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Fat Bike Tour Saturday 13th Feb

TorC

Maximum Pace
Sep 4, 2015
44
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Hi,

I am thinking of mixing up my winter training by trying out a "Fat Bike" (the biking equivalent of the Hummer). Basically you blast around snowy tracks, and occasionally go splat in a snow drift. Sounds like fun!

There is a place I have found in Chino, Nagano prefecture that runs some day tours with morning and afternoon rides, with pick ups / drop offs from Chino train station (direct train from Shinjuku). The price is Yen 10,000 (which does sound a little bit steep) but it should be a very fun way to get some winter training in.

If anyone fancies joining me, PM me and I will share the details of train times / tour company etc.

Tor
 
10,000Yen actually seems dead on accurate.
I am doing a tour in March that is the same price, but more XC/All Mountain.
Same price with a "guide" - whose job is just to keep us from getting lost.

They have cheaper options, but less is included.
I am interested in the details out of curiosity.

It sounds like if could be a great trip.

Not to get your hopes up too high.... but it could be like this!!!



http://www.bikes.com/stories/2-fat-2-furious-fat-bike-freeride-film
 
Right. I am definitely going to do this Fat Bike Tour on Saturday 13th February. @HalfFastMike has also expressed an interest in potentially coming along. There are five bikes available so if anyone else would like to join us then please PM me, and then email the organiser on [email protected] . The more the merrier!

The train you would need to be on is the 7.30am AZUSA Express Train from Shinjuku, which arrives at Fujimi (Nagano prefecture) at 9.42am. It is best to leave the return trip as flexible as I am not sure what time we will be done.

And if you can't make this trip but quite fancy finding out a bit more about it I will try and remember to post a debrief afterwards....

Tor
 
This sounds really cool. I don't think I can make it as going to the snow without taking my kids will definitely result in some sad faces! But please take pics and let us know how it goes!
 
Thank you @TorC (right) for suggesting this and setting it up. It was great fun. Highly recommended if you're even a little bit interested in combining cycling and snow.

Canadian MTB legend Paul Chetwynd was the perfect host and guide. There is plenty of road, off-road and CX cycling action in this area when there's no snow. Last year, Paul and his wife opened a delightful bike shop/café/tour-base on r484, which is one of the the roads leading into Yatsugatake from Chino. Muffins to die for.

20160213-115125-fatbike copy.JPG

More pics and a video on my FB, with more to come from @macrophotofly (left) I'm sure.

Some committee somewhere thought that the scenery around the Tateshina/Yachiho section of R299 was similar enough to the German Fairy-tale Route (Deutsche Märchen Straße) that they might as well have the same name. I'm not sure they are that similar, but certainly pretty.

Our rides: part 1, part 2

My legs are not grateful this morning. That is as it should be.
 
This has to be probably the most unfortunate timing in TCC history. The one February weekend in the last 1000 years that it has sat over 20degrees and you guys are off in the snow at minus whatever!!! Ha ha ha! Still I'm sure you had a great time!
 
Awesome time. Thanks to @TorC for organising. Still smiling about it. Video to follow when I get a couple of hours to edit the clips down to a something people will actually want to watch.
....And I promise I will keep the bit in where I go over the handlebars!
 
Yup it was a great day out, even if we did miss a balmy day back here in Tokyo.

There were three quite distinct sections to the tour. We started with a nice easy, wide climb on quite packed snow which was good for getting used to our sturdy beasts, and wasn't too far removed from mountain biking on dirt roads. Then the fun and the spills started in earnest when we progressed onto a deep snowy single track through the woods, and up another incline. Progress was pretty slow and quite hard work. The only way to get going was to lower the seat post so that your knees were around your ears as standing up meant you lost all traction. So there was a lot of going splat in snow drifts for that part of the ride, but all quite entertaining. @macrophotofly seemed to be in his element for that bit. The final section was on another narrow track through the woods, but with a bit more tundra and roots mixed in with the snow so traction was not such an issue. @Half-Fast Mike definitely won the prize for reckless descending, flying down the hills completely unperturbed by a couple of high speed crashes. There was no "half-fast" about it... I am not sure if there is any footage of his crashes, but I totally recommend checking out any clips posted by @macrophotofly as his Superman impression over the handlebars is pure comedy.

So all in all a fab, fun day out. I think time is running out this season, but next season if you want an entertaining day in the saddle during the winter months I couldn't recommend it more.
 
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