We premiered the Moons Over My Chamois series last month and we’re back with episode deux. We asked our crew of twenty-some bike black ribbon test pilots two questions. This way, when you read a review written by one of these rugged individualists, you’ll know a little bit more about what makes them tick. So without further hyperbole or recompense, we should start by sharing the two questions that we asked.
The Questions
1) When did you own your first fatty and what brand model was it?
2) What kind of Mojo do you carry to ward off the odd radicalized gnome or samsquantch when you ride out there in nature?
Bruce Smithhammer
1) 2014 – Salsa Blackborow.
2) I have a Chupacabra tooth hanging around my neck. All creatures, mythological or otherwise, have a deep mistrust of the Chupa and can smell them a mile away.
JP
1. I was late to join the Fat Bike Fad. I’m still waiting for them to become popular and take over world domination. My first Fat bike was purchased in 2014. It was an orange 907. Wasn’t everyone’s?
2. I carry a little Bumble mojo to ward off the Yetis. If they approach I can mesmerize them with a little baby deity of their kind. And if that ever happens, then I’ll share the other thing that I always have with me, Whiskey.
Jeff Price (Summittoppler)
1) When did you own your first fatty and what brand model was it?
I joined the fat bike party back in November 2013 and I still ride it today. As you’ve seen from my video’s I ride a Salsa Mukluk and its awesome! I’ve kept it pretty much as standard and still runs well despite the coastal and mountain riding I’ve done on.
2) What kind of Mojo do you carry to ward off the odd radicalized gnome or samsquantch when you ride out there in nature?
Well as the hills of Wales in the UK are frequented by the samsquantch and those pesky gnomes, I always have my camcorder at the ready so they can be included in one of my films. However, I’ve not seen one yet so if I leave the camera at home, will I see one…..?
Nick Holzem
1) When did you own your first fatty and what brand model was it?
My first fat tire experiment was conducted on September 25, 2013. The specimen, a notoriously blue 2013 Surly Pugsley.
2) What kind of Mojo do you carry to ward off the odd radicalized gnome or samsquantch when you ride out there in nature?
I ride so fast I take gnomes by surprise! For samsquantch, the smell I omit from my morning jackalope juice will keep’m at distance.
Andy Amstutz
1. I drank the fat-bike Kool-Aid with a Screaming Yell-Oh 2013 Pugsley. I thought the Endomorph was the perfect tire.
2. To ward off any rad gnomes or squatches, I make sure that my headset is adjusted properly prior to the ride and surrender to the flow.
Julio dot com
Here’s a pic of the moment when I got the Northpaw. That’s Sven on the left and Gomez on the right. I was speechless, which doesn’t happen often.
1) I got my first fatbike, a Schlick Cycles Northpaw, as a surprise 1st Father’s Day gift at GnomeFest 8 in 2011. I’ve made quite a few changes to the bike over time (the frame/fork being the only part left of the original build) but it’s still going strong. Many miles, smiles, and laughs have been had on that bike.
2) I always carry a 100% cotton, made in the U S of A handkerchief. It serves many purposes in a pinch including gnome whip, tourniquet, and loin cloth. But mainly it’s to wipe the profuse amount of sweat from my brow as I try and outrun the samsquanch.
Seth Bell
I built my first fatty in 2010. It was a Pugsley, of course, before complete fat-bikes were available. The “Grandpa’s Jammies” (or, ‘Curry Squirt’) frameset came with the offset fork and canti-mounts. Originally built with flat bars, 2×8 drivetrain with friction shifters and Endomorphs, it’s still on the road today as a drop bar singlespeed with original Marges and Dilly 5’s.
2) What kind of Mojo do you carry to ward off the odd radicalized gnome or samsquantch when you ride out there in nature?
We don’t seem to have any gnomes here in North Iowa… I blame it on all the corn/bean fields and hog confinements.
