Massive thank you to the groomers out there, Tom, our local guy is an absolute animal.
AdviceNotAskedFor on
Even in my fittest days I could never ride ungroomed trails. I don’t even know if it’s actually possible
laidbackdave on
I don’t think it’s your fitness, that amount of heavy snow is nearly impossible for anyone.
micro_cam on
The widest tires you can get help a bit but fat bikes just aren’t practical in more then a couple of inches of fresh.
If you really want to ride some local trails vs driving you can try stomping down a loop with snow shoes / skis boots and then riding it all season to keep it packed. Or there are some trails on forest service land near me that get pretty good once the dog walkers and hikers stomp them down a bit.
I just set my expectations (speed and distance) really low. I did take my summer bike out a couple times recently on thawed roads and felt completely unstoppable on pavement so there is a payback.
Pretty_Collection_30 on
48v befang
Zealousideal_Tax5233 on
Few are. Even when you are in shape.
mazzmond on
When I was extremely fit and biked all the time would use a bud and lou tire would plow trail at like 2-3 mph. It’s not really worth the effort. Better to spend time using snow shoes packing things down first if there is more than 4 plus inches to pack it down.
North-Neat-7977 on
I live on a 3 acre wooded lot and idk if I’m crazy but I used a wide plow style shovel to make a path to ride in my yard. I removed the top half foot of snow then dragged the shovel over the path to compact the snow that I left.
This was after we got about a foot and a half of snow. It was still a really bumpy ride and I fell a lot. Crazy fun though. For me and for anyone wandering by to watch.
The shoveling was a great workout and riding it was like a HIIT workout. I rested in the snow whenever I fell off the bike. Left a bunch of bike snow angels.
Wossor on
Yeah, fat biking has a bit of a learning curve. When I first started I thought it would be e cool to stomp down my on trail with snowshoes behind my house. I created about a 1/2 mile loop and then optimistically hopped on my bike and made it about 20 feet. I’m now on my 3rd fattie and I learned what works best for me. Here’s how I approach it:
1) 15F is about the coldest I’ll venture out
2) Don’t over dress. I wear thermal tights with bib shorts, thin long underwear top and thin riding jack that breathes in the back.
3) I plan no longer than a 2 hour ride so I don’t sweat too much and get cold
4) tires are key. I’m riding the new studded Bailiffs from WTB and they’re great. Low psi. I’m not sure if your tires there are good in the snow.
5) Ride groomed trails. If there are 2” of new fluff, I’ll head out but if there’s more, I’ll wait for the trail warriors to pack it in a bit.
13 Comments
Massive thank you to the groomers out there, Tom, our local guy is an absolute animal.
Even in my fittest days I could never ride ungroomed trails. I don’t even know if it’s actually possible
I don’t think it’s your fitness, that amount of heavy snow is nearly impossible for anyone.
The widest tires you can get help a bit but fat bikes just aren’t practical in more then a couple of inches of fresh.
If you really want to ride some local trails vs driving you can try stomping down a loop with snow shoes / skis boots and then riding it all season to keep it packed. Or there are some trails on forest service land near me that get pretty good once the dog walkers and hikers stomp them down a bit.
https://preview.redd.it/7vguumj3gjjg1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df5805e8f52aaae00146b51b8655f8378dde4c72
Good trail groomer
I go threw 5″ blaze right threw it
Minnesota
I just set my expectations (speed and distance) really low. I did take my summer bike out a couple times recently on thawed roads and felt completely unstoppable on pavement so there is a payback.
48v befang
Few are. Even when you are in shape.
When I was extremely fit and biked all the time would use a bud and lou tire would plow trail at like 2-3 mph. It’s not really worth the effort. Better to spend time using snow shoes packing things down first if there is more than 4 plus inches to pack it down.
I live on a 3 acre wooded lot and idk if I’m crazy but I used a wide plow style shovel to make a path to ride in my yard. I removed the top half foot of snow then dragged the shovel over the path to compact the snow that I left.
This was after we got about a foot and a half of snow. It was still a really bumpy ride and I fell a lot. Crazy fun though. For me and for anyone wandering by to watch.
The shoveling was a great workout and riding it was like a HIIT workout. I rested in the snow whenever I fell off the bike. Left a bunch of bike snow angels.
Yeah, fat biking has a bit of a learning curve. When I first started I thought it would be e cool to stomp down my on trail with snowshoes behind my house. I created about a 1/2 mile loop and then optimistically hopped on my bike and made it about 20 feet. I’m now on my 3rd fattie and I learned what works best for me. Here’s how I approach it:
1) 15F is about the coldest I’ll venture out
2) Don’t over dress. I wear thermal tights with bib shorts, thin long underwear top and thin riding jack that breathes in the back.
3) I plan no longer than a 2 hour ride so I don’t sweat too much and get cold
4) tires are key. I’m riding the new studded Bailiffs from WTB and they’re great. Low psi. I’m not sure if your tires there are good in the snow.
5) Ride groomed trails. If there are 2” of new fluff, I’ll head out but if there’s more, I’ll wait for the trail warriors to pack it in a bit.
Looks like ya learned that last one :). Have fun!