{"id":194717,"date":"2023-12-29T13:13:14","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T13:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=194717"},"modified":"2023-12-29T13:13:14","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T13:13:14","slug":"riding-a-fatbike-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/12\/29\/riding-a-fatbike-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Riding a Fatbike \u2013 A Beginner\u2019s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/12\/26\/riding-a-fatbike-what-is-it-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our previous article,<\/a> you know what is a fatbike and the reasons why you may want to try one. Let\u2019s say you decided to give it a go. What should be your first step? Let\u2019s go over all the gear you need, where to ride, and how to choose your first fatbike.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What you need to get started<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is a list of all the clothing and accessories you should get ready for your first fatbike ride. Assuming you\u2019re a regular cyclist and you sometimes go skiing, you probably already own all of it. Also, we are assuming you\u2019re going to try fatbiking on snow in winter. You can of course try it in a warm climate on sand, for example, but you won\u2019t need anything else compared to a regular bike ride in that scenario.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A helmet and ear protection<\/strong>. Any bicycle helmet will do but mountain biking helmets are probably the best fit. Make sure to wear a buff over the ears under your helmet. Go for a full balaclava if it\u2019s really cold.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weather-appropriate clothing<\/strong>. You can probably wear the same clothes as for cross country skiing or alpine touring. Focus on layers and water resistance. Start with an extra layer and take a small backpack to remove the layer as you warm up.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gloves<\/strong>. Keeping fingers warm is essential in winter so you don\u2019t lose the ability to shift, brake, or steer effectively. Don\u2019t hesitate to go for lobster style mitts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shoes<\/strong>. Make sure your cycling shoes are warm enough for cold weather. If not, buy a pair of shoe covers. But since you\u2019ll be riding flat pedals most likely, you can use almost any winter shoes you have. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.de\/s?k=Merino-wool+socks&amp;crid=3JJXE76LC7NYK&amp;sprefix=merino-wool+socks%2Caps%2C141&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss_2\">Merino-wool socks<\/a> are the best choice to go with your shoes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sunglasses<\/strong>. Wearing these will protect your eyes from the cold wind and reduce snow glare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_194720\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-194720\" style=\"width: 990px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-194720 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR.webp\" alt=\"Fatbike\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR.webp 990w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR-400x267.webp 400w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2023\/12\/Fatbike-profimedia-0826562815-CVR-272x182.webp 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-194720\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fatbikes are perfect if you&#8217;re looking for a new way to get out and explore. The wide tyres provide extra grip and traction, allowing you to traverse terrain that would make conventional tyres sink. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>How to choose a fat bike<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For most people, the best thing to do is to try a rental first or even book a guided tour on fatbikes. That\u2019s the quickest way to understand the basics, have a good first experience, and form an opinion on whether fat biking is something you want to invest in.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you decide to get your own fatbike, the great news is that you can get away with cheaper components, and therefore a cheaper bike. You rarely go very fast on a fatbike so there is no need for fancy brakes or a drive train. Also, because fatbikes have wide tires with a low pressure, you don\u2019t really need suspension, you can have a great time with rigid fork.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You spend most of your rides in lower gears, even on groomed trails and rarely shift into higher gears. This is why you don\u2019t really need high gear ratios and you don\u2019t need more than a 10-speed cassette. The moral of the story is, with fatbikes, even what your local store will call an \u201centry level model\u201d is very likely going to be a very solid choice.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Where to go fat biking?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you have your fatbike and all the gear ready, it\u2019s time to find the best place to take it for a spin. If you\u2019re new to this genre of cycling, the best option is to ride groomed trails. The next best thing are trails with packed snow, either by other fatbikers, snowshoers, hikers, or trail runners. Cross-country skiing paths are also a great option but check with the local community to see whether you can enter on a bike. More experiences fat bike riders venture into powdered snow, either to make it more of a workout, or to break trails for other. It\u2019s probably a good idea to stay away from powder at first to avoid frustration.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Set realistic expectations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fatbiking can be really fun and exciting, but in different ways than other types of cycling. You should expect to go slower riding on snow than you would on most trails or pavement. Plan for short distances to account for this. In the beginning, fatbiking can feel like it takes more out of you than regular cycling. Only plan longer rides after you get some distance under your belt.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And most importantly, don\u2019t feel bad if you have to walk from time to time. Hills are a lot harder in the snow, and sometimes you will encounter drifts, soft patches, or sketchy areas that you just don\u2019t want to ride.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you get into fatbiking, stay tuned for next time, we will go over some more advanced tips, techniques, and trail etiquette for fat biking enthusiasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From our previous article, you know what is a fatbike and the reasons why you may want to try one. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":194718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[7539,7504,7506],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-194717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-a-guide-to-riding-a-fatbike","tag-fatbike","tag-riding-a-fatbike","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Riding a Fatbike \u2013 A Beginner\u2019s Guide - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From our previous article, you know what is a fatbike and the reasons why you may want to try one. Let\u2019s say you decided to give it a go. What should be\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/12\/29\/riding-a-fatbike-a-beginners-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Riding a Fatbike \u2013 A Beginner\u2019s Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From our previous article, you know what is a fatbike and the reasons why you may want to try one. Let\u2019s say you decided to give it a go. 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