Ask Coloradoans what their favorite season is and then ask, “why fall?” The season has always been bittersweet for me. While autumn, in all its brevity, guarantees great temperatures, occasional hero dirt, and the magic of speeding through an aspen grove it also means snow is on the horizon. Bike parks morph into ski resorts, aspens shed and turn into backcountry glades, and friends seasonally fade into groups formed around where everyone bought their ski pass.
When I meet people at parties or events, they sometimes assume because I love bikes and write about them for a living, that in the winter I must fat bike. I’ll admit, it can get hard as weeks go by without putting tires on the trail or pavement, but fat biking still remains a low priority in the winter. Why? I’ll explain.
As the saying goes, the correct amount of bikes for anyone is the amount you own, plus one more. It’s an insincere joke that if money and garage space were no object, you could never have enough bikes. In reality, the equation is more like N+1 minus time to ride, minus partner’s opinion, minus money, equals the right amount of bikes.
My N+1 has already factored fat bikes out because of all the additional barriers there are to fat biking that come on top of the normal mountain biking ones. A few years ago, I received a fat bike to test. My excitement bubbled up as I daydreamt about sending pictures of myself pedaling through the woods to friends as they waited in a lift line. My idea of a never-ending summer was tempered when I thought about all the other things I would need to ensure I had a good time fat biking.
Will my hitch rack accept fat bike tires? Because I’m not going to buy another.
Where do I fat bike around here, and which parks actually groom their trails? I learned by putzing around the neighborhood parks that post-tracking through crunchy layers of snow is exhausting.
Do I have the additional gear to wear? Something between a pair of MTB and ski pants and the right gloves seemed like the mark, and even though I can request gear to review, would I use it often enough to justify?
When I finally pushed all the square parts into square holes and round parts into round holes, I hoisted the bike onto my rack and drove to a local park which does in fact have snow on the ground, ready to shout mightily into the air: “Look at me, world. It’s January in snowy Colorado, and I am riding a mountain bike on a mountain bike trail.” Only, journalist me would have qualified my statement.
One, your mountain bike is actually a fat bike and there are some similarities but there are also major differences. After all, you won’t be going that fast. Two, you’re alone. If you start shouting, people around you will get nervous. Three, are you having fun? Sure it was nice to ride, but the rides were underwhelming compared to fast dirt or the slopes.
It’s not my job to say which types of mountain biking are fun and which types aren’t. If I was standing atop a spire in Southwest Utah with a downhill bike, I wouldn’t be having fun either. But, my initial impressions of fat biking were marked by the fact that so many things, like the bike, gear, trails, and the right amount of snow have to be in order for it to go right. And when it does, it still might not be all that exciting. On a bike that might only see use 2-3 months out of the year, my equation turned to N+ no fat bikes = just fine.
Am I alone? It doesn’t seem so. A few years ago in 2020, Jeff Barber looked at how many brands were still making fat bikes compared to peak fat bike buzz in 2015. Coincidentally, the fat bike I was reviewing at the time does not appear to be in production any longer. The fat bike story was familiar as far as new trends in the bike industry goes: a new type of mountain bike debuts, gets really popular, brands make more, interest wanes, and brands make less.
Anymore I find winter the perfect time to focus on the other elements that make for a great mountain bike season: strength training, yoga, injury recovery, and bike maintenance. Summer always flies by and I neglect other parts of my life because I’m infatuated with making the most of the amazing weather and dry trails. When spring rolls around again, time away from the bike rejuvenates my love and I’m ready to go again. As winter approaches, my expectations and priorities shift. I know for a few months things aren’t going to go my way, but I don’t need to drain miles in my garage on a trainer or fill an endless void by pedaling a bike made for winter months. Because slowing down is just as important as going fast.
I find it interesting that the author and several of the commenters seem to think they must have groomed snow trails. Groomed trails are nice, but probably 90% of my fat bike riding in the snow is on ungroomed trails. They are either ridden or walked in, or some are even packed in by snowmobiles. There are groomed trails in my area, but they make up a small portion of my snow riding.
I look forward to riding in the snow, with or without others. I would much rather ride outdoors and don’t even have a trainer or rollers.
