Oh What Fun It Is To Ride…

TonisToo

Well-Known Member
As I get older, I find winters here on the Avalon to be more difficult. The lack of sunlight challenges my mental state and de motivates me to go out and do any sort of exercise my 49 year old body demands. Hiking with my wife and dogs has helped a lot… they don’t care about the weather, they love the snow, and their joy of being outside is infectious. Over the past few years I’ve been seeing more and more “fat tire” bikes on the trails in winter. Near the end of last winter season I purchased a used one and I’ve been enjoying it tremendously. I thought I would share my experiences here in case anyone was looking for a new form of exercise during the winter months when you are not riding your motorcycle.

“Fat biking” or “snow biking” has a lot of aspects in common with dual sport riding. I guess you could think of a fat bike as the Yamaha TW200 of the dual sport world. Sometimes it reminds me of my old 1977 Honda CT70 Trail that I rode one winter in 1988. Wide knobby tires up to 4.8” float over the snowy trails and provide amazing traction. I was expecting the front tire to wash out and to end up flat on my face but not so. Combining low pressures and a sticky tire compound makes for a great deal of fun. Many riders opt to add studs for when the going gets icy near the end of winter season. A single speed crank marries to a 9-11 speed rear gear set. Aluminum frames and disc brakes round out the package. I have really enjoyed the slower speed of the fat bike compared to the more traditional mountain bike I had (but was not using much). Excellent trails abound very near my house so it’s never boring. Adding a LED light compounds the fun and adds night riding to the mix so you can ride after work during week days. There is a growing community of like-minded individuals that will help out a new rider and good support from local shops. Just like motorcycles, there’s virtually no limit to what you can spend on a bike, farkles, and gear. When you’re not riding you can go on the internet and argue over chain lube, tires, seats, grips, gears, brakes, helmets, tire pressures, bike racks, and trails. You can use your GoPro and digital camera to record your rides and share on social media.

Seriously it’s been a lot of fun so far and it’s great exercise. I’ve never looked forward to the snow as much as this year. Usually there is a snow bike festival in Pippy Park in January that offers up a chance for newbies to test out bikes to see if it might be for them. Consider giving it a try.

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