Fats biking intro for Coloradans trying to hit trails this winter
Rick Hackett liked to experience his mountain bike. And there was a time, practically 5 years in the past, when he was resigned to having the ability to benefit from the sport for just a few months out of the 12 months.
A brief season was form of a reality of life in Colorado for lovers of the outside. Those that like to hike the 14ers solely had a couple of months as nicely, as did elk hunters or skiers and snowboarders.
After which he found fats biking 4 years in the past. Now there isn’t a biking season.
“It’s been a sport changer for me,” mentioned Hackett, 50, who works in public info for the Boulder County land use division and lives in Longmont. “Now I can go year-round. I used to like snowboarding. However I’d slightly go fats biking. There’s no visitors and no crowds. It’s simply me and my mates within the woods.”
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get outdoor news sent straight to your inbox.
Fats biking could be the fastest-growing winter sport of the final 5 years each amongst avid mountain bikers corresponding to Hackett and others searching for one thing to do within the winter apart from spending $600 on a ski move. Right here are some things that can aid you get began:
• It’s similar to common mountain biking, however with fatter tires.
Fats biking started round 2007, when the Pugsley got here out with comparably enormous tires, mentioned Jim Simons, 47, a resident of Winter Park and an avid biker. The Pug wasn’t bike again then, because it was heavy and didn’t grip the snow nicely, Simons mentioned. Different fashions adopted, and the game modified for good in 2014, when greater manufactures noticed the potential and got here out with mild frames and large tires on the geometry of a daily mountain bike. Simons believes the Fatboy Crave made it potential for many to have enjoyable, however different fashions exist now.
• Nevertheless, there’s a studying curve.
You could possibly make a comparability between snowboarding and snowboarding, though the variations aren’t fairly that far aside.
“Once you crash within the snow, it’s softer, so it’s simpler,” Hackett mentioned. “But it surely’s not a simple sport to only choose up. There’s a studying curve. I’ve had people strive it out and quit.” That’s as a result of …
• The very best fats biking situations are the worst for snowboarding.
Those self same individuals, like many who love snow, thought powder day would naturally be excellent. Nope, Hackett mentioned. Fats bikers want to attend for that powder to get pounded down by hikers and skiers.
“If it dumps, you may’t experience in it,” Hackett mentioned. “You want a packed floor. The very best trails are these groomed by toes. The extra individuals on it, the extra trails get groomed. It’s nice for us.”
• There’s numerous assist on the market.
Many bike outlets now hire fats bikes and are comfortable to point out you the best way to use them, Hackett mentioned, and there are many teams on Fb, together with Front Range Fattys, to direct you to the very best trails. Almost each mountain city has a gaggle full of individuals keen to assist.
You in all probability wish to begin by renting, and most of the Fatty members (it’s the group’s identify; we aren’t commenting on their weight) really useful Dave Chase at Redstone Cyclery in Lyons as a result of he’s additionally a rider and busy advocate for fats bikes who coordinates weekly group rides and occasions and even helps groom trails.
However there are different locations as nicely, together with Evergreen Bicycle Outfitters, Alpha Bicycle Firm (with areas in Centennial and Littleton) and Pedal Bike Store, additionally in Littleton.
Many Fattys didn’t wish to identify particular locations apart from Chase’s place, so there are in all probability many others on the market, Hackett mentioned. These locations are additionally good locations to purchase, and plenty of will allow you to check out fashions for a minimum of 24 hours.
“Most good bike outlets that carry mountain bikes additionally carry fats bikes,” Hackett mentioned.
• The bikes aren’t fats. It’s the tires which might be hefty.
The bikes aren’t a lot completely different than mountain bikes, so that you’re in all probability secure telling the shop your bike dimension. Nevertheless, the tires are HUGE, and that may shock you and be a decent slot in your automotive. You want an enormous SUV, a truck or a rack that may deal with a fats bike, mentioned Sandra Marticio, a member of Fattys.
“They usually get the bike to the parking zone and go, ‘Oh, crap. How am I gonna get this factor to the trailhead?’ ” Marticio mentioned.
• Put on winter gear.