It depends some on your climate. If you live someplace where snow falls a couple inches at a time and is dry (interior Alaska) you need almost nothing to fat bike. If you live someplace where you get feet at a time (far north midwest on a great lake) you need something. Snow machines of a groomer will make 16 inches of unrideable snow into something worth riding. In deep snow (more than 6-8 inches) walkers generally make the trail worse than ungroomed.
Hoping the snow volume will be BIG this year! The more snow = the more funky lines we can create with the snowshoes. Fatty’s don’t need summer trails.
Big boulder over there? Let’s make the trail go there!
The creative lines are half the fun.
Outdoor activities in the winter are not for everyone and riding a fat bike in the winter reduces that number further. I do enjoy it and feel it makes me a better rider overall. Averaging 100 calories per mile definitely keeps me in shape too.
It is a challenge to figuring out what gear works for you, but that is also part of the fun. Having a dropper post is a must in my opinion.
Fortunately I live one mile from a trail which has a fantastic volunteer grooming crew. Unfortunately the people I normally ride with turn to their indoor trainers or other activities in the winter.
I’ve seen Strava times of some riders who are faster on their fatty in the winter than I am on my normal bike in the summer on the same trail. I’m not the fastest obviously, but I’m no slouch either.
As for the n + 1 number of bikes equation, I opted for one dedicated summer full squish, and one hardtail fat bike with two wheelsets and four sets of tires. 26 x 4 for pavement, dirt, and the first part of winter. 26 x 5 studded for the dead of winter. 29 x 2.6 for pavement and dirt. 29 x 2.25 studded for the transition from winter to spring when the trails are closed and the pavement is icy.
It is awesome that the industry is able to offer such a variety of bikes meeting the interests of riders, even if some like plus and fat bikes fade.
I really enjoy fat biking, but I have multiple groomed riding areas to choose from. In addition to the fitness benefit, I’ve seen massive improvement in my cornering as a result of fat biking on snow. It really rewards good technique and builds comfort with less than ideal traction situations without the “go directly to the ER” speeds.
I’m in the great white north, so fat biking season for me is 4-5 months – Dec to March for sure and then Nov and Apr may or may not be fat biking months. Fat biking for me is winter only, on snow. I see no point in riding a fat bike in the summer. Winter fat biking in perfect conditions is probably the most enjoyable MTB riding I do. There’s no such thing as summer flow in the NE outside a bike park, but there is winter flow on whisper quiet trails over a skim of fresh snow. Nothing else like it. Maybe water skiing on glass (dead calm water) compares.
Gear is minimal. Studded tires and good boots are the only real requirement that changes from summer. I wear Helly Hansen winter boots and my normal summer pedals. Cheap, warm and reliable. Gloves and layers are a personal preference. I tend to have warm hands and cold feet, so feet are the limiting factor in rides, but I ride down to -20C. No mud, no bugs. The snow completely changes the trails and what you can/can’t ride.
Two years ago, I pretty much agreed with every point in this article. Then I 1) moved to a more wintry place, and 2) had a reasonably-priced fatbike fall into my lap, so with great doubt, I gave it a whirl.
So. Damn. Much. Fun. To me, winter fat biking is almost like a separate sport from “regular” mtb.
Living on the front range in Colorado it is true that good snow is in the 10kft and up range. This means you have to like fatbikes. Gear must be vented in some way as it is a great workout. The forests are almost empty and it’s a great way to get away when the trails are packed some or less than 8″. The workout is intense at times. Getting off trail a few inches and sinking several feet let’s you know it’s not going to be for everyone. Try a trail that gets medium volume of snowshoes. I always take my shoes to check a new trail or snow conditions. It takes more planning and it’s a slower sport but the rewards are better than fairweather riding.
Plenty of people were riding fatbikes before and after the “peak” of manufacturers trying to capitalize on a trend. Funny you use that parallel as a determination of how fun an activity must be. Also you are really overthinking the gear you must have in order to fatbike.
Ain’t that the truth!
I love my Fat bike, Borealis Crestone.
Winter, I ride a wide range of single track and it’s quite technical. Instead of 1500 feet of climbing it’s 500. But the features are sweet and unforgiving. Truly dials in weight placement, leaning, and smooth uphill pedaling.
Summer, I ride my Fat on all the same single track (no suspension) once a week to change things up.
