The great Outdoors
The All-Season Pine Creek Rail Trail It’s true that cooling off with a “dip in the crick” after a fifteen- or twenty-mile bike ride becomes a bit less necessary or enjoyable with falling autumn temperatures and the white kind of precipitation. But if you think your fun on the Pine Creek Rail Trail has to end when the last leaf drops, think again. Faced with an expanse of snow-covered trail, what’s a biker to do? Make the switch from a cross or mountain bike to a fat tire bike and keep right on pedaling. Fat tire bikes have been around for a while; they are becoming increasingly popular, especially in areas where the trails are single-track and/or the surfaces are muddy, snowy, slick, or rocky. And aren’t those the places where off-road bikers love to be? What makes this kind of bike especially suitable for snowy or icy terrain is the improved grip and traction made possible by the extra contact surface and lower air pressure of the bigger tires. The tires don’t sink in mud or snow, and you can get them studded, which helps on ice. The bikes are comfortable to ride; most are single-speed and rigid (although you can get them geared and add suspension), so you may find yourself riding a little slower. Just look at it as giving you more opportunities to enjoy the scenery. “What’s wonderful about them,” says Mike Mitstifer, long-time bike mechanic at CS Sports on Main Street and an avid biker on roads, trails, and all points in between, “is that it gets you out. You’re not just watching it snow—you can get out and play instead of sitting on the couch.” Another plus, he says, is that these bikes are mechanically simpler than their high-tech, multi-geared cousins, so there is less to go wrong. And, in terms of the physical footprint they leave on the ground, they’re low-impact. For those days you might like to cross-country ski or snowshoe, it’s fun to fasten your extra gear to your bike, pedal as far as you want, then change sports. You can certainly opt for traditional skis—either the kind you have to wax or, for those of us who can never figure out which color to use for what temperature, waxless—and shoes, or try something new. There are a variety of “ski shoes” and other similar equipment combos available these days. They are, as the name suggests, something of a hybrid mix of ski and snowshoe, good for climbing, trekking, and downhills. While the Pine Creek Rail Trail itself has just a slight grade, those steeper side trails might beckon your adventurous side. Go ahead!
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