Do you own several bikes and want to make sure they all fit your your body and riding style properly? We're doing a 4-part series all about bike fit and getting your body more comfortable and healthy on your bike. We're joined by Paulie Glatt from GO PHYSIO who is a Physical Therapist and certified bike fitting professional. About Paulie Glatt: As a competitive cyclist with a history of low back pain, Paulie has a great understanding of how critical a proper bike fit is to our experience on a bicycle. He rides Road, Gravel, Mountain, Bike Packs, and commutes by bicycle throughout the entire year. His longest race was The Day Across Minnesota, a 240-mile gravel race that he completed in 17 hours. To learn more about Paulie or to schedule a professional bike fitting, visit GO PHYSIO. Hey Paulie, I own 4 bikes: Road, mountain, gravel and fat. Do I need to get a separate bike fitting for every bike? Paulie Glatt: In general, once you have been fit it’s safe to transfer measurements from road <> gravel and from mtb <> fat. However, this doesn’t always work due to the fact that there are so many variables to consider. Here are just a few: 1. Are your riding goals similar from one bike to the other? Are you racing crits on your road bike and riding 100+ miles on your gravel bike? If so, then the fit is likely to be different between bikes. 2. Are you wearing different shoes or clothing from one bike to the next? This is especially true when switching from shoes to winter boots because varying sole heights will change the recommended saddle height. Similarly, different crank arm lengths will require different saddle heights. 3. Is the Q-factor (distance between the outside of one crank arm to the outside of the other) different between the two? If so, you may need to consider different shoes/cleats for each bike as the cleat position will be different to accommodate your ideal width of stance. 4. Are you confident in your ability to safely make modifications to your bike? If not, find someone who you can trust to set your bike up properly with the provided measurements. In general, try to transfer the measurements over and see how it feels. If it works, great! If not, come back in for a fitting. Most fitters will offer a discount to bring in an additional bike within a certain time frame.

The 906 Adventure Team recently purchased and moved into a brand new headquarters in Marquette, Michigan. They've also been teasing a new website that promised to bring all of the Adventure Teams and races in their Endurance Trilogy together into one cohesive space that tells the full 906 story as a whole. This is all a part of their goal to continue pushing their mission forward with bigger and bigger impact in more communities. We just noticed that the new website is live HERE. Go explore it and learn more about their youth programs and infamous cycling events.

