Fat tire bikes allow cyclists to keep riding all winter

Bike tracks on snowy sidewalks? If the tracks are 3 to 4 inches wide, you can bet a fat tire bike, aka “fattie,” or fat bike, is on the prowl, pedaled by someone who won’t take snow for an answer.

Palatine’s John Delaney is one of those, a lucky raffle prize winner last summer of an e-bike fattie who likes being outside no matter the season. With wider tires, fatties provide better grip and stability on soft terrains like sand, snow, and mud.

“I tried riding in the snow a couple years ago on 2.5 inch tires,” the Bike Palatine Club vice president said. “It’s not the same. Four-inch tires and the bike’s girth and weight (77 lbs.) give you a lot of stability in the snow, like floating on snow. It’s a great, fun time.”

How about ice? “I’d try a snow-packed lake with maybe a foot or two of snow,” he answered. “I’ve mostly ventured on snow-covered gravel.”

Year-round gravel riding finds Delaney exploring Deer Grove Forest Preserve East trails near Camp Ryneberg. “If you’re someone who likes to be outside, I’d absolutely recommend it,” he continued. “I even like riding it on the street because of how stable it is.”

Mountain bike trails

Chicago Area Mountain Bikers (CAMBr) executive treasurer Tom Varvaro of Glen Ellyn has been fat biking since 2011. Like Delaney, he relishes the outdoors, plus the different challenge a fattie offers. Depending on conditions, “It can be a much harder workout,” he suggested, requiring “more focus, more balance, definitely more engagement.”

Varvaro rides the various mountain biking trails built and maintained by CAMBr volunteers working with the forest preserves. Trained volunteers operate trail grooming machines at Paul Douglas Preserve (Hoffman Estates), Raceway Woods (Carpentersville) and Palos Forest Preserve (Palos Hills).

Personally, he likes the challenging technical terrain at Saw Wee Kee near Yorkville. Regardless of venue, “If you get lucky to be out when it’s snowing, it’s so quiet and peaceful.”

‘Magical experience’

Sheri Rosenbaum of Buffalo Grove echoed Varvaro’s sentiment, describing the “magical experience of riding in fresh snow. It’s quiet and peaceful at night when snow reflects from your headlight in the forest.”

“The pace slows on a fat bike. All season long, you’re trying to ride fast. On a fat bike you ride at the speed of fun. It’s a totally different vibe.”

She first started about nine years ago as a way to extend her riding season. “Winter can be very long in the Midwest, and we used to get a lot of snow. A fat bike made perfect sense. With a wide tire, you can use really low pressure, sometimes five PSI. It’s a very comfortable ride, not jarring. You ride on top of the snow, like snowshoes.”

In the winter, Rosenbaum enjoys riding Paul Douglas’s west side trails, the Des Plaines River Trail and Wisconsin’s Silver Lake Park.

Lombard’s Dawn Piech has been pedaling “Big Mama” since 2017, challenging herself on distances of 100 miles plus. Her first fattie was a loaner on a century ride that summer.

“I was smitten,” Piech said. “It was an instant smile generator. I felt as if I were still tooling around with friends in grade school. Nice thing about the experience is no terrain limitations, no worries about ruts. The fat bike gets you over anything and is very stable, even on technical terrain.”

Wednesday winter evenings find her and Elmhurst Bicycle Club members touring nearby venues: Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail, Salt Creek Trail and Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve near Lemont.

Like Rosenbaum, Piech owns different wheel sets to swap tires easily for conditions: slicks for long road distances, studded tires for ice, and gravel tires for snow and gravel.

Steve Boje of South Elgin runs BOJ-E-BIKES, a Batavia e-bike shop. A fattie fan for eight to nine years, the Fox River Trail is his go-to venue with or without snow.

Like others, he recommends borrowing or renting a fat bike before purchasing, as prices can range $1,500-$2,000, per Boje.

“Try it first, make sure it works for you,” he recommended. “One might be too heavy or bulky. You want to check for maneuverability.”

When soft, stay off

One should check trail conditions before bundling in layers and hauling one’s fat bike to a trailhead. Seasoned riders not only know the value of maximizing their experience, but also the importance of preserving trails for future use.

Thousands of volunteer hours go into constructing/maintaining trails. Imprints in mud and otherwise soft terrain will harden into ruts, spoiling the trail for the next rider. “When Soft, Stay Off” is prudent advice year-round, regardless of bike type.

CAMBr’s website lists Trail Systems Current Conditions for various Chicagoland trails. Volunteer trail coordinators update conditions regularly, often including warnings like this one for Raceway Woods: “Trails are closed until frozen again. Please stay off the trails — they are slop.”

Besides the website, CAMBr uses the Trailbot smartphone app to publish trail conditions updates. This app lists mountain bike sites all over the Midwest.

Fatter by the Lake

Back from pre-pandemic days, “Fatter by the Lake,” hosted by Zion Cyclery, is a fattie ride to the lakefront, snow or no snow, on Saturday, Feb. 15. The ride starts at noon from the bike shop and is free to all riders.

Following the 8 to 9 mile round trip, Zion Cyclery will serve food and refreshments. Participants should sign up via Eventbrite.

No fat bike? No problem. Rentals are available.

• Join the ride. Contact Ralph Banasiak at alongfortheridemail@gmail.com.