Ride along with Summittoppler for a cruise along fabulous Newborough Beach on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales
Author Archive | summittoppler
Salsa EXP Series Anything Cradle system
Click the Jersey to Order – Store is open! A couple of months ago Salsa announced they were releasing an updated version of the EXP Series Anything Cradle and Anything Cage systems. Luckily for me the Anything Cradle system found its way to Wales for some use in the Autumnal Welsh mountains. Black is good […]
Super Sparrow bottles
For the past few weeks I’ve been using these Super Sparrow water bottles after they dropped into Wales. Super Sparrow was founded in 2015 with the aim of providing people with the ability to easily enjoy both hot and cold drinks and always stay hydrated on-the-go. The bottles I chose to test were a 500ml Sports […]
The Slippery Peak of the Witch (Video)
A few weeks back I set off to do this bikepacking trip but bailed as I wasn’t in the ‘zone’. I was pretty gutted as the weather was perfect, no wind, no cloud and the chance of a great sunrise. Fast forward 4 weeks and I wasn’t going to let it go as I again […]
Return to the Slate
3 weeks after filming my SLATE video I made a return to the area as a friend of mine, Allen, really wanted to see the slate sights. So we quickly picked our date and was joined by John Climber. The 3 of us set off on a very humid Sunday afternoon which had plenty of […]
SLATE by fatbike
With restrictions being lifted here its great to be able to get out and do what I’ve missed doing for the past few months. So I’ve got some catching up to do! For this bikepacking overnighter I went to a local area that rich in slate history, the Cwmorthin & Rhosydd slate mines. The mines […]
Fat (video) Tuesday – Cwm Dulyn
Cwm Dulyn translates to the Black Lake and is one of my favorite valleys here in Snowdonia, Wales. This is a route that not many take, especially on a bike due to the terrain. Its usually very hard going due to the long grasses and sodden ground. Perfect for the Salsa Mukluk then! Would you […]
Hydro Flask Down Shift 14 Litre Hydration Pack
Luckily in the last few weeks of testing the new Hydro Flask Down Shift Hydration Pack here in Wales, the weather has been kind by throwing up some unusually warm weather. So with warm temperatures, a cool drink has been a welcome treat. Hydro Flask was founded in 2009 in Bend, Oregon. They have been […]
UK Packrafting Meet Up
John ‘Climber’, one of Fat-bike,com’s friends decided it would be a great idea to get people who are packraft curious together in North Wales, UK. Luckily for me the venue was just a 1 hour drive away which was on the shores of Bala lake. However the attraction of trying out packrafts attracted people from […]
Fat Bike above the clouds
We’ve all got that idea in our minds prior to going on an overnight camp whether it’s your first time or if you’re a seasoned veteran camper. You know when you want the perfect weather window, no wind, dry not too wrm/cold, great views and basically an overnight trip that will stay in your memory […]
(Time to Start Planning…) Global Fat Bike Day 2019
Let’s kick it up a few notches… Summer, this time of year is when I start thinking of shorter days and colder temps and with that brings Global Fat Bike Day. This year the date falls on December 7th for peeps from all around our universe to get out on their own or with a […]
A Fat Bike Bivvy and Welsh Goats
3 years ago I walked this area with one of my sons as a reccy for a fat bike ride. It soon become clear that this was no place to try to ride a bike as it would have involved a fair bit of pushing. Fast forward a couple of years and in May of […]
Summer Solstice Bivvy
June 21st and the summer solstice luckily fell on a Friday, and luckily for me I finish work early on a Friday! YEAH!! The sun was shining, the forecast was good so a quick plan hatched to bivvy out for the night. I’ve had my eye on this sheltered spot facing east for some time […]
GORE Wear C7 Bib Shorts
When I was informed by Fat-Bike HQ that I’ll be reviewing a pair of bib shorts I was a little confused. Personally, I thought fat bikes and bib shorts didn’t go together as well as bullets and guns! However the new GORE Wear Vent C7 Bib Shorts soon put that thought out of my head. […]
Fat Bike The Ridge-Y Cribau
This year’s bivvy a month campaign hasn’t really got going as much as I had planned. In January I managed to get a couple of days riding in the heart of mid Wales on my gravel bike. February saw me ride to a mountain cottage in the local snowy hills which was great on the […]
Fat (video) Tuesday – Bivvy a Month 2018, the best bits!