The Inaugural US Fat Bike Open took place at the Green Bay Country Club this past weekend on January 22, 2022. It was the second of four races in the Broken Spoke Snow Crown Series. Over 220 fat bike riders braved the frozen tundra for the race. In this story Sherry Mix shares her race overview and how she won 2nd place at the inaugural US Fat Bike Open in Green Bay, Wisconsin as part of the Snow Crown Series. Powered by bitter cold temperatures and award winning on-course local cheese, Sherry made it to the podium and even found her lost Wahoo with the help of another racer. Author: Sherry Mix It was literally the frozen tundra out there Saturday with below zero wind chills and 18 mph winds. It’s been a dream of Broken Spoke owner and race organizer, George Kapitz, to bring a fat bike championship caliber race to Green Bay so we were all excited for the race regardless of the freezing cold temps. Trail conditions were in perfect condition in the days leading up to the race. We’re talking hard packed super highway conditions. I was very excited for that since mashed potatoes are not my favorite. The night before the race, Green Bay got 1.5 inches of snow though which made the conditions pretty rough as the day went on. There were categories for all: Junior, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Elite. Elite started first at 9AM with a near perfect course to start the day. Advanced, Intermediate, Junior and Beginner followed. The course was approximately 3 miles per lap with a good mix of terrain. Elite rode 5 laps, Advanced 4 laps, Intermediate 3 laps, and Junior and Beginner 2 laps each. The course was on the golf course cart path that was all wide open. The majority of the course allowed for passing easily. We all had our sites on first place since the winners of each category received a BorahTeamwear Stars and Bars thermal champions vest and their name engraved on a trophy that will stay at the Green Bay Country Club. I knew it would be a feat to accomplish with fellow Broken Spoke teammates Leia Schneeberger and Leah Vanevenhoven also racing. Living 2.5 hours away from the race and with the 9AM start time, I drove up the day before. Saturday morning I pre-rode the course and rode one full lap. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the lap so I knew it was going to be a fast race. Last year was my first year racing fat bikes so I’m still learning all the in’s and out’s with tire pressure and riding in the cold temps. I wore my 45N boots, 45N bibs and 45N gloves because they keep me nice and warm. I used 45N Dillinger 4.0 tires with studs. Can you tell I like 45N? It’s good stuff! I started with about 9psi and then let some out during my pre-ride. I was probably around 7-8psi but I didn’t check it after that. Quick bathroom stop and then it was to the line. I got to the line early so I had a good position as it was a mass start with both men and women. It was a neutral start for about 30 seconds until the trail opened up and everyone took off. I was leading the women for about a mile or so until Leia passed me. She was in my sights for the first lap and I saw her when we were lapping through for lap two. At the beginning of lap two, I fell going around a corner and after getting up, I couldn’t see her anymore. I knew I was in second and just told myself to keep going and focus so I didn’t fall anymore. Each lap thru they offered Belgioioso Cheese to everyone. It made me smile every time. The course had good flow with a few short steep inclines and one major hill going up to hole #14 that was a definite lung burner. I was counting down the number of times we had to go up that one. The people cheering at the top definitely helped get me going after each climb up it. I had great traction during the race and was able to stand on most of the hills to give myself an extra push. I was by myself for the entire race unable to work with anyone. A few guys offered but I just couldn’t keep their wheel for very long. So, head into the wind it was. I had Cliff Bloks in my back pocket that came in handy during the race and also a water bottle with Skratch. I didn’t try drinking my water until the 4th lap though and it was already frozen by then. I definitely need to figure that part out so I have water for my next races. I lost my Wahoo bike computer near the end of the 4th lap, too. I wasn’t sure when or where it happened exactly but when I looked down at it going into my 5th and final lap, I noticed it wasn’t there. I looked for it during that entire last lap with no luck. I may have fallen once or twice more throughout the race but I finished in solid second place with a time of 1:12:57.5. I was happy to be finished and felt I couldn’t have rode any faster for this one. Leia Schneeberger finished first and Amber Searer finished third. For the men, Caden Budd finished first, Mike Budd finished second, and Jason Kloptowsky finished third. The Snow Crown Series always knows how to put on a good party so there were campfires, beers, and a big heated tent to enjoy the rest of the afternoon drinking and hanging out. Also, Amber saw my Wahoo computer during the race and she found it afterwards - thank goodness! That saved me a few hundred dollars. Overall, it was a great day and I can’t wait for the next Snow Crown race and to see everyone again. Maybe I’ll win that winners jersey next year at the next US Fat Bike Open, too. Thank you to all the sponsors for making it happen! Nicolet Bank, Meridian Wealth + Retirement , Broken Spoke Bikes, City of Manitowoc, Salsa Cycles, 45NRTH, Berd Spokes, BelGioioso Cheese, Bay Care Bikes, KI Furniture, Oakley, Festival Foods, Dr. Alex Roitstein, Hayes, Hinterland Brewery, Beerntsen's Confectionary Inc. To learn more about the remaining two races in the Snow Crown Series, visit the events page.

