Fat bike FAQ's
Why Fat Biking?
Can i just put fatter tires on my mountain bike?
No, mountain bikes are made to accommodate 2.0-2.5in tires. Fat Bike tires and rims will not fit in a regular mountain bike frame.
How should i dress to ride in cold weather?
One word. LAYERS. You don't want to overdress and sweat all the way up the climb, and then freeze your buns off on the decent. People have different tolerances for cold, but as a guideline start with a sweat wicking base layer, then a light thermal mid-layer and if it is really cold finish with a breathable wind breaking layer. There are some great companies that have combined all three of these into one, but you will still want options until you find what works for you.
Can i ride a Fat Bike in the Summer?
Fat Bikes are truly all season bikes. In the summer months Fat Bikes are great fun on trails that get very sandy or have a ton of gravel on them, Buffalo Creek in Pine is a great summer ride on a fattie because of all the decomposed granite. Those over sized tires make cornering a blast. Some people use their fat bikes as a way to just go out and explore or even bikepacking.
How deep of snow can I ride my Fat Bike in?
As a general rule of thumb anything over 6 inches is pretty tough. That being said, Get out there and find out how strong your motor is. Worse case scenario you get a nice hike a bike in the forest and help break the trail so that you can come back in a couple of days. Any way you look at it the Beer is still gonna taste good!
What PSI should I run my tires with?
Learning to adjust your PSI acording to the trail conditions is the key to having a successful fat bike ride. Remember to always leave a FLAT TRACK. On a trail that is packed down and "hero snow" you should run a little higher pressure because you don't need the "Float Factor" 6 PSI is a good starting point. On a trail that has more than an inch of powder try lowering your tire pressure to 3-5PSI or even lower. In the summer months 8-12 PSI should be more than enough. Of course this is a lot of personal preferance. So don't be afraid to experiment. A helpful tool when adjusting tire pressure is a low pressure gauge. The bike shop where you rented or purchased your bike will probably sell them.
Clipless or Flat pedals?
Coke or Pepsi? Coffee or Tea? IPA or Lager? Cat or Dog? 26" or 29" or even 27.5"? You get the point. Do what you want, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
What are Pogies?
Think of them as giant mittens for you handlebars(see picture above). Plus Pogies is just fun to say!
1) Fat biking allows riders to enjoy their favorite mountain bike trails year round.
2) Many people are trading their ski passes and crazy weekend traffic to the resorts for fat bikes.
3) Fat biking is a great workout outdoors, instead of staying inside on a trainer or even worse doing nothing at all.
4) Fat bikes have the same trail access as regular mountain bikes even in the winter
5) Lets be honest, riding road bikes really isn't that much fun.
6) Crashing in the snow doesn't hurt
7) There is plenty of fat bike gear for everyone to geek out about.
8) Even "weight weenies" can get in the action with all Carbon Fiber everything.
9) There are plenty of different price points, so there is a bike of everyone.
10) Fat biking always leaves a smile on your face!
Fat Bike 101
Fat Biking IS mountain biking. The difference? Fat bikes have wider rims and larger tires. Fat bikes range from 80-100mm rims and 3.8-5.0in tires. Where as mountain bikes rims are 20-30mm and 2.0-2.5in tires. Fat bikes, just like mountain bikes are rode in all sorts of off road conditions, the difference is that with the wider rims and tires, fat bikes are made to excel in snow and sand. While Colorado doesn't have a lot of sand, we do have snow and that is where you see many Colorado fat bike riders out enjoying their favorite trails year round.