I just came back from a superb long bike ride in the Gatineau park with a friend.
I notice the popularity of fat bikes is just exploding and it is easy to understand why… Cross country skiing on 1,5 cm of snow sucks. Downhill skiing is complicated with all the safety rules.
What’s left: fatbike and running. I like running but after an hour, I’ve had enough.
I love fat bikes because you can go whenever you want. Whatever weather, snow, rain, mud, it’s all good fun! The park does not charge you 100$ per day and when you return home, dinner and beer is affordable.
I have been enjoying year-round bike since 2015. I consider myself a mountain bike fanatic… I traveled with my bikes every year, I went to Arizona, Utah, Whistler, Squamish. I even brought my fat bike to Puvirnituk.
To all of you discovering the joys of winter on 2 wheels this year, here are a few tips for an enjoyable season on the trails this winter.
1- Tires, tires, tires. Invest in good studded tires. The trails in the Gatineau park are snowy but they are also icy and slippery. The regular fat bike tire is a snow tire, it’s good on snow. If you plan to go out with your regular fat tire on an icy trail, you probably will fall and hurt yourself. Studded tires are expensive but the value you get on the investment is 10/10. Trust me, save on the bike and fork and budget for studded tires from the beginning.
2- Start easy. If you can ride a road bike, it does not mean you will be comfortable on a fat bike. It’s like going skiing… start with a beginner’s trail. Use the app Trailfork, ask for advice, join a facebook group. Going all out on expert trail on the first day is just a recipe for a bad experience.
3- If you go out in the late afternoon, carry a headlamp. The sun sets early. Night riding is super fun. You don’t need expensive gear, just some source of light.
4- Use gloves, not mitts. You need to be able to hold your handle bar while braking with one or two fingers. With mits, you either brake and hold weakly the bar with your thumb or you hold the bar with your hand and don’t brake… When you are going downhill at 30 km/h on an slippery slope, you need to hold both the bar and control braking at the same time.
5- Share your ride and bring a phone. Go out with a partner. It’s just more fun and it’s safer. Stuff happens in the woods during winter… you break something on your bike or fall on a patch of ice and a nice little afternoon ride can turn into a hypothermic nightmare.
6- Respect marked trails and other people who use the trail. Smile and say Hi! to those who ski, run or walk. Wish them a good day on the trail. Be considerate.
Enjoy!
Share if you find this relevant.
Thank you.
Martin Pham Dinh 