The 2023 Dairy Roubaix took place last weekend and delivered a full dose of spring weather and mixed precipitation. Chris Stindt rode the 70 mile race and shares his story of sleet, hugs, and beautiful spring gravel. Author: Chris Stindt I did my first Dairy Roubaix 6 years ago, right when I started riding gravel. Maybe I did my first gravel race in the fall of 2016, and then Dairy Roubaix in the spring of 2017. It was a really neat course, south of Prairie du Chien, WI that ran along the Mississippi River (there was a section of road cut into the bluff with sheer rock on one side and water on the other), and it was pretty and remote. At some point Blue Dog Cycles out of Viroqua took over. Pete moved things a little closer to home and rides now start at Sugar Creek Bible Camp. I believe that my riding buddy Phil Sime is the friendly soul [rotten bastard] who designed these beautiful [soul crushing] courses. I did the Filthy 50 one epic year where I DNF’d in a ditch, curled up in a ball with hypothermia, as my wife and brother-in-law (who wisely quit after 4 miles) raced out in our minivan to find me. I mention that because as I woke up on the morning of the 2023 Dairy Roubaix, I stared bleakly out the window, waiting for my water to boil and make coffee and bring me to life, I could have sworn it was snowing out my window. In fact, it was. The weatherman called for a 30% chance of flurries mid-morning, and yet, at first light, there was a dusting of snow already on the ground and more falling. I thought about going back to bed, but fortified myself with hot coffee instead. My wife wasn’t going to be around to pick me up, so I packed my warm gear. The stuff I have, but prefer not to use unless it’s an emergency, and let’s be honest, when is a bike ride an emergency, oh right now? Ok, pack it. It snowed up to the city limits while songs like “I don’t know why” and “I gotta get away” played over the sound of sleet - wait, when did the snow turn to sleet? It stopped coming down halfway there, but picked up again at the camp. This was a harbinger of things to come, the emotional and weather roller coaster that was my day. My friend Josh Shively and I had plans to ride together, and we mostly did, which I’m convinced is the only reason I made it through the 70+ miles. I never considered the 110. Anyway, things started out spicy, with a climb in a group of faster racers, but eventually settled down. Josh and I agreed we had ridden a bit stupid, and started to settle in. We chatted about all kinds of things, and we went up and down steep gravel hills. I only flew off the road once, but things stayed upright as there was a nice patch of lawn for me to overshoot on. I spent 20 miles talking Josh into stopping for the free Wonderstate espresso shot, only to find a line and then convince him that we couldn’t wait. We rode through part of the Pertnear course (where we are arch-rivals) and chatted about the last time he rode his singlespeed and nearly lost his breakfast up a super steep paved climb. Truly, I can’t think of a more enjoyable ride and chat than we had. It kept my mind off the steep hills and silly weather. The weather was flat out comical. Multiple times I actually laughed out loud. The sun would shine as the sleet pelted your face. The snow blinded you as you watched for a rainbow. The wind was never at your back, but come around a corner and it was definitely in your face. We had both overdressed a little, as we’re given to, considering some of the colder spring rides we’ve been on. Occasionally we’d yo-yo, but we stayed together until the steep final climb. He told me to go ahead, I told him I’d wait, and then at the top, cramping, decided I’d better keep my wheels turning, at least slowly. The finish was paved, the sun came out, I rode the beach volleyball course and laid on the ground dramatically after hugging Pete. People always talk about their Bobby hugs, and whatever, cool, but have you ever had a Pete hug? It was his birthday and I got to thank him for putting on an epic event. I don’t like the word epic, but this ride was kinda nuts. Someone asked if we’d gotten hit by the hail - uh, maybe? Wherever my face started to hurt, I just stared at the ground until it stopped precipitating. Anyway, Josh rolled in right after I got done chatting with Pete and we hugged too, and that was it. Another rider called it the true spirit of gravel (unironically in an insta post) and I have to agree. It’s big, but approachable. Grass roots, but legit. Hard as hell (7,000 feet of elevation gain in just over 70 miles, and I don’t care if my wahoo got a bit confused in the weather, I’m keeping that bit of data). When the sun peaked out and the sleet/snow stopped and your legs weren’t screaming as you crested another ‘roller’ at 15%, you could pause and look around and like Beck sang, “it’s like wow! it’s like right, right now”. My legs were empty and my heart was full.

