Omar gets the skinny on fat biking
Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco | CBC News | Posted: March 3, 2016 8:00 PM | Last Updated: March 3, 2016
Take a snowy spin through Gatineau Park with a couple of fat bike fanatics
I spent five years as a bike messenger in Ottawa, riding in all the conditions this climate could throw at me.
So, fat biking ... no problem, right?
This marks the first winter fat bikes have been allowed on some Gatineau Park trails. So I decided to give this two-wheel phenomenon a spin as part of our "Cold Play" series.
'Give it a shot'
I met my guides Sandra Beaubien and Fred Michaud at the entrance to Gatineau Park.
It was Beaubien's persistence in her role as president of the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association that finally led to the park's first official fat bike trails opening this year. As for her buddy, Michaud ... he's just a cycling addict, always ready to ride. .
"It's fun!" Beaubien promises. "We had a demo day a few weeks ago and we had over a hundred people trying it out for the first time. So it's growing, everyone's interested and ... just give it a shot, it's fun."
Not as easy as it looks
So what's the big, fat deal? Sure the flats are a breeze. But get on a single-track trail through the trees and rolling terrain, and suddenly you're pumping your legs just to maintain the momentum you need to stay upright.
And that makes sense when you think about it. Your tires are four to 10 centimetres wide with very low pressure. They get lots of traction, but it also takes a lot of energy to get up a slope. So in –20 C, you're sweating within minutes.
Why are my legs burning after a short ride? Adam Kourakis of mobile bike shop Velofix has a theory.
He says it all depends on the snow. If the trails have been packed down hard, you're going to find it relatively easy to pedal, and you're going to go much faster. Light fluffy snow is going to make for more pedaling. Think of the pistons in your car as it inches forward, digging for traction on a snow-covered road. Yup ... this can be gruelling.
Try before you buy
"If you're buying a fat bike my tip for you is to start by looking at what kind of riding you're actually going to do," Kourakis advises. "If you're going to be doing more hard pack and more trail riding, then you get a fat bike that's more geared towards that. If you're going to be doing a lot of open trail and a lot more soft riding, get something more for that."
Fat biking in Gatineau Park is exhilarating. As soon as you stray from the wide, main trails, you're on your own, rolling through snow-covered forest. It's quiet. You're warm. The air is crisp and the scenery changes at every turn. You might feel the sudden urge to stop, sink into the blanket of snow and take it all in. Or if you're biking with Beaubien ... pick up the pace and enjoy the adrenaline!
"I like it that you've got to be paying attention all the time and there's a lot of twists and turns, quick downhills, quick uphills. It's fun!"
Even falling is fun, when you're landing on a soft bed of snow. And if you're fat biking for the first time, rest assured — that's going to happen!
"I like it that you've got to be paying attention all the time and there's a lot of twists and turns, quick downhills, quick uphills. It's fun!"
Even falling is fun, when you're landing on a soft bed of snow. And if you're fat biking for the first time, rest assured — that's going to happen!