Mud and mountain biking

Two days ago, thinking that our warm November sun had finally dried up all the nearby trails, we took our mountain bikes back from storage and went out for one hour or so. Well, it was still a bit wet and any kind of “wet” is always too much for single track riding, especially in shady spots. Fat tires collect mud on their periphery and spit it in the rider's face and back, making for a sticky, arduous and dirty experience. In addition it's the bike that controls the rider which is never a good outcome. Shortly after we started we altered the itinerary we originally had in mind, sticking to the driest possible route that was still too "spongy" and made our workout even harder. Don’t get me wrong, we still had plenty of fun and are seriously planning to ride later on this weekend if the good weather holds; that late season biking experience was a reminder however, that great mountain biking can only be enjoyed to its fullest in super-dry places like the Rocky Mountains and California. Not in places where mud is an ordinary occurrence!