Today we're kicking off a 4-part series all about bike fit and getting your body more comfortable and healthy on your bike. We're joined by Paulie Glatt from GO PHYSIO who is a Physical Therapist and certified bike fitting professional. About Paulie Glatt: As a competitive cyclist with a history of low back pain, Paulie has a great understanding of how critical a proper bike fit is to our experience on a bicycle. He rides Road, Gravel, Mountain, Bike Packs, and commutes by bicycle throughout the entire year. His longest race was The Day Across Minnesota, a 240-mile gravel race that he completed in 17 hours. To learn more about Paulie or to schedule a professional bike fitting, visit GO PHYSIO. Hey Paulie, I have lower back pain. Where should I start in adjusting my bike? Paulie Glatt: Does your back only hurt when you bike… or does it also hurt off the bike? If it only hurts when you ride your bike, then it is likely a fit issue. If it also hurts off the bike then I would recommend working with a Physical Therapist to address the root of your pain and to improve your overall quality of life. This is true for any pain on the bike, be it a knee, neck, wrist, shoulder… Pain is complicated. Anyone who tells you what to adjust without knowing your history is simply guessing. Low back pain that only occurs on the bike can be affected by a rider’s trunk position (too aggressive vs too upright), pelvic position, poor glute activation, limited hip mobility, or even a pre-existing condition. This means that low back pain can result from incorrect saddle height, tilt, fore/aft, width; crank arm length; cleat position; the list goes on and on. To further complicate matters, once you change one variable, others change as a consequence of the bike’s geometry. For example, if you raise your seatpost you are moving the saddle up and back due to the angle of the seat tube. Be aware of this as you make seemingly simple adjustments. That said, if you only get pain on the bike, play around with your fit! Try a different stem length or cockpit height. Move your saddle around. Play with the tilt. See what happens. Change one variable at a time and see if your fit improves. If you don’t have any luck, try a different variable. If you feel like you aren’t making any progress, schedule a fitting.

Winter is on the way out and Spring is on the way in! Today we're taking a look at the 5 most popular stories on The Nxrth from the winter of 2023. This roundup covers two new 2023 bikepacking events, our new La Crosse gravel guide, and Arrowhead 135 discussion, and a deep dive into Wyatt Bikes' made-in-Wisconsin story. 1. The La Crosse Gravel Guide This was our very first development of a destination Gravel Guide and we were excited to introduce our readers to the spectacular gravel surrounding the La Crosse area in collaboration with Chris Stindt. Gravel is a La Crosse area specialty - the region is part of the driftless and they have some amazing views, bluffs to climb, a great river, and quality crushed limestone roads, plus the benefit of a mid-sized town to offer breweries, distilleries, great food and places to stay. READ THE STORY. 2. Meet The Wolf: 3 Days & 300 Miles of Minnesota Bikepack Racing & Community. The Wolf is a brand new 3-day, ~100 mi/day bikepack racing event in Northern Minnesota put on by Jeremy Kershaw at Heck of the North Productions. The event connects Two Harbors, Ely, and Grand Marais in a deep northwoods event balancing racing with community. READ THE STORY. 3. What Does it Take to Finish Arrowhead 135? Jill, Kate, Leah, & Ken Share How They Do It. The Arrowhead 135 is known as one of the 50 hardest races on earth. The physical and mental strength needed to ride one of the coldest trails during the coldest time of year is massive. Here we talked with Jill Martindale, Leah Gruhn, Kate Coward, and Race Director Ken Krueger about what it takes to finish the Arrowhead 135. Combined, they have completed the event 30 times. READ THE STORY. 4. Wyatt Bikes Started In College Apartment at Age 21. Now Building 100% Made in USA Bike Frames. Wyatt Bikes was founded in 2011 by a 21 year-old named Wyatt Hrudka. Originally selling asian-manufactured singlespeeds, he now manufactures high quality, fully-customizable, 100% made in USA bikes near La Crosse, Wisconsin. Today we share his bike manufacturing story and take a look at his fat bike, the Maverick. READ THE STORY. 5. The Hodag Country Ramble Is a New Kind of Community Bike Adventure & Gears Up for Year 2 The Hodag Country Ramble took place for the first time last September at Jeff Frane's parents' land near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Now the sophomore year was recently announced and event tickets and camping reservations are onsale. Learn about what made year one spectacular and what's shaking up for year 2. READ THE STORY.

