Fat Bike Time
New fat bike! And I discovered an unofficial MTB park in my neighborhood!
I got a new bike. It's a 2024 Trek Farley 7 and I got it slightly used, so about 1/2 off the price if it were new.
It's by far the most modern bike I own now. Disc brakes? Huh? Dropper seat? 1 x 12 drivetrain? Front derailleurs are still a thing, right? Not on this bike.
The first time I saw a fat bike I thought it was just some nonsense, and too heavy to be fun. I think I'm wrong. I remember when I was a kid I felt cool to pop my front wheel up in order to climb a street curb. This bike? I don't need to acknowledge the curb much whatsoever. It's on the order of a normal bump for this bike.
On the second day with the bike I hit up a "hobo trail" roughly one mile from my home. "Hobo trails" aren't officially maintained and are often kept sort of secret. This set of trails are affectionately known as the "Burdocks" and they're located in a woods at the side of the bike path to MATC.
I've seen the trails described as "beginner single-track", but they're often a bit above my skill level. Well, at least for now. I also went really slowly because I strangely forgot my helmet. There are narrow moguls and banked turns and a bunch of concrete slabs from an abandoned construction. Anyway this was all a surprise. When on my 5k running loop, I've seen a few mountain bikes riding through these woods, but I had no idea at all that this much was built up. There were even a few logs seemingly deliberately strewn across the trail as bumps.
The Burdocks.
