velotel
08-20-2016, 03:58 PM
The quintessential response to why fat-tired road bikes. A dirt and rock track between the Col de l’Arpettaz and the Col des Aravis, 14,5 K long, 450 vertical meters of up Arpettaz to Aravis, 500 meters Aravis to Arpettaz. A visual rush all the way.
Paved, this would be the most famous cycling road in France. And jammed with motorcycles screaming like banshees racing for imaginary glory. And cars, way too many cars. Thankfully there’s zero interest in paving it. It’s a rough, slow, intimidating sort of mild jeep road from end to end so no motorcycles, no cars, and no cyclists, not even mountain bikers. Too tame for them.
But for fat-tired road bikes, what I call stoner bikes after the stones they roll over so majestically, this is the holy grail, nirvana, the perfect strawberry floating over a dark chocolate mousse, the bottle of 50-year old single-malt scotch layered in dust and cobwebs discovered in a forgotten closet corner. This is the best stoner bike ride I’ve ever done, yet.
I’d already ridden it four times, twice in each direction. Always with my normal Eriksen running either 27mm Vittoria Pavés or 25mm Veloflex Masters. Never a flat, nothing but fun. So I never saw a reason for anything else, like fat tires. Then my son decided I needed new Eriksen, designed for the high alpine dirt roads I love to ride, a road bike with a tweaked geometry and clearances for the fat tires I didn’t see any need for.
The bike arrived. One ride and I was converted. I love it. I was dying to introduce it to the Grand Traverse but held off, waiting for Max to be available. He hadn’t done the Grand Traverse, but wanted to. So, I waited, semi-impatiently. At last, weather perfect, Max free for the day, and accompanied by a childhood friend of his, a strong, fast rider apparently. Which was worrisome to be honest. I mean Max is already too damn strong for me. So now two of them!
In Max’s honor, decided to do the Grand Traverse in the hard direction, Arpettaz to Aravis, and to get to the Arpettaz by the steepest of the two approaches, the southwest road. Almost 1200 vertical meters of sustained steepness, with lots of short, brutal ramps. Around 40 switchbacks. Much of the distance in tree tunnels, good for days of sunshine and heat. Like Saturday.
Max and his friend loved the climb. I knew they would. Or I knew Max would. Dominic I didn’t know at all but pretty quickly it was obvious he was loving it. Seeing other cyclists on that climb has been rare in all the years I’ve ridden it. Saturday they were out. At a guess maybe ten, and they all passed us. Us only because Max and Dom were riding at my pace. Everybody making the climb look easy to add insult to injury.
Rolled onto the col where the last riders who’d passed us were standing around in the road.. The last bit to the col is easy and Max was idling along waiting for me to show the way. I came in carrying some speed, passed him, said ‘left’, then cut left onto the dirt right in front of the riders standing around, and accelerated down the track. I can imagine the french riders were staring after us wondering where in the hell we were going. The french as a rule haven’t even begun to realize road bikes can go off road, much less that fat-tired road bikes exist.
With that my stoner bike met the Grand Traverse. Not even 100 meters later and I’m grinning like an idiot. The bike was friggin awesome! Curled through a switchback to the right going at least twice as fast as I’d ever gone on my first Eriksen. Dove into the second switchback, the surface loose, the bike bouncing around, and I’m feeling super solid.
Then stop. Max, who’s riding his stoner bike, a Canyon, wearing 32mm Gravelkings, comes jamming to a stop. I point right, say this is what it’s like all the way to the other end. We’re staring across the valley at Mont Blanc and the aiguilles above the Chamonix valley soaring into a hard, blue sky. Amazing view. Dominic arrives. He’s considerably slower due to his narrow road tires. He looks, jaw drops. Photo time, he and Max with their I-phones, me with my DSLR.
Off again, Max and I flying down the road! Between the bike’s perfectly dialed geometry, the oversized Enve fork, oversized head tube, and the fat tires – 33mm Challenge Almanzos – I’m going way faster than I’ve ever ridden here before with the bike smooth and solid like I’ve never felt before with a bike in the dirt. We’re talking major joy here. Thing was it wasn’t so much the increased speed that was such a turn-on, it was the incredible sense of solidness, like everything’s totally under control no matter what the road throws at me. A wonderful, liberating sensation.
Hit the end of that first descent, started the long climb to the high point of the ride, 6 Km of sustained climbing. Last time I did it, between the grades, the gravel and stones, the sustained effort, I was verging on desperation much of the time. Not this time. Having a 29-cog helped but what really made the difference was the traction and smoothness delivered by the fat tires, the bike’s perfect fit with my hands in the drops, and the laser-sharp steering. Still a damned hard climb though, at least for me.