Jeff Price sent us a compilation video that covers all twelve of his Bivvy a Month trips from 2018. If this doesn’t get you stoked to take up the quest to complete the Bivvy a Month Challenge for 2019, nothing will! I got out a few times in 2018 in what some might say was […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #12 GFBD2018
Bivvy a Month Challenge Global Fat Bike Day 2018 We all know December 1st 2018 was ‘our’ special day as it was this year’s Global Fat Bike Day. However it was made even more special for me this year as I bagged my final Bivvy a Month for the year. I’ve organised the last […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #11
Fat Bike Snowdon #BAMfatbike2018 I must admit, I’ve not been ‘feeling it’ the last few months when it came to getting out and that probably showed by the last 3 BAM’s being on the last weekend of the month. I needed that to change, so I picked an area that ‘ticks’ my boxes and […]
Fat videoTuesday – Bivvy a Month #10 – #BAMfatbike2018
Fat Bike to the Bothy #BAMfatbike2018 Despite trying to get more organised with my bivvy a month rides October took place on the last night of the month, Halloween night!! I initially had plans to spend a couple of days on one of the islands on the west coast of Scotland but the impending forecast […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #9 – Foel Fras
So bivvy a month number 9 came by way to quick, so once again I got out on the last weekend of the month! Luckily the weather was on my side for this again. Once again I stayed fairly local to me with just a short 25 minute car journey to the start of the […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #8
Bivvy a Month #8 – Take Two!! Well, when I set out to do the Bivvy a Month Challenge I knew they’d be challenges. Despite a so far successful year with my rides and the weather, my luck seemed to run out towards the end of August. I had my route planned so I […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #7
With the UK still in the midst of a heatwave it made planning this month’s bivvy trip a little easier than normal. Its great to know that you’ve got a good dry spell ahead of you as you don’t need to take much in the way of kit. So for this one as it was […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #6
A Quick Getaway June’s bivvy a month is the halfway mark in this year of adventures. The month of the summer solstice is the main night for spending a night under the stars but as I was too busy for that one I had to squeeze a bivvy in at the end of the month. […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #5
Fat Bike Jura I had a few days spare at the end of May for my 5/12 of #BAMfatbike2018. I must admit I wasn’t feeling like using them up as I wasn’t in the zone for a trip away. However as the weather forecast was looking hot here in the UK it would have been […]
iSSi Stomp XL Review
ISSI Stomp XL Pedal Review The iSSi Stomp XL pedal landed here in Wales from their HQ in Minneapolis. The Stomp XL is their first attempt at a platform pedal and first impressions are they look and feel great. They are available in four different colours from black, plum, lime and blue. The platform is […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #4
Slate The summer made a brief appearance over the UK with a couple for days of nice warm weather so it was initiate #BAMfatbike2018 making this 4/4/ The area I picked is steeped in history as it was once the largest open slate quarry in the world. Slate put Wales on the map was shipped […]
Apidura Bikepacking Bag Review
Apidura Backcountry Bags With virtually the full set of Apidura’s Backcountry series of bikepacking bags landing on my doorstep you could say I was a little excited to try them out, and with my Bivvy a Month #2 just around the corner you could say it was great timing! As stated on the Apidura website […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #3
Fat Bike Snowdonia #BAMfatbike2018 With the first two camps done and dusted these following months should get a bit easier as the temperatures rising. However the UK saw winter bounce back with some chilling temps which made me bag my March camp near the end of the month. Despite all the planned locations I had […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #2
Fat Bike Galloway #BAMfatbike2018 After committing myself to the Bivvy a Month Challenge its got me thinking about where to have these mini adventures. With February usually a bit on the chilly side (by UK standards) I had my thoughts on staying in a bothy. A bothy? Let me explain, a bothy is an unlocked […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge #1
The Lookout… The moon and stars aligned for my first bivvy of 12 for 2018 to take place over here in North Wales, UK. The forecast was looking OK for this January bivvy, cold but dry. However, as I don’t have the warmest of kit the thought of being out in the fresh air was […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge
Fat bikers of the universe we invite you to join us (relatively speaking) on a year-long adventure, the Bivvy a Month challenge. The bivvy a month challenge is a brainchild of one of the many bike packers that frequent the Bear Bones forum (http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/) in the UK, Kevin Cunniffe aka Blackhound. The rules are simple, […]
Halloween Bivvy – by Jeff Price
A last minute change of plans saw a window of opportunity open up for me to get out in the hills of Snowdonia (Wales, UK) for an overnighter. I had a place in mind as I’d ridden there many times before. For some people bivvying out on your own in an old quarry may not […]
Fat Bike Iceland
For years I’ve always had a dream of riding somewhere desolate and remote on my bike. I thought that dream was just going to stay a dream as I’m a normal guy with a wife and 3 kids. However, last December during a bivvy ride with my mate, John ‘Climber’ I planted a seed of […]
Smokestone Henderson short term review
The Smokestone Henderson fat bike is the brainchild of Graham Foot from Slam69 Cycles in Gloucester in the UK. I was invited to spend the weekend with Graham and find out about the history of the bike and to spend some time in the saddle. Graham’s history in the bike industry goes way back to […]
On the top of Wales
We all love an epic adventure, whether it’s that week long biking trip you’ve had with friends, an expedition across the arctic or a couple of days away on your local trails. For me last week, I had one of these ‘epic adventures’ which saw me away from the house for just 12 hours. We […]
Mud Shovel Fenders by PDW
We’ve all had one of them rides, where your behind is caked in the remnants of the terrain you’ve just rode your fat bike on. Well, Portland Design Works may well, have just the answer, in letting you take a seat at the bar without looking like you’ve spoiled yourself, in the Mud Shovels! I’ve […]
Fat (video) Tuesday – Seven Summits in Wales
Winter in the UK, the time were riding seems to be a wet affair. However, with spring showing its face one Saturday late in March I thought I’d hatch a plan. Now I’ve took in this route at the start of the ride a few times before. Starting at 1,200 feet I made my way […]
Snow Bike Festival 2017, Switzerland
After being given the OK to travel to Gstaad, Switzerland as Fat-Bike.com’s European Bureau Chief to cover this year’s Snow Bike Festival I was expecting some fantastic scenery to greet me. After stepping off the train following the most scenic train ride I’ve ever had, a winter wonderland certainly did greet me in the luxurious […]
The History of Global Fat Bike Day – By Jeff Price
We’re all looking forward to the global phenomenon of Global Fat Bike Day this year but how did it start and who came up with the idea? We asked a couple of guys from the UK who got this awesome idea off the ground. Si Matthews and Ritchie Salt answered a few questions in […]
Fat (video) Tuesday – Sunshine on the coast of Wales
Uncle Gomez asked me if I’d like my own portal to fat dash bike dot com and this is my first solo flight. If this were one of Gomez’s posts, he might say – “This weeks video is posted by Bike Black Ribbon Test Pilot Jeff ‘Summittoppler’ Price out there on the coast in […]