Why I freaking love 9:ZERO:7

It has been awhile now since I started riding 9:ZERO:7 fatbikes.  It started with one of their first frames; a near red offset frame mated up to a pugsley fork and their own branded rims.  From the onset Bill and Jamey, the owners, have only had one thing in mine, making a great product and smartly growing their brand in a market that is quite dynamic.  I could go into details and changes they have made in design and manufacture to accomplish this, but I will not bore you, just know that they don't ever rest.




I work hard to be the best I can be at winter races that take me deep into the wilderness, no matter the weather severity, and back.  Iditarod is the best example so far.  350 miles of incredibly remote Alaskan wilderness where dogsleds, snowmachines (Alaskan speak for snowmobile), and airplanes rule; cars don't have anywhere to go.  Literally, after 10 miles or so there was no way to return or be rescued by car.  For 340 miles you rely on you, your equipment, and checkpoints for survival.  So yes, I try to take me physical condition quite serious.

On that note I take my equipment quite serious.  9:ZERO:7 is now on the 2nd year of the carbon Whiteout.  There are certain attributes that I would have asked for in this frame and they have hit each one.  Yes, this bike is carbon.  Yippee!  Guess what, the market has several carbon fatbikes to choose from and going from the barometer of simply weight, the Whiteout is not the lightest (insert horrored gasp).  Nope, not the lightest.  However, as Bill told me, "we could have made it lighter, but we wanted a durable product".  Hear that?  I have heard of many instances of people finding out that their super light carbon fatbike is not on the durable side of the spectrum (but it was a little lighter!).  I take great joy in knowing that my frame is stupid light, but also I don't have to worry about having to deal with issues on the trail because of failure.  Not that it couldn't ever happen, but the chances have been greatly reduced by design.  Beware when the biggest highlight of a frame is only what the scale says.

Now my really light bike is also able to run the stupidest of the stupid large tires.  Is that my routine set up?  Nope.  However, I have that in my arsenal of tricks and I sure as heck don't want to give it up.  When the weather out side is frightful, the Whiteout makes it so delightful.

You have seen my conversion this summer to make my Whiteout the Hit It right?  Yeah, my bike is a badass snowmachine and a take no prisoners mountain bike with a shock as well.  Back up kids, this thing rips.

I truly feel that I have the best do it all, shred the gnar, pound the powder fatbike to push my body to it's extremes on.

 

So what I am trying to say is this.  Thank you Bill, Jamey, and the rest of the 9:ZERO:7 crew for making the absolute best f#%$ing fatbike out there!   I couldn't be happier.