In my Facebook feed a few weeks back I noticed my friend Pat Kelley had another picture posted of 4 or 5 folks with goofy grins, bike helmets, and his report of another fat bike ride. Guys old enough to ride on a weekday, fat bikes, and snow. It sounded like fun so I borrowed a fat bike and invited myself along on their next ride. Whoops!

Our ride was at the Ingham Conservation District , a 200-acre parcel of woodland outside of Mason, 10 miles south of Lansing. They’ve managed to squeeze about 5 miles of bike trail here, spaghetti-style. I joined Pat, Robin, and Luiz on a perfect February day, 30 degrees, partly sunny, and with about 8″ of mostly fresh snow on the ground.

Pat and his pals were eager to share, and this first-time fat bike rider was happy for the advice and support. Call me Caboose, I was the last rider in our small group, on purpose and by choice. We started riding slowly on the freshly groomed trails.

Aside from the motorcycle-sized wheels & tires, fat bikes look normal. If you rode one on pavement or open trails, the ride would be similar to many other kinds of cycling. However in the twisty, narrow, log covered world these guys prefer, fat biking takes on its’ own personality.

First the combination of oversized wheels, low tire pressure, slow speed, and tight turns will appear. You quickly realize there is no similarity between steering one of these boys down the trail, vs. what you might know from road biking. On the fat bike I actually had to use the handlebars to steer the bike, instead of body English that I’m used to on the road bike or e-bike. Let’s couple that with trees spaced just inches wider than the handlebar width, and toss a turn into the mix. Whoopsies!

And then there’s the cycling itself, brief sprints up small rises, followed by heavy panting just to keep up. For non-bikers, it’s kind of like going to Boot Camp exercise class and alternating between burpees and  battle rope exercises. My legs could handle it, but my lungs and upper body lagged, particularly my hands and forearms. Whoops again.

I did learn quickly that it was necessary to pedal and use the brake while turning- slow speed maneuvering requires monitored power. I also relearned that hopping off the bike is a good strategy. It helps you avoid falling over even if you have to walk up the hill.

The group took regular rest stops every few minutes. They may have needed it, but I think the breaks were mostly to let me catch up. At the halfway point I took an alleged short cut back to the parking lot and logged about 2.3 miles in 50 minutes. The short cut was less distance but probably more work as I was breaking the trail in fresh snow. Doh!

The rest of the group took another 15 minutes to complete the loop, and then we went out for coffee. I asked Pat why- why are you and your pals out regularly doing this, what’s the hook? His answer was immediate: “We love riding bikes. It’s hard to ride on roads in the winter in Michigan, and this (fat bikes in the woods) is so much more comfortable. It’s a way to keep riding, and be out of the wind and still enjoy the bike sensation and the workout…”

I burst out laughing- comfort   and fat bike workout might not belong in the same sentence.  “On trails, fat biking is hard work” Pat continued, “but it’s also part of why we bike, to stay fit and challenge ourselves. We don’t come out to ride fast, but for the workout. This is a mature group and no one wants to crash, so we’re very moderate riders.”

So how does this group attract new riders? The Facebook post got me, but I asked about other strategy. “We have a fat bike group email” Pat said, “Midweek we get a lot of retired guys, and then a different mix on Saturday or Sunday. It’s not an exclusive or closed group.”

We talked a bit about Ingham Conservation District and the trails which are maintained by Mid Michigan Mountain Bike Association (MMMBA). “I spoke with MMMBA” Pat said, “about applying for a TCBA grant for trail maintenance.” Tri County Bicycle Association (TCBA) is a well-known group from Lansing, and Pat has been president since 2014. The TCBA grant program supports the bicycling community, not just road biking or TCBA tours.

This led to a discussion of strategy used by TCBA to attract more and younger riders to our sport. “That’s been a problem for TCBA for some time” Pat said. “We had a group of MSU students work on a marketing program for us, but the results are hard to measure. DALMAC just bought some (Search engine optimization) service, because they were ranking on page 10 on google search!”

DALMAC is working on internet presence even though their 2020 tours are sold out! TCBA is studying motivation as it relates to membership, and has hired a public relations group to help the board create some new policies. This will help club efforts regarding education and support of legislative measures to make cycling and motoring safer in Michigan.

This led to a discussion of insurance, ride safety, and the advantages of joining an organized tour- maybe an annual event like DALMAC, or a regular club ride, or a pick-up event like this. New riders should take comfort in knowing that someone else has been there first, that the route is safe, and that there’s a support plan in case of emergency. For this simple day ride in the woods, we were never more than a half mile away from pavement, and about the same distance from the nearest residence.

I asked Pat if he had anything else to say about fat bikes or cycling. “It’s pretty simple” he said, “the exciting thing is I can now ride all year long. I can stay fit and enjoy the outdoors. Biking is such a great sport for all kinds of people”.

You can find Pat on Facebook, or contact tcba.org for regular scheduled rides in the Lansing area. Feeling brave? Click here for some wonderful tours in the Great Lakes, thanks!

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