Snowshoeing on a bike FAT BIKES A FREAKIN’ FUN RIDE!

BY SHEILA ASCROFT

If you’re toying with the idea of cycling off-road in winter, you’re soon up against the question of just how fat your mountain bike tires should be to float on snow. A monster-sized Big Fat Larry at 4.7 inches? Or an Endomorph at a merely tubby 3.7?

We’re not talking snowy roads, but fields of snow! Wherever you can snowshoe, you can ride a fat bike with fat tires. If you are environmentally careful, you can take this same “omniterra” tire onto sandy beaches or mud, slippery rocks and roots, and anywhere else a depraved imagination can conjure. But for an Ottawa winter, fat bikes are best on packed-down snow trails or not-too-deep fluffy white stuff. (If you’re an urban commuter, stick with regular-width knobby or studded tires.)

In mountain biking terms, the response to “go big or go home” means going with a fat bike, a mountain bike on steroids. It has an odd-looking frame with outsized forks and stays, fat rims with double-wide tires, front and rear disc brakes and small chain rings, and weighs in at about 16 kilograms. The trick with these high-volume tires is they run at very low air pressure (five to 10 psi) so they float over snow with just enough traction to keep you upright.

“They are just fun to ride,” says Kent Dougall co-owner of Phat Moose Cycles, one of only two local shops selling fat bikes. Phat Moose carries the Surly and brands, ranging from the ultralight Salsa Beargrease, the same brand’s moderate Mukluk, up to the superfat Surly Moonlander.

“I was never a very good cross-country skier, was never fit enough, but I’m master of the snow on this,” he says pointing to his own Moonlander. “It’s an expedition bike so you could really go afar, but even on the mountain bike trails at Kanata Lakes, it is sheer pleasure. With the low pressure, the bike feels super-cushiony and has lots of stability.

Dougall says three years ago he sold one fat bike. Last year the count was about 15 and he expects more this winter. “It’s really taking off. Last year, there were maybe 50 or 60 cyclists out playing in the snow or racing on informal courses around Ottawa. They are great to use wherever you normally mountain bike.” However, he cautions that these models work poorly on plowed roads or in slush – the tires just slow you down.

Tall Tree Cycles at its new 255 Richmond Road location is the only other fat game in town, carrying Surly and 9 Zero 7 brands. (The area code for Alaska, 907, is where one of the fat bike inventors tested it in 160-kilometre snow races). Alaska is still the (ahem) hotbed of snow biking.

Grant Burke, head mechanic, says that Tall Tree owners Will Ficner or Thom Johnson believe fat bikes are here to stay – “they

are for more than snow; they are great on sand, very rocky conditions and very marshy areas. This is why we call them fat bikes rather than snow bikes, to underline their versatility.”

Burke agrees with Dougall that fat bikes are used increasingly for back-country touring, where riders need comfort over rough terrain but worry that a normal mountain bike’s suspension might fail. Fat tires reduce that concern.

Another attraction of fat bikes is they widen the weather window.

“Some of the best times to ride are when conditions are minimal for XC skiers,” Burke says. “We are convinced that those skiers, once they spend a few hours on a fat bike, will be hooked. We’ve seen the conversion happen already: several clients, who used to ski several times a week, bought fat bikes, and now only ski occasionally – out of guilt!”

And a fat bike ride can be a great workout. The resistance between soft terrain and big tires requires a solid cardio effort, and “a surprisingly complete core workout as well, due to the effort to steer in deep snow. That core workout is something most cycling activities lack,” Burke says.

Last winter Tall Tree sold almost 20 fat bikes and had sold six this year before November. Burke calls this weird-looking model “a valid second-season bike that you will ride almost as often as your warm-weather bike.”

Tall Tree will be hosting at least two “fat” events: There’s a season kick-off Dec. 9 at Limerick Forest (fat and regular-tire bikes are welcome since there is no guarantee of snow), with group rides followed by food and drink in one of the sandpits. In late January, the shop is planning a demo day in a downtown park for those wanting to try out fat bikes on a short course.

Both shops offer rentals, so you can try a fat bike before you buy. Dave Macki, co-owner of Phat Moose, charges $30 per day or $60 for a weekend (Friday pickup and Monday drop off). Tall Tree Cycles offers Surly’s Pugsley for $40 per day, or $65 from 3 p.m. Saturday to noon on Tuesday.

Tall Tree has a Pugsley available in a XS frame and an even smaller frame by 9 zero 7 that will allow folks around five feet tall to ride comfortably.

Dougall says you need to dress for the cold and carry a hot drink in a thermos. “Moose mitts” or pogies could keep your hands really warm. These are insulated covers that fit over handlebars to protect hands from the elements. They make a huge difference in warmth and would be good for commuters too. For more info: http://fatbikes.com/pogies.html or Moose Mitts or Bar Mitts.

There’s a whole fat bike world out there to investigate. Starting with … • www.fatbikes.com • http://ridefatbikes.com/ • http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/ • http://lowpressureproductions. blogspot.com/ • http://gearjunkie.com/fat-biketrend • http://surlybikes.com/bikes/ moonlander • http://salsacycles.com/bikes/ mukluk • http://salsacycles.com/bikes/ beargrease