We're excited to share a new Minnesota bikepacking route that connects the Amtrak stations in St. Paul and Winona. You can "chase the train" out of the metro area and its suburban sprawl and into the river towns of Cannon Falls and Redwing. You'll then climb back out of the river valley and traverses the top of the bluffs before descending back down into Winona. Upon arriving in Winona you board the Amtrak and ride the rails back to Saint Paul. This route is now available to Patrons on our Adventure Team tier. To early access to this route and all future bikepacking routes and gravel guides, join us on Patreon. What the Chasing the Train Route Guide Includes Five route highlights to catch the best parts of this adventure Camping ideas Best restaurants and cafes Places to grab a drink Where to refuel on groceries and water Everything you need to know about Amtrak bike reservations and bike requirements

Today we're opening up the 2023 Gravel Pizza Overnighter 2. This is a community bikepacking event in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin. We'll ride The Nxrth's handpicked gravel route, stop at our favorite off-grid spots, and camp together at Wedges Creek pizza farm. New this year, we're also adding an optional Friday night which includes car camping at the starting point, a slow-roll social gravel ride, stopping for drinks and apps at Boondock's bar, and Josh's campfire apple crisp back at camp. Find all details, tickets, and FAQs here.

The Nxrth's 2023 Gravel Race Calendar is now live! It's the perfect time to start filling spring, summer, and fall weekends with races all around the gravel community. Head to our Gravel Events Listing to browse through events that are organized by dates and states and start texting friends to plan memorable weekends. As race dates are constantly being added and finalized, we'll continue to monitor the gravel community and make updates as quickly as we can. If we missed an event, send us an email at info@thenxrth.com.

Our first 'Bikepacking Gear & Adventure Day' is coming up on Monday, April 3 at 7pm. If you're looking for bikepacking community and ideas for planning your next adventure, we hope to see you there. Here are the top 6 reasons to join us. Bikepacking Gear & Adventure Day is a virtual event on Monday, April 3 at 7pm CST. Presented by Tailfin, we'll talk about all the gear and adventures we're most excited about for 2023. Register for the event here. 1. Connect with the bikepacking community! Over 100 local bikepackers are already signed up for Bikepacking Gear & Adventure Day. We'll have a lively public chat where you can ask your route questions, give your gear suggestions, and share that one idea you've been dreaming about. We'll be polling everyone about their favorite gear, bikepacking styles, and places to ride so you can see where everyone else is riding, and what hidden gems you should check out next. 2. Hear from our incredible bikepacking and route creating panelists This is your chance to hear right from some of your favorite adventurers in the bikepacking community. Hear about the gear and destinations they're most excited about and then ask your own questions as well. Here are the guests who are joining us: Ashley Carelock - Rodeo Labs [Ashley on Instagram] Ashley Carelock is a Texas native turned Coloradan and a self proclaimed diesel engine. She stumbled into bike racing in 2015 and quickly became hooked after winning her first race, a ten hour fat bike race in Silverton, CO. She has a special interest in ultra endurance events, especially multi day bike packing races. She lives in rural Southwest Colorado on a small farm with her two dogs, a flock of chickens and a hive of bees. Dave Schlabowske - Life Above Eight [Dave's Website] Dave Schlabowske was the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed and is Event Organizer of the Hungry Bear 100 and Tour de Chequamegon community bikepacking event. He has also designed and published some incredible Wisconsin bikepacking route such as the Valhalla Beach Party, Wisconsin Waterfalls Route, and the Tour de Chequamegon. Matt Acker - Salsa Sycles [Matt on Instagram] Matt is an endurance cyclist who enjoys bouncing around between road, gravel, mountain, and fat bikes. There’s something about spending hours on end on the bike that he finds soothing and compelling. 3. Surprises from The Nxrth We've been busy planning some adventures we can't wait to share with you. Be the first to hear some exciting new announcements and get in on some special pricing only available for guests of Bikepacking Gear & Adventure Day. 4. Discover new routes and destinations to plan your next adventure We're going to be talking about favorite bikepacking adventures around the northwoods and beyond. Join the conversation and discover some new adventures to add to your planning list. 5. Find out the new gear we're most excited about for 2023 We love our gear, do we not? Let's talk bikes, bags, cages, tires, and everything else we're excited about for our next overnighter or expedition. Join the conversation add your favorite new frame bag to the mix. 6. Prizes from Tailfin, Wren, & The Nxrth We've got some fun new gear prizes to send to a few lucky winners from Bikepacking Gear & Adventure Day Here's what we're giving away: Prize 1: Surprise New Product Announcement from Tailfin You'll hear more about this exciting Tailfin product announcement at the event. They spent over two years to get this right and we can't wait to send one to a special guest from Bikepacking Gear & Adventure Day. Prize 2: Perseverance Adventure Drop Bars from Wren Sports We got a chance to test one of these out and they're fantastic for bikepacking and other adventures. We're excited to send a guest home with a brand new one of these. Prize 3: Gravel Bear Tee from The Nxrth This bear was designed in Wisconsin and lives on the most comfortable t-shirt you will ever own. Register For Free Here