Again, it refines so many skills.
I love the equation n+1
In that list, my Fat is number 2, right behind my MTB.
Pat Smage School of Driving??
😀
I’m a UK fatbike rider and maker, demand has slowed from the early days, now people buy because they want a fattie rather than it be a fashion trend thing. I sell Fatbikes all the time and most hangon to them for years. Fatpacking is also growing, as a result I have just designed a specific Fatbike for bikepacking.
Just love them see video https://youtu.be/iCA8_haNUdM
For me the fat bike has become the bike that does most things and there is no off season. I’m currently running 4.8 minions front and rear, drop that pressure down and lightly packed snow and sand become blast, ice always sucks. Backcountry bike packing it can’t be beat. I also got a set of 29s laced up for it and now I have bike that can mimic several others with just a tire swap running between 2.3 and 3.0. Gravel and dirt road done, hard tail MTB a knobby 2.6 for that, A day of fly fishing throw on some 3.0 chronicles you are ready to find the hidden spots that are too far to walk to. Does it replace my Ripley no but in a three bike quiver it fills a lot of spots left open between road bike and down country.
Matt, my fat bike didn’t get the memo about season!
I enjoy my fat bike year round. Makes for a good change from time to time.
Here in Northern Utah we have several great options for fat biking. Ogden Nordic grooms many miles of trails. Round Valley in Park City is also groomed and for snow free fat biking we have Antelope Island. I ride mine year round, but winter is the best. Also use mine for bike packing.
I fat bike in winter in the Lake Tahoe region. Groomed trails at XC ski areas are mostly off-limits, but hiker/snowshoer-packed and snowmobile-packed trails abound. Don’t forget that fat biking in the desert in winter is a thing. The soft sandy ground precludes conventional mountain bikes, but fat bikes rule these conditions. Check out Anza Borrego State Park, which has miles and miles of trails.
Excellent article ! That was a good point that was made at the end ; “ slowing down is just as important as going fast .
WOW I really must be out of touch, I ride my fattie year long I was unaware that it is just a snow event. Anyway I do have other bicycles but I do find that the fattie keeps me more fit than either my gravel, roadie or my MTB. those of you who are familiar with what an arroyo is? what a blast on sand to include climbing seems like I am on a tractor at times. The fattie rolls over just about anything way to much fun. The low PSI (5 front 8 rear) provides such a natural suspension feeling the traction from a 4 inch tire on single track is awesome and back to the fitness level it is the heaviest bike I own which keeps me fairly strong. Yes the snow is also fun…..
As a matter of fact, I am upgrading my Carbon Mukluk from NX to GX as I read this….🙂
Fat Bikes have made winter tolerable!
The Mayor is restless… A snow event occurs and I wanna ride snow trails again as long as it’s gonna be cold out there.
The Mayor doesn’t hibernate in the summer. I enjoy forest rides where the terrain is like potting soil or is sandy and loose. Narrow tire bikes simply suffer in that terrain. A summer fat ride is as awesome as a winter snow ride.
Life at 7,000′ is grand…
I love my fat bike. It is my year round bike. I am hooked by the simplicity, low maintenance and monster truck style fun. But it is also because I live and ride where it is sandy, the snow is often just enough to ruin a regular bike ride but not enough to take up skiing.
I think the Fat Bike product offerings went down because there was so little differentiation between them. Someone can buy an relatively inexpensive fat bike, put good tires on it and it feels a lot like an expensive one. Geometry evolved to the current HT angles and axle spacings that almost every manufacturer uses now. At some point it becomes a commodity. If you are trying to sell new things all the time, this is not an ideal product space. But the fat bikes still on the market are very good.
I like fat biking on dry trails but always figured I was doing it wrong. I think you hit the nail on the head: It’s the snow and ice that make fat biking not as fun. For me it’s the trail, not the bike that’s the issue.
Pat Smage will be glad to instruct you in the proper use of a fatbike, Jeff…
The snowmobile trails are an awesome part of my fatbiking experience.
Fat biking is just Nordic skiing with extra steps.
1 – you still benefit from some kind of groomed trail, and that means you are limited to similar venue and weather limitations as skiers, which on one hand means you might be competing for resources and two if you can fatbike there you can probably ski there (and not the other way around).
