Drop Bars on the Snow

So I put drop bars on my Mukluk.

Fat tires and aerobars
It's awesome. I love it. But until today, I hadn't tried it on the snow. Many folks warned me that I'd regret the drops on the snow, and that I'd really wish I had a wider, more set-back position.

I just got back from a ~15 mile ride that featured a decent bit of snow. The Mukluk performed admirably!

Handlebar view of the snow
Rampart Range Road had between 0-3" inches of snow, and it was mostly packed by all the motorcycles and ATVs. There were a few sections that I lost traction and had trouble, but that was due to high air pressure. I let a bunch of air out and didn't have any further issues (when I got home, I checked the pressure I ended up at -- 5psi! I should have been even lower.)

feat. Arkel, Rockgeist
It's possible that my loading situation helped here. The drop bars situate your weight further forward on the bike. Even after getting a stem that is 20mm shorter, my reach is 8cm further on the drop bars than on the flat bars. I got the Salsa rack and a pair of Arkel light panniers, and had a decent bit of weight in them. This helped center the weight back over the rear tire, which improved traction.

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