These days the trend seems to be toward fatter and fatter mountain bike tires and no one is pushing the envelope more than Surly. By now you’ve probably seen the Pugsly but this year the company is taking things to a whole new level with the Moonlander.

At first glance the Moonlander looks like a two-ton beast that has no business riding anywhere but in a flat, straight line but I decided to give it a spin around the singletrack loop at Outdoor Demo. Despite the ginormous wheels and heavy tires I was still able to pass riders on more traditional bikes steaming up the road proving to me this is bike is more than just a concept bike or a gimmick. And although the rims on the Moonlander are officially 26″, with the tires the wheels have nearly the same effective diameter as a 29er.

On the loose, sandy trails the Moonlander seemed to be at home and felt like it floated over much of the terrain. Of course that also meant it was terrible at cornering (surprise!) but the ultra high volume tires provided a nice cushion that almost felt like a suspended bike over small rocks despite being fully rigid. A couple of times I caught myself looking over my shoulder to spot the truck I was sure was following behind me, only to realize the deep, crunching tire sound I was hearing was coming from my own wheels.

The rims on the Moonlander – called “Clown Shoes” – feature two rows of spoke holes and can be laced in a number of configurations. The demo rig I tested was laced on the drive side of the rim only which looked odd at first but didn’t seem to affect the ride. The Moonlander features a steel frame and rigid fork and comes with 3.8″ Surly Big Fat Larry tires. The space-y, reflective flake paint job is other-worldly.

I think for me to own one of these bikes I’d need to move somewhere where it snows at lot or at least grow a full beard. Still, the Moonlander is a fun and unique bike for cruising around or even hitting the trails – just as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously out there.

An unidentified rider at the 2008 Arrowhead Ultramarathon (from arrowheadultra.com)

The Arrowhead 135 kicked off at 7am this morning with 61 competitors and riders on their way from International Falls to Tower, MN by any human powered means available (including mountain bikes). A quick check of the weather shows it’s -6 degrees about 4 hours into the race with snow forecast for later in the day. Nighttime temps are forecast to be in the negative teens and 20s but it’s possible some racers may finish before midnight (the course record is just under 16 hours).

The Grand Forks Herald has a great article about the race and profiles some of the competitors in this year’s race including one guy who spent the night sleeping in a snow bank to prepare! Most of the racers are riding Surly bikes to stay on top of the snow and to carry the required gear – sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad, and stove with fuel plus at least 3,000 calories worth of food. The race is unsupported meaning riders need to carry everything they need to complete the 135 mile course on their own. In 2006 only 10 out of 46 racers finished due to temperatures in the negative 30s. Makes me feel like a complete turd for wimping out on riding when it’s barely below freezing…