Fats biking will be chilly — it’s largely a winter sport, in any case — and it may be difficult to decorate for it, provided that bikers are likely to get sizzling once they’re climbing hills and chilly once they’re screaming down them. Garments you put on for snowboarding, snowboarding or snowshoeing are likely to work nicely.
Winter dressing means carrying layers. Mainly, you need your garments to be sweat-wicking in opposition to the pores and skin with wind-resistant shells on the highest. No matter you put on in between is dependent upon the climate and your consolation stage.
“There are clothes firms and bike producers making fat-bike-specific clothes,” Hackett mentioned, “however I discover that’s too heat for our steep trails. They appear to be made for colder Midwest situations.”
• Chix.
It appears humorous on this trendy age to say “girls can even do that,” however there are particular concerns for girls, together with (normally unjustified) fears of being left within the mud by the male riders, and so there are particular rides obtainable for girls. Chix Experience is an effective group to hunt out in case you are a lady and have some curiosity in attempting the game, Marticio mentioned. Contact Ann Oliveria at ann@oliveria.com. There’s additionally a Front Range Fatty’s page for women on Fb.
• The place to experience
Hackett and a gaggle of mates traveled across the state a few years in the past to experience fats biking trails, and whereas they discovered plenty of good ones, among the finest exist across the Entrance Vary, together with many in Longmont and Boulder. He additionally mentioned troublesome mountain bike trails, even essentially the most technical, generally is a lot tamer within the winter with coat of snow over them.
Hackett’s favorites embrace the Buchanan Move Path in Boulder County and the Waldrop and Snowshoe trails at Brainard Lake. Others embrace the Mud Lake Mountain Bike path in Nederland, Staunton State Park, which has groomed trails, and plenty of areas in Winter Park.
• Like snowboarding, it’s taken a while, nevertheless it’s beginning to acquire some mainstream acceptance.
That’s why individuals like Simons wish to see hikers, snowshoers and, sure, even skiers working collectively. He believes one group advantages one other. However not everybody sees it that method.
“The cross-country ski neighborhood is an older neighborhood, and there’s a powerful contingent in that neighborhood that’s anti-bike,” Simons mentioned. “However we have a tendency to love the single-track solitude of the winter woods, and most single-track goes unused within the winter.”
Simons admits the older bikes made ruts within the snow, however the newer fashions, those utilized by the majority of the fats bikers, don’t try this. The motto in Winter Park amongst fats bikers is to “go away a flat monitor.”
“If everybody follows that, that eliminates consumer conflicts,” Simons mentioned.
Even the hardcore mountain bikers have embraced fats biking as their winter sport. Ty Corridor owns the Tennessee Move Nordic Middle close by Ski Cooper, and has held winter mountain-biking races for enjoyable. The middle simply celebrated its 18th 12 months of these races, so Corridor was on the forefront of winter biking, one thing he prides himself on. These races attracted as few as 15 bikers once they started. Now, the race attracts greater than 200 riders, and practically all of them use fats bikes.
“It’s superb how a lot sooner you are able to do on these,” Corridor mentioned, “and the way a lot you may cruise on them.”
• Fats biking presents the form of solitude you gained’t discover on the ski resorts.
Ski cities are starting to embrace fats biking as one other method to attract guests. Actually, persons are incorporating yurts and different in a single day areas into their fats biking trails. As an alternative of ski or snowshoeing journeys, persons are taking fats biking journeys now.
“It’s superb how many individuals come to our Nordic heart to ski, after which they go fats biking within the afternoon,” Corridor mentioned. “It’s not only a completely different method to get pleasure from biking. It’s one other method to benefit from the snow.”
However you’ll find that solitude even in locations that appear overrun with individuals, such because the Brainard Lake Recreation Space, the place individuals pack the paths in all seasons, particularly the summer time. Hackett enjoys driving along with his mates on Tuesday nights.
“There are occasions when there’s not a single automotive within the parking zone,” Hackett mentioned, “and it appears like we now have the whole wilderness to ourselves. I really feel all this gratitude. I simply really feel like ‘wow.’ And you may’t get that with snowboarding.”
