My Back Yard: Fat Tire Fun

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Fat Tire Fun

Bridging the Weather Gap with Fat Tires

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” -Walt Disney

Let’s be honest, the last two winters have produced less than desirable snowfall. I’ve pretended not to notice but my optimism can only stretch so far. The NOAA ( National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is losing faith in the possibility of La Nina (cold, dry) this winter in part due to the occurrence of “the blob” (warm, wet). I’m not even sure what all this means or how it works but I’m guessing that we are in store for another less-than wintery winter.

I’ve always been of the opinion that if you are going to live and thrive in Alaska then you’ve got to be able to recreate outside year-round. Otherwise why not live in Arizona? Luckily for us here in Alaska there are so many incredible things to do outside, even in the winter. But, in recent years winter activities that require deep snow have, well... sucked. Who wants to ski, snowshoe, or snowmachine in two inches of hardened snow turned icy crust? No Thanks. And what about those warm and wet days when the rain saturates the snow base into a slushy mess? Nah. Insert fat-tire biking.

Talkeetna is almost always a little colder and collects more snow than our southern neighbors in the lower valley and Anchorage bowl. But the last couple of winters have felt more like Juneau than Talkeetna. So when the opportunity arose for me to buy a fat tire bike from a friend this summer I jumped on it. I couldn’t dream of a better way to get outside on these marginal weather days. The bike I bought is a made by an Alaskan company called Fatback that is based out of Anchorage. It was purchased as a gift for my friend Arthur Mannix by his wife Karen. Arthur, is a diehard nordic ski bum couldn’t imagine wasting any precious ski days peddling a bike and was happy to let it go.

So far I have been loving it. I have had the opportunity to ride on a variety of terrain including up to six inches of snow, ice, four wheeler trails, hiking trails and river banks. I’ve even peddled into our non motorized hunting area to hunt caribou couple of times (no luck).

R0lling along the Susitna River

“What’s the big deal with these fat tire bikes anyway?” one might ask. Aside from being goofy fun, the wide tires provide a bigger footprint on the ground. Deflating the tires to as little as five pounds of pressure increases the footprint even more. The bigger footprint disperses weight over a larger area allowing the biker to cruise over terrain otherwise unrideable on a regular mountain bike. Sandy beaches, soft snowmachine trails, fresh powder...no problem. Since more rubber is in contact with the ground traction is increased. Hill climbing is easier too and the squishiness of the tires acts as shock absorbers effectively bouncing the rider down the trail.

So this fall, while waiting for the elusive “big dump” of snow, I have been pleasantly biding my time, bouncing along trails and sometimes even giggling.