Mucky Nutz Face Fender Review

I was down at Eastern Panhandle Bicycles the other day just looking around shooting the breeze with Brian the owner about a big group ride we were organizing and I saw the Mucky Nutz fender on his bike on the stand. Of course I ask him about it, next thing you know I bought one! Rushed home right then to install on the bike.

The Mucky Nutz Face Fender is such a simple yet effective design. Very easy to install on the fork. Package included nice velcro straps to secure the fender most likely every fork out there. After just a few minutes including time for pictures and off/on of the front wheel the fender was secure and ready to roll. Luckily for me it wouldn't be long before I tested it. To make things better there was a light rain that evening followed by unusually warmer temperatures in my area giving me a tacky riding surface. It was a day to have a fender!

200+ Mile Review Trek Top Fuel 8

I wanted to start this post with a picture from one of the many adventures I have taken with this bike. This picture was taken at Raystown Lake, which fortunately for me is about a 1.5 hour drive away. Its great to be able to ride epic trails like that so close to home! I wrote my initial review back in September. I know to most of you only having a little over 200 miles on a bike in 6 months is pathetic but for me being a father of 2 young boys and having a job with alternating shifts as well as my military obligations I am happy with that!

I can say that everyone of those miles have been great! Even the grinding out of the climbs we have here in the mountains of WV and surrounding areas. Speaking of climbing, I had always rode a hardtail in the past. I had some reservations spending up for a full squishy...NOT ANYMORE! This bike climbs better then my hardtails. Maybe some of that is because my legs don't take the blunt of the descents anymore but I'll get to those later. I am running a 1X set-up on this bike. Yes I am in the stone age it seems only running 10spd with a normal sized cassette but may upgrade soon! My fitness has improved so I am able to pedal more consistently on the climbs. With the geometry of this bike and the stiffness I do not get the "hops" while climbing. Its tuned well for me by the awesome guys down at EPBC so I don't need to worry about locking/unlocking at all. I can just go ride this bike!

T.H.U.M.B MTB Club

I have started this post many different times but have yet to finish it...this needs to stop. It has been a long time coming so I might as well start the story from the beginning...

Many years ago, Brian and a handful of friends of EPBC decided that we needed more sweet singletrack in our area. There are quite a few places to ride here in the Eastern Panhandle but not a whole lot of good trails besides rogue trails. We decided that we needed to start an IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) chapter to get things going. We had started laying down some trails in Poor House Farm Park outside Martinsburg and wanted to everything official. I took on the task of looking into the IMBA Charter. In doing so I discovered that a club needs to be in place with standing membership first. So we started to meet at the shop to grease the wheels and get something going. Needless to say that since I am writing this years later things didn't go too well. I am not ready to give it all up yet. I am ready for the second push!

THUMB stands for, "The Hillbillies Unite to Mountain Bike." That was a quick name I thought up, we can gladly change it but I know that some others like it too...My main goal here is to get a group of outdoor enthusiasts to come together to help create more outdoor recreating space not only for cyclists but also trail runners, hikers, and equestrians. Another obvious reason is to build a group of people to ride with! One of the problems that we are having is a unorganized effort. It is awesome that we are getting anything done in the woods but I believe we need a clear organized plan. I believe this club will help us be more productive and create great spaces to recreate.

I know a long term goal that many of us share is a trail system in Sleepy Creek. So much good riding up there already but its not what it can be...If we show our community that responsible trail building can bring so much good to our area I believe many doors can be opened for us in the Eastern Panhandle. I have been in contact with the regional director of IMBA and with a little effort on our parts we may be able to get them to help us with a presentation to our local government as well as help with our Poor House Project.

Trail work by THUMB

I will try my best to get some stuff going after the holidays, its such a busy time for everyone I know but I am passionate about this and want to get things going. I hope you will join me in trying to make the Eastern Panhandle more bike friendly, we do live in West Virginia, its a shame we don't have more places to enjoy riding our bike!  Stay tuned for news about a meeting...click the link below to our Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thumbmtb/

Please drop me a note below with any feedback or ideas, thanks and have a Merry Christmas!

Trail work by THUMB