LEWISTON  – Fat is where it’s at – and no, we are not talking about your body mass index.

The boom in so-called “fat biking” has hit Maine, and riders and bike shop owners are saying if you go fat you are unlikely to go back.

“Once you try it, you can’t wipe the smile off your face,” said Frank Jalbert,  the owner of Busytown Bikes in Lewiston and a fat bike enthusiast.

Jalbert and a group of bikers from Lewiston-Auburn and beyond have been hitting the trails around the region, including snowmobile and snowshoe trails at Range Pond and Riverlands state parks. 

Jalbert said more and more bikers are choosing fat bikes for year-round fun, noting that while the big tires — which range between 3.5 and 5 inches in width — can take a little extra effort to spin, they are better at moving over soft, snowy and uneven terrain.

The trend of super-fat-tired bikes with beefy frames started in Alaska several years ago when bike riders there began modifying mountain bikes, including welding two wheels together to make them super-sized and therefore more capable of rolling over rough terrain and snow, Jalbert said.

The bike companies caught on, the trend of fat biking was born and it has rapidly spread from West to East. The sport is very popular now in the Midwest and has even spawned a major race featuring fat bikers that’s coordinated with the famous American Birkebeiner Nordic ski race in Cable, Wis.

Jalbert, like other bike shop owners, said keeping the bikes in stock has been a challenge; the last one he got into his shop was gone within three hours.

John Grenier, the owner of Rainbow Cycles in Lewiston, said he too is seeing a steady uptick in fat bike sales. Grenier said he believes the supply of fat bikes is finally catching up to the demand, and getting the bikes for customers has become easier.

Grenier said most of his customers buying fat bikes are already full-fledged “hard core” cyclists adding another specialty machine to their fleet of two-wheeled vehicles. “I’m finding for a lot of folks it’s their third or fourth bike,” Grenier said.

He also agreed the bikes tend to sell themselves, with the added good news that fat bike prices are starting to trend downward. In less than a year, prices for the basic model fat bikes have dropped from about $1,700 to under $1,000, he said.

Grenier said he is sold on using fat bikes to get out in the winter to ride in weather and locations that would be impossible for traditional road, hybrid and even mountain bikes. Grenier, who has long ventured out in the winter on his mountain bike, said prior to fat bikes you had to wait for just the right snow conditions to really get out and ride.

Now, he said, taking a long tour along snowmobile trails from his home off Old Greene Road in Lewiston to as far away as Bowdoinham is a common winter adventure for him.

“I can get a really good long ride in and not have to worry about traffic,” Grenier said. He also said one giant advantage of winter riding on a fat bike is cyclists can access terrain that would literally be a bog or a swamp in the summer.

“You get access to wet areas that you just can’t get near in the summer,” Grenier said. He said that has also allowed him to explore to the point where he can lose his bearings. “I have no idea where I am sometimes,” Grenier said. “I’ll look out and see a house or something and wonder, ‘Where the heck am I?'”

Fat bikes are also starting to become popular sights at cross-country ski centers in the area. Pineland Farms in New Gloucester has a fledgling fat bike program that puts riders on the the touring center’s snowshoe trails.

Matt Sabasteanski, director of outdoor recreation at Pineland Farms, said he thinks the growing popularity of fat bikes is being driven by a number of factors, the primary one being the short learning curve: It’s pretty much like riding any other bike.

“I don’t think it takes a lot of effort to master,” Sabasteanski said.

Another factor: The long-standing desire of many cyclists to stay in shape in the winter without having to put in hours spinning their wheels on an indoor setup.

Sabasteanski said that for those who may not be part of the “hard core” cycling set, fat bikes offer a quick, easy and fun way to get outside and exercise in the winter.

“It’s really providing a winter outlet for people who want to be on their bicycles in the winter,” he said.

Jalbert, Grenier and Sabasteanski all said fat bike riders are trying to grow the sport in ways that respect others using the winter trails.

Pineland Farms is working to minimize conflicts between cross-country skiers and fat bike riders by segregating the groups when possible and establishing guidelines — such as a rule that all trail users need to yield to cross-country skiers — but Sabasteanski said that in general the bikes don’t do much damage to trails made for most other snow sports.

Grenier also said he’s found Maine’s snowmobiling community hasn’t been openly hostile about sharing their trails. “I haven’t run into any problems with snowmobilers,” he said. “They are typically pretty friendly.”

It helps that fat bike cyclists can’t really do too much damage, he said. “There may become a tipping point where there are enough of us out there where we are annoying them,” Grenier said. “But we don’t do any damage to the trails because I can’t make a rooster tail with just my human power.”

All three enthusiasts agreed that once a cyclist takes a ride on a fat bike they are usually hooked quickly.

“Those mountain bike riders who really like to challenge their technical ability can really do that on a fat bike in the winter too,” Grenier said.

For Kurt Cedergren, who rides with Jalbert and also helps keep trails in shape for fat biking, his fat bike is a kind of time machine.

“I feel like a kid on it,” Cedergren said after a recent spin through the snow in Lewiston.

sthistle@sunjournal.com

Staff photographer Daryn Slover contributed to this report.

Ride with respect

With fat biking’s growing popularity, enthusiasts are trying to limit conflicts with other winter trail users. Here’s a checklist of guidelines to follow before you get on your bike and ride.

1. Ensure you have landowner permission. Many of Maine’s recreational trails cross private land, and while snowmobile clubs and others may have secured permission for use, and while it is probably safe to assume most landowners will allow fat bikes, it best to check with the local snowmobile club first.

2. Ensure tires are wide enough that they are not going to damage trails made for other activities. The International Mountain Bicycle Association recommends tires of at least 3.5 inches in width.

3. Fat bikes should yield to cross-country skiers at all times when encountered on the trails. The IMBA warns, “Skiers don’t have brakes but you do.”

4. Fat bikes should not be used on groomed classical cross-country trails.

5. When riding snowmobile trails, use a front, white blinking light and a rear, red blinking light at all times.

6. Be an ambassador for the sport. Be courteous and polite when encountering other trail users.

7. Do not trespass. 

8. Do not ride in sensitive wildlife areas.

9. Do not disturb wildlife.

10. Understand safe ice thickness before venturing on to frozen bodies of water or streams.

11.  Be prepared, with extra water and snacks. And bicycle parts to make any unexpected repairs.

12. Do not ride into the backcountry alone. If you ignore that rule, make sure you let somebody know where you are going and when you intend to be back. Leave a note.

For a more detailed list of fat bike etiquette online, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kqjgxra.

Source: International Mountain Bicycle Association

Do the Fat Bike Slalom on Sunday, Feb. 22

The first “and potentially annual” Fat Bike Dual Giant Slalom event will be held at Titcomb Mountain on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 9 a.m., according to organizers Todd Richard and Fred Brittain. The race was originally scheduled for Monday, Feb. 16, but was moved due to the storm.

The course will start with a gentle downhill sprint with no gates and then come into a downhill course set with dual GS gates, where the first arrivals can choose their preferred line, according to organizers.

The fee is $20 with all the proceeds going to Titcomb Mountain.

No pre-sign-ups necessary. Organizers suggest competitors get to the event with enough time to pay, sign a liability waiver and get you and your bike to the top of the hill (10-20 minutes), and be ready for the 9 a.m. start. Helmets are required.

On Facebook at Farmington Area Trailbuilders (FAT).

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