Wednesday, May 30, 2012

One year with the 9:ZERO:7

The one year anniversary of my 9:ZERO:7 was on April 29th. It's a good time to write a full review and write thoughts on the fatbike phenomenon in general. As you might know, a lot has happened in one year, and fatbikes have received more and more attention in the interwebs. And it really isn't suprising after all that all the attention is not good. That must be the specialty of humanity - there is always something bad to say. For example, The GearJunkie wrote 'Fat Bike' Trend: Overrated or For Real? The worst writing must be Fat Jokes on velogear, where you must wonder if it's just a troll or if the writer really is a punk.

For me, bikes are a passion. From the very beginning it was clear to me that this would be pretty much 'the dream bike':





The first ride was a revelation:





My instant thought was that this is 'revolution of mountain biking'.

I did several outings and overnighters with the bike in the late spring and in the summer, like here:



And here:



Here:



And here:



I even did one 'race':



Then came fall:





And then finally came the long-awaited winter:





The definitive highlights were the Fatbike TV filming and In search of snow crust:





And in the end of the winter I was rewarded with brilliant snow crust conditions:



So what is my verdict? Honestly, I had high expectations, and they were surpassed. This is by far the most comfortable of my bikes to ride. It handles every terrain very well. Yes, even gravel and asphalt roads. Just increase the tire pressure and those huge tires roll suprisingly well. The bikepacking and cargo / utility capabilities of the bike are incredible.



This bike is not 'just a bike'. It is an extension of my body and soul. People can be untrustworthy, but I trust in this friend. It is so good that you can put it in the same coffin when I die. Period.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Spring Wrap Up

Over a month without a blog post? What's going on? A lot!



The spring has been in full flow:











I have been commuting with the cyclocross bike more...



...but the fatbike, which just had the one year anniversary, has been in use too:





I have done a lot of sunset photography...



...and more...



...and even more:



No bikepacking trip or overnighter, but I've been four times in the Archipelago of Southwestern Finland. Due to some nice circumstances, I will spend a lot of time there. And it's an absolute outdoor paradise! So much that I call it 'Other World'. Any photos? Oh yes, and lot of them:



I have started a new photography project, 'Other World', where my aim is to take my photography to a new level. It's an ongoing project, and easiest way to follow it is to join Google+ and add me to your circles.

And yes, I will do also bikepacking trips to the 'Other World'. Excited.