Snowbiking Without a Dedicated Fat Bike

With the latest fad in off road cycling - the Fat Bike - you may think it's an absolute necessity for snowy trails, but that's not entirely true. While a fat bike would certainly help in some situations, a regular mountain bike will do fine if you just keep a few things in mind.

First off, riding wet trails is extremely damaging. Anyone who's done trail maintenance/building can tell you about the amount of effort it takes. If you haven't done maintenance, you should. It's good to give back whether it's an afternoon with a local group or a few minutes during your ride. That said, it's best to ride snowy trails when temperatures are near or below freezing - another matter I'll get to later. It's also better to ride well used trails. Packed snow provides much better traction than loose powder. If you're riding powder be prepared to walk up anything more than a slight incline.

About the bike. If you can't afford a new fat bike, you should try to get close. Rigid single speeds can be picked up used fairly cheap. Save the full squish race rig for nicer weather. You don't want your suspension icing up, and the same goes for derailleurs and shift cables. Pick a low gear if you can. You want to be able to sit and spin up hills to keep your weight back and give your rear wheel traction. If your budget doesn't allow that, some high volume tires and/or tubeless conversion for your current ride will certainly help. I run 29x2.25 Racing Ralphs that work pretty well; although, I'll go with the 2.35s next time. You'll also want to run lower pressure than normal for added floatation. Luckily the snow packs down between the rocks and smooths out the trail to help you avoid pinch flats and smacking your rims. I prefer quality platform pedals to clipless. Clipping in is nice, but ice around your cleats can mean poor engagement or worse, none at all. Riding in snow, you're likely to need to put a foot down more often than usual.

 

Riding in the cold is another concern. Your extremities are most important in terms of a comfortable ride. Bring two pair of gloves of varying warmth, along with shoe covers, and a balaclava. Standard tights, bike shorts and a long sleeve thermal under a jersey should be enough even in 20 degrees depending on how hard you're riding. I also bring a windproof jacket for stretches of road and long downhills. Sunglasses, or even ski goggles, and sunscreen (if you're not completely covered already)are essential to protect yourself from the snows damaging reflections. I also recommend a backpack to store layers. Be prepared to constantly remove and add layers to stay comfortable and prevent excessive sweating. There's no such thing as warm and wet.

To sum things up, get out and have fun. Make do with what you have. Fill up the water bottle with something hot, and enjoy the winter landscape.