Adirondack Sports December 2023

BICYCLING
DECEMBER 2023 7
SMBA’S ALEX CENTOFRANCHI,
DAVE WALTERS AND OWEN
DOUGHERTY AT DANIELS ROAD.
JOSH CLEVENSTINE
Winter
Fat Biking
Getting Started, Best Bets
and Pitching In
SARATOGA SHREDDERS’ ANNA LALOË,
RACHEL MORGAN AND DANIELLE
MORIARTY AT KALABUS PERRY.
By Josh Clevenstine
Prior to the 2020 winter I was one of
the many riders who pretty much
hung up the bike after autumn
daylight savings did its damage. Once the
snow was on the ground, I snowboarded
until spring. I still love snowboarding
every Saturday through the season – this
has NOT changed. But I HATED not being
on my bike for almost six months of the
year and having to restart the conditioning
cycle in the spring. Each year, I was getting
more frustrated by the end of mountain
biking season. By autumn of 2019, I
was more bummed about biking season
ending than I was stoked for snowboard
season starting. Finally, I “caved,” bought
lights, a fat tire mountain bike, and I have
NEVER regretted it. Hello year-round
mountain biking and goodbye off-season!
Fat Biking is an… odd… beast. You
have to WANT the ride and you have to be
stubborn. Many rides will have you grinning
ear to ear blasting over the crisp frozen
grippy snow. Each ride will be a little
different based on the conditions, which
can change mid-ride on you. Sometimes
it’s just too warm out. If you find yourself
sinking into soft snow and spinning your
wheels barely getting anywhere, don’t
keep going. Come back in a few hours or
another day, when that wet soft snow has
frozen and you can ride over it, not into
it! There may be some rides you just don’t
get to go on, it happens and it’s a bummer
when it does. That’s when you have to
remind yourself, it’s better to miss a ride or
two in a warm spell, than miss months of
riding without a fat bike!
Gear and Apparel – I don’t want to
go too heavy here on what kind of fat bike
to get. Any fatty is better than nothing. I
love my ‘21 Trek Farley 7. It comes with
everything you could need: 1x drivetrain,
dropper, fork, hydraulic disc brakes, and
stud-ready 4.5” tires. I added a second
wheel set so I could easily swap from
non-studded tires to studs. If possible,
transport your bike in your vehicle – road
salt is hard on bikes!
One of the toughest things to figure
out is learning how to dress for the various
levels of cold. Every person’s unique
make up really shows in how they dress for
winter riding. Some folks wear heavy winter
jackets while only needing lightweight
gloves and regular riding shoes. Others
are the opposite. You’ve gotta find what
works for you.
I don’t need a great deal of extra heavy
layers on my upper body and legs. Even on
the coldest days or nights my sleeves are
rolled up and my forearms are exposed.
I sweat heavily so as long as I’m moving
my body tends to keep itself pretty
warm. Two layers of good wool shirts
make up my top half. I carry a rolledup
rain jacket on my pack in case of a
mechanical issue; the jacket goes on
while I tend to my bike so the cold
wind doesn’t freeze my sweat and give
me a bad time. On the bottom half I
wear long jogging spandex and wool
socks under my usual riding accoutrements.
As with most fat bikers, my feet
and hands are a challenge – both
extremities get cold easily. On my
hands I wear trigger finger mittens
with glove liners underneath. The
trigger finger mittens have treated
leather on the outside to keep the wind
and exterior moisture out. On cold days, I
still put a warmer in each mitten between
the mitt and my liner. Also key on this
setup is that the layers/leather keep my
sweaty hands from getting chilled by
the wind. The trigger finger mittens are
effective and allow me to brake, shift and
operate my dropper while staying warm.
I STRONGLY recommend this setup to
others whose hands struggle in the cold.
SARATOGA
SHREDDERS’
ANNA LALOË AT
THE SARATOGA
FAT BIKE RALLY.
ROSS MEALEY
Some people go with bar mitts. These riders
seem happy enough with their setup,
but I can’t get my head around falling and
potentially not being able to get my hands
free as quick as possible.
On my feet, I wear winter clipless
boots with toe warmers. Regarding clipless
pedal life in winter, I envy riders who
are used to riding flats. If you’re putting
your feet down repeatedly in the snow,
See BICYCLING 9 ▶