March 19, 2011

Snow biking

A couple weeks ago, I rented a snow bike from Arctic Cycles. The bike was a 9:ZERO:7, which are designed by Chain Reaction Cycles in Anchorage and manufactured by Merlin Metal Works in Portland, Oregon. A 9:ZERO:7 snow bike has an aluminum frame with a wheel built around a 100mm wide rim and Surly Endomorph tire (four inch wheels). They are awesome!


What was initially rented for a day of snow biking with Matt around Anchorage for the "Winter City 50K Populaire" turned into a day of biking on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and in Far North Bicentennial Park. We made this decision last minute (not to do the Populaire) due to the fact that it was four degrees outside. We still wanted to go for a ride though, but we just went by our own time.


We first ventured to Port Woronzof where we parked the truck and unloaded the bikes. The wind was brutal so we quickly hopped on our bikes and headed north on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail for Kincaid Park, which was about eight miles away. Once we reached the chalet (after pedaling up a crazy hill) Matt and I grabbed a quick snack and then turned around heading back for the truck. 

We decided to grab a bite to eat and then headed for Far North Bicentennial Park, which is on the east side of Anchorage.




Often times avoided in the summer due to bears, navigating the trails of Bicentennial Park was a blast. 



There was a dog sled race going on so we took the yield signs seriously. The signs did make us chuckle a bit... where else in the world would you come across a sign like this??







After a couple hours of riding around the park, we were exhausted. We loaded the bikes in the truck and headed back to Arctic Cycles to return the rented bike.