but when the
weather refuses to cooperate it is
time to think outside of the box.
Like the dunes of the south and
tundra of the north, the local freeze
thaw cycle resulting in needle ice
and light dustings of snow make
it diffi cult to mountain bike with a
standard bike. The resulting mix of
ice crystals and mud respond very
well to the low PSI and adventur-
ous spirit of the fat biker. Those
looking to explore the trails need to
remember a handful of things to be
successful.
Photo by Mavis Hartz
Fat tires with low air pressure help mountain bikes navigate slippery terrain, and without damaging fragile soils.
THE NEXT RIDE
MAVIS HARTZ
Rule number one: Do not leave behind a rut.
Ruts in the mud gather moisture and end up
making a big sticky mess that can last years.
Ruts in a packed snow trail freeze, making it
diffi cult, if not impossible, to enjoy that same
route later without regrooming or more snow
pack being added. To alleviate leaving ruts
behind use a fat bike and run a low tire pres-
sure, around 1 to 5 PSI. The softer the surface
and lighter the rider the lower PSI is needed.
Begin your ride with a higher PSI and adjust
it as needed to get the perfect balance. Be
smart about when to ride. Early and late day
rides sport cooler temperatures for the ground
resulting in less mud and rut making possibili-
ties.
Rule number two: Do not die. Winter is a
time with less margin for error.
Photo by Mavis Hartz
Fat-tired riding fun at the Mount Emily
Recreation Area near La Grande
See Fat Tires/Page 2B
Deep freeze doesn’t mean
fishing season is finished
The Colorful Chukar
Photo by Jim Ward
Chukars are native to India and Pakistan. The fi rst successful releases in Oregon
took place in the early 1950s. The birds did well in the dry, rimrock country of
Eastern Oregon and fi lled a niche that few other game birds did well in. The non-
native, and very aggressive cheatgrass spread across much of the same country
and chukars were one of the few species that actually benefi ted. As with most
game birds wet springs and harsh winters can have a very negative affect on
chukar populations. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has conducted
annual census routes since the early 70s. In the Snake River and Burnt River
drainages, 44 birds were counted for each 10 miles of travel in 1973. In the 1995
census, 10 birds per 10 miles were counted on the same route and in 2019, the
count yielded 28 birds.
Hunting season
to get someone out of a hole. It
is pretty much
disperses your weight. Take a
BASE CAMP
over but before
thick rope so you can throw it
TOM CLAYCOMB
you spend your
to someone. Tie a foot-long stick
hard-earned mon-
to the end so you can throw
ey on counseling
it out to them and they have
to ward off the winter depression, take heart, something to grab. (When you throw it, don’t
you can still get outdoors and ice fi sh!
hit them in the head!) Take a thermos of hot
This article is geared toward the ice fi sher- coffee and food to keep you warm.
man with little to no knowledge. To begin, if
WHERE TO FISH?
you aren’t geared for the cold you won’t even
You don’t want to just randomly go out on a
get a hook below the ice. My fi rst trip to a high
mountain lake was rough. We hit the lake and lake and drill a hole and sit there all day. You
drug everything out on the ice. My buddy had wouldn’t do that in your boat, would you? At
a collapsible hut he was setting up. Before he least when fi shing in a boat or on foot you can
easily move around. Not so with ice fi shing,
could drive down the fi rst stake a big wind
kicked up and he would of taken off across the every time you move you have to drill new
lake but we all grabbed the sides while he was holes. So do your research before you go and
see where the hotspots are. Or unfortunately
stuck inside.
like all fi shing, follow the crowds.
In the meantime, unnoticed, our 5-gallon
buckets with all of our gear had blown all the
way across the lake. The only thing that saved GEAR
Just starting, you probably don’t want to
us was a barbed wire fence on the other side
invest in a power auger so buy a hand auger.
that had caught our gear. A little humorous
aside. A company had given me a big sausage Before drilling, kick all the snow away. You’ll
want a dipper so you can dip out the crushed
tray for Christmas. Scattered all the way
ice and also to keep the hole from freezing up.
across the lake were slices of sausage and
If you discover the ice is less than 4 inches
frozen cherry tomatoes.
thick — SCATTER!
If you’re new, you probably won’t have a
For rods you’ll want something short. There
hut so use a fi ve-gallon bucket to carry your
gear. Or a sled is better. Wear base layers, your are the old tip-up rods and they also make
warmest boots, gloves etc. Take hand warmers. miniature rod/reel combos for ice fi shing.
I’ve never fallen through the ice but am
See Fishing/Page 2B
always nervous about it. You can use your sled