Fat Bikes grow in Muskoka!

So December came and went with the normal craziness the Holidays bring with them. My friend Mike McLaughlin that owns Buckwallow Cycling Center got a surprize when a large number of his Season Pass Holders got together and get him a special Christmas present.

It all started with an e-mail from another friend Bert Schuh with an idea to buy Mike a Surly Pugsley. A bike he has always wanted but never had that extra cash to get. You see he spends so much time and energy making Buckwallow the great place it is. His patrons always tell him he doesn’t charge enough for what he offers. He won’t take money from allot of us that have been around since the beginning. So this was a great way to show our appreciation for all he does to make our rides so much fun. He doesn’t get enough time to ride in the summer as he would like. During the long hours of the winter he has lots of time to play. A snow bike is a perfect match for him. A bunch of emails and a few weeks later we had enough to buy Mike the bike and give him a gift certificate to spice it up to his liking. Our local shop The Bike Shop In Gravenhurst chipped in and sold it to us at cost. As they didn’t want to profit from this great idea.

So under the assumption he was invited to the shop to celebrate a party for friends and customers of the shop.  Dec. 23rd was the day and a large group of folks who were in on it were there to see the presentation to Mike. Who was still oblivious to the event that would unfold that night. Priceless, was the look on his face when he found out the event was for him. Mike is a quiet guy who does not like being put on the spot.

When it was wheeled out he was blown away to say the least. Couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

So now I have another person to explore with. There is actually now 5 fat bikes in Muskoka. Bert, Mike, Roy Davies of Bracebridge and myself all are proud Pugsley owners and Brandon McGregor bought an aluminum Fat Back from Alaska. He just has to be different. My Shop is the Surly dealer in this area and allot of people are interested in these fun bikes. It’s a simple machine that is well… “Blissful”. Fun just doesn’t fully describe it.

We have been on a number of rides ranging from 15 to 30km and every ride is as fun as the last. Hoping to see you out this winter doing what ever you fancy as an outdoor winter adventure.

Your riding buddy!

Cheers

Ummm OK so it's been too long since my last post!

Winter has shown her lovely face.
 Allot has happened since my last post. We had another daughter, Jocelyne born Aug. 6th making 5 little lady's in my house. And yes I'm fixed now...LOL I have joined the realm of winter biking. My friend Bert Schuh got a used Puglsly last season and really liked it. He found himself riding it year round and more than his normal Mountain Bike.

We sell Surly Bikes at The Bike Shop In Gravenhurst and have ordered 5 Pugly's all together for this season. We are hoping to start a new fun activity for our Muskoka winters. I have wanted one of these Pugsly's with 3.7" tires since I first saw one. I ordered my 2011 back in July and impatiently waited till last week for it's arrival. When it showed up, I had fun building it up and tweaking it to have that "My" factor. Built on the Friday I could only take it on a small test ride as night comes earlier this time of year. Saturday my wife was away with her friend Christmas shopping so I was left to look after the girls and be a dad. Sunday would be the day for the first real ride. It had snowed the day the bike had arrived just for me I'm sure. My nephew Brandon ordered a Fatback straight from Speedway Cycles in Alaska and had been riding it for a couple weeks already. I can't get over how these bikes ride. They track surprisingly well considering the size of the tires. The float factor of the tires is a noticeable plus when compared to trying to ride in snow on a normal bike. Needless to say it's a different ride but none the less fun once you rap your mind around it. You can't help but smile when on this thing. We were into about 3-4 inches of fresh snow on the trail. It's a work out to get going but once your moving it's pretty fun. All the normal hard tail riding characteristics are passed over to riding these bikes. I can see allot of lake and trail rides in my future.

They ride quite normal on dry ground and trail. If you don't look down they feel quite normal. I plan on doing some rides at Buckwallow next season. If you are in the area and want to give one a shot just let me know and you are welcome to try mine. I will be posting about my rides more through the winter and hope to see you on the trails.

Have a great day and will post again soon.

Here are some shots so far.

Hello!

Not sure what I've got myself into but hear we go....

Hoping to use this as a means of venting or just plain blabbing about the cycling community in Muskoka.

A little about me. I'm a married father of four daughters, soon to be five. Not sure of the sex at this point but that's for another day. I work at The Bike Shop In Gravenhurst. I wrench there and am a huge fan of the owners Kristi MacDonald and Matt Todd. I've been involved in one way or another with cycling since the first time my dad let go of the seat and quietly said your on your own.

The freedom my two wheeled machine entitled me was a love affair of sorts that has never dwindled. That was 32 years ago. It started with a Blue Canadian Tire Banana Bike! Soon after Bicycle Moto-Cross and the movie RAD changed my life. Track 2000 in New Market was soon a place to race. And the freedom of Freestyle let me spend countless hours on numerous different bikes. Ryan, Jay and I would spend every free moment jumping and riding all over Gravenhurst and Bracebridge.

In high school a Schwinn 10 speed was my mode of transportation all over Muskoka. My Haro Master freestyle bike was still my escape though. I have always counted on my cycling addiction to offer an escape whenever life through it's unexpected at me. All through high school and early work life, the bike was my chosen mode of transportation.

Then came the Mountain Bike. Well what can I say big wheels, lots of gears go any wear do anything bikes. Love is an understatement. And it just gets better every year.

On July 28th, 1991 I entered my first Mountain Bike Race in Bracebridge Ont. It was a bushwhacking affair with event helpers in the bush pointing you in the direction as there was areas with no real trails. A far cry from today's wide almost paved tracks. I can't remember the distance but it was a long ride through trails, roads and just plain bush. My time was 2 hrs 24min. 36 sec. I finished in the middle of the 80 some competitors. I was hooked next came local weekly events and later some Ontario Cup races for fun.

A local cyclist Jeff Hill had been racing for some time and had started Promoting Races around Ont. and Muskoka I jumped on board to help and get into making trails and setting up courses and events. Another love I would find in Trail Building. The hydro line in Bracebridge was the site of our first weekly race series. I believe we started with around six or so kids from around town. It grew over the next few years into The Muskoka Mud Slinger Series and was taken over by another promoter in later years. We built some of the first lines at Santa's Village, now better known as Porcupine Ridge. The very technical trails were a little much for racing and it was evident we needed a new venue.

The KOA in Gravenhurst was a venue we had skied at growing up. The double track would be great for racing. We approached Mike McLaughlin about using the trails for the race series. It didn't take long for Mike to see the constantly growing cast of racers to allow us to make a couple pieces of single track. What a hit and the rest as they say is history.

Buckwallow was born. Mike took a chance on building trails and now his work has lead to some of the best trails in Ontario. People from all over travel to ride, race and just have fun riding these crazy fun bikes we now ride. I am proud to say I have been part of Buckwallow in one way or another since the beginning. Mike is such a great ambassador for Mountain Biking and trail systems as a land owner. My good friend Mike is one of a kind....

Well that was easier than I thought it would be...

Thanks for letting me rant and hope to do it again soon.

Donnie