Max friggin killed the climb. I mean he flat disappeared up it like a fox getting chased by hounds. One moment he’s right there in front of me looking smooth and easy and the next he’s gone! Must be enjoying the new tires. He’s also running a slightly lower gear than I’ve got with a 36-32 chainring-cog combo compared to my 34-29. Which isn’t why he was faster; he’s faster because he’s way stronger, simple as that.
Dominic also gave me a nice lesson on gearing. He’s way stronger than I am and there he was running a 32 chainring-36 cog for a low gear! And flying up the road to Arpettaz on it with an ease that astounded me. He was way off the back on the Grand Traverse but only because of his lack of a stoner bike and fat tires otherwise he would have been up there with Max jamming the climb while I was back with the snails.
Got to the top where Max was hanging. Bikes laid down in the grass, food hauled out, water drunk, Dominic arrives, all three of us plop down on a small hill and look. No matter which direction, always amazing. Lingering, no one in a rush to leave. Too gorgeous.
Finally off again, a fast, cruising downhill into a basin, up and across the far side and onto the ridge, then down into another basin. Close enough now to the Col des Aravis that quite a few walkers on the road, families and older couples. Makes for some fun dodging since most everyone seems to think they’re alone on the road and never imagine cyclists racing down the hills. Stop at the auberge I want to have lunch at one day with the wife. Fill up water bottles from the spring gushing out a pipe into a trough. Lots of people on the deck eating, drinking, talking, soaking up the views.
Off again, into the fastest section of the ride, or at least of the Grand Traverse. Get to a small lookout with two benches and pull over. The three of us sit on a bench, staring at Mont Blanc and the aiguilles, last view before curling around the ridge then dropping down to the Col des Aravis and civilization.
Onto the col, lots of people, lots of cars, three restaurants. We stop at one, beer time, on tap. Excellent. Into the plunge off the col. Pavement smooth, curves round, gravity pulling hard, into a switchback to the right, a car just ahead. Into the next switchback, a curl to the left, and I dive inside and accelerate past. I love passing cars in downhills! The fat tires are awesome. Feel as fast as any tire I’ve ever ridden. I never measure my speed so have zero reference but that’s how it felt. Nothing but sweetness in the corners.
Down to Flumet, then down through the Gorge d’Arly, into Ugine, turn left, down the valley, back to the car. Some ride! The Eriksen stoner bike got well and truly introduced to the Grand Traverse. Everything I hoped for and more. And watching Max and Dominic totally enjoying themselves up there, that was a treat. Hell of a day, hell of a ride, hell of a bike.
A few pics, the last three shot by Max. Not many, I’ve already posted lots of the Grand Traverse in the past.
Paved, this would be the most famous cycling road in France. And jammed with motorcycles screaming like banshees racing for imaginary glory. And cars, way too many cars. Thankfully there’s zero interest in paving it. It’s a rough, slow, intimidating sort of mild jeep road from end to end so no motorcycles, no cars, and no cyclists, not even mountain bikers. Too tame for them.
But for fat-tired road bikes, what I call stoner bikes after the stones they roll over so majestically, this is the holy grail, nirvana, the perfect strawberry floating over a dark chocolate mousse, the bottle of 50-year old single-malt scotch layered in dust and cobwebs discovered in a forgotten closet corner. This is the best stoner bike ride I’ve ever done, yet.
I’d already ridden it four times, twice in each direction. Always with my normal Eriksen running either 27mm Vittoria Pavés or 25mm Veloflex Masters. Never a flat, nothing but fun. So I never saw a reason for anything else, like fat tires. Then my son decided I needed new Eriksen, designed for the high alpine dirt roads I love to ride, a road bike with a tweaked geometry and clearances for the fat tires I didn’t see any need for.
The bike arrived. One ride and I was converted. I love it. I was dying to introduce it to the Grand Traverse but held off, waiting for Max to be available. He hadn’t done the Grand Traverse, but wanted to. So, I waited, semi-impatiently. At last, weather perfect, Max free for the day, and accompanied by a childhood friend of his, a strong, fast rider apparently. Which was worrisome to be honest. I mean Max is already too damn strong for me. So now two of them!
In Max’s honor, decided to do the Grand Traverse in the hard direction, Arpettaz to Aravis, and to get to the Arpettaz by the steepest of the two approaches, the southwest road. Almost 1200 vertical meters of sustained steepness, with lots of short, brutal ramps. Around 40 switchbacks. Much of the distance in tree tunnels, good for days of sunshine and heat. Like Saturday.
Max and his friend loved the climb. I knew they would. Or I knew Max would. Dominic I didn’t know at all but pretty quickly it was obvious he was loving it. Seeing other cyclists on that climb has been rare in all the years I’ve ridden it. Saturday they were out. At a guess maybe ten, and they all passed us. Us only because Max and Dom were riding at my pace. Everybody making the climb look easy to add insult to injury.