2 – fatbikes are really expensive because its a niche activity with low volume production and poor interchangeability between components
3 – rather than a simple waxed board, which is relatively impervious to salt/snow, you are exposing a complex machine to wet winter weather conditions
4 – Nordic skiing is faster and you have greater control on descents. A ski is always going to turn better than a tire on snow.
As to #3: As long as I am riding snow, the fatty is the lowest maintenance bike I have. It’s like a road bike that way. Nothing wears out much on a fatty.
Nonsense. I lube the chain on my fatbike several times every winter!
That’s all I got.
Meh. Look at the multisport race finish times to realize you are not correct.
#4 When it is super cold out your skis hardly move. It can be so cold in northern Minnesnowda that I have to walk my skate skis uphill. There is NO glide. I can pedal up that same hill MUCH faster.
All true. It takes a much longer time to reapply/change wax on skis than it does to change tire pressure.
Here in Vermont, winter has become much more variable with more rain events. While I would love to be skiing deep powder all winter, the reality is that when the sking is bad because the snow is hard, or ice, the fat biking is good.
So I ride my sub 30 lb carbon Farley (with a Mastadon and a dropper) year round, using a set of 29+ wheels/tires for most of the year, and 27.5/4.5 studded fatties for winter. Only one bike needed.
With respect to speed, I normally ride at a nordic center, and am very rarely passed by any nordic skiers, and those who do are D1 college athletes, while I am 55 yo.
Winter riding on snow is more peaceful, smoother, and quieter. I wear winter boots on flat pedals and ski gloves and am never cold. Its awesome.
I really enjoy riding my fatty in snow. I am very lucky to have trails right out my back door to ride, either footpacked or groomed. There are also some trails nearby that have a true mountain vibe to them.
I look forward to winter fatbike riding here in New England every year. It definitely isn’t for everyone, but I love it. It is also a time of year that is easier for me to get out and ride with the summers being so packed busy with family activities, which does include mtbing. The season is coming and I can’t wait to get the studs back on the ice cream truck and hit the snow and ice! In the summer it gets used for the occasional trial ride and beach rides when the tides are right. Fatbikes are snow bikes, omniterra has been the best description I’ve seen.
The entire notion of fat tire bikes goes against everything a bicycle means to me. There are some places and conditions (snow and sand, primarily) where I just have no interest in riding a bicycle. We used to try riding in snow on our BMX bikes and it just never caught on. Too slow, too cold. Plus, we put a lot of effort into reducing rolling weight, not increasing it exponentially.
Well well I use my mukluk year round in the summer up sandy dry arroyo’s, climbing steepies it’s like a tractor. On average we receive 2 maybe 3 six inch snow falls with smaller amounts in between so for me fatties are always a blast. Road, Gravel, MTB or fattie it’s what ever I m riding at the time that’s my favorite.
Fat bikes obviously extend the riding season into the winter, but they also extend the “regular” riding season because they have better flotation so one can ride softer trails without causing any damage. I only owned a fat bike for a few years when I lived in Michigan and I don’t really remember doing solo rides. I most definitely remember the group rides though! Starting in the dark (with donuts and coffee) and riding out to watch the sun rise over the trees/lake/whatever was always an amazing experience. And riding on the frozen lake/pond/marsh was something else!
Even if all my friends turned indoors in winter, I might have still gotten the fat bike for the shoulder seasons so the pivots of my FS wouldn’t completely rise up and rebel. Even though I probably would have turned to the dark side (i.e. trainer rides) once the snow was on the ground, I did enjoy the “bike handling training” due to the less-than-ideal trail conditions.
And like nibblecuda said, a dropper post is a must as well!
No solo rides? You missed out on miles you could have enjoyed, but that’s another conversation.
Riding fat is a great release from the grind people call life, for me, anyway.
Is it a daily driver? Not necessarily… My singlespeed plusser got the job of daily driver.
Going through cancer treatment over the last year, the SS +r was on point as was the Mayor. The two of em helped me through the process swimmingly.
Why? For the love of God and the bicycle, because bike lives matter!!
My point was I didn’t really remember doing the solo rides, it was the group rides that stuck in my head. If his circle of friends did things other than fatbiking in winter, I could definitely see why he didn’t enjoy it.