22 September

Fatbike: My Maiden Voyage

I can't pretend I took a ride on sand or snow.

But,

I rode a specialized fat boy fat bike today and I can officially say I just don't get it.  Heavier tires?  To this degree?  Maybe in fringe conditions, the grip and flotation make this heaviness feel worth it.  I can't say.  But to me it felt the way my bike feels on 3 inches of pine needles.  Slow, with lots of resistance.

For disclosure's sake, I started out on freestyle bikes with hard tires, then road bikes with rock hard tires.

And I've had enough pinch flats to last me a good long time.

So I'm used to decently hard tires,

They say traction is the big deal with these bikes, and I sure felt that, but I didn't want it.  Traction so good it makes the bike resist turning.  Not impressed.

I like to steer my bike, and I've never found myself looking for more traction.  So this concept, at least in this brief ride, was totally opposite to my desires.  Maybe if you're looking to steamroll the trail, this is a good idea?

But if it would float on the top of deep sand and/or snow, it would all be worth it.

1 comment:

  1. The question for me would be why would I want to ride in sand?

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