Rolled onto the col where the last riders who’d passed us were standing around in the road.. The last bit to the col is easy and Max was idling along waiting for me to show the way. I came in carrying some speed, passed him, said ‘left’, then cut left onto the dirt right in front of the riders standing around, and accelerated down the track. I can imagine the french riders were staring after us wondering where in the hell we were going. The french as a rule haven’t even begun to realize road bikes can go off road, much less that fat-tired road bikes exist.
With that my stoner bike met the Grand Traverse. Not even 100 meters later and I’m grinning like an idiot. The bike was friggin awesome! Curled through a switchback to the right going at least twice as fast as I’d ever gone on my first Eriksen. Dove into the second switchback, the surface loose, the bike bouncing around, and I’m feeling super solid.
Then stop. Max, who’s riding his stoner bike, a Canyon, wearing 32mm Gravelkings, comes jamming to a stop. I point right, say this is what it’s like all the way to the other end. We’re staring across the valley at Mont Blanc and the aiguilles above the Chamonix valley soaring into a hard, blue sky. Amazing view. Dominic arrives. He’s considerably slower due to his narrow road tires. He looks, jaw drops. Photo time, he and Max with their I-phones, me with my DSLR.
Off again, Max and I flying down the road! Between the bike’s perfectly dialed geometry, the oversized Enve fork, oversized head tube, and the fat tires – 33mm Challenge Almanzos – I’m going way faster than I’ve ever ridden here before with the bike smooth and solid like I’ve never felt before with a bike in the dirt. We’re talking major joy here. Thing was it wasn’t so much the increased speed that was such a turn-on, it was the incredible sense of solidness, like everything’s totally under control no matter what the road throws at me. A wonderful, liberating sensation.
Hit the end of that first descent, started the long climb to the high point of the ride, 6 Km of sustained climbing. Last time I did it, between the grades, the gravel and stones, the sustained effort, I was verging on desperation much of the time. Not this time. Having a 29-cog helped but what really made the difference was the traction and smoothness delivered by the fat tires, the bike’s perfect fit with my hands in the drops, and the laser-sharp steering. Still a damned hard climb though, at least for me.
Max friggin killed the climb. I mean he flat disappeared up it like a fox getting chased by hounds. One moment he’s right there in front of me looking smooth and easy and the next he’s gone! Must be enjoying the new tires. He’s also running a slightly lower gear than I’ve got with a 36-32 chainring-cog combo compared to my 34-29. Which isn’t why he was faster; he’s faster because he’s way stronger, simple as that.
Dominic also gave me a nice lesson on gearing. He’s way stronger than I am and there he was running a 32 chainring-36 cog for a low gear! And flying up the road to Arpettaz on it with an ease that astounded me. He was way off the back on the Grand Traverse but only because of his lack of a stoner bike and fat tires otherwise he would have been up there with Max jamming the climb while I was back with the snails.
Got to the top where Max was hanging. Bikes laid down in the grass, food hauled out, water drunk, Dominic arrives, all three of us plop down on a small hill and look. No matter which direction, always amazing. Lingering, no one in a rush to leave. Too gorgeous.
Finally off again, a fast, cruising downhill into a basin, up and across the far side and onto the ridge, then down into another basin. Close enough now to the Col des Aravis that quite a few walkers on the road, families and older couples. Makes for some fun dodging since most everyone seems to think they’re alone on the road and never imagine cyclists racing down the hills. Stop at the auberge I want to have lunch at one day with the wife. Fill up water bottles from the spring gushing out a pipe into a trough. Lots of people on the deck eating, drinking, talking, soaking up the views.
Off again, into the fastest section of the ride, or at least of the Grand Traverse. Get to a small lookout with two benches and pull over. The three of us sit on a bench, staring at Mont Blanc and the aiguilles, last view before curling around the ridge then dropping down to the Col des Aravis and civilization.
Onto the col, lots of people, lots of cars, three restaurants. We stop at one, beer time, on tap. Excellent. Into the plunge off the col. Pavement smooth, curves round, gravity pulling hard, into a switchback to the right, a car just ahead. Into the next switchback, a curl to the left, and I dive inside and accelerate past. I love passing cars in downhills! The fat tires are awesome. Feel as fast as any tire I’ve ever ridden. I never measure my speed so have zero reference but that’s how it felt. Nothing but sweetness in the corners.
Down to Flumet, then down through the Gorge d’Arly, into Ugine, turn left, down the valley, back to the car. Some ride! The Eriksen stoner bike got well and truly introduced to the Grand Traverse. Everything I hoped for and more. And watching Max and Dominic totally enjoying themselves up there, that was a treat. Hell of a day, hell of a ride, hell of a bike.
A few pics, the last three shot by Max. Not many, I’ve already posted lots of the Grand Traverse in the past.