We recently opened a Borah store with our first run of jerseys. Made in Coon Valley, Wisconsin with American-made fabrics, these feature Nxrth-y fades and adventure topo lines. They should have hit mailboxes now and we're excited to show you how they turned out. Let us know if you'd want us to open another round of orders in the future: info@thenxrth.com . And here they were (pictured below) in production at Borah's solar solar-powered facility. Printing, cutting, sewing, and ironing.If you ordered one, thanks for repping The Nxrth! We hope it was worth the wait and that you enjoy your new jersey.

At the end of 2022, we polled our readers with a series of questions about adventures, events, riding styles, and more. One question we asked was, "What kind of events does our region needs more of?". The options included gravel, fat, and bikepacking as well as racing and non-racing formats. Here is the breakdown of responses from 140 respondents. The most popular category people said they want more of is gravel non-racing events. This was especially interesting since the 2nd most popular answer was 50-100 mile races (basically the opposite, right?). While the total responses are fairly evenly split between racing and non-racing I think it's important to note that if you look at our Gravel Bike Race calendar, for example, there are significantly more races than non-races. Now many of the races emphasize community more than racing, so it might be a moot point. But as event organizers think of ways to bring more people to the starting line, I think it's pretty important to place a lot priority on how the event builds community and includes people of all backgrounds and abilities just as much as on the competition and challenge itself. Another interesting point to note is the large amount of people looking for more bikepacking group trips. And I think it's great that more of these types of events are popping up. In just the last year, we saw the first Hodag Country Ramble, the first Gravel Pizza Overnighter, and this year Iron Bull is hosting the first Midwest Bikepacking Summit, plus more new events that are in the works from other groups. And of course you can't forget about the incredible Tour de Chequamegon annual community bikepacking trip every fall. These are all great community building events and I'm excited to see more of them popping up. Just for fun, here were a few of the write-in responses people also gave for this question: Gravel events that are fun rather than stupidly hard Women’s development opportunities Gravel events under 50 miles I don't know. I don't care about races. Non-gravel, paved bikepacking events, unguided Fatbike winter bikepacking (outdoor camping) Gravel rides shorter than 65 miles Unique races, like Rule of 3 or something besides the typical events we already have Now if you're looking for new events for gravel season, check out our Gravel Race calendar.