I rarely leave for a ride without my trusty Mountainsmith lumbar pack, which features the Squatch dangle. The Squatch is a friend here, and the dangle acknowledges us as friends while zipping through the woods.
Euan Pennington
1) My first fatbike was a rambunctious Surly Pugsley from early 2011. Interestingly, due to the tragic demise of my 907 frame recently with stress fractures, the Pug has been reborn, as you can see, with a Rohloff hub and a garnish of carbon donated by it’s fallen sibling, and is now my regular fat ride once again. The Friesian motif was so logical I’m not sure why it was never a factory option.
2) Riding shotgun on the Friesianpug is the Pirate skull that watches the road to save me needing to, and I can honestly say that I have had no boisterous termagant gnomes, rowdy fairy people or boisterous bunyips trouble my rides as long as the skull keeps the peace. That is power right there.
Spinner
1) My First fat bike was my Grandpa’s Jamas Surly Pugsley that I bought in 2010. It quickly became my “go to” bike for all occasions, including GnomeFest 8 where it met its untimely demise at the hands of too much fun and a poorly executed firewood jump attempt. Sov had already seen the video on social media before I could make my argument for JRA, so we made the best of a bad situation. The rear triangle became a project for Drew Wilson of what is now Cyclocarbon, and the front of the bike became a fire put grill along the Little Big Horn trail in Decorah.
2) I always carry a leatherman skeletool on the trail and everywhere for that matter. When temps get into the 30s and below I carry communion in a flask. Usually Blackberry Brandy or Fireball . It keeps me warm and sharing a shot is a great way to make friends.
Tony Grande
1) It was mere weeks before Christmas 2011 and my wife gave me the nod to pull the trigger on a Pugs Necromancer, BUT there were none to be found at the time. Not long after that we had our son and the Necro was put on the back burner. Fast forward to the Surley purge of 2015. I offhanded mentioned the sale price on the ICT-OPS, “You might as well buy it, your gonna anyway. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday.”, did that just happen? No time to think, find one and order before she changes her mind!
POW! I got my Ice Cream Truck for Christmas 2015! Thanks Wifey!
2) I always carry a flask filled with Irish Whisky of some sort, the leprechauns love it. I also never leave home with out my Jethro tool, I may not have too many 15mm nuts to wrench on any more, but it comes in handy for post ride libations. Tie a string on to it and Squach and the Gnomes don’t stand a chance.
Evan Larsson
1) When did you own your first fatty and what brand model was it?
It was the dawning of a new year. January 2015. The one called Gnorme, a Fatbike sage, guided me to the Surly Pugsley. It was Purple, Single speed, and pure magic. My winter riding has never been the same, thank you oh wise one, thank you Gnorme.
2) What kind of Mojo do you carry to ward off the odd radicalized gnome or samsquantch when you ride out there in nature?
I always carry my Crysknife on me with every ride I take. Not only for protection against Harkonnen Gnomes (although I do enjoy a good knife fight), but I’ve always hoped that Samsquantch’s path might cross mine and we would share a pocket sandwich or a piece of cake.
Rob Neff
1) When did you own your first fatty and what brand model was it?
It was December 2014/January 2015 – Used Battleship Grey (or is it Gray??) Surly Pugsley with the Endomorph setup.
2) What kind of Mojo do you carry to ward off the odd radicalized gnome or samsquantch when you ride out there in nature?
Smurf berries, Sarsaparilla (a species of Smilax) leaves and any sort of Liquid shareable.
That about wraps up all of the answers that we could squeeze out of our crew. I come away with a couple of thoughts from this little exercise. It’s pretty amazing that so many of us started down the fat-bike trail on a Pugsley and….(thought #2) It looks to me like we work with a bunch of boozers! I had really hoped that we’d see more pictures of actual bike mojos, but maybe these guys don’t subscribe to voodoo or black magic (like I do). Feel free to answer the two Q’s (your way) in the comments below…..and as Euan Pennington likes to say “Stay Splendid”!
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